"Pier... did he really leave me?" Asher asked as his eyes had looks of unbelief attached to it.

He was a mess.

He did not know what to do especially now that Pier was nowhere to be seen.

When he allowed the young master to walk back at the exit after being surprised with Pier's actions, he thought he could just catch up with him.

However, Asher came to search the entire garden and even sent his knights to ask if the young master had returned to their household and the response was that of what he did not like.

"The young master did not come home"

Asher gritted his teeth as he slammed his fist on the table of his study.

Elena flinched at the sudden banging noise.

"Y-Your Highness, please calm down!" She begged as she hurried to grab Asher's arm.

"What are the reports given by the guards?" He asked and Elena gulped nervously.

"T-They reported that they have not seen the young master in any of the carriages, your highness," She replied and Asher's eyes burned with anger.

Why?

Why?

Why was all of this happening?

He was already starting to accept everything. Asher finally found his reason to like Pier.

He finally found the person that was meant to be his.

Didn't Pier like him before? Didn't the young master chase after him ceaselessly before?

What happened now? He had already taken the steps forward.

Was it wrong? Did he offend Pier with the term of being the concubine?

He thought he could get Pier back when he will give him the offer of becoming a concubine for him.

Why did that person suddenly disappear?

Everyone was now wondering why the prince had ordered the borders to be closed. Many appointments were disturbed and the connection with other kingdoms was almost entirely cut off with the sudden lockdown in the kingdom.

No carriage could leave until it had been thoroughly inspected by the people assigned by the Crown Prince.

Elena stared at the Crown Prince.

What was happening with Asher? Why did he suddenly go like that? She had no clue.

Ever since the Crown Prince went out after the young master's performance he had immediately ordered the closing of the kingdom's borders. It startled everyone, including the king himself.

"Your Highness, the young master will return. Let us reopen the borders-"

"AND WHAT? LET PIER GET AWAY FROM ME? NO, THAT CAN'T HAPPEN!" Asher shouted in anger as he pounded the table multiple times with his fist.

The action made Elena scared.

She had never seen the Crown Prince act like this just because the young master had gone missing for a day.

No, he never cared. What's happening with him right now though?

Without forewarning, the door of the Crown Prince's study suddenly opened and the royal knights that served the king came barging in.

"Prince Asher Lumiere, Future Sun of the Kingdom and the Bearer of the Crown, you are hereby called by the king. Resistance to the order will be subjected to the use of force," the head knight said as he stood still against the glare that Asher had given him.

He would not be the Knight's Captain that served the King if he were to cower against the stare of the Prince.

Grumbling and with a heavy heart, Asher stood from his seat and walked out the door of his study. Leaving a confused and scared Elena behind.

---

"Hey, Ciaran, when are we going to get to the destination you're talking about?" Pier asked as he peeked through the window again. There were still endless trees on sight and he did not know when they would arrive.

However, the hooded man named Ciaran did not respond and just instead continued to look straight at the path they were taking.

"Aw come on, I'm bored!" Pier whined and Ciaran tilted his head at the young master for a short moment.

"You seem different," Ciaran said and Pier raised his eyebrows at the hooded person.

"Different?"

"Yeah"

"How come?" Pier asked and Ciaran took a full minute before he answered.

"You seem to talk a lot now compared to when you were acting back at the palace." Pier pursed his lips as if he was thinking about it.

'Come to think of it I'm talking to a total stranger'

"I guess it's boring being inside the carriage for god knows how long already," Pier said and Ciaran nodded his head.

"I see," and he went silent again.

Pier sighed as he sat back on the wooden floor of the empty carriage. He thought about what Ciaran said.

'I guess I'm kinda talkative around new people' He thought as he turned his head to look outside.

Pier did not have any reason to talk back at the palace nor in the kingdom. Maybe he can talk with Gideon but the knight had been training in their household for quite some time now.

