“I apologize, Your Majesty, but I have come for another matter.” Said someone who had traveled far to come to the palace in Rangcew.

The King of Rangcew frowned, his obvious dislike being shown to what had been said, and continued, “Then what matter is there?”

The newcomer turned towards Prince Elton, who was silently standing to the side with calculated eyes, and bowed.

“I have come to ask for the young Prince’s hand for my daughter, Clarabelle.”

The King solemnly looked at his son and frowned again, “The Prince is my son…” Was all he stated loudly, yet his thoughts were more aggressive!

‘This is my country, he is my person! You must ask me if you want something!’

King Lewis wanted all the power, not wanting to let go an inch! If someone was asking for his son’s hand in marriage, why were they looking at his son and not him!?

The newcomer was not someone you wanted to anger easily yet, he was also not another King, so King Lewis stood and waved his hands, “I and my son are currently busy and will have to continue this discussion another day. If you excuse us.”

Walking off, without even waiting upon either that of his son or the newcomer, the King left the room.

“The country of Funmil is waiting upon a certain day, young Prince.” Stated the newcomer in a quiet voice, staring at the Prince.

The Prince nodded and started to walk out of the room as well, “…We all are, Advisor Jones.”.

It wasn’t the first time a marriage proposal had been made to the Prince, nor would it be the last.

With someone next in line to the throne and still without a Princess, Prince Elton had many suitors yet still no accepted proposal…Well except one, from a very long time ago, which no longer counted…

It also wasn’t the first time that King Lewis was somewhat ignored, and Prince Elton had some authority. Like today, where King Lewis walked away, stating that he was busy, this was how these predicaments were handled. The King would then, later on, talk to the person alone, where Prince Elton would not be called for or asked to join…

As King, you have a lot of power already, just by stating that you are the King!

Yet, for Prince Elton, even though he was a Prince, and even though he was next in line to rule, he felt like being a King was more than just a title.

He had gone out there, where the homeless were, were the dirty and hardworking people were…Where there were crimes and suffering. He had worked hard to obtain what he had and find that his father was not fit for the throne…He was not fit to rule!

Prince Elton had kept it in all this time, he kept in his displeasure, his disgust and his disloyalty!

For the father that helped bring him into this world, Prince Elton had no love for him at all. David, Prince Elton’s loyal and ‘obedient’ friend, would state that the Prince wouldn’t know what love was if it hit him in the face and that was why it was so easy for the Prince to dislike his own father.

Whatever it was that first opened Prince Elton’s eyes to his father’s various crimes, he was glad for it!

He had already helped as much as he could in the background, by obtaining assassins as bodyguards now, and already having someone on the inside of the black market but he still needed to get the thieves from Lupis on his side!

Prince Elton still had a nature of wanting things and having the superiority thought of obtaining whatever he wanted, it was just a matter of how long it would take to obtaining it. He was someone that did indeed think himself as someone higher than others, but thought this because he was able to become smarter with having the availability of any books and the money to purchase a lot of things that he wanted so it is only understandable that he should be of a higher status…

He has pride in himself, he also knows that he will also have something above his father, that his father will never be able to beat…And that is simply his age!

Yes…Anything to beat his father, the Prince wants it! No…He needs it!

The country was falling into shadow of the other countries and soon it could be looked upon as easy to be overtaken!

The people in the country of Commorda need reassurance, they need a better King!

King Lewis used anyone and anything to get what he wanted. He would sell off his own daughter to become richer, he would deceive a family, to become more powerful and…He was trying right up until this day, to try and tame his son!

Prince Elton learnt a lesson a while ago, and that was that he couldn’t just bring up one thing at a time to try and demote his father…He had to get people behind him, he had to get evidence of a few crimes and…He had to wait…Patiently!

So…He had to act like he was controlled for the time being…He had to act like he was a great son, ready to do whatever his father told him too!

***

“That son of mine is rebelling again!” King Lewis stated, now in his official study room. “Get me Advisor Rick!”

With the King’s order, a bodyguard loyal to the King rushed off to find this Advisor.

This certain Advisor Rick had been the King’s man for a long time, and they had been making plans just as long!

The newest plan of theirs was getting a woman that the Prince would marry, a woman that would woo the Prince over and make him a puppet.

They don’t have evidence to support that the Prince was rebelling against the King, well not since that brief moment a few years ago, but they have heard about it and the King knew that something must be done!

Just…There had been no woman that would fit their category yet!

