It was the ninth day of the first month, a Sunday. The priests who were close with His Imperial Highness the Prince had told him that this was a great day to go outdoors. Even though Oscar was a little reluctant, the Sukhoi mistress and his son had gone off. In fact, Oscar also knew that this could not be helped as his Alanis had been harassing the mother and son like a mental patient.
From Vij's perspective, Alanis' passion toward her was never a good thing and she wished to leave Dulin as soon as possible. In Dulin, the nobles and high-ranking officers sized her up with their wolf-like gazes. Even if Vijdeline Van Sukhoi was the mistress of the family and had seen much of society, she still shivered and felt fear under the scrutiny of a huge bunch of carnivorous animals.
Thus, it would be better for her to leave as soon as possible! Oscar had thought so as well. It did not seem that he had treasured much of this time which he had spent with the mistress, he only had many questions which he had no answers! For instance, Vij's tone when the great Titania family was mentioned was just too weird. Moreover, although she had said so much, there seemed to be nothing worthy of attention. Regarding this matter, Oscar had flipped through the files of those times when the Royal system of Morisette had just been established as well as anything worth his attention. However, it was natural that he failed to get his answers as not a single document was able to point to the direction of the peculiar relationship between the Morisette Royalties and the Titania family.
The stranger the matter was, the more interested Oscar would be. He had invited several historians and had made a few trips to the family library of the Royalties' Chief Historical Records Officer. In the end, those few historians were only second-rate figures. On the other hand, Rolanda, Getha and Baroness Ogeiro had told him that all the information had been shown. There was no secret agreement between the two Royal families or at the very least, such was the interpretation according to the documents.
At last, Oscar had gone to see Marshal Robin. He had asked the Chief of Staff as to why Marshal Alan would pick the Titania family's direct army as the experimental unit of the modernized army.
To this, Marshal Robin had answered that his thoughts were simple. Great Titania Province was the center of the empire and no opposing forces could harass the location. In other words, by departing from Great Titania Province, one could defend against Deiss at the North, assist the capital at the West, and reach Bragg at the South. As a result, it would be a true strategic backup base of the Guards.
Oscar was also quite familiar with the subject of geography and he was knowledgeable of the history of war. It might be due to the fact that Great Titania Province had not once been involved in the past wars that Oscar was not really clear of the definitions of the mainland's central lands. If the explanation provided by Marshal Robin was reasonable, it meant that the establishment of a modernized army was due to the considerations regarding strategic reserves. However, what connection did this have with the Morisette Royalties? Was his Vij merely explaining a certain issue? Or was she worried about a certain abnormal matter?
Before they had left, His Imperial Highness the Prince hugged his son and sent the Sukhoi mistress off to the traveling carriage. Before their departure, the man himself had even inspected the comfort of the carriage. Maybe it was because the spacious seat decorated with goose wool blanket was just too alluring, Oscar changed his mind at the last minute. He wanted to follow the troop of carriages and escort his lover and son all the way to Brondy, a small town to the Northwest of the capital.
In this season, winter had arrived late whereas spring had come early. The troop of cavalries bearing the insignia of the Royalties and Andrews trudged slowly on the green, shaded route. The lazy sun shone onto the woods from the sky through the sparse branches, enveloping the knights' armor and the grand carriages with a layer of a dazzling yet tranquil cloak.
There were numerous beautiful and touching myths regarding Brondy Town. It had been said that when the first ruler of the Titan Empire had received the emperor's crown from the hands of God, the almighty creator of the universe had bestowed every majesty and wealth to Dulin. On the other hand, the people of Brondy at the Northwest of Dulin had been reluctant and ranted to God in the churches. They had claimed that they had defeated the Yaran invaders in the recent battle of Brondy. Thus, they had reasoned that the God of Light should have left the loveliest things in the world to Brondy, where children of heroes would be born.
Therefore, the God of Light had made a just decision. One fine day, a stream of spring water had suddenly appeared in the valley near the little town. The spring water had gathered into a lake, shaping into numerous waterfalls at the hills and rocky terrains below. Lastly, it flowed past the small town, embellished with crystal stones of primary colors which were as smooth as pearls.
The crystal had become the unique product of Brondy and the citizens of the little town had been managing lighting businesses for a long time. In Dulin or any other long-running residences of the Titan nobles, Brondy crystal lamps were the symbols of taste and art and craft skills. The first thing Oscar had done once he had arrived at the small town was to visit the crystal workshop with his family. Although the jewelry here was not as popular as the lightings, the sight of the room amidst countless beautiful stones itself was simply pleasing to one's eyes.
