When Pier reached the infirmary, he immediately went to look for Gideon.

"We greet the successor of the House of Masters," A group of knights said as they saw the young master enter the disinfectant-smelling building.

"Greetings. Do you know where Gideon is being checked?" He asked and the knights nodded their heads.

"Knight Woodlock is currently being monitored on the fourth room when you turn in the left hallway, young master." A knight responded and Pier smiled gratefully at them.

"Thank you"

After knowing Gideon's room, Pier started to walk into the designated room. He was slightly worried because even though he had Gideon as a knight for a day, he did not want someone dying while being interlinked with him.

Plus, he likes Gideon's carefree and bright attitude.

He was about to turn left when he reached the hallway when a person he also did not want to see noticed him first.

"Pier!" Asher called out. He did not bother addressing Pier by his title but Pier did not care either. He was the Crown Prince and he can do anything he wanted. He knew Asher simply decided to address him by his title at some times out of respect and courtesy.

He sighed as he looked in Asher's direction and he saw that the prince was with two old men. One was wearing a uniform-like cloth and the other was still in his sleeping clothes.

'The town mayor and the physician...?' He wondered. He approached Asher and bowed respectfully to the prince.

"Greetings to the future sun of the kingdom, His Highness the Crown Prince," Pier said and the two old men beside Asher were in awe at how noble-like Pier indeed was.

"Greetings, perhaps you are looking for your knight?" Asher asked and Pier nodded his head.

"He's currently asleep. The physician had already checked him and the results had indicated that the knight was probably over exhausted. He will need to rest for the remaining days to regain his strength back." Asher reassured the young master.

The physician and town mayor were surprised to see how talkative Asher was with the young master when earlier he was producing such a scary aura when the physician examined the young master's knight.

"I see. Thank you, your highness," Pier said, feeling relieved at the news.

'That light-hearted idiot probably did not sleep nor rest starting when he encountered the magical beast!' He thought and made a mental note to smack Gideon's face when the knight fully recovers.

He turned his back after thanking Asher as he wanted to leave for now and be by himself. Being around too many people was suffocating Pier.

"Pier, wait!" Asher called out after a few steps. Pier sighed.

He noticed that he just kept on sighing every time he sees the Crown Prince or with all the things that are happening recently.

'C'mon, I just wanted to see the forbidden region. Why is everything becoming like this?' Pier groaned as he turned his back again and faced the prince who had an awkward expression after he saw Pier's gloomy face.

"A-Are you...alright?" Asher asked hesitantly.

Pier gave him a smile, a fake smile.

"I'm alright, your highness. May I ask why his highness called me again?" Pier asked Asher and Asher scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh... does the young master want to join me first? We need to discuss what happened earlier." He asked and the town mayor and the physician was even more baffled at the Crown Prince's attitude towards Pier.

It seems as if the Crown Prince was scared and hesitant to talk with the young master.

Sure, the House of Masters was considered to be the greatest force in the Kingdom, but the Royal Family still had much more influence and control than the House of Masters over the people and they were only a step behind the House of Masters in terms of war capabilities.

Their statuses and titles were higher than the individuals who reside in the House of Masters that's why the physician and the town mayor were baffled to see the Crown Prince himself talk hesitantly to the successor of the said household.

"Sure." Pier agreed and he walked back in Asher's direction. When he reached them, Asher observed Pier's appearance.

Pier looked tired and refreshed at the same time and Asher was concerned with how Pier was feeling. But he did not want to ask the young master.

As he had concluded in the previous weeks that Pier had been acting completely different and was starting to wreak havoc inside the higher social circles, he had also seen a completely new perspective with the young master.

He never felt any sort of challenge from Pier before. He saw the young master as a child who still retained his childlike attitude until he turned into an adult. But it was an entirely new scope of view after the public shaming incident.

There were times he felt insecure every time he was talking with Pier.

There were times that Asher wanted to talk with him but Pier felt so distant.

There were instances where he felt as if he was a small child that was gazing up at a shining star that continuously made everyone look up to it.

He could not describe the feeling. He did not know what to feel.

Just like right now, Pier's gloomy, disinterested, and annoyed-looking expression was pressuring him that he was hesitating to even talk with him.

Maybe he could use the power he had gotten from his father and apply it to Pier for the young master to submit and he could feel superior once more, but he had seen how Pier had acted when the king himself had used such power on him back at their tea party at the Sun Palace.

The young master was not fazed and even continued to talk with the King as if he did not notice the king using his powers on him.

and Asher wanted to become acquainted with Pier again, as friends, as close confidants.

All the plans he had in store were all thrown out the window once Pier declared his departure from his obsessions with him and now he's starting a new approach.

But he was still hesitant.

Asher noticed the faint and almost fading purple marks on Pier's neck. He remembered how the hooded figure pinned Pier to the wall and was holding a knife close to the young master's face.

He was glad that he was able to be a help for Pier but he knew that was not enough.

He was indeed truly concerned with Pier but he was still making his moves to acquaint himself with Pier again.