“Your Majesty?” An old Advisor stated sometime later.

“How is it going? Have you not found a woman yet for my son!?” The King asked in an angry tone.

The Advisor bowed loyally and said, “Not as of yet, Your Majesty.”

“Why is it taking so long!?” The King yelled.

Very few saw the King this way, as he was a two-faced King that showed a more patient and tolerate side of himself before others. Some knew how greedy he was, some knew how far he might go but when in front of his Queen, his daughter and son and many others, the King doesn’t lose his temper…

“If we choice wrongly, Your Majesty, our plans will not work! We must be very particular!” The Advisor stated as calmly and as quietly as he could.

This advisor clenched his hidden hands as he continued to be lectured by what he thought was an absurd man. He had been loyal for so long now, so long that he was in the position that he needed to be in!

If anyone knew of what type of woman to get for the Prince, so that they could make the Prince a puppet, Advisor Rick knew!

They needed someone that would be able to mesmerize the Prince, someone that would make Prince Elton unable to think properly! They needed a woman that would listen to them and do as she was told, someone that didn’t want much and someone that would be easily scared!

Advisor Rick knew all too well that a specific woman must take time to find and that there was nothing else to do but endure through the King being mad at him at this moment.

The King took a deep breath and paced the front of his desk, right in front of the Advisor. “I don’t care anymore, if this doesn’t work, we’ll find another way! Find someone this week!”

The Advisor went to frown but held back, he knew that if the King saw his frown he might be kneeling for another hour or two!

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Was all the Advisor could say before leaving.

Because their ‘deep’ relationship was a secret, Advisor Rick left the palace secretly and directly went to his small house that was just outside of the capital. The small house wasn’t his actual residence, it was another home that he could use, especially when he didn’t want to go home to his useless eldest son and badgering wives.

Just as he put down his coat, ready to go through the potential females of who they could use for a third time, one if his loyal men came to him. “Master.”

“Speak!”

“It seems the Prince is going in the direction of Lupis…I thought that if it is so, we’d tell…”

The Advisor interrupted the man, “Very good, take me to Lupis.”

Lupis…

It was known as a town outside of the capital…A town known to hold the thieves…

It wasn’t really a ‘town’, simply because of how it was situated…And where…

Any road that would lead up to the desert town would be always swept away easily as the sand is moved by the wind. Why do the thieves live here?

If you weren’t a thief, you wouldn’t know, but thieves, with their hiding abilities and watchful eyes, knew very well that this sand dune place held lots of secrets!

It wasn’t very big, this small desert in Lupis, as you could travel by camel through the entirety of it within a day but…Their were traps, and deep below a trail of caves could be found and thus, this was where the thieves would dwell.

Being relatively close to the capital and having it easy for them to disappear, it seemed that all thieves willingly led their pursuers in this direction. Even on rare occasions some people who were running after thieves met up here in the sand dunes as they were after two different thieves!

It was no secret, this was exactly where the thieves were hidden but…How do you get inside!?

To have the mind of a thief, the ability to hide, to get away swiftly and to steal, it is the only way to get inside the caves, and that is why people might still have troubles getting in, even if they had seen an entrance before.

Nonetheless, Prince Elton narrowed his eyes to the sight of what seemed like endless sand dunes over the land before him.

He knew about the cave type place underneath, getting his information from David, who got it from a thief that came to the black market.

It really was quite mysterious…That there looked like there was no entrance, yet he was so certain that underneath held caves!

The caves had something to do with both of the land masses beside the small desert. One side of the sand dunes had softer earth than the other and caves not had just dug out by people but most of it had been done naturally…But how is one to go about getting inside?

A certain soft noise from a distance made Prince Elton turn, to squint his eyes to a person wiping themselves down from the sand from their bodies.

…It was most definitely a thief!

Trying to hide as quickly and quietly as possible, Prince Elton waved as his two bodyguards, wanting them to go further away.

After waiting patiently for the thief to disappear, which was in the direction of the capital, Prince Elton went over to where the thief had come from and frowned…

There was nothing much there. It was just the border line of the sand and the normal land that the capital is on…

He needed to get in there! He needed to get the thieves on his side! For him to do that, he needed to figure this problem out on his own and show them that he was not just some normal person, that he was more than that!

He wanted the thieves to become something more!

Yes, he’d already thought of this a while ago…He wanted the thieves to go to the other countries and bring back information and anything that might mean anything important!

