How To Make The Ice Prince Fall

Aston cleared his throat. "Well... then how about the two of us going for a walk tomorrow, Nathan?"

Nathan... Katherine repeated in her head silently and glanced at Nathaniel out of the corner of her eye. They had to be really close if he allowed the prince to use a nickname. Nathan sounds nice. Less formal and distant. Definitely not like a cold demon.

It was sweet but kind of dull in comparison. The sharp edges of 'Nathaniel' suited the earl better, Katherine decided. She didn't know when his cold demon side started to grow onto her. He wouldn't be himself if he suddenly turned nice and aimable. A nice and aimable Nathaniel... Katherine shuddered at the thought. If that ever happened, it could only mean one of two things: either he was possessed, or he plotted something really evil behind the scenes. Out of these possibilities, she would still prefer the first.

Nathaniel raised his brows. "Do you think you can arrange the meeting with lord Orvet that fast?" If you can't give me a meeting, don't even think about doing other things, he added silently.

Aston hesitated for a second, then he sighed. "I can. But don't tell me the walk will be going to lord Orvet's and back... I just want to take a stroll, not go to some business venue."

Nathaniel, who planned to do exactly that, agreed reluctantly. "Alright."

As the sun settled, the room slowly grew cold. When the candles and the fireplace spent the only light left, goosebumps soon rose on Katherine's skin. Hazel was right about the jacket, she noticed with regret. As soon as Sam had knocked, all thoughts about warm clothes had fled her head back then. Luckily, the dinner was already nearing it's end.

When prince Aston finally scr.a.p.ed out the last bit of dessert, everyone else were leaning back in their chairs, long defeated by the pure mass of food.

Exhausted, Katherine grinned at lady Brandon. "If I eat that much every evening, it might as well kill me."

Lady Brandon waved her hand lazily. It seemed to be the only body part she could still move. "No, no, today is special. Normally it's just two courses, maximal three. But much less variability."

When she said that, her eyes drifted to prince Aston meaningfully. Katherine nodded in understanding. With a royal on the table, everything would be adjusted to his eating habits. And this royal just so happened to be a foodie.

While everyone wondered how they should get to their chambers with their bulging bellies, the prince sighed in satisfaction and stood. "It's been a wonderful evening. I feel lucky for spending it with everyone." He winked at lady Brandon. "Sadly, I need to leave now. Nathan, see you tomorrow. Lady Brandon, I will come visit you again sometime~"

With a mischievous grin, he strode out of the room. The Milton's were the next to leave, giving only the necessary goodbyes.

Because he skipped the dessert, Nathaniel could still move alright. Not liking any sweets worked in his favor this time. As he stood up, he noticed the goosebumps on Katherine's slender neck. Her skin must be quite s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e there, he deduced absent mindedly. Would his brave betrothed jump in fright if he pressed his lips against this vulnerable spot of hers?

Taking off his dinner jacket, he placed it over her small shoulders. Better hide the temptation. "Shall we?"

Fl.u.s.tered, Katherine glanced up at him, before pulling the fabric closer to her. His lingering body warmth made her feel thankful. "Yes, it's time. See you tomorrow, lady Brandon."

Lady Brandon waved. "You can call me Gabriella, or Ella if you want. I hope we can be good friends!"

Katherine's face lit up with a smile. "I'm sure, we will!"

The earl didn't offer her his arm like before the dinner, but even then nobody would question their connection anymore when they walked side by side out of the dining room. Their steps were synchronous, their heads slightly tilted as if they didn't want to let the other out of their sight even for a second.

Lady Brandon left alone on the table sighed in melancholy. Years ago, she also had someone who would look at her like this. She hoped for them to have a better ending.

.

In the dark of the night, a figure outlined itself against the moon. It was tall and thin like a stick. Black robes and a hood hid the persons features as it shifted from shadow to shadow, silent like a phantom. Not even a white foggy breath disturbed the dark of the night.

When the figure reached a certain plaza, it halted in the alley before it, cautiously looking around. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, it sneaked over to the bronze statue of a man and a child. The former had long hair and held a little box which he stretched out to the child with a genial smile.

Hidden behind the base of the statue, the phantom figure waited. A minute passed, then half an hour. The phantom rubbed his black gloved hands together.

"Cold, isn't it?"

Spinning on his heels, the phantom automatically got into a defensive stance. One didn't know when the bronze statue of the man started moving. The phantom narrowed his eyes. No, it wasn't the statue moving but it's shadow. In it stood another robed figure that had entered the venue completely unnoticed. Something white flickered in between the new shadows fingers before he lightly threw it at the phantom.

Cautiously, the phantom caught it out of the air. It was a bone coin with three stars engraved in it. The phantom sent it back to its owner, but his stance relaxed visibly. "Everyone thought you were dead."

"There were some matters needing my attention.", the shadow answered the unasked question. "But it doesn't mean I forgot where I come from."

The phantom sighed. "I noticed. You didn't slack off in all those years. Who else could sneak up on me?"

With a chuckle, the shadow put away the coin. "I just know your bad habits. By the way, congratulations for breaking my record."

The phantom waved it off. "No matter how many I kill, my concealment skill is not on the same level as yours. Not yet. One day I will surely outdo you in all aspects. Save your praises until then. So, what did you contact me for?"

Getting serious, the shadow put his hands behind his back, straightening his figure. "What do you know about the disappearances?" He didn't need to mention which disappearances were meant.

"Not much. The number is higher than accounted for, maybe even in the hundreds. It happens in the villages around here, too. Still, it got nothing to do with me, so I didn't pay it much attention."

Tilting his head to the side, the phantom continued to think aloud: "Now that you mention it, it's strange. Nobody I know seems to be involved in it. I know of one or two kidnappings done by acquaintances, but they are all over and done with, the hostage either returned or dead. They didn't have any organization backing them, so they can't be connected to the other disappearances. If it is one of the known groups kidnapping everyone, I should have at least some leads... so as ridiculous as it might seem, my conclusion is that they should be a new group only formed in the last years."

The other shadow shook his head. "The opposite might be the case. The group is old, but too deeply buried to be discovered lightly, even by people of the underworld. They only started to move again in the recent years, finally getting out of their holes."

"You know them?", the phantom instantly noticed the important point and his muscles tensed up. In his head he pondered if the other was connected to the disappearances. If yes, this meeting deep in the night could prove to be way more dangerous than he expected. However, the other spoke in uncertain terms so maybe...

The shadow wanted to answer, but suddenly interrupted himself. Slightly turning his head, he said: "Guards are coming."

With a wary look at the shadow, the phantom moved to his side, both merging with the darkness. Seconds later, lamp light fell out of one of the alleys leading to the plaza. The low sound of armor plates rattling against each other and two nearly imperceptible voices were heard, directly followed by two guards stepping onto the plaza.

They swept the area with their gazes roughly, before continuing towards another alley. On their way, they didn't stop once or noticed anything out of the ordinary. Warm lamp light flickered over the cobblestone street, lighting up only a small round sphere that enveloped the city guards.