The Third Prince Of Darkness

Madeleine added in a determined voice, "But remember, Mr. Ethan, if anything happens to my daughter, not even the kingdom's power can save you. And rest assured, my words are not empty threats..." 

"Of course! Hurting such a beautiful lady is a crime against all humanity" I said.

"Hmph!" Althea grumbled, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Then I will trust you," said Madeleine.

I stood up and extended my hand to Madeleine. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Madam Madeleine. I must now return to the palace" I said.

Madeleine shook my hand and replied, "It was a pleasure for me as well, Prince Ethan. I hope we will have a long-lasting relationship."

"I have a feeling we will," I said, turning to Althea. "Would you like to come with me now or later?" I asked.

Althea looked at her mother, and they started communicating through glances again. I waited silently once more, and finally, they turned to me.

"I'll come now, but please wait a few minutes for me to get ready" she said, quickly leaving.

"I will wait for you outside," I said, turning to Madeleine. "Would you accompany me, madam?" I asked, extending my hand.

Madeleine took my hand, and we walked upstairs together. As we returned to the small shop upstairs, I looked at the displays and thought about how different the women's products here were compared to my old world. Some ideas immediately came to mind, but I preferred to keep them for my own company.

"Do you have any advice, Mr. Arthur?" Madeleine asked. I appreciated her politeness in using my fake name since we were among the public.

"Advice for your shop? But what will I gain in return?" I asked.

My life philosophy is simple. I don't get involved in something unless there is a benefit, but of course, there is an exception when it comes to my loved ones. Also a benefit doesn't always have to be material.

"But if I'm going to be your friend, I can give you some advice or an idea" I said, smiling.

"Friend?" she looked at me, surprised.

"Well, if you want, we can have a closer relationship. After all, I realized I have a special interest in older women" I said. Like every cultured man, I had a weakness for milfes.

"Hahaha! Maybe I can use you for fun, but I'm afraid you'll get hurt. After all, I have a particular interest in being harsh with younger men" Madeleine said with a predatory smile.

As I tried to find something to continue the conversation, the door behind me opened, and Althea entered.

Althea walked in gracefully, gave her mother a brief glance, and then approached us. "I'm ready." she said firmly.

Madeleine lightly touched Althea's shoulder. "Take care, my dear daughter, and don't forget to visit me often" she whispered. Althea nodded in agreement.

"Master... we can leave now" Althea said, she trying to hide the embarrassment on her face for using the word " master"

"Then, with your permission, Madam Madeleine" I said, quickly stepping outside, feeling her gaze on my back.

"Goodbye..."

 It was late, and I shouldn't stay outside the palace for so long. I definitely didn't want anyone to notice me, especially since I intended to use my fake identity a few more times.

Althea hurried to catch up with me and followed me without saying anything. Before long, we reached a small wooded area just outside the city. Although Althea realized we were moving away from the palace, she didn't say anything but remained alert. I guess she still didn't trust me, which was quite normal considering I was taking her to the forest.

Finally, I approached a small rise and opened a small hatch below. "I'll go in first," I said and entered. Althea followed me, wrinkling her nose slightly, and kept her hand on her weapon at all times.

"Calm down... This is a passage I used to sneak into the palace. We'll reach the palace in twenty minutes," I said.

Althea just nodded but kept looking around cautiously, as if expecting an attack at any moment. Ignoring her, I entered the tunnel. This tunnel was actually a small natural passage with a diameter of just half a meter. Over the years, with my efforts and the use of the dark element, I had expanded it. Despite my efforts, I could only widen it to about 80cm, so we had to stoop to walk through it.

There was also an oxygen issue here, making it unhealthy to stay in the tunnel for too long. I quickly ducked and entered the narrow part of the tunnel. I didn't care that my clothes got dirty. All this was to ensure my fake identity remained hidden.

Unfortunately, I didn't have many supporters in a possible throne war, and even my father, though he tried not to show it too much, supported Fiona's son. If I wanted the throne, I had to achieve it with my own hands. In a throne war, the most important things were money and information. Today, I had taken a significant step toward achieving these two things, and I couldn't throw all my plans away just because my clothes would get dirty.

Althea and I continued to crawl, and finally, we reached the end of the path. I quickly stood up and extended my hand to help Althea get up, but she ignored my help and stood up on her own.

"Let's go," I said, lifting a hidden hatch and stepping outside. This was the wooded area and farmland located at the back of the palace grounds. We were now in the forested area, and I quickly climbed up and out. Althea followed me, her cautious eyes still scanning the surroundings. She still didn't believe we were at the palace, as this was just a wooded area.

"Ethan...!" I looked around when I heard a voice and soon saw Emilia running towards me. She ran up to me with an angry expression, and I had to speak before she did.

"Calm down, Emilia! I know I'm late, but there's a reason for it" I said.

Emilia looked at the girl next to me, dressed in dirty clothes but as beautiful as someone out of a fairy tale. I quickly took the canister from Emilia's hand to wash the dye out of my hair behind a tree.

"Yes, I can see that... But if you had come a bit later, they might have noticed me. You know, Ethan, this place is very close to the concubine palace, so there are a lot of unwanted eyes" she said.

"I know, I know, but it was worth it. Let's go now, and I'll explain it to everything you later..." I said, starting to walk towards the main palace.

Emilia nodded and walked behind me, trying to start a conversation with Althea. Unfortunately, Althea wasn't very friendly, and Emilia only managed to learn her name.

After a long walk, we arrived at the main palace courtyard, and I quickly headed to my room for a relaxing bath. Both girls followed me.

As I approached one of the round columns, I barely noticed someone walking quickly from behind the wall. The person was about to bump into me, and when I realized who it was, my eyebrows involuntarily furrowed. The girl continued walking quickly and didn't seem to notice me until she came out from behind the column and bumped into me.

Luckily, I caught her and the tray she was holding before she fell to the ground. The girl looked at me in shock, and when she realized what had just happened, her cheeks started to burn like lava. Even her small nose and ears turned red.

"E-E-Ethan! I-I'm... S-sorryy!"