It was written down in an old book, and probably was already implanted from other countries but this would be Prince Elton’s first lot of spy’s…And he was going to have their allegiance!

Still, an hour later, Prince Elton had not found a way to get inside and before he angered further, he left.

Advisor Rick had only just gotten there but sighed, feeling frustrated to have come all that way for nothing. Continuing to discretely follow the Prince back towards the capital, the advisor was suddenly stunned to see that the Prince was actually following someone suddenly.

Looking around to the area, then trying to see the person that the Prince was following, the advisor was surprised…It was a thief!

Was…Was this the reason why the Prince was at Lupis then?

This was…This was very interesting indeed! Perhaps they could find a flaw in the Prince and use it against him!

On the other hand, Prince Elton followed after the Little Pillager, unable to stop himself from just continuing his own journey.

He had been curious all this time upon why the Little Pillager would be out in this area…But if it were to steal, he would catch her in the process, perhaps demand her to tell him how to get into the caves in Lupis for her release in return…

Just that reason alone made the Prince quite happy to follow this thief, hardly able to wait to find her…

In mid thought, Prince Elton stopped and stared at the Little Pillager, as she gave some small children some food.

So, she was a thief with a soft heart towards hungry, little children?

Indeed, the Prince was quite specific, not wanting to give the Little Pillager any credit. As far as he was concerned, feeding little children like this didn’t make up for running away from him and stealing something of his from the last time that they had met!

The children ran off, probably back towards the commoner’s area, while the thief traveled straight towards the same vandalized and broken home that the Prince saw the last time that he had been led here!

Again, she had led him to the noble’s living area outside of the capital. It was obvious upon why it was the noble’s area, it was because of the hill and the view one would receive upon living in a house here but again, the same person had led him here twice…Is it a coincidence?

Why would a thief…

He couldn’t spend all day waiting for this thief to steal, so instead, he marched straight towards this broken house and just as he went to walk through the half opened, old front door, a mouse ran past.

Stopping, Prince Elton let out a big sigh, this really was ridiculous!

Walking in further, the Prince looked around, to suddenly see the thief pick up the mouse and then stare at him.

Seeing her touching that creature, the Prince frowned.

“What are you doing here?” She called out, making the Prince blink.

What am I doing here? He suddenly thought.

Seeing her look away, then sigh, he found himself wondering what she was thinking. Why was she here!?

Is there something left to steal from this place? This place didn’t even have a front door that would close!

Her thoughts were far from why she was here…No, she was more pondering upon why he was there!

Why is the Prince, the heir to the throne, here of all places!?

“You’ve followed me…” She stated, guessing to the only possibility.

“I did.” He finally said something. What was the use in lying, he had nothing to fear!

Putting her mouse to her shoulder, Alison turned around and left, “Then you know the way out of here.”

She was not in the mood to tend to royalty and since she had done nothing wrong, how could he capture her? No, he will disappear in mere moments from this place!

To Alison’s surprise, though, as she sat near a particular window, she found that not only did the Prince not leave, but he had followed her to the room that she was now currently in!

Having just put water over the fireplace, she had been wiping a cup down with a clean rag, to come to a halt.

As they stared at each other, the Prince couldn’t help but be curious. He saw it, this place might not look as though it was being lived in, but it was…She must be one of those people that went to other people’s homes to live when it was vacant…Which was probably something that he could catch and trail her for!

When the Prince broke eye contact to sit opposite her, like her near the window, Alison sighed again.

He was a Prince, she can’t exactly treat him terribly now could she? She will have to do this carefully…

She hadn’t wanted to involve the Prince, simply because she didn’t want anything to do with him…But now that he was here, why not make the best of it!?

“Would you like some tea, sir?”

“Please, that would be…Nice…My Lady.”

Ah, so noble. Manners of a Prince! It was obvious to her though, that he must be thinking that he had given her probably more manners then she deserved…As much as Alison might be mocking him inside her head at this time, outside she turned into the best hostess that she could be.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I do not have a large variety of tea…” She stated, already making the tea anyway.

“It is not a problem. Carry on…” The Prince stated, seeing that she was doing so without his consent anyway.

This woman was…Annoying…

“Is the gentleman in this part of the capital for business?” Alison asked, being obvious about her curiosity. She also looked at the Prince a smile.

The Prince frowned at the woman and ignored her question, “I am getting very thirsty.”

If you’re thirsty then go and have a drink elsewhere! Why are you here!?