Rasmus arrived at Bastios capital city and since it was next to the sea, the weather was a bit hot and humid. It used to be the busiest city in South Neva because of the ports and markets, but since it grew hotter, rchants couldn't sell fish or fresh at because of the heat.
He went to the nearest pub and got himself a glass of whiskey. He cast small icicles and dropped them into the glass since it was getting hot.
"I can create ice from nothing and yet I can't even bend nature's will..." He chuckled in disbelief and took a sip of his whisky.
He was enjoying his drink and watching the miners coming into the pub. He rembered that Bastios Kingdom was one of the three nations that had dozens of mining sites. So many people tried to get their hands on those mining sites, but the strict rules made it impossible for anyone to own those sites.
The kingdom was both wealthy and safe because the king used to be the forr general of the kingdom who took down the corrupt ruler and the nobles. He was both a man of his word and a man who lived for the people.
"Have you heard? There are important guests from the East," a man said to his friends at their table. "I heard they're here to buy all the mining sites!" He added.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? There's no way King Geoffrey would let them buy the mining sites. Our nation is prosperous and everyone lives happily. Our king is extrely rich from the mining sites and so are we, so why would he let those things go?" A miner asked back as he stared at his friend.
Rasmus kept listening to their conversation and found out there were a few people from East Neva that ca to Bastios. He knew sothing was going on, and decided to leave the pub and go to the city library to find out about Anastasha and her family, Asghar.
He looked at the book of East Neva and the families that influenced that continent. He thoroughly read the nas of the influential families in East Neva, and he found too many nas to rember. The reason was that East Neva was the type of continent where they fought and killed each other to take over the lands and legacy from family killing another family, to clans destroying another clan, and even nations conquering other nations.
"Asghar... Asghar..." Rasmus muttered as he flipped the pages. "There you are..." he tapped the Asghar family that was writing on the page.
The Asghar family was known for their dark history where they made both North and South of East Neva wage a big war that killed thousands of families and disappeared from the world without descendants. Most of those families were influential families, and the Asghar family got away with it because they were supported by both the North and South of East Neva, both by the Sultans and the Emperors.
Asghar family was the reason the current sultans and rulers owned the lands in East Neva. It was revealed that the Asghar family had beco one of the oldest families in East Neva and owned one-tenth of the land in East Neva. To put it simply, the Asghar family's land competed with other nations in East Neva, making the Asghar family's land automatically a nation.
"The current family head's na is King Guirguis Ashgar and his wife Queen Samantha Ashgar. They have six children, and the next head of the family is Prince Nazzar Ashgar. The only daughter of Guirguis and Samantha is Princess Anastasha Ashgar..." Rasmus muttered as he closed the book, surprised by what he read.
Rasmus thought about it for a mont and wondered why a Princess of a powerful family decided to visit South Neva and seed to be in a hurry. The rumor about them wanting to buy mining sites would be out of the possibility since the Asghar family didn't need wealth anymore.
"A family that waged on both sides to gain profit..." Rasmus leaned back and stared at the tall ceiling of the library. "Six children and five of them were n that could beco the next head of the family. Power struggle?" He furrowed as he rubbed his chin.
"That makes sense since Anastasha is currently here as if she's taking refuge from the power struggle. Knowing the current situation all over Neva, maybe one of the sons is making a deal with the emissary and tries to wage another big war?" He narrowed his eyes and looked at the book on the table.
He was deep in thought when suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. He turned around and saw Aris staring down at him with her brows raised.
"You seem to be deep in thoughts..." Aris sat down beside Rasmus and looked at the book on the table.
"Hmm, I found sothing interesting," Rasmus nodded.
"You just done with one task and then imdiately work on another one? You really don't want to waste your ti, huh?" Aris asked as she crossed her legs and arms.
"You should know
well by now..." Rasmus sat straight and fixed his suit. "Since you have been here longer than , do you perhaps see a woman with black hair wearing a unique attire made of silk? Or perhaps a carriage with a few knights that escorted that carriage?"
"A woman? No, but I saw a carriage with a group of knights escorting it in the middle of the night," Aris answered as she stared at the stained glass.
"Yes, that's the one, where did you see it?" Rasmus asked and nodded.
"It's hard to explain, but I can show you where they went," Aris answered as she looked at Rasmus. "Do you want to go there now?"
"The sun is still at its peak, let's go there in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep. Knowing she must be hiding, that ans she's not expecting any guests. Going there now would only make it troubleso for us," Rasmus answered and looked at the gorgeous and colorful stained glass that absorbed the sunlight.
...
As night ca, people had gone inside their houses and rested for the rest of the day. Rasmus and Aris walked from alley to alley, avoiding the patrolling knights. Rasmus found out there was a small area outside the capital city that could only be accessed through the north gate because of the cliffs that blocked the paths toward that area.
The place that Aris ntioned used to be the royal's family estate outside the capital city, mostly used for a family gathering or vacation since it had a beautiful view of the sea from the high ground. Unfortunately, that place beca off limits, and only certain people could go there which ant it was heavily guarded.
Although it was heavily guarded by dozens of knights, it wasn't a problem for Rasmus and Aris. They managed to bypass the knights and went up the hill toward the mansion on top of the hill. However, the knights that Anastasha brought with her were elites, and they were way stronger than Rasmus, not to ntion they could sense their surroundings, even a slight brush of the leaves.
"I can go without them noticing, but you, it's hard," Aris whispered as she looked at the knights with green capes on their backs.
"I don't think we need to sneak anymore, just follow my lead," Rasmus said as he jumped down from the tree quietly.
Aris watched Rasmus casually walk toward the guard, and so she jumped down from the tree and walked beside him. A knight noticed their presence and imdiately shouted to alert the others as he pointed the sword at them.
"Easy," Rasmus raised his hands as he felt the presences around him. "We an no harm, just wanted to take my paynt from Princess Anastasha," he revealed and saw the knights surrounding him and Aris.
"Leave, Her Highness doesn't accept guests at this hour or ever," the knight said and then signaled to the other knights to draw their weapons. "Walk away before we drag your dead bodies and throw them off the cliff."
Aris smiled as she stared at the knight through the hood that covered her face.
"I would love to see you try," Aris said.
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