CHAPTER 134: WELCOME, SECOND DUKE!

The moment Rin’s boots hit the polished marble floor, his white hair gleamed under the flickering mana light, and his crimson eyes flashed with a fury that made even the butler, standing stoically nearby, let out a sharp gasp. The air in the grand hall crackled with tension, thick and heavy, as if the palace itself held its breath.

Lucien’s sharp gaze locked onto Rin, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. Caspian’s knuckles whitened as he gripped his own blade, his brown eyes narrowing with a mix of shock and wariness. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the faint drip of water from Rin’s earlier encounter in the harem.

And then, chaos erupted.

Dozens of men flooded through the shattered windows, their boots slamming against the floor like thunder. Their eyes weren’t on Caspian or Lucien... they were fixed on Rin, their gazes predatory and unyielding. Weapons glinted in their hands... jagged blades, curved daggers, and crossbows loaded with gleaming bolts.

"The target’s here! Let’s take him!" one barked, lifting a jagged blade that caught the mana light.

"Alive or dead?" another hissed, his voice low and eager.

"Alive fetches gold. Dead works too!" the first man shouted back, already lunging forward.

Rin’s jaw tightened, his heartbeat hammering in his ears. He refused to let fear show, his body steady despite the swarm of attackers. He raised one hand, dark energy crackling between his fingertips like black smoke, curling and twisting in the air.

DING!

[System Notification]

[Enemy presence detected.]

[Survival instinct engaged.]

[Warning: Dark magic will lower favorability with witnesses.]

Rin scoffed, his voice low and bitter. "Like I care about their favorability right now."

He launched the spell without hesitation. Shadows whipped out, fast and precise, wrapping around the first man’s legs like chains. With a sharp tug, the spell yanked him forward, his skull cracking against the marble floor with a sickening thud. Blood pooled instantly, dark and glossy under the torchlight.

Lucien froze mid-step, his sword half-drawn. He’d expected Rin to cower, maybe hide behind him or Caspian. But Rin... Rin looked merciless, his crimson eyes glowing with a cold, unyielding intensity.

"Fuck..." Lucien muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible.

"Rin..." Caspian’s voice dropped low, his brown eyes wide as he stared at him. It was as if he was seeing Rin for the first time, the prince’s usual confidence replaced by something else... shock, maybe even fear.

The assassins didn’t give them time to process. More poured in through the shattered windows, their blades flashing as they charged. Rin bent backwards, his reflexes sharp, narrowly dodging a slash aimed at his chest. He countered with a burst of shadow that tore through the man’s torso like claws, blood spraying across the velvet curtains in a gruesome arc.

Rin looked fierce, dangerous, lethal... his white hair dishevelled, strands sticking to his face, his lips stained with another man’s blood as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His crimson eyes glowed like a predator’s, sharp and unyielding.

"Pathetic," Rin hissed, stepping over the corpse without a second glance.

Lucien snapped out of his shock, his blade gleaming as he cut down two men in a single, fluid motion, their bodies collapsing in a heap. Caspian moved beside him, slashing through the crowd with the precision of a prince raised for war. The butler, surprisingly nimble for his age, drove his dagger through the neck of an attacker, his face calm and composed, as if this were just another day.

The once-pristine hall—polished and royal—was now a battlefield, drenched in blood and filled with the screams of the dying. Shattered glass crunched underfoot, and the air reeked of iron and sweat.

"MOVE!" Rin shouted, shoving his hand outward. A wave of dark energy blasted half the men back, slamming them into the walls with enough force to snap their bones like dry twigs. The sound echoed, sharp and final.

They pushed through the hallways, leaving a trail of bodies behind them. The palace, once alive with music and laughter, now rang with the groans of the fallen and the clash of steel. Rin’s shadows danced around him, striking with deadly precision, while Lucien and Caspian fought at his sides, their movements synchronised despite the chaos.

Finally, they cornered one of the assassins. Lucien pinned him against the stone wall, his sword pressed to the man’s throat, the blade drawing a thin line of blood. The hall fell silent except for the assassin’s ragged breathing, his eyes wide with terror.

"Speak," Caspian ordered, his voice cold and commanding. "Who sent you?"

