The warm afternoon breeze wafted through the window into a bright room bringing with it the scent of the freshly cut grass from the garden below.

A young boy sat by the window as he stared out at the clear blue sky, lost in his thoughts about what the future might hold for him.

The languid and lazy demeanor of his made it seem as though he had no care in the world.

Soft golden hair as it swayed due to the breeze blowing into the room made him lift his hand and brush them to the side.

The room that the boy sat in was silent with only the sounds of his steady breathing being heard at short intervals.

"Huuu…" A loud sigh broke the long-enduring silence as the boy rose from his seat by the window.

'I need a nap.' He decided as he stepped towards the bed which was placed at the center of the room.

However, his feet halted before they could reach the bed that his heart desired.

The room which had the faint sounds of breathing being heard had now stopped and an eerie silence had taken over the entire room.

"What is it?" A voice emanated from the young boy's throat which seemed more sober and stern for someone of his age.

The cause of his abrupt halt on his way to the bed was the presence he felt by the window which had not been felt until now.

The seemingly empty room had uninvited guests who weren't visible to the naked eyes.

These guests had not entered the room yet and gazed at the young boy who had his back turned towards them.

"We have come bearing news about the Palace." One of the guests spoke while the other chose to remain silent.

Hearing the reason for their unexpected visit, the young boy turned around to take a look at them.

This was when he came face to face with the two men who knelt on the wide window sill with their heads bowed.

The room that the young boy was inside was on the second floor but it appeared as though the men had no fear of plummeting to the ground.

The real question was how did these men make an appearance at the window which was so high above the ground.

"Speak." The boy ordered which made them raise their heads for the very first time since they had arrived at this place.

The moment they raised their heads their grey eyes came in contact with the bright and sparkling emerald eyes which they had been overly familiar with.

The young boy rolled his eyes when he noticed the look of awe and longing that had flashed through their eyes.

'They see me every so often so what is with that face? As though we are meeting after years of separation?' He scoffed at the dramatic looks on their faces.

"I haven't got all day!" He sneered at them which brought the men back to their senses.

The black clothes they wore proved that they were the men in charge of preserving the King's life in case of any dangerous attacks as they belonged to the prestigious and highly skilled group of Black Shadow Knights.

"Yes, Your Highness." They chimed in one voice as they thumped their fist on their chest.

The young boy standing before them was none other than their Master, Prince Draco Rochester, the future Grand Duke.

The two guards who had been assigned the task of finding the etcher had accomplished their task yet had not returned to the Palace to inform King Ophire about the same.

They knew that this Master of theirs was acquainted with the child who had 'stolen' the etcher that was meant for him.

Thus, they found it fit that they would inform their Master about this incident before they returned to the Palace.

As they narrated the events of the past few days that their master had been away from the Palace, Draco's brows raised in amusement.

He always knew that his elder brother, King Ophire loved him and showered him with the best presents in the Kingdom.

At times, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom, Fritzen would whine and pout that his father loved this uncle better than himself.

Anyone who had interacted with the Royal family on a personal level would know that Fritzen's grievances were not due to his pettiness but they were the truth.

As King Ophire had indirectly been the cause of Concubine Yuliza's death, he had taken the responsibility of cherishing the son that she had borne before she breathed her last.

Draco's eyes glimmered with interest and curiosity when he heard the details of the etcher than had been procured for him.

'I am sure that Big Brother has only chosen the best for me.' He believed and continued paying attention to the narration from his guards.

He had left these two guards to look after the King in his absence as he would not be needing them when he was in this new place.

'Oh!?' Draco's eyes widened when he heard about the magical escape of the etcher.

As the story moved forward, the corner of his lip twitched when he heard about the events that the guards had witnessed.

Once they reached the St. Claire Estate, the story hereon was amusing to Draco, to say the least.

His curiosity in the little girl had always been high ever since he had first met her at her fief.

The memory of the girl who had saved the Crown Prince of the Kingdom while calling him a 'pig' still remained fresh in his mind.

The weird expressions on her face while she grumbled and cursed made him shake his head in dismay.

However, when the guard muttered in guilt about the scene of the scary etcher acting like a tamed beast before the girl, Draco's eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.

He knew that there was something different about her from when he had met her and he had sensibly allocated her weird behavior to her twisted mind after he had followed her to see what would happen next.

But now, these unique attributes that she had were causing him to question whether there was something more to her than what meets the eyes.

Upon reaching the end of their summary on the task assigned by the King, the two guards bowed their heads once again.

'If an etcher was sent as the royal tribute then that means this etcher was of the best quality and the fact that she had formed the bond with it…' He stopped his thoughts when he reached this point.

He had met her a handful of times and each time she was different from what people said that she was.

"Does big brother know?" He questioned while glancing at the two men.

The guards gulped in anxiety as they shared a look with each other.

The fact that they had gone over the King's head and reported the matter to the Prince first would surely not sit well with Prince Draco.

This younger brother was in charge of the Black Shadow Knights and was in complete control of their powers yet he offered to let them serve the King without thinking twice.

Thus, these highly trained and skillful knights had become the King's secret protectors while the original Royal guards became ordinary palace guards who looked after the safety of the Palace.

When Draco observed the hesitant look on their faces, he had already received the answer he was looking for.

'I would have been mad at them but not today.' He sighed and then turned around.

Usually, Draco would have ruthlessly sent them away to receive the punishment that is due for their insolence in undermining the King's orders.

However, today he had done no such thing and this odd behavior baffled the two guards.

'Is he alright?' They wondered and their expressions were filled with anxiety and worry.

This was completely uncharacteristic of their master to brush away this blatant disregard to the King's command of keeping the surprise a secret from the Prince.

But they also knew that their Master would want to hear about this matter before the King could take any actions against the little girl.

They had taken this decision because what no one knew was the fact that their master had tasked them to keep him an eye on the same child who had snatched his etcher away.

While they were lost in their thoughts about trying to make sense of this behavior of their master, Draco was busy trying to think of a way to placate the King.

If King Ophire realized that not only was the surprise planned for his brother had slipped through his fingers but also the surprise had been exposed, then someone would surely lose their head.

To avoid any such mishaps from occurring, Draco sat at the study desk and began writing a letter addressed to his beloved elder brother.

The guards were unaware of the contents written in the letter as they once again lowered their heads.

Once he was done expressing his thoughts in that letter, he enclosed it in the envelope and placed the seal of the Royal family on it.

Coming back to the place where the guards knelt, he handed it over to one of them.

"Deliver this to His Majesty and receive whatever punishment he gives," Draco announced without bothering to think about their safety.

They had gone against the King's orders and punishment for the same is what they deserved.

The guard bowed respectfully before their Master and in the next second, they disappeared from their positions.

The loud swoosh that Draco heard was a sign of their departure from his location and he knew that their destination could only be the Royal Palace.

"Let us hope that the big brother's anger is alleviated after reading the letter." He muttered and then sighed.

Now that he had done his best with the letter, he hoped that King Ophire wouldn't be too harsh on his men as he knew that they had no ill will in doing whatever they had done.