It’s Settled

Confused, Liam stared at her.

"Wait…" Agatha massaged her temples as she faced Levi and his companions. "What the hell are you saying about me?"

Levi remained patient as he relayed the truth. "You are Prince Henry and Princess Lorelei's daughter, am I right?"

It took Agatha a moment to breathe. She had never told anyone who her parents were, not even Aiden. She feared he might tell others, leading to their capture. So whenever she spoke of her parents, she would simply call them Mother and Father.

Agatha swallowed. "Y-yes, I am," she stammered. "But my father and mother aren't royalty." She had no idea what Levi was talking about. She knew her family better than anyone else. "My father is just a palace guard, and my mother is a simple housewife…"

Levi sighed, already exhausted. "Then how do you explain the other half of the Pearl Scepter inside you?"

That made Agatha more confused than ever. "What the hell is the Pearl Scepter? And why is it inside me? I never ate such a thing."

Levi answered, "It's the Water Fae Kingdom's…"

"Ones…" Liam said absentmindedly, finishing Levi's sentence.

Agatha's forehead creased. "Are you kidding me? Because I surely am not. I can't remember being given something and having it put inside my body. I think I would at least know that, right? But none of this rings a bell. You're probably mistaking me for someone else."

"We tracked you down despite your tracks and scent being erased long ago, because of the immense power of the Ones inside you. It left faint marks that led us to you," said the long-haired Werebeast, who was sitting against a nearby tree along with another, while Levi remained standing.

"You ran away from Etherealis after your parents' unexpected deaths. You crossed the Aegan Sea and stayed in Elderwood for a couple of years. You kept shifting homes, making it hard for us to follow you. We eventually tracked you because you worked for a wealthy and well-known witch."

"Then you returned to Etherealis, but only to the forest of the Water Fae Kingdom for a few days. After that, you went to the Forgotten Fjords for a year or so, then trespassed into Primotheus Capital, at Eldoria's Lower Town. From there, you stayed and moved to Escrima just last month. Tell me if we are still wrong, Agatha."

Agatha caught her breath. Everything he said was accurate. How had they tracked her down with such precision and detail?

"B-but still," said Agatha, "it doesn't add up or make sense as to how I am a Blue Blood, as you suspect. I am anything but, I'm sorry."

"It's your father's lineage," added the other Werebeast. "He was the crowned prince of the Water Fae Kingdom. Perhaps it wasn't publicly known due to his untimely death, or there's more we don't know. As for the Ones, you were probably too young, maybe a baby, when it was passed to you, so you don't remember. We don't know much about Fae rules and powers or how your class passes the Ones to another. But we know for certain that you currently hold half of the Pearl Scepter. Anyway, our mission is accomplished. Should we go now?"

The last question was directed at Liam. The Werebeasts looked impatient, bored, and exhausted.

Liam faced Agatha. There was something in his eyes. "We'll talk about this later, okay? We'll find the answers. For now, let's focus on getting Aiden back."

Agatha knew Liam was right. Aiden needed her. His life and safety were more important than knowing her real identity, whether she was a Blue Blood or something else entirely.

"Aiden…" Agatha whispered softly, and soon her warm tears began to fall.

The Werebeasts looked away. "Why is she crying? What have you done?" They looked uncomfortable, eyeing Liam with suspicion.

But Liam didn't answer them. Instead, he said in a firm tone, "I need your service." Then he gestured for Leonel, who immediately nodded.

The other knights soon vanished into the dark night, while Leonel approached him.

Levi said, "We can't, Fae. We've been away from our pack for too long. We must go home now…"

"I'll pay triple," Liam abruptly cut him off.

Levi sighed. "We don't need your Galleons," he said. "We're going home."

There was finality in Levi's tone. They were about to transform and leave when suddenly, Leonel spoke.

"An innocent kid's life is at stake. If we could do this alone, we wouldn't ask for your help. But our backup plans are still on the way. We need to wait at least eight hours before our reinforcements arrive. By then, it might be too late to save the kid."

Agatha caught her breath at Leonel's words. She felt a chill of fear and fell to the ground, hopeless.

"Aiden…" she called out.

The Werebeasts faced them, led by Levi. "We are not supposed to meddle in others' business. If we make enemies, our whole pack will be affected. We don't want that to happen. We must ask Percival's approval first."

Liam's jaw clenched firmly. Agatha knew he didn't like asking for help. He was the King, after all. He could order anyone around and they'd obey without hesitation. But these Werebeasts were not his subjects, and he knew this matter was all about her.

Liam just stared at her closely, then he breathed a long sigh and faced the Werebeasts. "He's just eight. He doesn't deserve to die, especially at the hands of his evil father."