His Imperial Highness the Prince had given his little son a purple crystal pendant as a gift and had given Vijdeline an intricate set of handmade jewelry. No matter what, the Sukhoi mistress had been really satisfied with the man's gift and was extremely touched as well. This was due to the fact that it was common knowledge among the people of Dulin that O'Neil Andrew Morisette was a stingy person. Other than his trusted men, no one had heard if the Prince had sent gifts to anyone.
Vij had believed that she was left with no other options! It had felt as if the vows between her and Oscar had taken place in the prehistoric century. As time had passed, the scenes back then became rare. She had once doubted the man's feelings for her and had doubted all her efforts at some point in time too! Thus, when the man had inquired about the implications of what she had said about Titania family, she laughed internally in a mocking manner and said to the man in a relaxed tone, "Once Titania has activated its functions, you'll naturally be aware of the hidden meanings."
Oscar could only rest the case. He enjoyed his lunch together with the mother and son at the best hotel in Brondy Town.
Right here, cooked duck with turnip, fried bamboo shoots and fish paste which had been fried to a bright yellow were served. However, little Micath had no interest for these things and his taste was just as weird as the fact that he was still incapable of speaking as a four-year-old. With bulging eyes, Oscar had almost been staring at his little son eating several roasted lamb eyes, "Is long-term food poisoning the reason that he still can't speak?" Oscar whispered secretly in Vij's ear.
"Don't spit nonsense!" displeased, the woman pushed the man away. "My son is a genius - he had assembled the firearm which had been dismantled into individual parts!"
"Is that so?" Oscar's eyes widened even more, "But he's only four years old?"
"Well then, have you ever seen a four-year-old child eating lamb eyes?"
"Never!"
"Which is why our son is a genius!"
Genius Micath had already finished his scrumptious yet odd lunch and put down his cutleries.
Then, he wiped the corners of his mouth just like how his mother had taught him to. In the end, this little fellow spread his arms toward the sky, which meant "Thank you! I've finished my meal!"
Oscar then placed his son on his knees. When he stared into the eyes of his little son, his paternal instincts suddenly kicked in. However, he had no idea what he should be doing at this moment.
Thus, he began to revisit his memories. It seemed that his father, Dortmund had treated him like this…
The young father turned his head, put his big nose onto his son's tiny nose and pressed hard! Little Micath laughed in joy and kept on dodging! Apparently, his father did not shave his beard clean.
"Itchy…"
Oscar chuckled aloud and his son was saying that he was itchy! However, hold on…
"My baby! You…you…you…you…you…what did you just say?"
Vijdeline put down the cutleries in her hands, leaped over the table, ran forward, and snatched her genius baby who knew that it was time to sleep when night time came from the hands of the man.
"Oh my God of Light! Can you say it again?"
Staring into his mother's eyes, little Micath pondered for a moment. Finally, he opened his mouth slowly, "Now…not itchy…"
Oscar looked to his left and right and redirected his gaze to the plate of his son. "Why don't…we get him another serving of lamb eye?"
Thus, His Imperial Highness the Prince's schedule had been delayed one whole evening because of his genius son until his Head of the Intelligence Analysis Division, Baron Messier, had come all the way from Dulin. To be honest, Oscar was very sure this time. He did not want to bid his farewell with Vij, especially with his beloved son. Although he had failed to get his son to call him words like "daddy" or even "father" after his evening-long efforts, he still had the patience. He speculated that his wish might be fulfilled in their next meeting. Right now, he was already a true father. Although there had been some conflicts during this duration, it was true that a father could only become a real father after interaction with his children.
The farewell with Lady Vijdeline had been rushed as His Imperial Highness the Prince had forgotten an extremely important date. He had to rush back to Dulin to deal with this unstable world. When his line of thoughts had wandered here, Oscar even wished that he had never left Narcissus County. He could hide a bunch of women within the towering walls of Andrew like the Eastern emperor and live his days in a casual manner and produce a few more children.
Upon thinking of the scene, the Imperial Prince could not help but stifle a silly laugh. However, after looking to his left and right, he noticed the Head of Intelligence Analysis Division who was nagging here and there with a stern expression as well as the quiet Devil Sandy who occasionally smirked coldly. O'Neil Andrew Morisette strongly believed that the Eastern emperor's life was only a desire in his imaginations.
