"Look what I found," she said with a smile reaching her ears.

  In the hollow of her palm shone a gold coin.

  Seeing her, Aelrin was surprised for a moment, but the next second his eyes widened with fear.

  "Where did you find that?! Did you steal it?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

  "Lyra, I promised you that—

  "No!" Lyra interrupted him by placing her hand on his lips.

  She shook her head, her long hair sliding on her back.

  "Don't worry big brother... I didn't steal it, I swear," she said seriously.

  Aelrin looked at her for a long time, searching for the slightest sign of a lie. But her eyes were perfectly sincere.

  "So... where did it come from?" he asked calmly, sounding more reassured.

  At that moment, Lyra turned to the large cape that still covered her legs, lifted it slightly, then pointed at an outer pocket.

  "It was there," she said simply.

  "When I woke up, I found it next to you,"

  Seeing the cape, Aelrin froze for a moment.

  "Huh... where does this cape come from, and since when has it been on us?" he thought, looking at the cape that still covered his legs.

  Aelrin stood up and reached out to Lyra, who gave him the coin without hesitation. He moved away from her a few steps, then brought the coin to his lips, biting it lightly.

  Feeling its weight, he began to observe its engravings... in doing so he immediately understood that it was a real gold coin.

  "It's impossible... how could it end up here?" he thought.

  While Aelrin asked himself several questions, Lyra approached him and leaned slightly in front of his face.

  "So, big brother... is this a real coin?" she asked.

  "Yes Lyra... it's a real gold coin," replied Aelrin.

  At these words, Lyra's face lit up as if she had just received the most beautiful confirmation.

  "You see!" she said immediately.

  "I told you it would work!"

  Lyra stood proudly in front of Aelrin, then raised her head to the sky, a sincere smile on her lips.

  "Father, mother... thank you," she said in a soft voice.

  "As Aelrin always told me, when we had a problem, it was you who always sent us your angel to help us."

  Lyra closed her eyes with a smile on her lips, and joined her hands in a sign of prayer.

  "Even today, your angel helped us and I am infinitely grateful to you."

  "Father, mother, you know that Aelrin...

  Seeing his sister begin to pray, Aelrin lowered his head, and clenched his fists while keeping the room between his fingers.

  "She's always going all out," he thought, exhausted and filled with remorse.

  He then closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself be carried away by his thoughts.

  "An angel huh? If only they existed."

  "Father, mother... if only angels existed, why is the world so unjust?"

  After these thoughts, Aelrin let out a light breath, before slowly raising his head. Then with an affectionate air, he watched Lyra conclude her prayer.

  "May Luminus be with you, and may we meet again soon," Lyra said in a soft voice.

  "Dad, Mom... I love you," she concluded with a smile on her lips.

  Seeing his sister like this, Aelrin could not help but smile tenderly.

  "Lyra..." he began slowly.

  At that moment, Lyra stared at Aelrin attentively, but before he could say a word, Lyra suddenly spoke.

  "Big brother," she began.

  "Since we have a gold coin, and it's a lot of money, well..."

  "...Could we buy meat and pastries as before?" She asked with a shy look.

  Surprised by these words, Aelrin looked at Lyra. She had her head slightly lowered, her hands joined behind her back, and nervously turned the tip of her left foot on the floor.

  "You know..." she continued in a small voice.

  "It's been several days since we've eaten nothing but bread."

  She raised her head slightly, but without looking Aelrin in the eyes.

  "Even if the old lady from the local inn sometimes gives us a little stew, I'm starting to get tired of it. In addition...

  She hesitated for a moment, her gaze veiled slightly with nostalgia, then whispered:

  ...Anyway, her stew isn't as good as Mom's."

  Hearing these words and seeing his sister's expression, Aelrin felt his heart tighten.

  He lowered his head slightly, looking at the gold coin in his hands.

  "A gold coin," he thought.

  "For many, this is a blessing."

  "But in the hands of children like us, it's just a curse."