'Raphael is out of the options too. That snitch' He sneered as he remembered what Asher told him.

'Raphael was the one who told him the date? Well, I guess it was my fault because I did not tell Raphael to keep it a secret.' He weighed the thoughts in his mind.

Indeed, it was partially Pier's fault because he only told Raphael the possible date but he did not tell the young duke to keep it a secret.

"Haah, now I'm stuck with a weirdo who doesn't talk too much." He sighed as he looked at the coachman's place and Ciaran's head tilted slightly.

"Frosty"

"..."

"Hey, Frosty," Ciaran called but Pier kept silent.

"Pier the Frosty," He called again.

"Hey cut that shit out!" Pier retaliated when he was addressed with his name and the word 'frosty'.

"Why are you calling me frosty anyway?!" He glared at Ciaran's head and he was hoping he would have some sort of eye lasers right now to pierce through the hooded man's head.

"Because one of your magic is related to freezing?" Ciaran asked in an unsure manner and Pier deepened his glare.

"You sound childish with the nickname."

"Yeah, I guess so. You're a child anyway," Ciaran said and Pier rolled his eyes at the man that he did not even know the face.

"I already turned eighteen." Ciaran raised his head at Pier's comment.

"Still a child."

"Hmp!" Pier was really bored right now that he was willing to talk nonsense with the stranger who supposedly kidnapped him.

It was quiet for a few minutes. Only the casual rattling and the wind passing by were the sounds that could be heard.

"Ciaran..." Pier called and the hooded person kept quiet.

"I don't know what's waiting for me, are you going to sell my organs?" Pier asked and the man stopped for a moment before chuckling.

His low, husky voice was so nice to listen to that Pier found it good too.

"That would be tempting but maybe after we make use of your ice magic." Pier gasped at the statement.

"Let me go this instant!" He said dramatically but made no effort to even stand up properly.

"Are you that willing to go with strangers just to escape the Crown Prince?" Ciaran asked and Pier looked up at the wooden ceiling. He thought about the answer.

Was he that desperate to get away from everyone in the Capital? In the Palace?

He had close to no allies there. Even Gideon who was just serving him for a week was not trustable enough for Pier.

"I guess I am. It's too suffocating there," He said as he closed his eyes.

'I wonder what Pier's secret was in staying for so long on that godforsaken kingdom' He thought.

'Just for the sake of love he stayed there for so long... hah, fucking hopeless' He cursed in his mind. He was sad that Pier had to stay there for many years that even he cannot stay for more than three months.

'He had no other places to go anyway. I luckily have this possible murderer to 'help' me' He snickered at the thought.

Some would think he was crazy for going along with a total stranger who said they needed his magic for something and they would help him start his adventure. However, Pier weighed the options in his mind again.

Should he stay at the Capital and possibly become a concubine to Asher?

His family would not oppose it anyway and he would be forced to flee the kingdom on his own if that happened.

Even if he refused himself, he would have no choice because there was no one to oppose with him.

'That girl named Elena would not mind because she would be the queen anyway. She'd think Asher was making me his concubine out of pity!' He had a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of becoming a concubine for Asher again.

He hated the fact. He hated Asher.

The dislike he felt for the Crown Prince bloomed into hate because of that.

Hate is a strong word for Eliam. There might be times where he disliked someone but he rarely 'hated' and now he hated the Crown Prince.

"Will I be able to go back at the Capital?" Pier asked Ciaran and the silent person only shrugged his shoulders.

"I told you, you can come back anytime you wanted but you would surely be locked up without anyone influential enough to support you." Pier nodded his head.

Ciaran was right.

Pier's situation right now was very complicated because he could not ask anyone he knew for help. All are connected to the Crown Prince and the Royal Family of the Taron Kingdom.

He kept silent for roughly twenty minutes as he assessed his situation. He thought of the possible actions he could take but there were only minimal options and the best one was going with a murderer named Ciaran.

