chapter 52

A vow on their own blood and flesh. A magic spell that has been passed down in every Allard generations' veins since ancient times. Known as the 'Bloody Oath' with the royal family. The vow that was cast on the heart and a manipulative one to the point it brainwashed the mind of an Allard to only serve the royal family with unending, unbending loyalty until their death, and earning that oath proved the authority of obtaining a loyal slave in a monarchy system. A monster who would kill countless people and even be ready to die at any time if it for the sake of imperialism. That was the fate which all of the members of house Allard should obey.

The cost of violating the oath was turning into a sacred beast and because of the sin of one of the ancestors of Allard, the whole generation after him was cursed to be a beast, and only one was meant to have his cursed break, was only Adam Rochester Evans Allard. But without much thought, that same guy had vowed the oath to the second prince and once again risked the whole generation after him if he violates the 'Bloody Oath' with betrayal.

Bang!

" What do you mean by becoming the leader?! "

Calmly sat on the couch before his father who was releasing his anger by punching his desk wholeheartedly after hardly holding back his anger when they were in the meeting room earlier.

" .... " Adam stares at the window blankly in silence while ignoring his father's words towards him. The grand duke who was staring at him with an intense gaze has already snapped in frustrated. Irritating with Adam ignorant towards him.

" ADAM! "

Just a moment ago, they were all in the meeting room to discuss the current war on the southern border with the Emperor. As everyone knew, the soldiers were currently short of numbers so the emperor decided to send the imperial knight to the battlefield but there are no volunteers on becoming their leader to lead the war until now since the empress clearly opposed the thought of sending the crown prince to the battlefield last time. It's perfect. Right. This is the right time to start planting the seed for the plan because the empress can no longer make an uproar since it was the crown prince's duty for his country. If his highness was to become the knight's head, then it'll be easier for me and the house of Allard.

But then who would've thought, that intention of mine only lasted a moment when it was destroyed in the blink of an eye! It's all because suddenly, there was this useless brat who raised his hand in the middle of the discussion and claimed himself to be the knight's leader in front of everyone.

" Have you lost your damn mind?! How about our plan? If you become the lead then how about me? this is not our purpose, Adam. Ugh. That annoying empress must be in her joyous, laughing for her victory while we are in this mist of falling. "

Glancing at grand duke Felixis with an ignorant gaze, Adam slowly sighs while straightening his body to face the grand duke who was looking so frustrated. " Forget it. "

"? "

" ..what do you mean..? " blankly stares at Adam in stunned, Felixis frown in perplexed when Adam looks so serious all of the sudden while looking at him with an intense gaze.

" you-, don't tell me... " slowly smirk in annoyance, Felixis leans his body onto his desk while crossing both his arms and with a straight face that waiting for Adam to tell his reason to him, Felixis slowly tapping his fingertips uneasy with hope in his head that Adam didn't mean what he was thinking right now.

" What were you thinking? you're not suitable for her highness, Adam Allard. "

" ...hm? " Glare at his father with an ominous gaze as soon as his father said that, Adam abruptly stood up from his seat and bravely stood before his father, staring face to face with the grand duke in such a murderous aura gradually taking over the atmosphere in his father's office. Both of them glaring at each other for a while before Felixis finally frown in irritation.

" I don't know the reason you acted like this but this is certainly not the way you used to behave, son. You hear me. Leave the princess alone now and focus on our plan. She is useless for us now, Adam. "

" Grand duke. "

" ...! " Flinch and immediately turned stunned when Adam suddenly gleamed his dark red ominous eyes towards him, Felixis speechless in his state. " Don't start it, son. "

As his father still looks straight at him with a gaze that can pierce a soul with his sharpness, Adam slowly sighs while his gleam red eyes slowly fade when Felixis seems to don't want to give in even though he tried to use his power towards him. " Father. "

"? "

" You said all this was solely for our plan. " Stares at Felixis with a confident gaze, Adam soon states. " Then, I would like to stop all of this. "

" ....?! "

Abruptly grabs Adam's wrist and tightening his grip with an annoyed face, Felixis glare at him with a murderous aura. " Adam, you-, Don't tell me you really mean that. "

Boldly looking straight into Felixis dull red eyes, Adam responded to his gaze with a sharp look. " Father, I don't have any courage to let her go from my side. and I don't have any intention of forgiving someone who dares to oppose me from staying by her side either. So, please step out of my business. "

" Hah. " ' They say a son always tends to be just like his father but why does this boy become more alike with Ella than me? Children really never grow up as their parents plan them to just like people said.'

" .....is that what you intend? " slowly wrinkles his head when his finger gently pinch his forehead which begins to get dizzy, Felixis sigh in silence when Adam looks like he doesn't even intend on stepping down from his decision now.