"Alright, your Highness..." it seemed that Messier would be finishing what he had to say soon, "What happened to you? Even your eyes are smiling. Can I ask you to share your joyful matters with me?""Of course, Messier!" Oscar grabbed onto his old friend's shoulders in delight, "My son, you know? He's now able to speak!"
Messier wanted to roll his eyes but had restrained this emotion of his with great efforts, "Your Highness, this is definitely worth celebrating! But you must fix a flow of agendas for the next meeting, we can't just simply head over like this, it'll be a joke to our peers!"
Oscar shrugged nonchalantly. He had no choice but to remove the memories of his son speaking from his brain, "Alright! Now speak! Who are we meeting?"
"Oh my God of Light…" the Division Head of the Military Intelligence Bureau covered his face with both his palms. It seemed that his master had not been listening to his one-hour-long explanation on the matter.
"Do you know how much I've spent just to get my informants to arrange this meeting? The party on the other side of the table is Ollier's Kegiber person-in-charge of the Titan territories. He's bearing the risks of being charged with betraying his country by agreeing to take part in this unofficial meeting!"
Oscar smirked coldly. His political wisdom had returned to his brain. As for Kegiber's cooperation, he could only give one type of explanation.
"Messier! We don't have to lay too low, it's best that we make it known to the entire world that Titan's Military Intelligence Bureau has exchanged information with Ollier's Intelligence Analysis Division. I believe that Ollier's court is also full of concerns regarding their cooperation with the Deiss, so this can definitely be used to our advantage."
Messier was speechless and just smiled at His Imperial Highness the Prince. It seemed that he was still fond of O'Neil Andrew Morisette as his current state was capable of injecting power and hope into his followers.
To the East of Dulin City, turning at the entrance of Seventh Street from the Route of Kings, the embassy of the Federation of Ollier in Dulin was situated right behind the low pine forest. Turning past the main entrance built with red bricks and green tiles and crossing the crenel-like walls, the rented carriages carrying the Titan's Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau and his team had finally stopped in front of the embassy's back entrance.
Under normal circumstances, there would be two guards stationed at the back door. Such soldier would be clad in Ollier's military uniforms with two rows of military items attached, wearing fur scarf and a funny-looking military cap with snowflake patterns. However, there was an entire team of soldiers like these tonight.
The rented carriages had driven into the courtyard of Ollier style. Oscar did not know what to comment regarding the buildings entering his scope of vision and the neat structure of the house. He had only directed a friendly smile toward the few bearded gentlemen at the carriage door and had accepted the traditional courtesies of being helped down the carriage by the people.
"Your respected Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette! Your arrival has brought energy and glory to the embassy my country has dispatched in Titan!"
"It's my honor as well!" Oscar gave a slight bow at the Ollier ambassador. He still remembered the speech this envoy had presented during Alanis' crowning ceremony. It had seemed that the Ollier King had harbored a very personal interest toward the Titan empress.
"Please follow me! Lieutenant General Jimtroff has been waiting for you!"
Along with the ambassador's footsteps, Oscar and his two close bodyguards had turned past the hallway of a towering building with pointed roof and gone past the row of mirrors which were twenty-meters-long. At the spiral staircase behind the hall of mirrors, the marble steps were being reflected in the illumination of the candle lights. Numerous plaster statues had been carved onto the armrest of the stairs in a lively manner. Everything had seemed to the most beautiful folklores of Ollier.
Ascending the stairs, Oscar had come to the tower. At the door of the highest room, the Ollier ambassador knocked softly on the door and bowed deeply at the Titan prince before retreating down the stairs. The door opened, leading to a huge, plump guy clad in a huge red military uniform of the Ollier Imperial Guards saluting at the young man at the door in an insane manner.
Oscar laughed. Instead of saluting back, he had just extended his arm toward the person. The Ollier General with a sharp nose, deep eyes and faint golden curly hair gripped the hands of the Titan prince hard. Simultaneously, the two shook their hands with great force and had only retracted their hands after they had sufficiently sized up each other. What a pity! Baron Ogeiro had not managed to witness the scene. If he had happened to see the plain handshake, he would definitely write on the historical readings - O'Neil Andrew Morisette's foreign policy of befriending the faraway nations while attacking the close ones had commenced from the first unofficial meeting between the empire's Military Intelligence Bureau and Ollier's Kegiber.
"Your respected Highness, I can only greet you with a military salute as I've not been able to welcome you at the door front. Although this isn't the proper courtesy to treat a hero, my actions can't be known by the public after all."
