The Third Prince Of Darkness

"Quite stylish!" said Avanne as she straightened the wrinkles in my outfit.

"Thanks."

"Come here."

She grabbed me by the collar, pulled me down to her level, and after lifting herself up as much as she could, she reached my lips and kissed me passionately. I supported her by holding her waist to maintain balance.

"Mouu...! You've grown so tall, I can hardly kiss you anymore" she said playfully, tapping my chest.

I had indeed grown taller than I had anticipated. Richard was over 190 cm. Luciana was over 170 cm, and it seemed that Richard's genetics were more dominant in me. As a result, I had already surpassed 190 cm. I didn't know if I would continue growing.

"I will always bend down to kiss those sweet lips, for you madam" I said, leaving a small kiss on her lips.

Avanne smiled sweetly, sat on the bed, and began to put on her shoes. As I reached the door of my private room, Avanne called out from behind.

"I really wonder why you never show me that room. Are you hiding the bodies of the people you've killed there?" she said jokingly.

These words made my hair stand on end, and a wave of anger surged within me, but I quickly controlled myself and responded briefly without turning around.

"Nothing like that."

Despite trying to calm my anger, Avanne, being an extremely observant woman, likely noticed that something was wrong. Without giving her a chance to stop me, I entered the room and closed the door behind me.

The interior was dimly lit with a blue light, and the floor and walls were dark black. In the center of the room was a small round podium, and on it lay Emilia's body, covered in ice. Her open eyes seemed to focus on me, and the sight of her wounded body still triggered a pang in my heart.

After looking at her for a while, I went to the table on the side and stood in front of the mirror. Before applying the paint made of special herbs to my hair, I lit a small fire inside my own invention, a bulb, to illuminate the area. Then, I carefully dyed all my hair blond, making sure not to leave any black strands. Next, I started attaching the blond beard to my face.

Only small hairs were growing under my chin so far, but I regularly trimmed them. Besides my golden hair and beard, I put on a monocle, achieving the exact image of an incredibly wealthy man I had in mind.

Then I approached the stand where Emilia lay and looked at her calmly. Despite my attempts over the years, I had still failed to bring her back to life. There was one more option, but most likely since it would turn Emilia into a soulless robot, I didn't want that. I wanted her back with her soul intact. For now, I postponed the research on reviving a deceased person until I got to the academy.

"No matter what…"

After gazing into her lifeless eyes for a few more seconds, I headed toward the door, took a deep breath, and quickly stepped outside, shutting the door behind me. Avanne was waiting for me by the door. After kissing me on the cheek, we headed out together. The place where I was currently staying wasn't a palace; it was a private mansion I had built for myself.

The most senior and reliable servants from the guild worked here. After all, in return for the gold I brought them, they gave me a purple badge, providing the highest level of service.

Since I had designed every detail of this mansion myself, its modern architecture stood out, and without realizing it, some nobles had built houses based on the design of my mansion. Unintentionally creating a fashion trend, we walked through the corridors of my mansion, arriving at the main hall and then the main door, where I turned to Avanne.

"I know, I know. I'll leave before you." she said and stepped outside.

She got into her noble family's carriage and left the mansion's garden. After waiting for a while, I also left the mansion and got into the carriage waiting for me. I didn't want to be seen with Avanne because they could use her to threaten me.

After becoming wealthy, I had made far more enemies than I could count, but fortunately, thanks to my false identity, they couldn't find anyone close to me. Instead, they dared to attack me directly, but since I easily overcame these brave attacks, most my enemy learned in some way that my strength as Kaizer was high.

Now, lying on the side of the carriage heading to the opening party venue, memories of my enjoyable conversation with Emilia before going to the rebellion zone came to mind. Her sweet blush was still fresh in my memory.

"Haaahh."

After sighing, I got up from where I was lying and approached the window, watching the scenery outside to escape these memories. The place we were going to be an extremely luxurious venue near the lake, and it would take over an hour to get there. During the journey, as I looked out the window, my thoughts were tangled.

When the carriage finally reached the luxurious venue, a wave of unease washed over me. As I stepped inside, I wanted everything to look perfect. The music, the decorations, the guests... Everything had to be just as I had planned.

As I walked in through the door, I felt all eyes on me. Everyone was eager to see this newly risen mysterious merchant. I presented a confident stance and made sure never to reveal the true identity behind my false persona. Avanne, chatting with some nobles in the corner, gave me a mischievous smile.

I was quickly surrounded by nobles and merchants who had made an effort to dress well. Upon closer inspection, there were many people in the grand hall.

The merchants were all ears, watching my every step. My mysterious merchant persona was the major topic of conversation, and everyone was eager to meet me. As I confidently walked forward, I felt Avanne's gaze on me. Ignoring her for now, I started mingling with the guests and discussing my new company.

Our business conversation continued until a nobleman with a beautiful young woman with a slightly flushed face approached me. Despite his white mustache and aged face, he had a noble and confident demeanor. This man was Marquis Benjamin, and the young woman was probably his granddaughter. He bowed slightly to greet me, and I returned the gesture.

"Greetings, Baron Arthur." According to my false identity, I belonged to the side branch of Isabella's house as a baron.

"Greetings to you, Marquis Benjamin. I hope you are enjoying the party."

"Oh yes, it's quite a lovely party. And it seems you will be successful in your new venture, Mr. Arthur. Frankly, I admire your intelligence." he said.

"Thank you, Marquis Benjamin. I am grateful for your compliments" I replied with a polite smile. "By the way, may I be introduced to the lady beside you?"

Marquis Benjamin gently brought his granddaughter forward. "Of course, I wanted to introduce you to my granddaughter, Marilanne, the daughter of my eldest son." Marilanne greeted me with a slight bow.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Arthur," she said, blushing. I guess I had a bit of a handsome face.

"The honor is all mine," I said, kissing her hand gently. "I hope you are enjoying the party."

Marilanne's face blushed again. "Yes, everything looks wonderful."

It was impossible not to feel the envious stares piercing my back. I guess my relationship with Avanne had progressed too far. Even if she knew my true identity, she continued to be this bold towards me. But at least she wasn't one of those two-faced women trying to get close to me just for my princely title. After all, when we first met, she knew me with my false identity.

Now, she was probably angry because she understood Marquis Benjamin's intention to get his granddaughter close to me. I should punish her for these bold actions sometime.

"Arthur, right?" asked a other man approaching me arrogantly.

"Yes. Do you need something?" I asked.

"Oh no, I just wanted to meet the famous and mysterious new merchant. And I had a question. I heard you are planning to open a branch of your bank, Godfather, in the Kingdom of Herumzam."

Herumzam was a kingdom located in the southernmost part of the continent, distinct from the southern clans. Currently, I heard they had bad relations with the island federation, and the kingdom was ruled by a very old king. Although the kingdom's situation wasn't great, it still had a market size that whetted the appetite.

"Yes, that's correct" I replied briefly.

"Well, you know, the Kingdom of Herumzam isn't very safe right now. There are bandits everywhere and pirates at the ports, but I can help you with that. I will grant you security there. In return, humble me, Count Luadrin, I only ask for half of your profits. So, what do you say?"

Oh, here we go again...