CHAPTER 504: 503. SOMETHING BAD (3)

"We can’t prevent it, we’ll have to face it."

Ocean’s words seemed to have sucked away the air from the room. Everyone looked tensed but it was Davian who dropped the bomb making Ocean nearly want to dig a hole and hide.

"Wait, are you going to include Miss Reina in it too?" He asked.

All the heads turned to him in unison, Rune instantly frowned looking confused.

"Reina? Why are you bringing her up here?" Rune asked, his eyes sliding over to Ocean as if asking if Davian was also in on the secret.

"Who’s Reina?" Arian asked.

"Wait, Reina is here?!" Eric gasped looking at Ocean.

Ocean avoided looking at anyone for a moment as he sighed, he had to do the damage control soon or Davian running his mouth would end up creating a chaos greater than the meeting was for.

"Reina," Ocean started looking at Duke Aurelius, "was only here for some brief work."

Rune frowned, "What do you mean?"

Ocean cried internally wanting to smack himself for including Davian in this meeting.

"I’ll explain later," Ocean told Rune before he looked at Davian barely concealing the glare.

"And I’ve already sent her off when I got the message of things falling apart." Ocean spoke through his teeth.

"She left already?" Davian spoke sounding disappointed making Rune’s eyes grow sharper than before.

A little more and Rune might have blood on his hands. Even Duke Aurelius seemed to be growing suspicious as he looked between Ocean and Davian.

"What’s the meaning of this, Marquis Ocean?" Duke asked and Ocean avoided his gaze.

Marquis Fairisles seemed to have thought of something before he cleared his throat.

"Let’s not speak about Reina, we have further pressing issues to deal with. Marquis Ocean, please proceed with what you were saying."

Ocean thanked Marquis Fairisles a hundred times in his head before he turned to the chess board, he picked up a few more black chess pieces and arranged them around the three pawns.

The three men who had escaped the clutches of Ocean’s sent men, would most probably if not definitely target the place where most of the influential figures of Denril and the guests would gather along with the Sestians. The last day of the peace celebration banquet, the masquerade ball which was supposed to be on the largest scale than the other all banquets.

The other speciality of this ball was that that it was open to the commoners as well, all they had to do was dress up nicely and have a mask.

The King had kept this event at the last for everyone to remember the war go down with a bang and for Denril and Sestia to be seen as friends who put aside their weapons.

It was a good thought but it also increased the chances of the terrorists infiltrating under the guise of commoners.

It would be impossible to search all the guests that’s why the only thing that could be done was be careful during the ball and try to figure out the suspects.

Ocean placed the white King to the side and started speaking.

"Tomorrow evening is the masquerade ball which has the entry to the commoners as well so, the terrorists would definitely infiltrate the palace to carry out their plan." Ocean spoke brushing his fingertips over the three black pawns.

"And although I have an information about them but there’s no telling who would be who because of the masks that’s why I need more people out to figure out the suspects so that we could try to stop it." Ocean said watching as everyone were focused on the chess board.

"But still, if they had recruited more numbers then it would be harder, we would have to be more careful. That’s why, Prince Arian, Is like to ask you to be by His Majesty’s side all the time so that if anything goes wrong you could protect him first."

Ocean looked at Arian who nodded, "You don’t need to tell me that, I will protect my father regardless."

Ocean sighed before he walked over to the vanity where a box sat and brought it over to the table placing it down. Everyone watched it curiously but Ocean didn’t say anything about it but rather brought their attention back to the chess board.

"There could be explosions or clear act of assassination which they would say was instigated by His Highness Eric, so, I’d like for Prince Arian’s understanding that it’s not."

Arian nodded again before Ocean brought up the white knights, "Young Duke and Your Highness Davian, I’d ask for you to be on standby in case the chaos erupts and the people’s lives are in danger. In that case, you must under any circumstances focus on finding the sources of the attacks to get rid of them immediately."

Rune and Davian gave a nod of understanding before Ocean looked at Reina’s father and grandfather.

"As for Duke Aurelius and Your Excellency," Ocean said brushing his hand over the white rook and the white bishop.

"I’d ask for you to focus of evacuating the innocent people so that there would be any unnecessary casualties." Ocean spoke and the two men nodded.

Ocean further walked over and grabbed a map from the drawer and placed it down flat on the table. It was the map of the royal palace.

"Why do you have the map of the royal palace?" Arian asked.

"For emergency purposes, I couldn’t make any plans unless I am thorough about where I’m letting me people go." Ocean answered without looking at him and pointed at the largest ballroom where the masquerade ball was going to be held.

"Here," he placed his fingers on the ballroom.

"This is the venue," he started, "it has three exits, one is the main entrance from where everyone will enter from. Second one, is here, the exit that goes towards the garden and lastly, this one is the back entrance which will be used by the servants and chefs for receiving the ingredients or the servants to come and go out of the ballroom from."

"If they are thorough with their planning," Ocean said, "They would block these entrances so that there would be more casualties that would push His Majesty to take action against Prince Eric if his name is dragged in."

"That’s why, I’d ask Your Excellency to cast a large scale shield in case the exits are blocked." Ocean told Marquis Fairisles.

"It wouldn’t be hard,"

"How much people can you have under your mana shield at one time and for how long?" Ocean asked.

"I can easily take up around a hundred people for more than 10 minutes." Marquis Fairisles brushed his beard and Ocean nodded.

"That’s enough time,"

Ocean nodded but then he looked at Lyall, "Lyall, you’ll stay with His Excellency and assist him while he is casting the mana shield. The attackers would try to attack him to break the shield, understand?"

"Yes, Master," Lyall bowed before Ocean turned his eyes on Duke Aurelius.

"Since His Excellency would be casting the mana shield so, he wouldn’t be able to protect the rest so, Your Grace, I’d request another plan of action for you." Ocean told Duke Aurelius.

"What should I do?"

Ocean then pointed at the corridor where the resting rooms were, and said, "Take as many people as you could to these resting rooms while the fight is going on and seal off the entrance of the corridor and the windows with your ice. On your side you could keep more people but since the resting room could not handle more than a two hundred so, I’d ask for your understanding and patience."

Duke Aurelius nodded, "I can do that much."

Ocean sighed, the defense was done, now the time was for the offense team.

"Since Your Highness Eric and Young Duke would be acting during the time of chaos, I’d work with my support team to try and locate the suspects. Your Highness Arian, I’ll ask for you to stay close to His Majesty and keep an eye on those who approach him or yourself. Since you two would be the targets for them."

"I’ll take care of that," Arian said before he turned to look at Ocean.

"Besides, who is this support team that you speak of?"

Ocean sighed, "Lyall’s men will also be coming, he will station them near the exits and also around the ballroom so that we could have an upperhand."

"You have your men here?" Arian looked at Lyall.

"Those are technically my people who are here so that I can keep such things from happening, Your Highness." Ocean spoke icily.

Though what it clearly meant was that he had his spies here already in case of anything but having the spies of someone who had been of the enemy kingdom was kind of unsettling.

Arian wasn’t expecting this, he had known about the situation between the two Princes of Sestia who were in a fight for the throne. One was the son of the Queen and other was the son of the concubine. He could see that the son of the concubine was alive and thriving because a Dragon was backing him but to think that the Queen was vicious enough to attack another kingdom just to get rid of her enemies. Arian found her greed to be rather greater, he could see why Ocean Ryujin, a Dragon was going to such lengths to make so much plans in order to keep that Prince safe. He had to make him the King and for that he was butting heads with the Queen who was ready to destroy the kingdoms.

Now, it was a matter of time to see who was going to have an upperhand, the destroyer or the protector?