Trinity the last White Witch - Chapter 90

[Zen’s POV]

“Well. Well. Hello there Prince Zen.”

I spun around and saw Sister Hellga and Damon standing behind me.

Right. I almost forgot that they were here too. At first, I thought it was out of the ordinary for the Crusaders to leave the Saintess side and two at that.

But now, it seemed that their actions only reinforced the possibility that Anatola might not be the real Saintess after all.

“Hello, Sister Hellga and Damon. Is it really alright for you to leave my sister’s side?” I asked, voice full of meaning.

Sister Hellga smiled like she didn’t get what I was saying. “Of course, there is still one of us who is by her side, after all. And it was the Saintess who ordered that we go on traveling the Kingdom to make sure that the people are safe.”

I doubt it.

If they were, the nonhuman’s attacks on our borders should have lessened by now. But it only got worse. If not for the hunters, who knew how many people were killed or kidnapped by the vampires and werewolves, all because the Church capitalized from the people’s fear.

Why saved them if they could have more gill in their pockets by making the masses dependent on them for protection while taking credit for the Hunter’s works.

“That’s gracious of her. And I supposed that you’re also here in this ball because you’re protecting the people?” I asked with fake enthusiasm.

Sister Hellga’s smile skewed a little. “We are looking for the culprit behind the massacre of Earl Roselake. I believe the Prince heard of it, no?”

“Yes. I’d be leaving for the capital tomorrow morning to discuss about it with the other hunters. But for the meantime,” I looked at Cruz, “You can have Cruz help you with your investigation.”

Cruz already told me about his predicament and how he met with the Crusaders when he was investigating the massacre of Roselake.

Sister Hellga smirked. “That’s what we are planning in the first place. You don’t mind, don’t you?”

“None at all.” This was my reality. I didn’t have any power to deny their request. The Crusaders’ status was even higher than mine in this Kingdom, all because they were blessed with the power of the Saintess.

Nowadays, divine powers are more important than the useless throne. Since what could a nineteen-year-old boy possibly do with the nonhumans? Throw gil and crown at them, hoping they would go away?

Though I am the Prince of this nation, I didn’t have real authority. The Church still controlled most of the public’s opinion while I was a puppet for the nobles to counter the growing power of the Church.

At this moment, Trinity and Michael’s offer was so tempting. If I could replace Anatola with Michael and have their allegiance, I could finally purge the Church from inside out while bringing the masses’ trust back to the throne.

Though the Hunter’s association had done remarkably well in the past years, all their recognition was stolen by the Church and the nobles. It was their blood and sweat that brought a sense of peace, but how long would they last if they were the only ones who were working day in and day out to maintain that peace while the Church and the nobles continued their war for power and self-interest?

Even now, we were unsuccessful in gaining the public’s trust back to the Kingdom, and our resources were depleting fast.

If this continued, it was only a matter of time before Seraphim would perish in the face of GrimHeart. I couldn’t exactly blame those humans who willingly turned themselves into vampires to escape the hard life they had.

If only the Church and the Saintess could help the people. However, with things now, the Church and the Saintess, which was considered to be the pillar of Seraphim, would be the one causing its doom.

But with Michael’s help . . . maybe my dream of a golden age for Seraphim would finally come to fruition. I wouldn’t be just a mere puppet, but a true King that would lead Seraphim to the golden age, and my name would go down in history as the very first monarch to do so.

But the first agenda was to save Seraphim from the impending doom.

“Cruz, I hope you help the crusaders in their task,” I said and signaled Cruz with my eyes. I knew he got the underlying meaning behind my words. “It’s rare for a hunter to work with a crusader after all.”

Spy on them and get what information you can. That’s what I meant to say. But just to make it clear, I would send him a secret letter later.

The Crusaders never cared about the Earl of Roselake’s death. They never cared about the people before. Why would they care now? Something must really be up, and the answer lies with the Earl.

They seemed to be adamant in tracking the culprit. Did they have an inkling about Michael? Or perhaps they were after a different man?

It was hard to move by suspicion alone. For now, I needed more information.

Maybe this was a blessing in disguise after all. For them to ask a hunter for help. They must really be desperate to find the culprit.

But the question was . . . why?

Cruz bowed. “Your wish is my command, my Price.”

I nodded and faced Sister Hellga and Damon. “If you’ll excuse me, I must take my leave. I hope you enjoy the party and . . . say hello to my sister for me.”

Sister Hellga titled her head to the side with a sarcastic smile on her face. “Will do.”

I threw a grateful nod in return before my smile dropped, and my face turned serious when I took my leave.

I guess I’d be accepting that alliance after all.

What’s important right now was to put a stop to the corrupt ways of the Church before it was too late.

—-

[Trinity’s POV]

You can always feel the aftermath of a party when you’re awake at seven in the morning, and all the houses and stores are still closed.

Bottles loitered the street, and the smell of booze hung in the air. People were still comfortably tucked in their bed, dreaming of the dance they had yesterday night.

While I was up and dressed inside Michael’s room with the Prince sitting in front of us.

I was only thankful that Michael was in his room at this critical time. Or else I had to make an excuse and have the Prince wait for him. I didn’t want to lie to cover up his night with Emerald after all.

I wonder what the Prince would think if he knew that the real reason why Michael wanted to be a Saintess was because of his fiancé.

But not my problem.

I was sure that they could sort it out. After all, Prince Zen hardly loves Emerald at this point in time.

Like, maybe but not love.

He was just going to marry her so that he could have the Duke of Venezia’s support.

Not that they like each other at this point.

The important thing was to place Michael in the Saintess position, and I guess it would happen sooner rather than later before Emerald, and the Prince Zen could fall in love with one another.

“My Prince, I hope you bring in good news this early in the morning,” Michael said while grinning from ear to ear.

Was he even sober? The alcohol must be in his system still.

Where was Ric when you needed him to discipline his supposed son?

“I’m sorry to barge in here unannounced,” Prince Zen said. Unbothered by our lack of grace and, if I may add, preparation in meeting him.

Michael hardly had time to get dressed with just an undershirt from yesterday night. I was glad he at least had pants on while his hair was still a chicken’s nest, eyes were swollen red, and face dry without even the slightest grace of water and soap.

I was not in my best appearance either. I had not washed my face and was still on my nightgown with just a shawl draped over me. My messy hair was tied in a bun, and I could only hope that I didn’t have anything on my eye or on the side of my lips like Michael does.

Well, with the Prince barging at our doorstep so early in the morning with haste in his voice and actions. I couldn’t possibly have him wait for me and Michael to dress ourselves.

The only consolation that I had was the fact that the Prince’s eyes were red from lack of sleep. He must be up all night thinking about what we said to him.

At least I knew he was serious about this. It looks like I wasn’t wrong about him. He was seriously looking out for Seraphim and

“I assumed that you had made your decision?” I asked with a smile.