A Royal Mark

One moment, they're checking out various ingredients for Alice's favorite meal—she wanted Sirius to try it out. The next, Florence was nowhere to be found.

Or was it Alice that got lost?

She nervously looked around. She's standing in the middle of a busy street in Naraina city's wet market, with faces blurring past her.

"Florence?" Some looked at her but continued on their way. "Florence? Where are you?"

Alice wandered around the market alone for a while. She tried to go to a less crowded street, where she could be probably spotted more easily, but even after a few minutes, there was still no sight of Florence.

Alice is unfamiliar with Naraina city.

This is her first time exploring the streets of the kingdom's capital, and now she's lost.

"Florence—agh!"

She felt a sharp pain in her nape and her vision blurred. Being weak and skinny, Alice easily felt dizzy and fell to the ground.

Before losing consciousness, she watched as a pair of black glossy shoes that her father often wore stopped in front of her.

—

"Oh, dear."

Florence gradually paled while she ran around the market, looking for Alice. She lost her a few minutes ago while she was distracted with negotiating.

How careless of her!

She couldn't believe she lost Alice, a completely clueless girl, in a busy market. But she's sure she already looked everywhere in the streets. Where is she?

"My lady, please…"

Florence reached a less crowded place. There she caught a man in all-black lifting an unconscious woman from the ground. A black long coat, a black fedora that hid his face, and black boots.

And the woman…

Florence's eyes widened when she recognized the long silver hair of the unconscious woman. She immediately ran towards them.

"Lady Alice! Oh dear! Please help! Help! My lady is getting kidnapped!"

The man noticed him and started to run with Alice in his arms.

She can't shift. She's only a Zeta. So the most she could do was run after them and scream for help.

When they turned a corner, Florence saw a gray werewolf waiting for them. It was an average-sized werewolf but without a doubt a noble.

The man passed over Alice to the wolf who then took off.

Florence possibly couldn't catch up to a werewolf, so she ran after the man instead.

"You there! How dare you kidnap Lady Alice!"

The man turned to her and was startled that she was going after him. He was young and agile, and he quickly outran her. Florence tried to chase him, but alas, she was no more than an old servant.

She cannot get Alice back alone.

So, even knowing that a harsh punishment awaits her, she resolves and runs back home, sending a hurried missive to the Prince.

'Lady Alice is kidnapped! Please come home!'

It did not take two hours for Sirius and the twins to come.

Florence paled after seeing the Prince's cold expression.

She fell to her knees immediately.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I took her to the market to buy fresh ingredients for tonight's dinner. But I lost her in the crowd and when I found her, she was already unconscious and a man took her to a gray wolf. I—I tried chasing them but I lost them too. I'm deeply sorry, Your Highness!"

"Are you alright?"

The Prince's voice was deep and calm, which was more terrifying. But he still voiced his concern for Florence, which touched the old lady.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Vito."

Sirius was lax and didn't look disturbed at all. But anyone could see the fury in his eyes.

Vito on his right straightened.

"Deploy Tanaka, Roman, and Wen Ying to all three regions. Have them investigate about the appearance of a gray wolf carrying an unconscious lady."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Dante—" Sirius caught a familiar owl flying overhead.

He recognized it as the owl that perched on Alice's hand earlier this morning.

The owl circled once above before landing in front of them. It only stared and tilted his head.

He frowned. "You know something."

The twins looked at him discreetly. Why is the prince talking to an owl? And why is an owl flying around this early? Aren't owls nocturnal?

The owl tilted his head, looked to the South, and called to them, "Hoot hoot!"

His head pointed to the South while he continuously hooted. Its round eyes stared at them fiercely.

"Your Highness, I will go now—"

"Wait."

Sirius watched as the owl continued hooting and pointing his beak to the South. He would turn back his head to stare at him as if asking, 'Do you understand?'

He contemplated for a while if they should trust the owl.

"…Let's go South."

"Eh?" "Eh?"

Although reluctant, the three shifted back as wolves and the owl did start to fly ahead of them.

As if it's leading them to a place.

If Alice has befriended this owl, then maybe it is helping her. Maybe it can't save her alone and has thus asked for their help.

Everything's only based on his gut, but if this is true, then Alice is lucky to have befriended this smart owl before she was taken away.

"Please, I hope you find Lady Alice…"

Florence watched the three werewolves and the owl above them as they slowly disappeared from view. She is left behind alone in the mansion.

After a few days of being with Alice, the cold, empty mansion embraced Florence again. She is not used to being alone anymore.

—

Sinhold.

The owl led them to Sinhold, an eastern part of Sinhold. Sirius thought they were headed to the Sigertem manor, but once they were only one turn away, the owl went to the opposite side and led them to a much larger mansion at the end of the road.

The three shifted in front of the gate. Behind them, the sun was setting.

Sirius's looming shadow casts over the house's large, unsuspecting gates.

"Your Highness, this is the Kingsley manor."

"…Open the gates."

Every step he took was heavy and foreboding.

A middle-aged man appeared from the mansion with a frown. When he saw Sirius, his eyes widened.

"Y-Your Highness! Why the sudden visit—?"

"My mate is missing, Lord Kingsley."

The Lord raised his head and met the Alpha Prince's murderous gaze.

A storm has invited itself into his residence.