The man trembled, sweat dripping down his brow, his gaze flicking to Rin. "We were told... to capture the prince’s new concubine. The golden goose. Alive if possible. Dead if not. They said he was the same person in the duke’s bounty list..."

Rin froze, his heart skipping a beat.

’How do they know that? How do they know I’m the same person in the Duke’s bounty?’

Lucien’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the sword.

"And who told you this? My father?"

The man’s silence was telling. Lucien’s voice sharpened, his patience gone.

"Answer me. Did he wear a cloak?"

The assassin hesitated, then nodded quickly, his voice shaking.

"Y-Yes. A black cloak, lined with silver."

Lucien’s face darkened, his jaw clenching. Without hesitation, he drove his blade straight through the man’s chest, blood splattering across the wall. The body slumped to the floor, lifeless.

"Lucien!" Caspian barked, his voice thick with fury. "What the hell was that?"

Lucien wiped his sword clean on the assassin’s cloak, his expression grim.

"It wasn’t Father. It was my brother."

Rin’s brows furrowed, his voice sharp.

"Your brother? Why the fuck would your brother come after me? I haven’t even met him!"

Lucien’s gaze locked onto him, intense and unyielding.

"He’s the one who killed Ezra. He’s the one who exposed you at the academy. He wants you dead, Rin and I don’t know why..."

Rin’s heart stopped, his fists clenching so tightly his nails dug into his palms. His voice trembled with rage as he spat,

"Shut up. Don’t you dare lie to me, Lucien. I know you killed Ezra."

Lucien flinched, his eyes widening.

"What? No. Rin, listen to me—"

"Don’t twist this!" Rin’s crimson eyes blazed, his voice shaking with fury. "You think I’ll believe your bullshit? You killed him. Not your brother. You!"

Lucien took a step forward, his hands raised, but Rin’s glare stopped him cold. The air between them crackled with tension, unspoken accusations hanging heavy.

Before Lucien could respond, the windows shattered again, glass raining down like jagged teeth. More assassins poured in, their screams for blood filling the hall like a swarm of angry insects.

"Fucking hell," Rin hissed, spreading his arms wide. Dark magic surged through him, hot and wild, surrounding his body in a swirling black mist.

He ignored the warning, his focus razor-sharp. With a vicious spell, he summoned a whirlwind of shadows that wrapped around the attackers, yanking them together like puppets on strings. They screamed as the shadows tightened, their bones cracking under the pressure, their weapons clattering to the floor.

Rin’s voice cut through the chaos, cold and merciless. "Return. Or I’ll kill every last one of you."

The hall went silent, the remaining assassins’ eyes widening with terror. They shrieked, dropping their blades and crossbows, and fled down the staircase, their footsteps frantic. Rin shoved the writhing cluster of enemies with another burst of shadow, sending them tumbling down the stairs. The sickening sound of bones snapping echoed, their screams cutting short with a final, collective crunch.

Blood dripped down the marble steps, pooling at the bottom.

The silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by the faint drip of blood and the heavy breathing of the three men and the butler.

Lucien stared at Rin, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came. Caspian’s knuckles were white around his blade, his eyes fixed on Rin with a mix of awe and unease. The butler bowed his head slightly, though his calm facade couldn’t hide the shock in his eyes.

Rin panted, lowering his hands as the shadows sank back into his skin, leaving him trembling from the effort. His chest tightened.

’Shit! They saw it. They saw everything. If they realised what he truly was... a demon, not just a courtesan... What would be their reaction? Would Lucien—’

"Rin."

The voice came from behind him, smooth and calm, cutting through his thoughts like a blade.

Rin froze, his heart pounding. He turned slowly, his crimson eyes widening.

There, kneeling on the blood-streaked floor, was Caspian. His robe pooled around him, pristine despite the chaos. But his eyes burned with a quiet certainty, a fire that made Rin’s skin prickle.

"Allow me..." Caspian took Rin’s bloodstained hand, his touch gentle but firm, and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to his knuckles. "Welcome home... next second Duke."

Rin’s mind went blank, his body trembling.

’Next second Duke?’

The words echoed in his head, each one heavier than the last. His breath caught, his thoughts spiralling.

’How... does he know?’