THIRD PERSON

Ferocious Rhinedottir, the crown prince and now the Emperor, is renowned for his benevolent and gentle temperament, but unbeknownst to everyone—he's clinically insane with his intelligence and madness too strong to be defeated.

"Are you sure this woman is our sister? Why don't we add her to the test subjects? She seemed to be a dying virgin." One of Ferocious' clones murmured while playing with one of the test tubes in his hands, looking at the woman with long coffee-brown hair and purple eyes.

"A half-sister? Even so, she doesn't look exactly the same as us." The younger clone commented about the age of eleven.

"We should extract her essence. The more virgin essence we have, the more our other siblings will come to life." His eighteen-year-old clone suggested, ogling his eyes at the woman who appeared to be busy injecting serums into the poor victims that had fallen prey to Ferocious' schemes.

"More importantly, I thought you already have the saintess as your bride? Why wait for the wedding night when you can drag her here and let us taste her limited-edition divine essence?" Another clone suggested. He was only a year younger than Ferocious himself.

"I can't afford to make her suspicious now that the wedding day is approaching." The real Ferocious responded while flipping his documents for his next victim. "Patience, we can have her all by ourselves." He added, smiling from ear to ear as if his words alone were not creepy enough.

"Who did you say escaped the lab yesterday?" Tanong ni Ferocious habang inaayos ang glasses nito.

"I believe her name was Lady Aeronia, a baron's daughter." Fifteen answered, throwing the empty serums in the trash bin. "Fret not. I have already injected her to erase her memories. Even if she escaped, she won't remember anything." Paniniguro nito. Kaagad na napangisi si Ferocious.

"Well? Isn't it reassuring that my lovely elder sister is here to manage my laboratory when I'm out for palace duties?" He praised, glancing at Fifteen. "Finally, I have a responsible sister who shares the same passion as me, rather than a hopeless romantic, lovesick, stupid sister who only cares how to impress a man." He let out a long, disappointed sigh.

Tumaas naman ang kilay ni Fifteen. She removed her mask and tossed the gloves in her hand. "Such flattery could only mean you need something from me." Prangkang wika nito sa binata. "Tell me, what is it that you want me to do?" Dugtong nitong tanong.

"That's one of the things I like about you. So sharp. . . so direct." Patuloy nitong pagpupuri sa kapatid.

Fifteen gracefully removed her lab coat as she approached his desk and carefully hung it on a nearby rack. Ferocious and his clone observed her every move with intense focus. "Have you had any dealings with the Archduke of Alcanta?" he inquired. She silently nodded in response as she turned to face him.

"Are you weary of him?" Tanong nito. Ferocious tilted his head and placed the documents in his lap before leaning back on his chair.

"Since you were her maid, you know a thing or two about people she meets daily, right?" He asked. Well, that's a no-brainer. She attends to the saintess needs for every time of the day. Of course, she knew.

"Is there any man close to her who smells like a mixture of a citrus and plumerian flower?" Kaagad na nahulog sa pag-iisip ang dalaga dahil sa naging tanong ni Ferocious.

She was not entirely familiar with scents, but there were only a few men who had a chance to be in contact with the saintess, and among them, there was only one person who smelled like that of an exquisite manly yet flowery natural body scent—the Archpriest.

"Yes, but I cannot confirm it unless I smell the scent in person." He crossed his legs. "And who might that person be?" He urged.

"Dominique Hechanova, the Temple's Archpriest." After hearing her answer, he pulled a long face. There was this palpable expression of confusion on his face.

"Wasn't he there when I intended to kill every pest in the temple?" Umiling si Fifteen. May hinila itong upuan mula sa malayo upang umupo sa harapan ng mesa ni Ferocious.

"Oh, brother, if he showed up, your little rampage in the temple would have been useless. You would have never killed a single soul if he was there." She playfully replied, looking at him sheepishly with a grin.

"Do you mean to say that he possesses the same level of power as I do and that I wouldn't have a chance if we were to engage in a duel?" He mused as if he heard something that wounded his ego.

Kalmado namang pinagkrus ng dalaga ang kanyang binti, hindi nito inaalintana ang talim ng tingin sa kanya ni Ferocious. "I did not say that." Paglilinaw ni Fifteen.

"What I'm trying to say is he spent his time in the Magic Tower for years. He's one of the very few talented prodigies who help to maintain the stronghold against the beasts of the void. So he knows ancient arrays and formations to entrap and prevent you from setting foot in the temple." She thoroughly explained.

Ferocious fingers did repetitive taps on his desk when he suddenly thought of something. Fifteen's concerns were reasonable, and he can't refute that. In fact, he appreciated the information his sister had just given him.

If he's an expert in creating arrays and barriers, it would make sense if he managed to breach the barrier he created in the palace and sneak into the saintess' room without alarming him.

"Does the saintess know your identity?" That, she wasn't so sure. She had become her maid for a while and wasn't as innocent and kind as others. She was the exact opposite. Cunning, scheming, and manipulative.

"There's no way she knows about my real identity. She merely saved me in the knights' camp when I was sold to be a prostitute. It was just a coincidence that she found me there." Ferocious found himself agreeing with her conclusion.

Well, that's right, how could she know?

"How can you be so sure she doesn't know anything? How can you all be sure she's nothing but a meek and innocent saint?" Ferocious twenty-year-old clones cut off. He has this suspicious look on his face with his arms crossed.

Pinagdudahan na rin ito ni Ferocious dati, pero matapos ng nasaksihan niya kahapon ay nawala lahat ng spekulasyon niya rito. Seeing her sobbing like that, helpless of her situation, defenseless of her past—he couldn't help but to embrace her. Hindi niya ito kayang nakikitang naghihirapan at lumuluha.

