Bab 2: Chapter 2: Partnership
"This is the first princess?" Blader mused internally, his blade still at her throat. "I had heard that she was more of an absent-minded person who enjoy luxuries, but I can tell from that glint in her eyes… she's dangerous. Even if she weren't royalty, her garments do indicate that she is a noble. But since we're in the castle, she probably is the princess. But is this a façade of courage or her true nature? In anyway she's right. If I harm her, I'll just be in trouble. Shit, I really ended up playing by her tune."
With a resigned sigh, he withdrew his blade from her neck, prompting a faint smile to cross the Princess's face.
"Hehe, seems you understood the situation perfectly. So now what do we do?" she asked, seemingly pleased with the current situation.
Blader hesitated for a moment, then decided. "Well, I've got no choice but to improvise, right?" he replied cryptically.
"Huh?" the Princess's surprise was evident as the young assassin deftly flicked his blade, releasing small capsules that shattered on the floor, filling the room a dense smoke. Amidst the confusion, the Princess covers her mouth while Blader swiftly scooped her up. As he darted towards the windows, shattering it in his escape, the guards heard the loud sound and reacted promptly.
"ALERT! THERE IS AN INTRUDER, I REPEAT THERE IS AN INTRUDER." The guards' shouts echoed through the halls as they scrambled to give chase.
"Tch, now they are on my tail." Blader muttered under his breath, weaving through the shadows of the palace walls with the Princess.
"I thought it was some sort of gas, but it was a simple smoke screen. And to top it off, you kidnapped me, the princess. So, what are you going to do now?" remarked the Princess calmly, her demeanor unsettlingly collected.
"At least now I've got an answer, she isn't the least bit fazed that she was kidnapped or had a blade against her throat a while ago. She's definitely not your typical princess." He thought to himself, as he gauged her reactions with a mix of wariness and curiosity.
"You better hold on tight, your highness." He said sarcastically as he shifted how he held her to a princess carry.
"I'm going full throttle so if you bite your tongue, it's on you." He added as he took a deep inhalation and then sprinted at an incredible speed.
"He's speeding up. Archers ready the arrows."
"WAAAIIIT!! Look closely. He has the princess! If we fire, we might harm her highness." Stated the guards as they pulled down the assault.
"We must report to Her Majesty the Queen." Said one of the guards as the young assassin leaped through the walls and faded into the city.
The next morning, news of the princess's kidnapping had even reached the people of the capital. The only information of the kidnapper was that he wore a black cloak and mask which hid his face. Notices and posters were spread throughout the capital offering 50 gold coins to anyone with useful information. During that time in a small hide-out was the enigmatic assassin and the princess.
"You know, you don't need to tie me up. I won't try to run away." Casually said the Princess.
"I ain't worried you might try to run, I'm more wary of what you could do left unchecked." The young assassin replied, irritation creeping into his voice.
The princess raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "But I really won't try to run. Unless you're that kind of people." She teased, her tone playful yet somehow unnerving.
"SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Blader snapped, becoming more annoyed.
"The fact that you don't even care that you've been abducted in and of itself is abnormal." Said the young assassin.
"You know you'll get wrinkles if you stress about everything." She said as she continued to irritate him.
"Says the girl who undid her ties." He said pointing his blade at her.
"Hehe, how did you know?" Emilia's mischievous smile widened on her face she raised her hands up innocently.
"Sigh… If I have to deal with you all day long, I'll become crazy. Just go on and escape if you want." Blader muttered, caught off guard by her unpredictability.
"I won't, not when I found someone as interesting as you." She answered.
With a perplexed face he asked why, "I've never showed this side of myself to anyone, so you must say that I trust you in a sense." She answered.
"Well, you really are crazy to trust someone who might want to kill you sooner or later." He added.
With a sudden burst of audacity, she stood up and approached him. "I know you won't. For instance, I can tell that in truth you are a nice person from the look in your eyes. You don't kill because you want to but instead you kill because there's no other way for you. But you still have faint hope that you may escape right?"
"She really is dangerous. She's saying things that I've never told anyone. She's reading me like an open book" he muttered under his breath, telling her to not to approach him.
"I don't want to. You are not like me a person who hides their true nature instead you are an earnest person who has lived in a world soaked of blood. Normally I wouldn't feel like this, but I think that you're special. It was the first time that someone acted out of my predictions. So I am more intrigued." She said while crouching in front of him and their gaze meeting piercing the eyes of the other deeply.
Blader felt a chill run down his spine "You, exactly who are you, no what ar…" he started to ask, she then leaped towards him, closing the distance between them with a surprising move—she kissed him.