"I'd say the same for me as well!" Oscar said while entering the door. Then, he threw his long coat to Paul. The King of Assassins scurried out the door quick-wittedly and had guarded the room on tight security for the two greatest masterminds in the field of secret services.
"Oh right! I still don't know how I should address you?" Oscar sized up the decorations in the room and then turned toward the middle-aged handsome man whose face was grown with a golden beard. Oscar was not really clear of the definitions of his addressing of the handsome man but the facial features and grace of this general right before him definitely deserved such address, especially those pair of faint grey eyes of his - it seemed to have bred countless touching stories.
"Jimtroff Peterhoffrey Jevic! Lieutenant General of the federation of Ollier's Imperial Guards, you can call me directly by my name, and it's even better if you can drop the surname with troublesome pronunciation!"
Oscar chuckled but had linked his thoughts to another matter soon enough, "Peterhoffrey Jevic! You're…you're the federation of Ollier's Her Majesty the Queen's…"
"Her Majesty Queen Anna Jimtroff Kurezov I is my stepsister who has the same father and different mother as me!"
"Oh…" Oscar exclaimed in wonder while nodding his head, "To be honest, I feel sorry for Her Majesty Queen Anna Jimtroff Kurezov I. If I recall correctly, your sister used to be Moseco's proudest beauty before she had resided in Kristaline Palace! As for your country's ruler, he should be around sixty years old, right?"
Jimtroff looked away all of a sudden. It seemed that he was reluctant to mention the matter. Alternatively, there was a greater possibility that his identity simply did not allow him to comment on his country's ruler, but he had no rights to stop the Titan prince from including the old husband and young wife of the federation of Ollier into his topics of conversation.
However, from Oscar's perspective, he had been able to at least testify a rumor. Lieutenant General Jimtroff Peterhoffrey Jevic had been dispatched to Titan only because that his improper relationship with his stepsister had been discovered. Looking further at his unnatural facial expressions now, Oscar's laughter had become weirder. It seemed that this Intelligence Officer sitting opposite him was also an emotional and humane individual.
Although there were only two people from the two parties of Ollier and Titan, Oscar and Jimtroff had proceeded according to the rules and gotten themselves seated at the long meeting table. After retracting all words of courtesy and gossips, the Marshal of Titan's Guards and the Lieutenant General of Ollier's Imperial Guards had finally begun their friendly talk which just masked their intentions to "figure out the actual relationship between Ollier and Titan through the exchanges of constructive information". Speaking of the theme of this talk without the need of summarizing, both parties of Ollier and Titan only had one agenda in mind - Anti-Deiss! This was the primary reason as to why the two intelligence masterminds belonging to two different countries had been able to sit down face-to-face.
On behalf of Titan Empire, Oscar had voiced that the whole empire did not wish to see Ollier warriors who been defending against the Deiss opponents for centuries to be persuaded and blinded by the sudden foreign relations. For Ollier, General Jimtroff's conversation points had never diverted from the Plantagenet Knights deep in the Persian borders and the actual threats to Ollier posed by the Kingdom of Weden as well as Deiss.
Everyone should be having an extremely clear picture by now. Oscar's aim was nothing more than to confirm Ollier's reaction of the North during Deiss' attack against Titan while what the Ollier court had prioritized were the directions of Titan's external relations with the Kingdom of Weden as well as the potential political affairs when the war would be exploding.
"In other words, this is still not something that we can decide right now!" Oscar raised his wine glass at the Ollier General opposite him.
General Jimtroff nodded slightly and his golden beard shook along with the movements of his jaw, looking great. Oscar squeezed his eyes and sipped a mouthful of the authentic Vodka. He simply could not comprehend why the Olliers were so interested in this thing which could only be considered as high-concentration alcohol!
"Do you mind if I divert from the topic?"
Jimtroff was alerted slightly as the Titan prince smiled awkwardly. Nevertheless, he still nodded at him.
With an exclamation, Oscar had also spread his arms wide, "I believe that the name of O'Neil Andrew Morisette is quite famous even in the Moseco Kristaline Palace a thousand miles away!"
"You're right!" Lieutenant General Jimtroff nodded immediately and invoked ripples in his stormy grey eyes, "Your Imperial Highness' accomplishments of dealing a fatal blow to the Deiss Teutonic Cavalry Group and two elite infantry troops at Sajio Mountain had caused a sensation when news had reached Moseco. Until this day, the military troops and military academy students of my country are still studying your battle tactics."
"I wasn't talking about this!" Oscar waved his arms, "What I'm saying is that you must know that I've married my uncle's daughter and my father's niece!"