Levi considered it for a moment while the other Werebeasts seemed unwilling. Then, after a moment, he asked Liam, "If you really want us to help, then be honest with us so we can analyze the situation better. And if we can do anything at all."

Liam nodded quickly. "What do you want to know?"

"Who is the real enemy?" Levi asked seriously.

"Nysander," Liam answered in a chilling tone. "A Demonic Ravager."

One of the other Werebeasts asked, "Should we kill him?"

"Yes," Leonel answered this time.

"What has he done to warrant such a hunt from the Faes?" Levi asked once more.

Leonel resumed answering as Liam tended to Agatha. "He kidnapped the Fate of the Fire Fae King. There's very important information he must not deliver. Fortunately, he was poisoned before he escaped during a battle. Now, he needs his relatives' blood for a cure. That's why he's after his own son."

The Werebeasts looked at each other with concerned faces. "If it's about the crime he committed against the Fire Fae King, we can help. But him kidnapping his own son, we can do nothing about that. In our culture, your sons and daughters are your property, and we can't involve ourselves, whether we like it or not."

Agatha heard this and stood up furiously, facing Levi. "Aiden is not his son! Never!" she shouted, almost disturbing all the creatures in the forest. "Yes, he made him. It's his blood running through him, but he never became a father to him. Nysander abandoned Aiden. I took care of Aiden from the moment he was born. Nysander didn't care for him at all. And now that he needs Aiden's blood, he thinks he can just take the boy. I won't accept it. No. Aiden is mine."

Leonel then whispered something to Levi, which made his eyes narrow. Then his expression changed. All the others who heard what Leonel had said changed their stance. They looked at each other and then glanced at Liam.

"Is it true?" Levi asked.

Liam nodded seriously, his lips a thin line, looking murderous.

"Do you give your word as the King of Water Faes that this information holds true?"

"Yes, I give my word," Liam said through gritted teeth.

Agatha could only gasp there, confused. The Werebeasts looked into each other's eyes, then swept their gazes over Agatha, who was still on the ground, and finally looked at their leader, Levi.

"Leomord," Levi called to the man with long hair. "Call our brothers who are at Escrima. Tell them to meet us here. This is a Red Code mission."

Without hesitation, Leomord nodded, leapt up, transformed into a massive beast, and roared before traversing the dying night.

"What's the plan?" asked the guy holding the lamp, directing his question to Liam.

"Sneak inside his hideout, rescue Aiden, close all possible escape routes, kill him along with his men."

Levi nodded a bit. "You fight differently from us, but since this is your battle, we will only aid you." There was a pause. "What does Nysander look like aside from being a Ravager? Do we need to watch out for any unique powers he might possess?"

Leonel answered, "Aside from his strong offense, he can summon hundreds of Ghouls. He's weakened, so he's not much of a problem, but his allies are. He has red and gold eyes, unique among his kind, so you can easily identify him."

The Werebeasts took a step back. "Are you sure?" Levi asked.

Liam nodded. "I have already fought him, so I saw him up close."

Levi glanced at Agatha as if to confirm.

Agatha nodded. "Red and gold eyes."

Agatha stepped back when Levi suddenly laughed loudly, a creepy laugh that thundered and echoed throughout the forest. After laughing, he said, "That bastard is nearby. Lysciant, follow Leomord and inform him of the change of plans. Gather all our packs here at Primotheus Capital. Ethan, find Beta Cavin and tell him the news. I heard he's in Primotheus for an auction. Also, coordinate with his Alpha if he's with him and see if we can borrow some of their men. Just one pack will do. I'm sure Beta Cavin will agree, but still, ask the Alpha for permission. Yeshua, send a missive to Percival and Tyler. They must know about this."

Then Levi faced Leonel, Liam, and Agatha. "We need to plan our attack while we wait for the others. Give us at least an hour."

Leonel sighed in relief. "Thank you for your help. Just send the receipt to the Water Fae Kingdom for the payment. To the Fire Fae Kingdom as well."

But Levi shook his head firmly. "No need to pay us for this. That bastard has been on our hit list for half a decade. He did something to Percival and kidnapped Beta Cavin's Mate. Fortunately, they rescued her before anything bad happened. But even though she was unharmed, Beta Cavin harbored ill feelings. He wants revenge. Like you, he also wants to kill that elusive Ravager." There was another laugh. "We have the same enemy after all."

Agatha wasn't surprised that so many wanted to kill Nysander. She just hadn't expected the Werebeasts to harbor anger towards him as well.

"But we want to ask you something," added Levi, now in a serious tone.

Liam stood mightily, paying heed. "What is it? Speak, and it will be done."

"Once we kill him, we want to keep the head for ourselves."

Although confused, Liam still nodded. "It's settled then."