" I'm sorry, father. Since you already know this well, I'll say this just in case. If what you are preparing is a threat to her, I won't be able to just stand by and I might as well kill you either in the future. So, always think first before making any decision, Grand duke Allard. " glaring at Felixis with his red gleams eyes while a murderous aura intensely grows around him, Adam slowly makes way to the door, and without any word, he leaves his father's office while Felixis sitting on his couch with a disappointed expression written on his charming face. " What an absurd. "

****

" Daisy, have you packed everything? "

Claire observed all of her things that were being carried out from her chamber by the servants one by one into the carriage.

" Yes, my lady. "

" Then, let's go. "

While Daisy walks behind Claire without any word, she can only slightly glance at Claire when Claire seems so determined to leave this household, and throughout this entire empire, who doesn't even know? The princess of Romanoff has often been known as a princess who had such a temper whenever she already put her mind on something and so no one could ever stop her afterward, even I, her personal maid, has no audacity to stop her highness stubbornness until now. Let alone the Archduke of Romanoff.

" ... "

" um. forgive me, my lady. Do you perhaps argue with young lord Allard? "

"? No. We didn't argue, Daisy. We broke up."

" Ah. broke- "

" ...?!? WHAT?? "

" WHY...?? WHEN??, ??! " shockingly halts her feet from taking any step further while her mouth shouting out in a dumbfounded state, Daisy blankly stares at Claire with a big frown on her plain face.

Meanwhile, Daisy was in that state, Claire with a slight smile, eventually turned her face to look at Daisy who suddenly stopped her walk just to seek some answer from her. Slowly she turns to face ahead back and continues her walk while ignoring Daisy's uncomfortable gaze towards her. " ...maybe, because he wasn't good enough? " smirk Claire in her walk.

Her feet were slowly climbing down from the stairs when Daisy was still in her shocked state behind her. Claire just completely ignores Daisy who was staring at her with such a doubtful eye and continues her walk towards the main door while all the servants of Allardis just look at her from afar. In this mansion, who even dares to grab her and hold her against her will even if she wanted to leave this mansion forever? She isn't a lady of this house, to begin with. So what bothers if she were to leave them?

And while she was thinking all that on her way to the main door, a figure of a man suddenly blocking her way from taking any walk further. "?! Who dares to- "

As her green eyes catch a glimpse of the person before her who dares to block her way with his big figure, she just turns silent when that guy stares at her without a blink. " Princess? where are you going? " asked that guy with a big frown when he was facing the little miss in front of him now.

At first, he just simply thought it was all the belongings of his master that he no longer uses now since it was such a mere carriage, but when his eyes spotted some woman things in it, many thoughts came into his head and it's turned out, one of his thoughts suddenly comes true! ' Does the princess want to leave the Allardis? all of the sudden? why? '

Abruptly Edward's head turns around to look in the direction behind him shockingly when the person who was supposed to talk in this situation was silently observing the situation only behind his back.

" Urm. You-your grace. The princess... '' Hesitated to talk when his master turned out to just looking at them blankly with his expressionless face that doesn't even change that much when it's clearly his fiance who was going to leave the Allardis, Edward slowly bend his head and step aside when Adam lightly raise his hand as a sign for him to not interfere in their problem.

" Greeting your grace. How have you been? " smiles with an innocent face, Claire slowly begins to get closer to face Adam, this guy who didn't even want to get out of the room and put himself aside without wanting to talk to her at all yesterday, can shamelessly show his face before her without much care today. How annoying.

" Oh. Right. Why should I care? our relationship is over now, isn't it? "

As her green eyes stared straight and eventually met his dark red eyes who were looking at her intensely, Claire felt something rumbling within her body. Just like the first time we met, when I looked into these red dark eyes of his, the same electric static was striking my entire body nonchalantly. " sa-say something, you jerk."

" Prin-princess... "

Once again raising his hand to command Edward from interfering in their talk, Adam slowly takes a step backward from Claire while bending his head, and slowly Adam raises his face and looks at Claire with his eyes starting to gleam. " If you insisted on breaking up that much, fine. This engagement. Let's call it off. "

" .....?! "

" Your grace..! " shouted Edward in shock.

Stunned as those words finally came out of his mouth, Claire looks at Adam in a speechless state. " ..what..? "

" well... " Slowly drawing his feet closer towards Claire while his lips mysteriously create a smirk, Adam soon leans his body and closes his lips at Claire's ear and whispers in a low voice which only they could hear. " this fake engagement of us, I mean. "

" ...!! " Quickly distancing herself from Adam in an instant while her hand busily covering her ears in shock, Claire's face gradually turned red as she tried to hold back the embarrassment she currently felt.

Despite her actions, Adam still tried to get closer to her even though she tried to run her face away, and thus Claire could only speechlessly stood in her state as Adam suddenly grabbing her hand gently while his face was directly looking at her face that was redden out of shyness.