Jimtroff furrowed his eyebrows, "What exactly are you referring to?"
Oscar shrugged, "I'm saying that I've married my own elder and younger sisters, close relatives connected by blood! If this matter is to be judged by those traditional perspectives of your country, will it be strange?"
The handsome man with golden hair and grey eyes seemed to not have wavered under the provocative words of the Titan prince. He just responded coldly, "The holy Titan has preserved its long-running marriage traditions, there's nothing to comment about."
Oscar sized up his opponent's eyes in concentration, "Could it be that other than what we've discussed earlier, Her Majesty Queen Anna Jimtroff Kurezov didn't assign you anything else?"
Lieutenant General Jimtroff moved his body uneasily. Even if it was hard for him to believe it, too much surprise had been displayed on his facial features.
"My guess is that, if it's not for the direct orders of your country's Her Majesty the Queen, Kegiber Intelligence Bureau which is known for its strict disciplines and its distinct hierarchical concepts won't even allow you to be seated here! Am I right?"
The Ollier General finally nodded in affirmation. If he still did not show any response, it would be the same as humiliating the wisdom of O'Neil Andrew Morisette.
"Well then, go ahead!" Oscar spread his arms again, "What does Queen Anna want?"
Jimtroff grinned softly and sexy crow's feet formed in the corner of his eyes. If it was not for its opponents forcing it into a corner, Kegiber would have long lost its meaning of existence.
"Your Imperial Highness! My sisters are very simple, almost the same as yours. If you're free, find a beach and enjoy the breeze. If there's a chance, conquer a race or a land to enrich yourself!"
"Oh…" Oscar nodded seriously. His face was yet again plastered with an awkward smile, "It seems that Queen Anna is also interested in the sea and land territories!"
"That's right!" Jimtroff lifted his wine glass, "It's just that Your Imperial Highness had your eyes fixed on the East - most warm waters of Disin Sea while my sister loves the Northern sea coast with maniacal winds and terrifying waves!"
"I've been wondering!" Oscar stuck out a finger and gestured, "Before Queen Anna has fulfilled her wishes, your King is Kurezov I His Majesty's stand not important at all?"
"I've also been thinking!" Lieutenant General Jimtroff moved his wine glass closer and touched the Titan prince's glass softly, "Before you've fulfilled your wishes, will your ruler, Alanis I Her Majesty really not interfere with the arrangement of the armed forces of Titan's military?"
Oscar spread his arms wide, "According to what you've said, indeed, I should be concerned. But I still don't understand, will your country's Supreme Military Summit really act against Weden according to Queen Anna's wishes?"
"Speaking of which, I'm worried as well!" Lieutenant General Jimtroff stuck his face closer, "Don't you think that the Titan's military which is about to encounter the three-sided siege had admitted that you still harbor some disbeliefs regarding Slovenia's conspiracies?"
Oscar chuckled, albeit with joy, "Jimtroff, can I call you with this name?"
"Of course! It's my honor!" the Ollier General laughed along too. While all of these could be considered either as a flattery or dispute, it was all in the past now.
"I think all of you don't understand Titan's Commander of the Guards - Vann Hewitt Alan!"
"Your Imperial Highness!" Jimtroff lifted his wine glass once again, "I believe that your understanding of the personality of the Chair of my country's Supreme Military Summit, Marshal Andrewbeck Jevic Pedrafski is also insufficient!"
"Well then…cheers?" Oscar raised his own liquor glass.
"Definitely…cheers!" Lieutenant General Jimtroff raised his head while grinning softly. He emptied the glass of highly-concentrated alcohol in one shot.
Even though O'Neil Andrew Morisette had not come to any documental or verbal agreement with the special envoy from Ollier's capital, Moseco, the Titan prince was still quite satisfied with the outcome of this meeting. After all, he had gotten the liking of one powerful figure of the ranks of Ollier's Royalties. His conversation with Lieutenant General Jimtroff had only implied that there was potential for both parties of Titan and Ollier to stand on the same page with mutual benefits. This opportunity was never something that had appeared regularly in each era throughout the history! In the early Church's eighth century, along with the stabilization of the political scene and the continuous rise of the military power, the ambitions for expansion and invasion of each and every sovereign country of the Westland had been apparent whereas the ancient Titan and the federation made up of the Ollier provinces were naturally the distinguished ones.
Toward the end of the meeting, Oscar had inquired one final question - exactly what kind of political agreement had been put in place by the marriage between Ollier's crown prince and Deiss princess?