  Aelrin knew it.

  He knew what could happen if two street children like them were seen with a gold coin in the streets of Kirven. They would be considered thieves and would be beaten. And during that time, the worst could happen.

  Knowing all this, he remained silent for a few more seconds, the piece tight between his fingers. He slowly raised his head and looked at his sister.

  Lyra was still waiting for Aelrin's answer.

  She didn't look at him, but the continuous movements of her feet betrayed her expectation.

  Seeing her like this, Aelrin took a deep breath.

  "It's okay... we'll go to town then," he simply said.

  Lyra immediately raised her head, her eyes wide open.

  "Really?" she asked, as if she was afraid of having heard wrong.

  Aelrin nodded slowly.

  "Yes. We will go to town," he replied.

  "We'll buy food and some pastries."

  Lyra's face lit up instantly.

  "Thank you, big brother!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at him.

  Aelrin, surprised by this sudden gesture, tenderly hugged his sister, before gently placing his hand on her head and slowly stroking her hair.

  "Lyra, listen to me carefully," he said calmly.

  "We don't talk to anyone, and we don't linger. And if something seems strange... you tell me immediately."

  Lyra nodded her head.

  "I promise!"

  Seeing her sister's reaction, Aelrin smiled tenderly.

  "I hope everything will go well," he thought.

  Then he picked up the cape from the floor, then slipped the gold coin into an inside pocket, before passing it around Lyra's shoulders.

  "Let's go," he said with a slight smile on his lips.

  A few moments later, they stepped into the main street of the slums, mixing with the crowd.

  Meanwhile, on a distant roof, a hooded figure watched them in silence.

  His eyes followed the two children who were walking away, step by step, towards the exit of the slums.

  A slow and predatory smile stretched his lips.

  "Finally..." she whispered.

  "...we found them."

  The figure rose slowly and let himself fall from the roof, disappearing into the shadows.

  Royal Manor of Kirven - Outdoor Garden:

  At the back of the royal mansion, a vast garden stretched into successive terraces, slowly descending along the hill on which the building had been built. Light stone alleys snaked between carefully maintained flowerbeds, where exotic flowers with bright colors grew.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  At the end of the garden, a white stone railing offered an unobstructed view of the entire city of Kirven.

  The roofs extended as far as the eye could see.

  The central cathedral and the city's large buildings were bathed in sunlight.

  Standing in front of the balustrade, his hands resting on the cold stone, Dayvon watched the city without saying a word, the wind waving his hair.

  He was dressed in a white shirt with slightly rolled up sleeves, and perfectly fitted black pants. At his feet, he wore black boots just above his ankles.

  While he was absorbed by the view that was available to him, Dayvon felt a presence stop a few steps behind him.

  The slight sound of boots on the stone stopped, replaced by a respectful silence.

  "So Santias... what news are you bringing me?" he asked in a calm voice, without turning around.

  Santias, dressed in his knight's uniform, tilted his head slightly before answering.

  "Your Highness... last night, my men have completed their first investigations," he declared calmly.

  "As you requested, we focused our research on recent events in the county, as well as the slums in the city."

  Dayvon did not turn around. His gaze remained fixed on Kirven.

  "And?" he simply asked.

  Santias looked at Dayvon for a moment before answering.

  "According to reports, a new cult has recently established itself in several districts of the city, but mainly in the slums," he explained in a calm voice.

  "Currently, we do not have their precise name, but they present themselves as a salvation movement, promising wealth and prosperity to their faithful."

  After these words, a slight silence settled.

  "We don't know their origin, but this cult seems to be expanding abnormally fast," Santias added.

  "According to the information we were able to collect, they seem to have the support of an anonymous person."

  At these words, Dayvon let out a slight breath... then a discreet smile appeared on his lips.

  "I have always heard of the effectiveness of the Order of the Ebony Rose, but collecting so much information in a single day. "

  "They really live up to their reputation," he thought proudly.

