Lux sat on top of his bed as he recalled the discussion he had with the Third Princess of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
The Half-Elf didn't trust them enough to impart the information he currently had. Also, he was waiting for Boss to arrive after his investigation in the Dark Plains.
Lux wanted to confirm first whether the seals that were shackling the Creature of Ruins for many years were truly gone.
Even so, his goal didn't change. His mission was to keep the Baron's second son, Clyde, from leaving the Barony. As long as he was able to do that, everything was going to be fine.
'It sounds easy, but will things really be that simple?' Lux thought. 'I doubt it.'
The Half-Elf didn't want any variables to get in the way, so he wanted to kidnap Clyde and hide him somewhere safe until the timer of the mission expired.
But now, a Princess had arrived in the Baron's Residence and even had two Rankers accompanying her.
If Lux were to truly kidnap the Baron's second son, the Princess would jump at the opportunity to score some Merit Points by having her Rankers capture him.
Not only would this make him an enemy of the nobility, but it might also get him kicked out of the Order of the Griffin.
While Lux was deep in thought, the Baron's second son, Clyde, was currently in front of the Princess' room, carrying an ornate box with him.
"Your Highness, can I please have an audience with you?" Clyde asked in a respectful manner.
"Enter."
Anastasia's reply came from the other side of the door, making Clyde smile in his heart. He had brought the incense that would allow him to implant subconscious suggestions into the Princess' mind once she had a good whiff of the special incense that was bought from an auction in the Black Market.
"Thank you for allowing me to have an audience with you, Your Highness," Clyde said as he humbly presented himself to one of the Princesses of the kingdom.
"I am the one that is enjoying your family's hospitality and generosity," Princess Anastasia replied with a smile. "Please, take a seat."
Clyde slightly bowed his head before he sat facing the charming Princess.
"May I know why you came to visit me today, Sir Clyde?" Princess Anastasia asked. Truth be told, she didn't really want to interact with the Baron's second son because of the scandal he had.
The Third Princess made sure to carefully handpick the people serving her. She always ensured that none of them had shady backgrounds and were capable enough to meet her requirements.
Clearly, Clyde didn't fit the bill, so Princess Anastasia didn't want the Baron's second son to keep her company. However, since she was being hosted by their family, the minimum etiquette expected of the Royal Family must be shown at all times.
"I've heard that the Princess likes incense, so I thought that I should share with you a rare incense I acquired not long ago," Clyde explained.
Princess Anastasia's face lit up after hearing that Clyde was going to give her a rare incense. This hobby of hers started from her mother.
Whenever she entered her mother's room, a soothing fragrance could be smelled right away, allowing her to relax and sleep peacefully.
As the Queen who was supporting the King of a Nation, she would also feel stressed from time to time. This was where incense came to play, allowing the Queen to enjoy a peaceful rest.
Since then, Anastasia would purchase incense from all over the Kingdom of Gweliven to use for herself, as well as a gift to her mother, whenever she found something unique and fragrant smelling.
Clyde then placed the ornate box on top of the table and opened it slowly.
A faint tinkling sound was heard afterwards, surprising Princess Anastasia. The sounds of soothing music played for half a minute before coming to a complete stop.
The Princess smiled when she saw a dancing Dwarf girl that was made from an orange gem, which she believed to be garnet. The gem caught the faint light of the sunlight that entered the room, which created a dazzling display, showing small lights hovering around the music box as she danced around.
"This is a custom made incense burner with a music box," Clyde explained. "You can make it play by using this windup key and inserting it in this place."
Clyde demonstrated how to wind up the music box before allowing it to play the music again.
While the music box was playing, the Baron's Second Son opened another compartment inside the box, showing the place where incense could be burned.
The music box was made up of metal, so there was no danger of it burning.
"This is the pouch that contains the incense, Your Highness," Clyde said as he took out a pouch from his storage ring and placed it beside the incense burner. "Should I light some for you?"
Princess Anastasia nodded. "Yes, please."
Clyde obeyed and carefully placed an incense stick in the burner, and used a little bit of fire magic to light it.
It didn't take long before a fragrant scent wafted inside the room, making Princess Anastasia's mood a little better.
After her discussion with Lux, she felt a bit frustrated because she felt that her brother had managed to take the lead when it came to solving the drought in the Wolfpine Barony.
As the incense burned, and filled the room with an aromatic smell, Clyde dutifully wound up the music box, so that his plan could finally come into motion.
The combination of the music and the incense would create a gap inside a person's subconscious mind, allowing him to use his eloquence to make the Princess take him away from his birthplace that had long lost its value in his eyes.
"Princess, what is the capital city like?" Clyde asked. "I've been here in Wolfpine Barony all my life, and I am curious what the capital city of our kingdom is like."
"The capital city?" Princess Anastasia thought of the place where her father and mother were waiting for her with a smile on her face. "It is a good place. Always bustling with life, and there is always something new going on everyday."
"The Princess must be feeling homesick being this far away from the capital city."
"Just a little. I plan to return as soon as I finish helping this Barony return to what it once was."
Clyde sighed. "I wish I could see the capital city at least once in my lifetime. However, I am always stuck here in the countryside."
"That's quite unfortunate," Princess Anastasia replied. "The Wolfpine Barony is a good place to relax because it is surrounded by greenery, rivers, and lakes. In the Capital City, only the residences of the Royal Family are surrounded by nature."
Clyde continued to chat with Princess Anastasia giving subtle suggestions here, and there about allowing him to accompany her to the capital city once she returned.
As the two continued to talk, there were instances when the Princess' beautiful hazel eyes would glaze over for a brief second before they returned to normal.
The Baron's second son knew that the effect of the incense wouldn't show right away, so he bid farewell to the Princess after chatting for half an hour.
Now that he had planted the suggestions in her mind, all he needed to do was visit her again tomorrow.
He was certain that the Princess would burn another stick of incense before going to sleep, which would help in solidifying the foundations that he had built inside her subconscious mind.