This time, Jimtroff was rather honest. He mentioned that the confidential agreement had only comprised of contents of three sections. One would be to establish a memo for any territorial dispute between the two countries. Two, it would be the guarantee of Deiss to stay as a neutral party while Ollier would take military action against Weden. Third, it would be for Ollier to maintain its neutral stand while Deiss took military action against Titan!
Oscar asked Jimtroff, "If Deiss is to really take aggressive military actions against my country, will Ollier really sit out from this?"
Jimtroff then said to Oscar, "The Plantagenet Knights which could pose threats to the federation is in the Titan borders, not Deiss!"
Oscar suddenly had a unique thought, "What if the famed Plantagenet Knights of the Kingdom of Weden had been annihilated by the Persians?"
Jimtroff seemed to have long predicted this possibility, "Well then, when the Deiss has emptied their Northern armies just to deal with Titan, my country's Supreme Military Summit will never allow this opportunity of dealing a heavy blow to our nemesis to slip past." After that, Oscar had dinner with the Ollier General and the escorts from the embassy. When the canned beef and pork steaks had been cleared, the Titan prince handed his present for Her Majesty Queen Anna Jimtroff Kurezov to General Jimtroff -- a small caliber carbine inlaid with seven diamonds and numerous jewelry.
Lieutenant General Jimtroff seemed to not have been prepared for this at all while the Ollier ambassador present at the occasion also could not stop commenting on this valuable present which encompassed Titan's finest technologies. Out of courtesy, the person-in-charge of Kegiber had to exert his power to search among the treasures of every single embassy in Titan. Unfortunately, the outcome was simply disappointing. Those things were up to his standards let alone the knowledgeable imperial agent! In the end, Jimtroff could only take out the present given to him by his sister when they were outside.
Oscar marveled at the gift and let out strings of praises about the portrait of Anna Jimtrofft that he was holding. He said that Queen Kurezov was indeed the treasure of Ollier and an outstanding figure or Moseco. However, at the very end, the Titan prince returned the portrait to the distressed Lieutenant General Jimtroff. He had used an Eastern proverb of which its definition was along the lines of "a true gentleman would never take away the love of others."
To be honest, this had deeply moved Lieutenant General Jimtroff. When he was bidding his goodbyes, he pulled O'Neil Andrew Morisette's arm and said to this prince of another country with a voice so loud that it was audible to those around, "I owe you one! I owe you one!"
At this point, Oscar was even more pleased. He had long understood a wisdom - official outdoor activities would never achieve their purposes easily while there would always be unexpected miracles in unofficial interactions! Not only was this the norm while handling international affairs, it was also an unwritten rule which everyone in the field of spies had obeyed.
For instance, just when Titan's Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau had freed himself from the Ollier Embassy, the Secret Service Head Rudolf Hoss had gotten hold of an accurate information from the Hoilland Embassy! A confidential operation of the Aragon Intelligence Unit of the Kingdom of Faran was involved in this piece of information which had spread within the circle of spies, but the details no longer mattered! This was because that just as Rudolf Hoss had found O'Neil Andrew Morisette, a close guard following Lady Vijdeline Van Sukhoi had fallen into a deep state of unconsciousness at the military depot nearest to the capital.
On the way, Oscar had blamed himself in utmost cruelty. If he had not longed for the little proficient tongue of his son, VIjdeline would not have missed her schedule in the day too. If her carriages had left Brondy, they would be welcomed by the Steinberger family not long after their departure, then…
Most likely, Vij and little Micath would not be ambushed.
The Head of Secret Service did not know how to console people, so he had chosen to stay silent. However, from the perspective of this smart and ruthless elite spy, the self-blaming of the Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau was more or less a wishful thinking as the enemies had struck with high accuracy and speed, leaving no traces after they had fled the scene. This implied that the enemies possessed the capabilities of launching their attacks regardless of location. Even if Lady Vijdeline had not spent the night in Brondy Town, the convoy would still encounter fatal attacks.
When O'Neil Andrew Morisette had reached Brondy again, it was already four o'clock in the morning of the tenth day of the first month. All the crystal lights of the town had been lit up. The Special Combat Brigade One of Titan's Military Intelligence had already arrived at their destination by horses. They had conducted a concentration monitoring of all the citizens in the town together with the local Guards and had even carried out the first sudden inspection before the arrival of His Imperial Highness the Prince.
