Fourth Prince's Debauchery

The next three chapters are filled with explanations. Unfortunately, such explanations are necessary for the plot, so bear with it and sorry :p

…

I arrived at the place Alice indicated a few minutes later.

It was a cafe located in the noble district. The restaurant was small, but it was cozy and warm. And despite it not looking extravagant, someone with a good eye would notice that everything in the restaurant, from the paintings on the walls to the cutlery on the tables, was incredibly expensive.

As soon as I entered the café, I found Alice. She was seated in a table in a corner, drinking a cup of tea elegantly.

As always, she was being followed by the knight girl and the butler. Hannah and Aaron if my memory was not wrong.

I walked straight towards Alice's table. As soon as she saw me, Alice stood up and curtsied with a gentle smile.

"Prince Claus, it has been a long time since the last time we met."

"Alice." I returned the greeting with a nod. I then looked at Hannah and Aaron and nodded too. "Miss Hannah, butler Aaron, how are you?"

"Many thank for your highness concern." Aaron bowed slightly in reply. As for Hannah, she just hummed in answer.

Once I was done with the greetings, I sat across Alice and looked at her with an indifferent face.

"Then miss Alice, What I owe this honor to?"

Alice smiled. "Could it not be that I wanted to see you?"

"Stop with the jokes. Our relationship has never been that close."

Alice smiled wryly.

In truth, our relationship can be described as enemies. We didn't part in good terms last time.

Besides, as I have said before, seers are the kind of people I dislike the most. They are manipulative, obsessed with control and plots. They like to have everybody in their nets, manipulating the entire world from the shadows as a puppeteer moving the strings.

This is something in their instinct. They were born with the ability to see and manipulate the threads of fate, so they instinctive seek weave fate in their favor.

Perhaps noticing that I was not exactly happy now, Alice went straight to the point.

"You are right, Prince Claus, I called you here for a reason. To be more exact, I want to ask you a question."

"Do speak."

"One of my men died yesterday in the academy. I want to know if prince Claus killed him and why."

I narrowed my eyes. So the student that died yesterday was Alice's subordinate, huh.

But–

"Why do you think I killed him?" I asked in confusion.

"… I think prince Claus has already an idea of my ability, right?"

I nodded. I realized it since the first time I met her.

Alice already expected that, so she was not surprised by my answer. She simply started to explain her reasoning.

"My ability allows me to see the [Fate] of the people and things around me. It's different from seeing the future, instead, it's more like seeing their possibilities. That [Fate] is more exact the sooner the fate I'm seeing will happen. If I tried to see a fate too far in the future, the sheer number of possibilities will overwhelm my brain.

"At the same time, the fates of strong people are very hard to see. It's because the stronger you are, the greater are your possibilities, and the harder it's to calculate them. So, when someone's strength goes beyond a certain limit, I'm unable to see anything. Currently, my limit is the thirteenth-layer, but it increases when I become stronger and my control over my powers grows.

"However, I recently discovered a third kind of people that I can't see through. To be more exact, I discovered two people, but I think both of them are the same person. You, Prince Claus, and the new leader of the Red Skull Gang, Clark." Alice then looked at me deeply, as though trying to see through all my secrets.

I was slightly surprised. To think she saw through my alter identity so quickly.

Alice shrugged when she saw my expression. "In fact, it was easy to make the connection after I thought about it. You used the same method to block my prying of [Fate] with both of your identities, and after I looked into the activities of the Red Skull Gang, such as protecting your businesses or spreading rumors against the crown prince, I was certain you and he were the same person."

Pretty smart deduction.

Alice continued. "Returning to the topic, it's not that I can't see anything when I look at you. Quite the opposite, actually. When I look into your [Fate], I can see everything normally. In fact, I only realized the problem when I met you personally.

"I realized that everything I see about you is fake, forged, a lie. The possibilities I see are the ones you want to show me."

I nodded. "But that doesn't explain why do you think I'm the culprit."

"It's simple." Alice narrowed her eyes. "When I looked into the death of my subordinate, I saw nothing. [Fate] only showed me that someone entered, killed him, and then departed. Everything else doesn't exist. In other words, although I can see that [Fate], everything I see is fake, just like when I look at you."

Is it so?

Certainly, that is suspicious.

Looking at Alice, I lifted the corner of my lips and spoke.

"… What are you going to do if I truly killed him?"

Alice fell silent. She thought for a moment before finally sighing.

"… If you don't have a good enough reason, I'll move against you."

"Oh?"

"I know you are much stronger than me, and I probably can't win, but I'll do everything in my power to defeat you, even if I have to sell my soul to a god or a devil. That is my duty towards my subordinates."

I was slightly surprised. It looks like this Alice girl is not as heartless as I thought.

A smile of praise appeared on my face. To think she will go to this extent just for a subordinate.

I then shook my head with a smirk.

"Well, I didn't kill him, so good for you."

Alice was startled. She then heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed in her chair, as though a huge burden had been taken off her shoulders.

"I see, that is good."

I watched Alice's reaction with an amused expression. It looks like she is warier of me than I thought.

After a few seconds, Alice recovered enough to ask me another question.

"Prince Claus, do you have a clue about the murdered? He uses the same method to avoid [Fate] like you. I'm sure that must ring a bell."

I shook my head with a bitter smile. "I'm curious about his identity too, and a little bit worried. I know more about this than you, and believe me when I told you that the implications behind these murders are not something you will like."

Alice's face turned serious. Although she was not exactly sure about my exact strength, the fact that I was able to injure a god spoke enough. How strong must be the enemy If someone as strong as I was worried?

Alice thought for a moment and decided to ask me directly.

"Prince Claus, if it's possible, can you tell me the situation."

I held my chin in contemplation. Thinking about it, maybe Alice's [Fate] will be of help.

Thus, with a sigh, I started my explanation.

"How much you know about the levels of power in this world?"

...

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