To Catch a Spy

Olivia was more than impressed by how Joseph could figure out the intentions of the No Faced Organization, NFO. He outpaced Misty and Rodrick in a single night and was way ahead of them.

"What can I say, Joseph is a wonderful man," Olivia said as she called Regal. He heard the man chuckle from the other line, seeing the smile on his lips appear. "You're head over heels for the right guy. He's smart, powerful, and he's independent. You don't need some guy who wants to be saved all the time."

"I doubt that he needs saving," Regal laughed, leaning into his chair and watching the city from his tower. "That's why I'm curious as to how those people got him. They say he took down forty when he can annihilate four hundred."

"Misty and Rodrick are close to solving that," Olivia said. "Now that there are improvements in the case of the NFO, those two can focus on the prince's case and finally catch who is behind all of these."

"And that Hellmess dude," Regal muttered. "He is with the NFO but he's not willing to take Joseph to their cult. Did he have some other ulterior motives or was this all some part of their sick plot?"

"We will get to the bottom of this, Your Majesty," Olivia said reassuringly. Regal knew that when this woman got focused, she would get things done.

It was only when the call ended that she noticed Joseph behind her. The prince was staring at her with an emotionless face. It was only after a few seconds that Joseph smiled at her, but with an emotion that she couldn't quite read.

'When did he get here?' Olivia asked herself, surprised by how the prince bypassed her senses.

"What is it, your grace?" Olivia asked. "Did you want something?"

"Hellmess didn't want me because I am not a Beta," Joseph said. "He probably only wanted to sell me so he can fund their cult. But what wonder the most right now is how those people got their hands on some of the rare pieces in the underground world."

"The Monolov Blood, the Crown Jewels of the Val'Agtas Royal Family. All those treasures are in demand from all parts of the world, and getting them is rare," Joseph placed his hands on his chin. "I have to investigate the possible sites for their acquisition. Were these treasures attacked from different places all at once? Or were they all fake? How deeply rooted in the world power is the NFO?"

"You can answer those questions once you get some sleep," Olivia said. "Get yourself a good night's rest and then think about all of these in the morning when your mind will be fresher and will work better."

"I guess I'll do that," Joseph agreed. He also felt his fatigue from analyzing too much take effect, so he was now more than willing to help his mind and body relax. "Thanks, Olivia."

"My pleasure, your grace," Olivia bowed and watched the prince head to his quarters. When she saw the prince turn to a corner, she faced the door of the study, raising her hand and casting a shield around it. "For good measure."

Bright yellow characters appear on the door, traveling around the walls and through the room until the room itself is filled with the characters. With a flick of her wrist, the characters stopped glowing, leaving behind marks that showed that the room was protected with a powerful shield.

In the corner of the hallway, Olivia felt a strong presence. She turned around, seemingly ignoring it. With three steps forward, the woman spun and vanished, appearing behind the shadowy figure.

"How are you able to get past my mines?" Olivia asked, conjuring a sword made of glowing yellow energy. "And how many have you entered this palace?"

The figure did not answer. Instead, it spun, showing its wide toothy grin under its red eyes. "You'll never know."

He took a dagger from his arm and slashed his own throat, laughing as it suffered under its self-inflicted wound, dying not long after. Olivia stood in front of him, emotionlessly casting a spell on the corpse. 

"Your friends don't like you that much, it seems," Olivia whispered to the man. 

The blood spilled from his throat and flowed back inside, his consciousness slowly getting back to him. His lifeless eyes suddenly flashed with fear and horror as he felt his body being tied with magic chains that Olivia created.

"I can revive the dead," Olivia said. "You should have killed yourself the moment I noticed you."

The man tried to scream, but his mouth could not make a sound. His eyes bulged from their sockets as he watched Olivia take her phone, grinning.

"Your majesty," Olivia said on the phone. "I finally caught one of them."

–

Joseph awoke to the sound of a busy hallway. He heard footsteps running around and whispers from the maids and guards, all rushing to whatever it was they were rushing for.

"What is going on?" Joseph asked the maid who was cleaning his room. "Is someone coming?"

"Good morning, Your Grace," the maid bowed, trembling in fear as she basked in Joseph's presence. "The king's parents are going to pay a visit. The palace is scrambling to prepare for their arrival."

"When will they come?" Joseph asked, to which the maid had to take a deep breath before she could answer.

"In about half an hour," she replied, taking down a lump in her throat, bowing, before completing her task and leaving. "I am so sorry to disturb you, your grace. I will take my leave now."

Joseph could only shake his head, saddened by how all the other maids acted around him. "Where are you, Elayne?"

It took him a few minutes to get into proper attire before he headed into the study. He wanted to finish the investigation by the end of the day, but it would only prove difficult if he were to be invited by Regal's parents.

"What will they be like?" Joseph asked himself, watching his hands that were pale and could be mistaken as porcelain by how smooth they were. "Will they like me?"

Before he could continue, a pair of arms were wrapped around him. He looked up to see a pair more wrapping both of them. The prince was shocked and was about to retaliate when he saw Regal running towards them.

"Oh, good light. They saw you," Regal sighed. "Mother, father, let go of the prince please."

"We had to travel as fast as we could finish the conference," the man said. "You remember me, right? I'm the former King Andrew, father of Regal.

"And I am his wife, Queen Leyanne," the woman said. "We are so sorry for what happened, Joseph. We regret that we could not do anything in time."

Joseph was speechless. He could not move, and he could not react. What he felt in that moment was warmth and love, but a different one than what he felt from Regal. 

At that moment, he felt that he was hugged by a loving mother and father.