'And by 'we' Ciaran probably meant his accomplices in killing the attendant at the boundary' He thought.

His future was grim in any direction he looked at.

He would probably get choked like then back at the boundary. He was only hoping they'd keep him alive and maybe he can escape somewhere.

It was until Pier felt the carriage slowing down.

"Huh? Ciaran is something wro-"

"Shh, don't speak," Ciaran whispered and Pier immediately shut his mouth.

Pier peeked through the window slightly and he saw a huge wall up ahead of them.

"Woah, what in the attack on titan shit is this..." He spoke to himself as the wall reminded him of a show about man-eating giants and different walls that protected the humans.

"Who goes there!" A person wearing a knight's armor spoke when the carriage Pier was in neared the wall.

"I have been tasked to accompany the son of our Lord back in the Kingdom of Heron after his stay at the Capital," Ciaran asked in his deep voice and Pier slightly shuddered at the low voice Ciaran had.

'He has such a nice voice,' Pier complimented the hooded man in his mind.

The knight slightly backed off when he saw Ciaran's stature and deep voice.

'He's intimidating.' Pier watched as the knight hesitated.

"Let us see the person you are accompanying outside the wall. This is the Crown Prince's order!" However, the knight bravely overcame his intimidation of the coachman and proceeded to stare at the wooden carriage that had gray curtains.

Pier froze at the statement the knight said. He looked at Ciaran but the man had no reaction. He only watched as the knights started to approach the carriage.

'Shit...' He cursed in his mind as he turned to look at his appearance.

He was still wearing the suit he wore back at the Crown Prince's birthday celebration.

Without hesitation, Pier immediately started to take off the coat of the three-piece suit he wore. Once he took the coat off, he immediately stuffed it inside the backpack that contained the mirror he used earlier.

He was now left with his white vest, black shirt, and red necktie.

'Fuck' He tried to remove the vest but it was already too late since the doors of the carriage rattled.

'Ah fuck me'

He cursed as he sat there quietly. He bowed his head as a means of hiding his clothes.

Creak~

The door of the wooden carriage opened and three knights came into sight.

"Pardon for the intrusion but we have been tasked by the Crown Prince to-..." The knight stopped midway when he saw the white-haired person with only his suit vest.

"H-Hello?" He stuttered.

The young master then lifted his head.

"Hello..." He said and smiled. His blue eyes gleamed under the sunlight entering the carriage and the three knights who came to inspect the carriage faltered in their movements.

"I-I'm sorry if I am not in my best appearance right now, I..I'm a little bit tired," He said as he yawned.

The three knights blushed as they watched the gorgeous white-haired person yawn tiredly.

They felt their breaths getting caught at the sensation the person gave off.

He was so beautiful to look at that the knights could not help but stare at the person. His blue eyes were so stunning that they had to snap themselves back into reality.

"A-Ah, o-of course!" The second knight spoke as he scratched the back of his neck.

"T-The young master is not here!" He announced and the third knight who was carrying a piece of paper and a quill pen had trouble in handling the writing materials before he composed himself and wrote something down.

"T-Then please c-continue resting, Sir!" They stuttered as they gently closed the doors to let the magnificent-looking person rest.

"Raise the gate!" They announced and immediately the gate that was blocking the entrance and exit of the huge wall.

Pier sighed when the door had finally closed.

"Good thing they did not notice my clothes," He spoke to himself as the carriage they were in were now completely out of the Taron Kingdom.

When in fact, the knights were too busy gazing at his beautiful face they did not take notice of the clothes he was wearing too much.

"You're good at acting," Ciaran complimented the young master and Pier shot him a dirty look.

"You could have warned me we were about to cross the boundary so I can prepare!" Pier frustratingly told Ciaran.

Ciaran kept quiet at the young master's ramblings.

'He's good' the black-hooded person thought as he pulled on the reins and the horse started to run faster.

'I hope you can be of help to us,' He last thought.