"T-Then please follow me," The physician said as he guided the three individuals into a spare guest room that had been prepared thoroughly by his assistants when the news of the Crown Prince's arrival was made.

When they reached the room, Asher, Pier, and the town mayor all went inside. The physician excused himself because he felt it was a private matter that they needed to discuss.

Once they were all settled in their respective seats, Asher and Pier sat comfortably in the soft sofas while the town mayor was anxious. He was scared to be in the presence of these people who had the highest rankings and statuses in the entire kingdom.

"Pier, could you tell us what happened? We're still missing a big piece of the story and we hope you might know about it considering you are the one who was the first to act on the issue," Asher spoke and he regained confidence.

Pier was amazed at how confident Asher suddenly sounded when he talked about the issue as if he haven't been hesitating to talk with him earlier. He also noticed Asher was not calling him with his title.

'Is he doing this because we're far from the capital and people from the boundary rarely go to that place?' He did tell Asher to address him with his title because he did not want people to conclude they were having a close and friendly relationship and that he was scheming something to get closer with Asher again.

'He's getting comfortable' He thought but shrugged at it nevertheless.

"I will not get into the minor details. There was a crow freezing to death outside my veranda and I immediately went to help it, but as I held it, I saw that there was a piece of paper stuck in the crow's feet. When I opened the letter, there was a message that the town mayor will die but I should not come," Pier explained.

Asher who heard the simple and concise explanation was burrowed in further confusion.

"They said the town mayor was going to die but they told you not to come?" He asked and Pier nodded his head. He proceeded to stare at the town mayor who was dead silent in his seat.

"Yes, but the one who died was not the mayor but his attendant," He said as he stared at the mayor. The old man flinched at Pier's calculating gaze.

"This is getting more and more confusing, why would they inform you about the murder when they knew it would instead encourage you to go and help save the mayor's life?" Asher asked and Pier agreed.

"If the goal was an abduction, they could have taken me immediately after they knocked my Knight out cold but instead, they took time choking me," Pier explained nonchalantly.

"That is indeed true" Asher agreed as he watched Pier. He was once again amazed by Pier's words and analysis of the situation, just like when he talked about the responsibilities of a king.

"If they are simply trying to implement a reverse psychology tactic with the words, they wouldn't have bothered attacking me and my knight," He continued to explain.

"Reverse psychology?" Asher asked as he was not familiar with the terms Pier was using.

'Oh...' Pier stopped for a moment when he realized what he just said. The study of psychology was not well known in the kingdom and it did not even have its foundation.

"To put it simply, your highness, reverse psychology is a tactic wherein someone tries to convince another person to do something but what he expects is that the person will be lured into doing the opposite decision because it might create a conflict with the other person's own decisions. It will then lead him to do what the proponent expected," Pier explained what the concept was about in a simple manner for them to easily understand.

"Just like what they did, they told me not to come but they added the phrase of the mayor dying. Even though they said I should not go, I still would because it was against my belief to not act when I may be the only one who knew that the mayor is going to die," the young master added.

Asher nodded his head at Pier's explanation. He learned something new from Pier again.

"That is indeed a great tactic into making someone go with your expected outcomes, Pier." Asher praised and Pier only nodded in disinterest.

Asher felt his confidence starting to break down again with how high Pier looked when he was talking about something new.

"But another thing that was more confusing was why did the attendant die instead of the mayor?" Pier said and the old man flinched at the mention of him dying.

Pier avoided snorting because he found the reaction funny.

"Forgive me, it was not any of my means to expect the mayor to die. I was only trying to point out that instead of you, why was your attendant targeted?" he said and the mayor nodded his head in understanding.

"That's alright, young master," He said and gave them a nervous smile.

Pier was watching the man's figure constantly shake in fear. He was curious why.

"It would be better for us to investigate the mayor's office, your highness. Maybe there are still some clues left as to why all of these happened" Pier suggested and Asher nodded his head.

"That's correct. Let's head there right no-"

"NO, WAIT!" However, as Asher was about to stand up from his seat and proceed to the town mayor's office, the mayor instantly stopped them.

Pier and Asher watched the panic-stricken mayor in an observant gaze at the unexpected reaction.

Pier raised his eyebrow and Asher had a surprised look on his face.

"I-I mean... I mean w-we should... we should respect the place where m-my attendant had just died..." The mayor said with nervousness evident in his voice. He was stuttering as he looked back and forth between Pier and Asher.

'Is he for real?' Pier thought as he had a gut feeling about what was happening that they did not know.

"Don't you think it would be better for us to give the attendant a more respectful rest when we give the justice she deserved for her murder?" Pier asked and the mayor gulped nervously.

Pier observed the mayor shift in his seat as if he truly did not want anyone going in his office.

"Your Highness, let us inspect the office now!" Pier said as he was already sensing something wrong with the mayor's actions.

"Please, no-!" The mayor tried to object again but Asher who was clueless about Pier's actions decided to go along with the young master's words.

