-Lord Shannon's Estate, Capital of Arcadina-

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"Young Master, all preparations are complete." Said one of Marder's subordinates.

"Good"

Marder was presently in his father's estate in the Capital.

Although he mostly slept in the Academy dormitory, when important matters arose, he would come to his father's estate to handle them.

Marder was sure that the Walls of the Academy had ears, hence it wasn't safe to talk about his plans at school.

A few days back, he had met with King Barn at the royal palace.

From the looks of it, King Barn was also probing him to see if he knew anything about his father's whereabouts.

But since he was innocent on the matter, standing his ground was a lot easier to do.

King Barn thought that either Marder truly didn't know where his father was, or... he was a really good actor.

The king couldn't find any loop hole in his story, or any strange behavior from him.

Hence King Barn had decided to send Marder down to Riverdale city, with 4 Captain's from his personal army.

The knight Captain's were to stay in Riverdale for 2 months, before returning back to the Capital.

If they didn't return, then King barn would assume and prepare for a full scale war against Shannon.

The feeling of having an enemy, who might be secretly planning an attack, had really made him feel unedge lately.

Hence he decided Marder was to leave at the end of August for Riverdale, along with his Captain's... or should he say spies.

Marder on the other hand, was really concerned about his father's whereabouts.

He knew more than anyone else, that his father didn't plan any sudden attacks yet.

Plus his father had written him a letter a while ago, stating that he would be coming to the Capital....

Marder also knew that if there was really something big happening, his father would definitely not write it down on paper, for fear that someone might intercept the letter.

If Marder wasn't in the Capital, then his father would definitely send letters of that nature to him.

But since he was in King Barns region, anything could happen..... It was better to be safe than sorry.

But what was so big that his father didn't even show for his mission in the Capital?

Marder was at his wits end with the matter.

Although people in the West called his father a tyrant and a villain, he truthfully loved the old man.

He believed that, that was how a future king should live.

Ever since he was little, he had been doing the same things that his father did.

When his father went to torture, burn or capture people, he was there as well.

He had his first taste of a woman, or should he say a girl at age 11.

He had chained her hands and legs to his bed, and kept her in his room every time he made love to her.

After the session, she would be taken to the slave chambers or healers for treatment.

Too bad that just after 9 love making sessions, the 8 year old died on his bed.

He didn't feel any emotions or remorse towards her... He tossed her body down his bed, and took another girl from the dungeons.

Those children were captured by his father, and only knew poverty.

So shouldn't they be happy that he had at least given them the opportunity to grace his bed?

Who was he?... He was Marder Shannon... future prince of Arcadina.

He was the third and favorite son of his old man.

When he was 12, he had heard that King Barn had killed his older brothers while they were sent to war sometime back.

At the time City lord Shannon was 15, he became city lord. And since then, he had been raping women here and there... hence before Marder was born, Shannon already had 2 sons and 7 daughters.

Shannon didn't care for his daughters, so he married them off to wealthy nobles in the Capital. How they would be treated didn't matter to him.

What good could come out of women?

When Shannon had Marder, he realised that he didn't want any more children.... So, he started giving all the women in his harem drugs that would damage their wombs permanently.

With the death of his first 2 sons, Shannon realised that he needed to teach Marder everything about power struggles, so that he didn't end up like his brothers.

Hence from the age of 5, Marder began his lessons with Shannon.

They planned and strategized on how to make the villain, King Barn, pay for killing their blood.

Because of their closeness, Marder held his father in high regard, and knew every step that his father took.

That was why his father's disappearance was strange to him.

He personally didn't believe that king Barn was innocent on the matter.

Was king Barn really sending people with him to Riverdale, just to check the situation?

What if King Barn had already hired mercenaries to deal with his father, and then pretended like he wasn't aware of his father's disappearance?

Or was it City lord Cain of Hawk City, that attacked his father?

City lord Cain and his father, had been at a power struggle within the western territories for years now.

His father's army was large in number, so he knew that the enemy would either be a noble with a powerful backer, or King Barn.

There were so many reasons why King Alec Barn looked suspicious in his eyes.... If he left the Capital, wouldn't it be easier for King Barn to kill him.

Or maybe King Barn just wanted to lure him into a false sense of security, before making his move.

Either way, he didn't trust City lord Cain.... and he sure as hell didn't trust that snake, King Barn.

That was why he began to make preparations for the journey to Riverdale city.

Whatever the enemy's plans were, Marder was sure that he would be fully prepared.

He was just praying that the uneasiness he felt towards his father's whereabouts, was all for naught.

Otherwise.... hehehehe.... He didn't even want to imagine what he would do to the poor soul who dared to touch his father.

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While Marder was busy making preparations, Royal families all over the Pyno Continent, were becoming more and more unstable due to the whirl of change that took place in June.