They had no idea who the person in front of them could possibly be. And despite the threat, the two of them knew they weren't in any danger.

“How did this guy get in here though?” Zeke's brows arched with the thought. He casted a glance at Circe, and she looked back at him with an equally confused face.

While they shared a silent conversation, the mysterious man crept closer, holding out his short sword as a clear threat. “Come on. Get moving and follow me quietly.”

Without saying a word, Circe stepped forward.

The man slightly lowered his weapon, eyeing Silas, “Good, now you come here.”

Circe chose that moment to strike. Her hand moved faster than the intruder could see, and the short sword fell to the ground in mere seconds. A cry of pain rang out from the man as he staggered backwards, gripping his twisted wrist with his other hand.

“For someone who managed to sneak himself into the royal palace, you're nothing special.” Circe remarked with nonchalance as she watched the stranger glare at her, now disoriented from both the pain and the fact that a teenage girl just disarmed him.

“No surprise,” Zeke narrowed his eyes, “Since this guy's a mage trying to play swordsman.”

The man couldn't hide his surprise, but it soon got replaced by suspicion as he croaked, “...How do you know that?”

Zeke shrugged, “It takes one to know one.”

“That's impossible!” Taking several steps back, the man's cautious eyes never blink at them, “I specialize in cloaking spells, only highly skilled mages could detect me! Did he tell you that I was coming? He betrayed me didn't he!?”

A frown creased Zeke's forehead, “Who's he? What are you talking about?”

Instead of responding, the man whirled around and dashed away. Circe attempted to follow, though she soon stopped in her tracks once someone else smashed his fist into the intruder's face, knocking him out in an instant.

“So this is where you two went,” Clad in Salvador's signature knight uniform, Einar let his raised fist fall to his side, “Have any of you seen Lady Rowena? Someone told me she went out with you.”

“Huh? No she didn't?” Circe replied, and her words brought confusion upon Einar's expression. As Zeke knelt down to the mysterious man's unconscious body, she continued speaking, “Silas tried inviting her to come with us, but she declined. Why? Did something happen?”

Einar took a moment to reply, his eyes darting towards the man he knocked out, “...I thought it was nothing since this is the royal palace. Seemed like I was wrong,” he looked up, “I am not sure if this is a serious matter just yet, but would you mind searching the area for Lady Rowena? I will take this man to the knights and have them send out a small search party for the time being.”

After giving him a nod in confirmation, they split up. Zeke and Circe headed into the garden as Einar dragged the unconscious man along with him.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“She couldn't have gone far, right?” Circe spoke up, though Zeke didn't reply, instead walking ahead of her as if he hadn't heard a thing. “...Zeke?” She called out, but still failed to draw his attention.

Only when Circe caught up to him did he finally face her. Just like before, she couldn't pick up a hint of his thought on his stoic face. “...If that guy managed to get in, who knows who else came along with him.”

Circe pursed her lips, “Hey, it's Rowena, she's better than you at swordsmanship, remember?”

Her attempt at reassuring him failed. A frown darkened Zeke's face as he hissed, “She's at a ball, there's no way she's carrying a weapon with her.”

Unable to refute his words, Circe's silence prompted Zeke to stride further into the garden. By then, he'd began shouting Rowena's name, each time louder than the last.

“...And he said he didn't care about her.” A smile formed with Circe's thought. She joined Zeke in his search, calling out the girl's name as well.

Despite their efforts, nothing but the night's silence responded to them. Circe could see Zeke getting more agitated as time passed, and she too felt anxious at the possibility of something happening to the little girl.

When they heard a rustling sound coming from behind them, Zeke's head turned so fast Circe feared he might've given himself a whiplash. It wasn't Rowena, but Lilia who had came to greet them.

Circe didn't like the look on the maid's face. “...My lady, my lord…the marqius called for the both of you.”

“My father did?” Zeke frowned, “What happened? Did you find Rowena?”