She can't fake the trauma in her eyes. The way she trembled in fear with his touch—she must've suffered so much.

"You're overthinking too much. Even if my original plan is to kill her once I get my hands on her divine essence, I have grown to love her in the process so I might spare her life." Ferocious lifts his head to look at his clones. For a while, the expression in his eyes shows love. 

A sadistic smirk suddenly formed on his lips. "But if she did something that goes against my plans, I shall kill her with my own hands and keep her body in this room to admire." Natatawa itong napaayos ng upo na para bang wala lang ito sa kanya. His sudden change of attitude and behaviour is really something.

"I need to make sure my plan goes well without any disturbances. So, dear sister, can you do me a favor?" Ferocious stood up and walked towards her. Kapagkuwan ay yumuko ito upang ibulong sa kanya ang nais niyang ipagawa.

Meanwhile, Judex Lamborne was just investigating the temple area when he rescued a woman in a cave near the river border of the palace and temple. The woman appears to be freezing cold, with her clothes almost as if they were torn to pieces. Her neck, arms, wrist, and feet are full of needlestick wounds.

Akmang bubuhatin na niya ito nang mapansing may hawak-hawak itong kwintas sa kamay. He took the necklace and hid it inside his pocket. Walang pag-aalinlangan niya itong binuhat at tinakbo ang distansya papunta sa templo.

"Your Excellency!" Malayo pa lang ay sumigaw na ito. He raised his left hand to try and break the barrier that protects the temple's gates, but it was too powerful for him to dispel.

Dominique, feeling the disturbance of the barrier, immediately teleported to the gates only to find the Judex carrying a woman who seemed to be in a life-threatening situation. "Who is she?" Kaagad nitong tanong.

"Can we skip to that part? Do you want another cold corpse haunting this place?" Puno ng sarkasmo na atugal ni Caelus dito. He had no choice but to let them enter the barrier and bring them to the Archpriest's quarters.

Caelus laid the woman in the warm bed and had Dominique examine her condition. He raised his left hand and released the golden energies that enveloped her body.

As a walking medical scanner, his forehead knotted when he saw unknown chemicals mixing in her bloodstream. It was unlike any other substances he'd seen before. "What the hell is this?" He whispered under his breath.

"Why? What's wrong? Is she in a critical condition?" Tila ba problemado ring tanong ni Caelus dito.

He found her in the border of the river between the temple and the palace. Simula ng maligo ang ilog sa dugo ng mga tagasunod ng templo ay wala na kahit sino man ang nagtangka pang lumapit dito dahil sa mga masasamang hakahaka ng mga tao.

There's no way she was there on purpose. She also looks like a local in the empire. She can't just be a lady who simply lost her way. Malakas ang pakiramdam niya na may maitutulong ang babaeng 'to sa imbestigasyon na isinasagawa niya.

"Save her, Your Excellency. I need to ask her something." Dominique hissed. He doesn't need to tell him that. He will save her because he needs to know where those substances in her body come from.

"I will take care of her. You try to find this woman's identity." Sa pagkakataong ito ay si Caelus naman ang napasinghal. Hindi na niya dapat ito inutusan dahil yun naman talaga ang dapat niyang gawin sabihin niya man o hindi.

Paglabas ni Caelus sa quarters ni Dominique ay saka niya lang naalala ang kwintas na itinago niya sa loob ng bulsa niya. He was about to go back and return it, when he noticed a name engraved on it.

"Blane?" Taka nitong bulong sa sarili. Napakurap ito nang may maalala. "Baron Blane of the East?" Mabilis niyang tinago pabalik ang kwintas at tuluyang lumisan ng templo.

Sa kabilang banda ay abala ang mga katulong ng palasyo at hindi na magkandaugaga kakaparini-parito sa pag-aayos ng arrangement ng mga bulaklak, pati na rin mga pwesto ng lamesa at upuan saka mga kagamitang nakalatag dito. May mga naglilinis ng matatayog na bintana at naglalatag ng napakahabang red carpet sa malawak na Throne Room.

Sa labas naman ay maingat na nag ti-trim ng mga bulaklak at damo ang mga hardinero. They were carefully tying black and golden ribbons along the way. And every now and then, rows of pots with different types of flowers were delivered for decoration.

"Oh, all that fuss and feathers for nothing." Hindi napigilang bulalas ng santa habang tinatanaw ang mga ito mula sa bintana ng kwarto niya. Para sa kanya ay masasayang lang ang effort nila dahil nakakasigurado siyang hindi naman matutuloy ang kasal.

"Your Holiness? I bought your lunch." She heard the maid behind her door.

"Come in."

Pagpasok nito ay may dala itong pagkain. Dumiretso naman sa maliit na mesa ang santa upang umupo. Nilatag ng katulong ang pagkain niya at kaagad din umalis. Tahimik namang kumain ang santa habang iniisip ang gagawin niya sa susunod na araw.

There are only two days left before their double wedding. Tomorrow, they will have a Wedding Promenade. They will stroll around in public using a carriage to partially celebrate their marriage, allowing her to leave the palace briefly. That should be enough to be in contact with the people she needs to see.

Now that she has Ferocious wrapped around her finger and her plan already in motion, she can confidently assure herself that the day of her wedding will be the doomsday of all the people who wronged the original saintess. All the trashy people who polluted society will be cleaned out. 

"I will lower the carbon dioxide levels of this world by simply killing people of this empire, and I shall be considered the first true environmentalist." Nakangisi nitong anas.

Banal na santa world domination, amen.

G O L U C K Y C H A R M