THE DUKE SEEKS REVENGE
"But you have made the whole city our enemy now. How can we survive in this city without the support of other families? Who will do business in our new town?" Orol asked me.
"Don't worry, I am not short of allies. Besides, one way or another the whole city will become our enemies eventually when we steal all their business", I replied to him.
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[In the chambers of Prince Raslee]
"Your highness, did you achieve your aim by inviting that rude bastard of Kaleon to the party?" Minister Holden asked Prince Raslee.
"Yes and no", the prince replied to the minister.
"I don't understand", the minister asked the prince.
"I wanted to humiliate the Kaleon family among the aristocrats of the city using the arrogant families. That I succeeded. But I didn't expect this Oriese of Kaleon's over response to the situation", Prince Raslee told the minister.
"The reports we have about this Oriese is true. He is mad and a bully", Minister Holden told the prince.
"If only that was true. The merchants in Starri city learned it too late that behind this mad bully, there is a cunning genius. They underestimated him and lost their families' fortune", Prince Raslee told the minister.
"We should just arrest him in the party for creating havoc, that will solve all our problems with these Kaleons", Minister Holden told the prince.
"That will be easy although we still don't know much about this Oriese. If he can be so arrogant in front of the whole city, against the church and even against me, I wonder who is backing him from the shadows", Prince Raslee told the minister.
"Who can be behind this rascal?" Minister Holden asked the prince.
"I do not wish to speculate. The Kaleon family did stop the wild creature incursion into the east forest which was thought to be impossible. Only someone powerful in the Conjurer Court could be behind something like that and that is not what I fear most", Prince Raslee told the minister.
"What do you fear more?" Minister Holden asked the prince.
"What if behind this mad bully is one of my brothers or even the King? It is not easy becoming a Crown Prince, ruling the capital city of the kingdom. One misstep could ruin my future", Prince Raslee told the minister.
"I still don't understand how arresting a fool could ruin your future?" Minister Holden asked the prince.
"What will happen to all the refugees from Starri city who are now in my city? If I arrest their savior, they will immediately riot and cause havoc in the city. My brothers will use this as an excuse to petition my removal as the ruler of this city and that is just one scenario I can think of", Prince Raslee told the minister.
"I understand now. This Oriese of Kaleon is the most dangerous kind, the pretend fool. It will be worse for us if he is indeed sent to us by the other princes", Minister Holden told the prince.
"The more he acts like a bully, the more reason we should avoid confronting him. Let the other families deal with him. It will be a miracle for his new town to survive without the business of the other families", Prince Raslee told his minister.
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"Master, we heard you fought with the nobles in the prince's banquet, is that true?" Meera asked me.
"News travel really quickly", I said to her.
"The whole city heard about how you smashed the nobles' faces. I wish I was there", Chash told me.
"I will bring you to the party if your hair doesn't burn down the banquet", I replied to him jokingly.
"Sara, made me a cool helmet to contain the flames on my crown", Chash told me.
"I hope the helmet doesn't look like your pilot helmet", I told him.
"It's quite nice actually", Ratatouille said to me commenting about Chash's new helmet.
Chash brought out his helmet which looked like an oversized demon head. No flame came out from this helmet except the occasional fumes that escaped the large nostrils of his mask, which actually made the mask look cool and intimidating.
"Good, you can become my bodyguard if you wear the demon helmet", I told Chash.
"Some people came to give you trouble", Cassandra came to tell me suddenly.
"Really, so soon? Where are Sara and Rinna?" I asked her.
"They are in the site of the new town, working", she replied to me.
"Alright, it would just be us five then", I said to her.
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"Oriese Kaleon, come out and face death", Duke Erriley shouted at the front of our mansion's gates.
"This is a little early for the cocks to crow…Cocka-doodle-doo", I said out loud as I walked out of our mansion's gate together with my bodyguards, all of them veiled and masked.
"Rude bastard, the last time in the prince's banquet, you dare to be rude to me because of the prohibition of magic, I will kill you now", Duke Erriley shouted to me.
Suddenly, several city guards came to see what we were doing after I asked my servants to make a complaint.
"What is the situation here?" the captain of the guard asked us.
"This is none of the city guards' business", Duke Erriley told the captain.
"You are here right on time. This scum here wants to kill me. Arrest his fat arse", I told the captain.
"He is the Duke of Moresby of the Mithridocus family, I can't help you", the captain replied to me worriedly.
The nobles in Tarah city were usually beyond the laws of the city. The captain of the guards was powerless against the nobles even if they breached the law.
"I didn't ask you to come for help. I ask you to come as my witness", I told the captain to his surprise.
"A witness for what?" Duke Erriley asked me.
"You wanted to kill me, I will return the favor to you, and I need the whole city to know about it", I told Duke Erriley.
Suddenly, reporters, stenographers and recording artists came to our mansion.
"Who the hell are you people?" Duke Erriley asked the reporters.