"Hehe that was my first kiss and judging from your reaction it was the same for you right?" she teased after pulling back, leaving him stunned.
"I've got a proposition for you." She said, her tone serious. "I'll fulfill one of your requests and in exchange, you help me with my own goal."
Blader was taken aback by her offer. "What is she saying? She'll help me. She can't be serious, right? Yeah…" he thought, he blinked his eyes, reopened them, and looking at her gaze, he gulped.
A deep gaze whose darkness was deeper than any other. As if enthralled by it, he unconsciously her his past and what he desires. With a smile beautiful as it was dreadful she responded, "Deal, then here is the plan."
With those words they talked and came up with a plan. Hours later she was back at the castle and everyone her family alike were reassured by her safe return.
"Why haven't we heard from the kid for weeks?" said Sirius, anxiously wondering what happened to his subordinate.
Meanwhile, near their headquarters, under the rainy and thunderous night, was the young assassin with a cold, bloodthirsty look in his eyes. With a single lightning strike which illuminated his face, he disappeared into the shadows.
"AAARGH!" screamed people within the headquarters, where Blader was killing every single member of the mercenary group.
"Boss, it's Blader he's killing off each one of us." Said one of the mercenaries.
"Whaat? Damn that punk. How dare he? I-i-i-i-I'll KILL HIIIM!!" shouted Sirius with an angered tone as he rushed to face him.
"No, you die you bastard." said the young assassin as he appeared out of thin air behind him.
"Huh?!" exclaimed Sirius as he leaped backward turning to face him.
"Blader you punk. Is this how you show us gratitude after we took you in when you were but an orphan." Yelled Sirius infuriated with the young assassin's betrayal.
"You're right. You took me in, gave me food, a bed, and shelter. You trained and gave me the means to survive in this world. But you see I'm not Blader, my real name is Logan, Logan Brook. I no longer need you or the others. And for the first time since I joined you guys, I'm gonna kill because I chose to. So say your prayers, boss." He answered with an insolent and detached tone.
"You retched bastard, DIEEE!!" said Sirius as he dashed in for the kill.
As he saw that, Logan took a step forward and in a moment's breath, "Like I already said, you're the one who's gonna die" he said coldly and composed as he appeared behind Sirius's back.
"No, no way" said Sirius as blood bursted out of his throat.
"Rest in peace. And now to finish the job." As Logan said those words, he annihilated the remaining members of the mercenary group.
Two months later, the Capital's knight order received an anonymous message divulging information on the mercenary group and as they arrived at their hide-out, all that was left were corpses and records of their activities.
"In the end you got your revenge right, my dear retainer?" said the princess with a joyful tone.
"Yes, thanks to you. Though I am surprised at how easily I slipped into the palace's workforce." answered Logan.
"So, what do you need from me?" he asked.
"As I've already told you my objective is simple. It is to pave way towards the emperor's throne. But not for myself, instead for my younger brother. If I were to take the throne, I wouldn't be able to simply enjoy my life as it is. That's why I'll make my brother the emperor. But for that, I need to weed out the nuisances who are the corrupted nobles and the unknown faction after the emperor's throne." She replied as she explained her objective.
"Ever since father fell ill, mother had to shoulder the responsibilities of the crown on her own. But the fact that you were hired to kill them, just proves that there are enemies that we need to eliminate. Hence, I'll use you and every other asset at my disposal to eliminate our enemies, put a new ruler on the throne, all while operating in the shadows." She continued.
"Quite the ambitious objective." Said Logan with a doubtful tone.
"Well with you by my side Log, it should be possible." She said with a faint smirk on her face.
"Log?" exclaimed Logan, inquiring about the nickname given to him by the princess.
"Yes. Since from now on we're partners. And I expect you to call me Emi, 'kay? And of course, without honorifics when we're alone." she said as she approached him.
"Okay Emi." He said while closing his eyes as she approached him, suddenly kissing him again.
"AH!" he exclaimed, lightly blushing.
"Hehe, you left yourself wide open." She said with a mischievous smile.
During that time, in the corridors of power, two figures discussed the aftermath of the recent events.
"The assassination failed and the worst part, those mercenaries were eliminated leaving evidence behind. We must destroy them before the investigation leads them to us. Understand, Prime Minister Laynheit" Said one man in an office.
"Yes Duke Mordred." the prime minister replied obediently, his mind already racing with plans to cover their tracks.
And thus, the curtain rises on the Princess's and Assassin's battle within the shadows of the Empire, their ambitions entwined in a dangerous dnce toward power and survival.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Ryajin
Ryajin Hiyah there, to those who are curious. Yes, The princess and the Assassin end up together. But it's still too early for that part. Stay tuned for more!
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