" That's why, wait for me until I come back, my ex-fiance. I'll make it a real one as soon as I return from the battlefield, understand? "

Chu. Lightly puts his lips on Claire's bare hand, Adam grins a little before he let her hand go from his big hand, and with a big step, Adam leaves Claire all alone in the blank with what has happened just now. The warmth she was currently felt on the back of her right hand now instantly makes her feel like on cloud nine. For some reason, she felt herself floating in the air.

" ....!?! "

SNAPPED OUT OF IT, CLAIRE!

" Arghh! crazy! crazy! ``Both her palm immediately slapped both her cheeks as soon as her mind came back to reality just a moment before she got caught up in the insanity of her head! How embarrassing!

Ignoring all the stares that were directed towards herself right at this moment, Claire abruptly runs towards the carriage she was supposed to get in earlier with a face that blushes in redness which is comparable to a bright red tomato!

" Prin-princess..! please wait! "

"? " Slowly take a glance at Edward that was busily keeping on her speed pace, Claire finally halts her feet in hesitation before she turns to look straight at Edward with her right frown raising in wonder by Edward's action. " ye-yes, sir Edward? "

" ..! Ah. I-I, please forgive my insolence, princess. Due to all the respect, are you really going to never come back to Allardis? " bowing his head politely in front of Claire, Edward then looks at her with such a disappointed gaze.

" Well.., I'm already breaking off with his grace. then, maybe? So, sir Edward. please excuse me. "

" Ah. I didn't mean to interfere, but princess.. can't you reconsider your decision? I'm sure his grace doesn't mean- "

" Sir Edward. "

" ...! " Instantly flinched when Claire glared at him with such a cold gaze, Edward abruptly bends his head with a troubled face. " please forgive my rudeness, your highness. "

" You heard him too just now, right? So, mind your own business, sir Edward. " as the princess continues her step towards the carriage with a cold face, Edward with a sullen face, slowly retreats a little before he starts to follow Claire from behind to escort her to the carriage.

" Oh. Sir Cullen..? I didn't see Ja-I mean, sir Pellon. Do you perhaps happen to see him? we're supposed to leave soon.." looks at Edward with a pretended smile, Edward just silent when Daisy who looks so pale with an anxious expression on her face, slowly gets near him all of a sudden while Claire is already waiting beside the carriage for her.

" Miss Daisy, will you go too..? " asked him with a disappointed gaze as soon as Daisy had already stood before him.

"? why. of course. I am her highness personal maid, aren't I? " with a fake smile she forced herself to make, Daisy tilts her head a little when Edward seems so sad all of the sudden.

" ... "

" Sir Cullen...? " As Edward just turned silent without looking in her direction at all, Daisy awkwardly stares at Edward when he seems to be so disappointed to let the princess go.

" Sir Cullen.. erm.. do-do not worry. I know that the princess might just be sulking with his grace for a while. I-I'm sure, she'll get better in no time soon... so, um. don't worry about her highness, sir Cullen. " whisper Daisy in a low voice, afraid that Claire might hear their talks.

" ...but.. I'm not worried about the princess though... instead, it's you.. " slowly muttering some words in a low tune, Edward suddenly flush in shyness when he realized he accidentally spits out his thoughts all aloud and Daisy has already heard all of his words before he gets to cover his mouth with his palm.

" .....! ugh! "

In an instant, his whole face turned red when Daisy was clearly looking at him with a shocked face.

' Does-does she hears it??! How embarrassing!!! AHHHHH!!! '

" Ple-please forget it..! " immediately run away from Daisy because he can no longer hide his embarrassment, Edward gone from there without any trace while Daisy blankly stood there speechless when Edward suddenly acted like that. " Gosh. What's wrong with him..? is he alright? but.. why does he not concern about the princess at all but it's me he has a concern for? perhaps-.... "

' Is he trying to hide his feelings from my lady?? Ah... that may be true now I think about it. Considering my lady had just broken up, he should be more cautious so that my lady wouldn't be uncomfortable with him. hah... Poor guy.. '

" Miss Daisy..? "

"? " turned her face to look at a person that was calling for her from behind, Daisy immediately flinch in a state of loss word when her eyes catch a glimpse at that guy's familiar face who was standing before her. " Wha-! if-if you're here, then... "

She instantly turns her face to look at the carriage direction in shock, and as she has thought so, the princess has already faced the most frightening person right at this moment. She couldn't let herself go now, I'm sorry, my lady. I couldn't help you.

Her feet were instantly drawing closer to meet that man and without any words come out from that man when she had already approached him, Daisy rapidly bowed her head much lower than usual, given that this man was a man whom she highly respected because of his high position in this empire that was comparable to the emperor.

The honorable father of the only princess of Castella.

" Welcome back, your excellency. Archduke Romanoff. "