When the Special Combat Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Luke Citel had located his master, Oscar was standing right at the place where he had lunch with Vij and his son yesterday afternoon. The main dining hall of the hotel now had a totally different appearance - with broken chairs and tables, scattered cups and plates. There were blade marks carved into the oil painting on the wall while the guards' corpses laid on the Faran carpet.
Following the terrifying blood trails, Oscar climbed the flight of stairs step by step. The resistance shown by the guards seemed to be getting more aggressive as time passed as there would be one corpse in every few steps. The deeper they went, the more obvious the wounds on the corpses and the more viscous the blood was. Finally, Oscar had arrived at the last room of the floor. The Military Intelligence Bureau's doctor was stitching up the wounds of the bloodied Baron Vieshral. Oscar faintly sized up Flea who had his eyes closed and walked to the opposite room.
His Vij seemed to be as fine as ever. This mistress who was neither shocked nor dazed was wiping the continuous stream of blood off the few Sukhoi warriors.
Upon turning her body, the woman saw the man whose demeanor was dark and cold. She spread her arms wide toward the man, "I'm sorry! I've let them take Micath! I'm sorry!"
Oscar had said nothing. He noticed that the demeanor of the mother of his son appeared normal but every vein and muscle on her body was twitching rapidly. Speechless, he embraced her! Vijdeline's tears flowed freely only after she had felt the bodily warmth of her lover. She sobbed soundlessly, and her body vibrated in suffering. She did not understand why the sudden misfortune had landed.
In the other room, the Head of Secret Service, Rudolf Hoss, had already started his interrogations. His huge physique completely towered over Viesharl who had curled up completely on the bed. From the beginning till the end, the Head of Secret Service had not spared any extra glance at the bloody bed.
"The time?"
"Midnight! I'm not too sure but I can guarantee that it has passed twelve o'clock!"
"How many people?"
Viesharl recalled his memories in detail, "I'm not too sure either. But each and every one of us had been dealing with two to three enemies!"
"How many guards did the Mistress have?"
"Twenty-one!"
Rudolf nodded, "Can I interpret this as the numbers of the opposing party are between fifty and sixty?"
"Around there!"
The Head of Secret Service thought for a while. He had already softened his volume, "Were the mistress' twenty-one guards at the scene when the incident occurred? Before that, had anyone left their designated position? Had anyone applied for leave? Had anyone been indebted? Did anybody have any old mothers waiting for medical treatment or younger siblings waiting to go to school in their families?"
"No! No!" Baron Viesharl shouted impatiently, "The guards of the mistress are all the most loyal warriors of the family! Each of them is good people! It's either they had died or they were waiting to be treated in the opposite room!"
Rudolf Hoss nodded in understanding. It seemed that the problem would not lie in the internal of the Sukhoi family.
"Well then, how did they capture the mistress' little son?"
Vieshral sighed, "That little fellow had been hiding quite well! But I don't why how he had fallen into their hands! At that time, the military bugle had sounded from outside of the town. The nearby military stations had gotten hold of the news! So, they had retreated very soon. They had many men with them and the guards and I couldn't even lift an inch of their weapons. We could only see them taking little Micath just like that!"
Rudolf nodded in understanding. Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Vieshral grabbed onto his arm abruptly and at the same time, the door to the room had opened. O'Neil Andrew Morisette stuck half of his body out snappily. He had only caught a glimpse of the Head of Secret Service shoving off Flea's arm.
"My Lord, we must talk!"
Rudolf immediately nodded in understanding. He directed a deep stare toward Baron Viesharl on the bed and then walked out of the door along with the Imperial Prince's silhouette.
Looking at the crowd inspecting the scene, Oscar hit hard on the staircase's armrest and turned toward Rudolf Hoss who had nothing to do.
"Lord Count! I must remind you beforehand that regardless of the implications of Lady Vijdeline being attacked and no matter what are the reasons those damned people had taken a four-year-old boy, if you don't wish for the Faran Embassy to be transformed into a river of blood in this morning, it's best that you go and ask your informants at the West. I need the names and location! I need every single hint related to the mastermind of the crime!"
"Don't rush, don't rush!" the Head of Secret Service smiled bitterly. O'Neil Andrew Morisette indeed possessed the courage and charisma capable of making the Faran Embassy shed a stream of blood in this morning. "But, since they have the hostage, they'll naturally come to our doorsteps and negotiate the terms with us!"
Just as Oscar was about to say something, a service officer of the Military Intelligence Bureau had barged in at top speed.
"Your Highness! A nomad has sent a letter! With you being named as the recipient!"
