Shadow Monarch: Heroines Could Hear My Thoughts?!

Chapter 33- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 2)

"Y-Your highness?" Damian's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the visitor that knocked on his door. A mesmerizingly beautiful woman was looking back at him with her apathetic gaze. Her beautiful eyes scanned the man in front of her for a few seconds before she replied.

"I apologize for my sudden visit."

"No, please come in. I apologize for my rudeness." Damian immediately shook the shock away and invited her inside.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Without hesitation, she walked inside.

In the living room, Selina and Aria were sitting on the sofa with extremely tense looks. But, it wasn't because of the princess but for a whole other reason.

The situation was simply not good for them to actually spend time taking care of the princess, not when Rin could potentially be facing a huge threat somewhere.

'Why did she come here?!' Aria tried to keep her composed look as she formed a small, polite smile on her face. Even though her mind was occupied with her younger brother, she couldn't just disrespect the princess of the empire. She still needed to keep face for her father and mother as their daughter.

The two then stood up and bowed respectfully at her. Elise quickly noticed the weird expressions on their faces. They were pale and noticeably stressed.

Elise's sharp mind quickly worked and she quickly understood that something bad happened and she knew very well who was the culprit for that.

'What did Rin do?' She thought to herself.

"P-Please sit down." Selina invited her to sit on the sofa while she eyed her maids secretly.

After they made themselves comfortable, Damian cleared his throat and asked.

"How's his majesty?"

"Good."

"I see…"

Then silence, Elise didn't try to prolong the conversation and merely eyed them silently. She completely ignored the awkward atmosphere.

"May I ask what is the reason for your visit, your highness?" Aria couldn't bear it anymore and asked the questions all of them were eager to know the answer for.

"Well, since I can sense that there is something wrong here, I will be frank with you. I'm here to see your son, Rin." She said.

"Rin?" They all muttered confusedly.

"Yes, I have a business with him and I will be more than delighted to meet him as soon as possible."

'How the hell did she even get in contact with Rin? Since when did they even have 'business' together? What is going on? Did he speak with her before?' Aria asked a thousand questions in her head.

She didn't get why the princess herself, a person of the utmost peak of this world wants with Rin. For as far as Aria knew, they never came in contact before except at parties and birthdays in the royal castle where they merely shared pleasantries. The number of interactions they had could be counted on one hand.

"I-It's… hard to do that now, your highness." Damian didn't know whether he should keep the matter a secret or not.

"I can assume that something wrong happened with him. May I know what is it?"

Damian was cornered by that question and waited a few seconds before he opened his mouth to reply. But, Selina was the first to speak.

"He entered a G-Rank dungeon a few days ago and didn't come back. We tried to search for him but there was no trace left of him."

"Selina…" Damian muttered as he looked at his wife with a complicated gaze.

He knew how much she loved Rin so he was sure that it hurt her a lot to admit this thing in front of the princess. Yet, for some reason, she still told her the truth.

"I see…"

[Quest Triggered!]

[Find Rin before he dies.]

[Reward: 1000]

'Huh? A quest?' Elise was quite bewildered by the sudden quest.

This was by far the first quest she received from her system since she came to this world more than a week ago. She didn't know what kind of things could

'So he is indeed stuck inside the dungeon. Do you have any idea what's happening, system?'

[I think it's most likely his ability that morphed the dungeon and increased the difficulty so that he could become stronger. He is inside a higher dungeon now if my predictions are right.]

'That doesn't sound like a good thing at all.'

[It's most likely the case.]

'I never thought our reunion will be this dangerous. Well, nothing could be done.' Sighing, Elise spoke.

"I see… Then, I will help you find him."

"Huh?"

"I can help you find him."

"But, you shouldn't put yourself in danger, your highness. This matter isn't-"

"Of my concern? Well, believe it or not, it is. Besides, I do want to meet him sooner rather than later so it's the best outcome for me in case I find him."

Then, she looked behind at the guard standing behind her. His face had already turned pale with fright. She knew how worried he was in case anything happened to her. The only thing awaiting him is the guillotine if he doesn't come back with the princess unscathed.

"Go and get me my weapon." She said.

"B-But… Your Highness, we can't-"

"I'm not asking for your opinion here. Do what I asked of you. As for my father, I will deal with him myself."

"Understood!!"

"Wait, your highness." Aria tried to speak but the guard was already running out of the house.

Elise also stood up to walk out.

"Your highness… Can I ask you something?"

Looking back at Aria, Elise could see the threatening gaze that could almost poke a hole in her. She was clearly showing a hostile attitude. But, as rude as it was, Elise didn't say anything and merely nodded her head.

"What is… your relationship with MY brother?"

"Hmm? Let's see…" Elise's face flashed a cold yet incredibly beautiful smile. It was something rare for her to show any reaction so all three of the Silvereye family members felt their hearts stop for a split second.

"We are old acquaintances, let's put it like that. Now, if you excuse me."

'Old acquaintances?!' Aria was even more confused at this point. However, more than confused, she felt a sting in her heart. Something that she never felt before at all.

It was as if someone was stabbing her heart multiple times. Her mind went into shambles as she tried to understand what was wrong with her but she couldn't find an answer.

The only thing she understood was that whatever the princess had going on with Rin, she didn't like… not the least bit. But, for the sake of her beloved's safety, she ignored this pain and stood up.

"I will go with her. Two people are better than one. You both can stay here in case Rin comes back or if something wrong happens." She said to her parents.

"Let me go in-" Damian was about to speak but Selina put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

Her eyes were telling him to not do anything. Even though he didn't understand why his wife stopped him, he still obliged. In the case of their children, she understood them way better than he does so he always follows her in these matters.

Then, Aria walked to the door and waited for the princess to come back. A few minutes later, she appeared again.

'She is really… beautiful. She almost looks like a goddess or a fairy. Sigh, I have never seen someone as beautiful as her before. Is that the kind of girl Rin would favor?' Even though she praised her in her head, her expression was not the least bit flattering.

"Are you ready?" Elise asked.

"Your highness… I think our small talk about Rin is still not over. Can you spare some time after we come back?"

'Whatever she's thinking about, it's gonna be a headache.' Elise almost sighed in exasperation.

"Fine. I will try to be as honest as I could. Don't expect anything outrageous though."

"That I'm grateful for." Aria's eyes turned slightly sharp but then returned to her neutral expression quickly. She had already settled the matter for now until they had a longer and 'deeper' talk about it.

The two then walked toward the dungeon under the mansion in silence. The atmosphere between them was quite heavy and suffocating but neither cared about that at all.

Their only focus was one…

'I have to find Rin.'

Two identical goals yet for two different reasons and the target for all of that was oblivious for that matter.

(A//N: The start of a ferocious war between two great forces and the prey is a poor black-haired boy. I pity him truly. It will be very fun.)

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