Chapter 139: The Black haired thief is back

"Master! We brought you flowers! White ones this time," Liora announced, her voice echoing in the high-ceilinged dining hall. She hurried toward him, but her excitement died down as she got closer.

She paused, tilting her head as she squinted at his face.

"Master... you look even worse than you did yesterday. Did the mosquito bite you again?"

Julian took a slow breath, trying to steady the slight tremor in his hands. He smoothed his expression into the mask of a calm, collected Master, desperate to keep steady.

"The chill I caught in the garden simply got a little worse overnight, Princess," Julian said, his voice a bit thin. "But I appreciate the gesture. They are very kind."

Cassian stood in the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he took in Julian’s pale complexion and the dark circles under his eyes. Julian didn’t want them to linger on his appearance, so he gestured to the table.

"Since you are here so early, would you like to join us for breakfast?" Julian asked.

Liora opened her mouth to say they had already eaten at the Palace, but Cassian cut her off immediately.

"We’d love to," he said firmly.

Cassian pulled out a chair next to Lucius, unwilling to miss a chance to have breakfast with his Master and his cousin.

Liora looked at him with a confused raised brow, and then she got what he was trying to do and quickly nodded.

"Yes, master. We’d love to." She couldn’t get the space next to Lucius, so she sat on the other side next to Julian.

Now, there were two on one side and two on the other, with the Duke sitting at the head of the table.

As the staff set the extra plates, the meal progressed with the clink of silverware and the smell of fresh bread. However, the kids weren’t interested in the food for long.

"Uncle, have you heard?" Cassian asked, looking between Julian and Alaric. "The Palace is in an uproar this morning."

Julian tilted his head, leaning slightly on the table.

"Heard what, Your Highness?"

Was this like the uproar from ’that’ morning?

"A masked man attacked the secondary gate guards last night," Liora whispered, leaning in close. "He didn’t steal anything, but the guards couldn’t catch him either. They suspect he’s the same man as the one who stole from the royal treasury since the witnesses said he had black hair and moved like he knew exactly where he was going."

Alaric stopped cutting his meat, his gaze shifting toward the children. Julian felt a sudden prickle of unease, but he kept his face neutral.

"A black-haired intruder again?" Alaric remarked, his tone disinterested and smooth. "That sounds like a serious lapse in Imperial security, Prince."

Now that he was at odds with the Emperor, he didn’t want to get involved in the issue.

"It is," Cassian muttered, his eyes darting to Julian’s pale face and then back to his uncle. "Father is furious. He was so close to dismissing the guards and replacing them,"

"When they don’t do their job properly, it is inevitable." Alaric said. "But that would strike opposition from the nobles,"

"That’s why he simply gave them a penalty and doubled the patrols once again," he said.

"Any other words from the witnesses?" The Duke asked, though it seemed like he was uninterested, he was quite curious about this thief.

"The guards said the man didn’t look like a common thief. He looked... trained."

"He has to be at least at some level to sneak around the Imperial palace." The Duke said, and Cassian nodded, continuing with the conversation.

Julian took a sip of his tea, the warm liquid doing nothing to settle the cold feeling in his stomach. A black-haired man at the Palace once again. This time, he could not just strike it as the Emperor trying to fabricate stories in order to mess with him. There was no way anyone would believe that a tutor, one who had only held quills, pencils, and books, would be able to attack the guards and get away without being caught.

So, the thief was real, after all. And there was something he wanted from the Imperial Palace, if he did not end it at just stealing from the treasury, and was now assaulting the guards.

"Is it a rebellion?" he suddenly muttered out loud, catching the other two’s attention.

"Maybe," Cassian said, though he didn’t look convinced. He kept watching Julian, noting how the Master was barely touching his breakfast. "But Master, what would be a reason for Rebellion in a peaceful time such as this? Father’s reign leaves no room for dissatisfaction either."

Sure, the Emperor was not quite right in the head, but he ruled smartly, and there were no starving lands or rotting slums, though there were still a few slums here and there; it was not enough to make the people unhappy.

"If the common people are fed and the taxes are fair, a rebellion has no legs to stand on," Alaric added, his voice low and steady. He set his cutlery down and leaned back, his eyes shifting from Cassian to Julian. "A rebellion requires a cause, or at least a charismatic leader. A lone thief in the night is more of a nuisance, not an army."

Julian nodded slowly, staring into the dark swirling depths of his tea.

"You’re right," he said and looked towards Cassian. "Your Highness, a rebellion would need more than a single man. But a man who knows the Palace layout well enough to bypass secondary gates without being caught... that isn’t a commoner with a grudge. That’s someone with intimate knowledge of the Imperial grounds."

And there could be a grudge against the Emperor as well.

Given what stunt that man pulls behind the curtains, there must be someone who survived his malice and was back for revenge.

The thought sent a fresh chill through him.

"Maybe he was looking for something specific," Liora whispered, her eyes wide with the thrill of the mystery. "The guards said he didn’t even head for the treasury this time. He was near the archives."

Julian’s heart gave a sharp, painful thud for some reason. The archives. That was where the records of the bloodlines, the old maps, and the forbidden histories were kept.

What would a thief be doing there? What could he be looking for?

"Whatever he was looking for, he didn’t find it," Cassian said, his gaze lingering on Julian’s pale face. "But Father says if he comes back, the guards have orders to kill on sight. No more questions."