It look Lilia a moment to respond, judging by the flash of fear in her eyes. She lowered her head, her words came out slow and steady as if she worried about stuttering. “...His lordship simply told me to call for you two. My sincerest apologies, Lord Silas.”

“Hey,” Circe whispered to Zeke with a slight frown, “You are scaring her. Cut it out.”

For a moment, Circe saw a hint of frustration flickered across his face. It quickly disappeated as Zeke took a deep breath and nodded, “...Lead the way.”

.

.

.

In an empty guest room far from the banquet hall, Lysander and Creston had been talking as Zeke and Circe entered. Einar glanced at them from the door, slowly shaking his head. The message was clear: “We found nothing.”

“—What about mother?”

“I sent her back home first so she could rest, I'm sure the news shocked her quite a bit.” Creston faced the two children after answering Lysander's question. He let out a long sigh and began explaining. “None of our knights found anything. The royal guards interrogated the man Einar caught. He caved rather quickly and told us he entered through stealth magic.”

“His goals,” Lysander took over, “are still unclear to us. But he showed clear hostility towards Father when we entered the interrogation room.”

“Okay, and?” Zeke's tone scared Circe. He sounded as if he wanted to kill someone. “What about Rowena? They didn't find anything? Not a single trace? She couldn't have disappeared all of a sudden without kicking up a big fuss.”

They should consider it a blessing that Creston didn't comment on the way his son spoke to him, “You know your sister well, Silas. Rowena will be safe on her own.”

“...What?” Zeke's frown deepened. He looked at Circe for a moment, expressing clear disbelief. “It's clear she's been kidnapped, and you're saying it's fine?”

Now it was Creston's turn to get frustrated, “Rowena is well trained. She is definitely fine.”

Zeke threw his hands in the air, “Are you kidding me!? She's ten years old!” He declared before anyone could speak up, “Sure, she might be way better than me at swordsmanship, but did you forget that she doesn't have a sword? And no matter how good this damn family is at combat, it's way out of line to expect a child to fend for her own.”

Lysander stepped forward. Unlike his father, he had a calm expression, and his tone remained steady as he spoke, “...Silas, I agree with you, but we've sent the best knights to search the area. We're believing Rowena will be fine because she's a Salvador, not that we're expecting her to do anything rash.”

Circe found this to be the right moment, grabbing Zeke's arm to get his attention. She whispered to him, “He's right, calm yourself down. Why are you getting so worked up anyway? This isn't like you.”

Zeke stared at her as if she was crazy, “She's my sister.”

“Is she?”

Circe blurted out in the heat of the moment, but luckily it seemed to have snapped Zeke back to reality. She felt his arm relaxed in her arm as he faced Creston and Lysander. Letting out a sigh, he spoke calmly. “...I got frustrated for a moment there. I'm sorry. However, I will not leave this to the knights to handle. I will search with them.”

Fortunately, Creston cooled down along with his son, “Do as you pleased. I have to discuss the security within the royal palace with His Majesty.”

Without waiting for anyone to say a thing, the marquis strode out of the room.

Lysander spoke soon after his father left, “I will go with you, Silas,” he faced Einar, “Sir Einar, please continue to oversee that intruder's interrogation. We must make sure he doesn't attempt at his own life since he's the only clue we've got.”

“Yes, my lord,” Einar bowed and exited the room immediately after.

“Lady Ruelle,” Lysander turned to Circe, “It will be best you stay here, or return to the Peregrine estate with Lilia.”

Since it'd be oddly suspicious if she protested against the idea, Circe simply nodded in agreement. “Yes,” she nodded at Zeke, “My lord, take care of yourself.”

Zeke stared at her without speaking for a moment. Soon, he nodded in response, “Be careful on your way there.”

She still felt reluctant to leave, but without much of a choice, Circe opened the door, meeting with Lilia on the other side. As she stepped out, she briefly saw the anxious look on Zeke's face.

Circe understood his feelings well, she too worried about Rowena's well-being.