"Aha! This is it!" Rudolf Hoss exclaimed in delight. However, he had been responded with eyerolls from the Military Intelligence officers present at the scene as well as the cold glare of O'Neil Andrew Morisette.
His Imperial Highness the Prince walked into the room with the letter in his grasp. The sensitive Vijdeline instantly snatched the letter from his hand.
"What's being written?" Oscar furrowed his eyebrows, hugged his arms tight and knocked his military boots against the floor non-stop. It seemed that his calm and casual demeanor had been feigned most of the time.
"Time, location and the method of exchanging the hostage!" Vijdeline handed back the letter, upset. She did not cry or beg, nor did she rush to the church to seek comfort like all the other women. Instead, she just sized up the man's facial expressions attentively. She trusted the man's means and believed in his powers more so.
"To hand over the detailed blueprint of the new artilleries in exchange for my son?" O'Neil Andrew Morisette smirked coldly. Nevertheless, he turned to face Vij immediately who was beside him, "Do you have the blueprint with you?"
"Of course! It doesn't leave my side!" all of a sudden, Vij's eyes widened, "Could it be that you're thinking of compromising? But we're still not clear of the identities of the other party. Furthermore, it's the empire's policy to forbid any form of compromise with the opposing parties on the international stage as well as the opposition forces to hand over the blueprint signifies treason! Have you actually thought this through?"
This time, it was Oscar's turn to have his eyes widened in shock, "Are you kidding me? I have my son here and those things I'm bound to lose on the other hand. Even a fool will know how to choose between the two? Moreover, betrayal? Go and ask Alanis! If she dares to accuse me in this manner, let her head to the military court and sue me!"
"Don't be so confident!" Vijdeline turned her head away in anger. She was in a state of confusion and her train of thoughts was jumping frantically from one area to another. It was definitely not the time for her to make decisions.
"The time will be one o'clock in the afternoon on the nineteenth day!" Oscar spared a glance at the letter, "Won't they be afraid that this unlucky time will bring them any misfortune?"
"As for the location…" Oscar furrowed his eyebrows, he really had no idea of where the "Kasos Museum" was.
All of a sudden, a knock sounded on the door. Oscar quickly kept the letter with him, "Come in!"
Diener Edward who hid in a giant cloak flew into the room like a ghost. With one mere glance at his hands which were dripping blood, Lady Vijdeline turned her head away instantly as if she had a huge shock.
"Your Highness, the inspections at the scene had ended, the dead can't talk! Just by judging from their appearances, their identity and nationality can't be determined."
Oscar nodded in understanding. This was normal for people who had undertaken jobs as secret operation agents.
"However…" Edward extended his arm from the cloak while moaning.
"Oh heavens! What's this?" Oscar pinched his nose hard. He had never expected for the most capable anatomist of the Military Intelligence Bureau to be holding a lump of mushy human organs which was giving off a stinking stench.
"This is the stomach of the dead!" Doctor Edward grunted expressionlessly, "Do you see these slight yellow paste-like things?"
Oscar retreated two steps backward. There was a limit to his patience and scope of acceptance, "I can't see clearly! Just tell me!"
"I've tasted it!" Edward licked his lips, "This is chicken meat which had yet to be digested completely. Moreover, I've found similar content in every dead person's stomach! Judging by the degree of digestion of the chicken meat, I can confirm that this had been consumed by the deceased during yesterday's lunch. Which means that, if they had been lurking around Brondy or any nearby areas, there are at least be tens of chickens which know where these people had gathered."
Oscar understood instantly. He patted Doctor Edward on his shoulder hard, "Thank you, my old colleague, thank you, you've been such a great help!"
The diener was still plastered with an expressionless demeanor, but he had nodded his head softly toward His Imperial Highness the Prince.
Oscar pulled Edward closer to him and placed his lips near the diener's ear, "Relay this matter to Sandy and Sandy will know what to do next! But remember, only Sandy alone can be informed regarding this matter!"
Edward nodded again and left after His Imperial Highness the Prince had loosened his grip on him.
In the end, Oscar walked toward a silent, helpless woman. In times of changes, the behaviors demonstrated by this woman had once again surprised him. He kneeled on one knee facing the woman and lifted his finger as if he was vowing.
"Vij! I swear to you! Since those guys who have threatened us by kidnapping our child are fond of cannons, I'll stuff every single one of them into the artillery! When that time comes, I'll fill up the ammunition, you'll adjust the range of the artillery and little Micath will be the one to ignite it! What do you think?"