Asher stood up and went outside the room they were currently in.

"Knights, head to the mayor's office!" He commanded the knights who were stationed inside and outside the infirmary moved with the prince's orders. The mayor could not do anything but watch the group of knights march in the cold evening's snow-filled ground towards his office.

---

When they reached the mayor's office once more, the smell of death was still evident.

The mangled body of the attendant was not there anymore but there were still traces of blood and a few items were scattered out of place.

"Y-Young Master!" The knight's captain called out as Pier moved without any instruction from the Prince. The knight's captain turned to look at Asher but the Crown Prince was just looking at Pier.

Pier walked inside without hesitation. He still remembered the eye that peeked at the keyhole when he looked at it.

'Surely that creepy thing won't show up with this many knights here?' He thought as he took steps inside the office. He went to the table where the corpse was before and there were still outlines of blood on the table.

He grazed his fingers on the table corners and traced them as he circled around it.

'Huh?' His eyebrows raised as he watched an oddly opened drawer in the table.

"Did any of the knights here touch anything else when they removed the body?" He asked as he inspected the opened drawer.

"None, young master. We only removed the body of the deceased from the place but everything remained untouched as per his highness's request," the knight's captain replied. Pier turned to look at Asher.

'At least he knows what to do.' He commended him in his thought but never bothered voicing it out.

Unlike the other drawers that were closed firmly, the drawer Pier saw had marks of forced entry on it.

'A chain?' He thought as he saw the marks on the drawer's wooden handle. He looked around the room and saw a broken chain in the corner.

"I feel like I'm a detective in a crime scene movie," He whispered and breathed. Enough for only him to hear.

Without hesitation, Pier opened the drawer. He expected to find something sinister inside the drawer but what he saw went against his expectations.

"A box and a letter?" He thought as he took the items out and showed it to everyone in the room.

The mayor immediately reacted when he saw the box in Pier's hands.

"No- ugh!" However, before he could run out to grab the box in Pier's hands, the knight's captain grabbed him by his hair.

'Why is he so rough?' Pier asked himself after seeing the knight's captain hold the old mayor by his dull, gray hair.

He turned to open the letter that was accompanying the box.

Each time the letter was unfolded, the mayor's heart was beating faster.

He did not know what was the contents inside the letter but he knew what was inside the box.

Pier started reading the letter out loud.

"Greetings! This letter is intended for His Highness and the Prince of the Forbidden Snow. We are here to clarify our intentions in regard to what happened.

The Mayor is in an adulterous relationship with the attendant. From what we knew, the Taron Kingdom has firmly opposed acts of such kind. Not just that, but the Mayor and the attendant had been conspiring together in embezzling the money intended for the people of the boundary. They are planning to depart when the drought will come and leave the residents in hunger and thirst.

On the floor where the table is located, there is a hidden safe that contained all of the records and proof of the mayor and the attendant's crimes. We are simply helping you create a better kingdom, void of any misconduct and crimes"

Pier was silent after he read the letter. Not just him but everyone present in the room was silent after hearing the contents of the letter.

Asher had an indescribable look on his face as he turned to look at the town mayor. The mayor had an extremely pale face and he was shaking terribly.

Pier proceeded to open the box that the mayor tried to get earlier. Inside was a ring that had a small diamond on top of it. There was also a small piece of paper along with it.

"This is the ring the mayor had prepared to propose for the attendant. This had been bought through illegal means using the boundary's funds" was the small piece of paper's contents.

"Seize the mayor and immediately detain him!" Asher seethed in anger at the things that unfolded.

----

"Did they really have to kill the attendant just to expose her and the mayor's adulterous relationship?" Pier asked himself as he stared out the window. Snow was still falling and it was the day after they saw the contents of the letter.

Most of the things have been solved except for a few.

Why did they murder the attendant instead of simply telling people about their crimes?

Why did they bother informing Pier but tell him not to come?

Why did they attack him and Gideon when they approached the office?

He had many questions running through his mind but he decided to ignore them for now.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Young Master, His Highness has called for your presence in the town square" Pier sighed as he heard the knight's announcement outside his door.

It had been publicly revealed that the mayor had committed such acts. Some people believed that the punishment of death was only appropriate for the two criminals but some also opposed it as they believed they should instead suffer for a long time without escape.

Pier immediately got out of his room and headed towards the platform that he was just on yesterday.

He turned to look at Asher and found the Crown Prince starting back at him. He shrugged his shoulders and diverted his attention back to the people who were gathered below.

They were all looking at Pier with admiration in their eyes.

What was also widely spread was that the Prince of the Forbidden Snow had done most of the parts in solving the case of corruption in the boundary.

Pier was annoyed with the nickname he got.

'Prince of the Forbidden Snow my ass, that nickname sucks' He thought disappointingly.

He turned his head to the side and saw Gideon now healthily standing. When their eyes met, Gideon immediately bowed his head.

'There's that too. Ever since he woke up, he was avoiding me like the plague' He rolled his eyes at the knight.