The fist of an old man crashed heavily onto a heavy wooden desk, shaking it thoroughly.

“So the assassins did not only fail miserably, but you also lost track of him…only for him to appear in the royal forest? Are you fucking stupid?!?! How could you lose that kid? It’s not like he’s a trained assassin!” The man cursed, his eyes glowing vividly. He pulled his long silverish hair back in a huff and stared deep into the twisting shadows next to him.

“We acted low profile and had problems using more than one-fifth of our network to avoid attracting attention, which is what you ordered, your Excellency,” The shadows hummed in return. There was only one voice in the air, but it felt like the shadows spoke in several voices simultaneously.

“Are you telling me your incompetence is my fault? You must be tired of living!” The old man thundered, silencing the shadows.

The old man took a few deep breaths, calming his nerves, and looked at the shadows again. They hummed and rippled, but no one said anything for a while. The wrinkles in the old man’s face distorted.

“Can you get rid of him before he reaches the palace? Once he’s inside, we cannot kill him without attracting the attention of the entire kingdom. I don’t think my idiotic son will leave him unprepared after failing his duty all these years ago.”

He was trying to retain some of his calmness but failed miserably. There was no way he could have stayed calm since he heard that the child was still alive several weeks ago.

“The kid was found with the princess. We…”

The old man’s fight crashed heavily onto the desk again, leaving an imprint of his hand in the heavy wood.

“Useless.” He muttered, “Useless!!”

The shadow rippled again, but there was no response. Instead, the shadows dispersed in all directions when someone knocked on the office door. The old man was huffing in anger, but he swallowed his emotions and put on a farce, with a gentle smile replacing the anger and displeasure distorting his features.

“You may enter,” He said, his voice filled with kindness.

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Even if the shadows were still present, they would have difficulties believing that their lord was the same man now smiling at the servant entering the office. The old man’s aura had changed entirely, from a vicious tyrant to a saint’s.

“I apologize for interrupting you at such a late hour, Your Excellency, but I bring important news!” The servant opened the door to the office and bowed politely to the old man.

“You do not have to worry about interrupting me, child. I’m always happy if someone comes looking for me. You know, the older I get, the more lonely this old man feels,” The old man responded with a smile before putting on a worried expression, “But I guess you did not come here for no reason. Did they find my granddaughter? Is she fine? I hope she hasn’t been injured!”

The servant smiled genuinely at the old man and nodded repetitively.

“The princess has been found. She is fine and already asleep in her chambers. You no longer have to worry about her, Your Excellency.”

“That’s good,” The old man sighed in relief, “I was worried something bad happened to her.”

“But…, your excellency…” The servant was still smiling, sensing the princess's importance to the old man, but the corners of her lips twitched a little.

“Is something wrong, my child? You can tell me. Please do not hesitate and tell me everything on your mind,” The old man urged the servant, who relented for a second before giving in.

“The princess was found in the royal palace with someone else. I do not know much about the man they found, but several colleagues told me the young man looked…just like King and the Queen.”

The old man didn’t react at first. He felt like cursing the mortal realm for what had happened but retained his smile. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped to the ground.

“You mean…?” The old man shuddered, “How old is this young man? Is he…could he be…sixteen or seventeen years old?”

The servant didn’t say anything, but she nodded slowly. A droplet of sweat trickled down her cheeks, but the old man feigned a vibrant smile upon seeing her reaction.

“This…This is impossible. He didn’t die? This is a miracle!! " he exclaimed, jumping up from his chair. We have to tell the world. The Kainesh Kingdom was graced with a miracle. My grandson has returned!”

A miracle, my ass. This is a disaster! The kingdom is doomed!!

The old man cursed inwardly while retaining his smile.

“I have to see him!”

The servant smiled again and nodded vigorously.

“As you command, Old King!”