Magnus was not enjoying that story at all. He was suspicious of Lucian's motive for doing business with a guild, considering that he interacted little with the world. The fact that the eighth prince was a recluse has always been known, but the reason for this remained unknown. Now, Magnus wondered if it was just a disguise, and whether he was tied to the fact that mercenaries were thirsty to get their hands on him.
Precisely because of such mistrust that the Grand Duke did not leave those two alone. He accompanied them to the drawing room of that silent and gloomy palace, and watched as Ethera turned the pockets of her pants. Leaning against the wall and with arms crossed, Magnus was just a wall decoration for that mysterious woman.
"All right, the prince knows that I intend to interrogate you to find out the truth, but he does not know the method. And don't worry, I do not intend to hurt you" It was useful to explain when she noticed the surprise in the face of the beta.
"Hm... and what do you intend to do, then?"
Pulling a bottle from her pocket, which contained a bluish liquid, she smiled slightly.
"This here is like a liquor extracted from a plant. It's a drug, practically. But dilute it enough to have a minimal effect on you, just enough to keep you conscious and on low guard."
Argus twisted his lips slightly bothered by what was going to happen.
"If she crosses the line, I'll cut her throat immediately" Magnus said coldly.
It had a little effect, since the beta took a deep breath and agreed with his head.
"Continue, please."
"All right. Just take the whole content and you will feel intoxicated. We will have... An hour and a half of effect, and you will be brand new after a good night's sleep."
Argus just reached out for the jar to be delivered. It was surprising to watch that servant be so careless and openly trust that woman who could be lying. For safety he would stay there, only the fact that she claimed to have business with Lucian prevented him from actually arrest her.
As soon as the servant drank the liquor, the effect appeared a few minutes later. The brightness of the eyes of the servant gradually disappeared and his shoulders bent. Ethera carefully assessed him and crossed her arms.
"Okay, let's see if it worked. Tell me, do you intend to betray the eighth prince?"
The question caught Magnus' attention, who just showed up with an eyebrow lift. The beta shook his head standing with an empty look before his voice came out like a whisper.
"I am loyal to His Highness, the eighth prince."
"Hm... interesting" whispered Ethera.
Magnus was relieved to hear those words, and soon disguised by shifting the weight of his body to the other leg and looking briefly at the window. It was probably after midnight, considering he had been riding back to the palace for so long. Not knowing how long Magnus would stay there, perhaps he would return to his home at dawn.
Too bad, because he really wanted to have a good night's rest.
"Go straight to the point and get it over with" Said the omega to the woman, who replied in a grimace.
"Right, right, bossy lord" Ethera turned again to Argus "Tell me the truth, what are the dreams that the eighth prince has?"
What the hell was that question?
Argus again hung his head, as if he was too tired to stand. A hypnotic state that was bizarre given the circumstances.
"His Highness... has a gift."
"What is this gift? Answer me only with the truth."
"His Highness has a gift... to see the future in your dreams."
"What nonsense is this?!" Magnus caught himself saying loudly, in total disbelief.
Pulling away from the wall, the omega marched up to the two and looked suspicious at both of them. Ethera raised her hand in a request to remain silent, which he respected when he saw the seriousness in her gaze. The same seriousness that Magnus have seen in Jesse's eyes when he was about to verify the veracity of something.
Perhaps those two were similar, though not pleasing to Magnus.
"Was the eighth prince born with this gift?" Argus replied with only a nod, denying "So when did he start having these 'visions'?"
"After the flu."
"Flu?" Ethera raised her eyebrow.
"A few months ago he was bedridden because of a flu, or pneumonia, I do not know for sure" Answered Magnus, beginning to be interested in the preposterous subject. Perhaps he was going to accompany those two to know what play they intended to preach.
"This coincides with the time when he became active in social parties. Very well" Ethera looked at Argus again "Is this a truth or a lie created by the eighth prince?"
"It's the truth..."
"Can you prove it?"