  After Santias' report, Dayvon remained silent for a few seconds, the wind slightly rippled the leaves of the garden.

  "You know Santias," he began calmly.

  "In the reports submitted by the count, I noticed that there was a big difference between the figures of the latter, and those of the reports given to the palace."

  Surprised by Dayvon's words, Santias raised his head, his gaze becoming icy.

  "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?" he asked in a composed voice.

  Dayvon straightened up, then turned to Santias, his golden gaze staring at him calmly.

  "Don't worry Santias... I don't doubt the reports of the Ebony Rose," he said calmly.

  "You are one, if not the best intelligence service on the continent... how could I doubt your reports."

  After staring at Santias for a few seconds, Dayvon turned away and looked at the city again.

  "You know Santias, when a man feels his end coming, he has only two choices available to him," he began in a calm voice.

  "The first choice is that he accepts his fate, and that he waits patiently for the fateful moment to arrive."

  "And the second choice is that he fights against his destiny. So there, he decides to do everything in his power to counter fate... even if it means going against the rules already established."

  "What does all this mean, Your Highness?" Santias asked with an intrigued look.

  Dayvon let a silence settle, before turning back to Santias.

  "I know you're smart and you've probably already understood it, Santias," he simply replied.

  "Just like me, you must find it strange that in the space of three months..."

  "...The reports sent to the palace by the count are wrong, a new cult is expanding rapidly, and several cases of disappearances have been identified."

  Dayvon spoke these words with chilling slowness, raising a finger with each of his enumerations.

  "Imagine for a moment that the Count is the one who anonymously supports this new cult... what do you think would happen?" he asked with a smile on the corners of his lips.

  Santias slightly straightened his posture.

  "In the kingdom, His Majesty only authorizes the cult of Luminus."

  "If Count Webster allows himself to support the expansion of a foreign cult... he risks losing his title of nobility, or even an extinction of his lineage," he said coldly.

  "Exactly," Dayvon replied, snapping his fingers.

  Dayvon then joined his hands, and began to stretch.

  "If our suspicions are correct, then we have a door wide open in front of us to accomplish what we came here for," he simply said.

  "A storm is fast approaching to the East, and the Count has surely already felt it."

  "We must not rush, but we must act correctly, so that we do not suffer the future repercussions."

  Observing Dayvon, Santias thought:

  "His Highness seems to be a rather lucid person. I wonder what he will decide for the future."

  After stretching slightly, Dayvon straightened up and turned back to the city.

  "Santias," he said in a calm but firm voice.

  Santias put his right hand on his heart, and tilted his head slightly.

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  "I want you and your men to continue your investigation within the city," Dayvon ordered.

  "Now I want names, and evidence. You have to comb everything through, so as not to leave anything to chance."

  "At your command Your Highness. I will order my men to move quickly," replied Santias with a respectful voice.

  "Perfect," Dayvon simply said.

  After that, Dayvon turned and leaned against the railing, his golden gaze resting again on Santias.

  "Besides, Santias," he began.

  "Contact the Eastern Branch of the Order of White Lions... ask them to position men around the county, and to be ready to act at any time."

  Santias raised his head, and frowned slightly.

  "Are you sure Your Highness? "

  "Commander Eliora is known to be a narrow-minded person, and she only obeys Her Majesty's orders, as well as those of her General."

  "So I'm not sure she would agree to move these men at your simple request."

  At these words, Dayvon sketched a slight smile.

  "Don't worry Santias," he said in a calm voice.

  "When you send your message to the commander, convey these words precisely to her...

  He paused for a short time, letting the wind carry his next sentence.

  ... "Prince Dayvon promises to do everything possible so that the storm she has been waiting for years finally gets moving." "

  Intrigued by the meaning of these words, Santias looked up, wanting to observe Dayvon, but his gaze froze the moment he met Dayvon's.

  "It seems that I really underestimated his Highness," he thought, a warlike shiver running down his spine.