Argus stood up from his chair, staggeringly as if he were sleepy. The servant dragged his feet slowly on the ground, passing by the two mercenaries knocked out and tied up. He left the drawing room and went into the corridor, having the other two in his wake.
"What the hell is this vision crap? Are you trying to fool someone?"
"I am as suspicious as you, Grand Duke. But the eighth prince said he had a dream about my men, and it did happen. They were killed."
By the corner of his eyes, Magnus assessed her silently. She looked like a commoner woman in those shabby clothes, and she had a scar under her eyebrow. By what he was able to notice of her hands when she held the jar before, and having dragged two of the three mercenaries, she must know how to fight.
As far as Magnus knew, guilds usually looked for people strong enough to work in constant danger. Some missions asked them to enter enemy territories and far-off lands in order to obtain something, be it a valuable object, a person or just information.
"People die all the time in their midst, should not believe it so easily, even coming from a prince's mouth."
"Whether it is true or not, this will result in my response to his proposal."
"And what kind of business do you have with the prince?"
Ethera turned her dark eyes to Magnus and opened a mysterious smile.
"Ask your lovely fiancé, Grand Duke. As he is my client, I do not intend to leak information."
Magnus repressed the growl in displeasure. They followed Argus through the corridors of the abandoned palace until they reached the eighth prince's library. Magnus recognized the place, which had only been there once. The shelves with empty shelves, a table in the corner with several books and papers scattered and in front, a blackboard full of notes on strange symbols.
He remembered very well that the other time he was there, that servant said something about Lucian being special. Considering those strange drawings that seemed a language of another country, Magnus also remembered having seen on the sheets of paper after the attack by the mercenaries.
Ethera approached and, without any hesitation, she looked through everything. She checked which books were on the table, read the contents of the papers to finally approach the blackboard. Magnus stood by the side of Argus just staring at that disorganized writing, with arrows and circles around words.
But there was something there that he recognized.
"Why is my name written on the board?"
Argus bowed his head.
"Eighth prince... Didn't told me."
"This is impossible to read here. How can I know if it's true?" Ethera sighed and took the newspapers that were nearby "These newspapers seem to report only the most striking cases... hm? There is something written here. Let's see... end of the war in... is that a three?"
"Eighth Prince predicted... the end of the war... three days before."
"Really?" Ethera didn't seem surprised.
Magnus started to walk around and observe that messy library, which was funny considering his lack of books. There were documents about the clandestine market, with papers repeating information. Magnus even picked up one of the papers, recognizing Lucian's handwriting. Maybe he wanted to highlight something?
"Eighth prince... predicted the drug.... party of..."
Widening his eyes, the feet of Magnus forced his flawed legs to work to go to the servant and look intensely.
"What did you say? What drug?"
"Eighth Prince... predicted the drug... at the Baragnon party."
"Don't you know?" Ethera provoked him with a hostile expression "I heard he still has some of that drug."
In no way had Magnus told anyone about the drug he bought to use at the Baragnon party. He was willing to get rid of that worm Stephen for daring to seduce Maverick. However, it turned out that who drank was Lucian and all this resulted in his current state.
Lucian had no way of knowing that. Nobody knew about his purchase.
Wielding the machete again, against Ethera's neck, the Grand Duke returned to his cold expression.
"You better stop fooling around, and start talking."
Ethera assessed the situation silently before she responded.
"Before this dance, the eighth prince asked me for a drug that would force the heat of a person."
Yes, Lucian had stated that when they were still discussing the marriage proposal. He remembered very well the eighth prince saying something like "they know each other's secret". Because he is a recessive alpha, not even the drug would be able to leave Magnus in a state of heat as it was.
It could only have been a drug.
Just as he drugged Lucian, so was Magnus. He had already accepted this fact, and found interested in seeing that side of the introverted eighth prince.
"Did you tell him anything about me?"
"I had no idea who he would use the drug on. And still do not know, if I may say so."
"His Highness said about the death... of the Grand Duke."
Your heart missed a beat. Turning his crimson-threatening eyes at that drugged beta, Magnus seemed about to slide his blade on those two.
"What did you say?"