10- ٍSecret of the Bell Temple (2) 

The trip to the Bell Temple took fifteen minutes. 

The three got off the carriage in front of white marble and gold temple, lined up with tall pillars and clock tower.

A massive golden bell rang above the clock tower. The sound was loud and carried by the wind to reach every bit of the city.

 Raihle fixed his eyes on the bell.

There is something secretive and dangerous happening inside this building. 

He might finally figure why he ended up in this place.

He breathed a long breathe and went inside with the others.

A couple of priests welcomed them; they didn't know Raihle's identity but they seemed familiar with Hugo.

"Is he here? I know he visits the temple about this time." He asked them and they knew who he meant.

"Yes he has already arrived, he is talking with the High priest."

Hugo nodded and quickly went to the praying hall.

There were few visitors inside but none of them paid attention to them as they entered.

"Lain!" Hugo waved his hand.

Lain moved his eyes from the old High priest and smiled at Hugo, then the old man excused himself and left.

Raihle remembered seeing Lain before, he was the gentle, handsome man standing next to the emperor when he first met him.

He was wearing the same black velvet priest robe, and still had a warm gaze looking at him.

"Hello, your highness, How have you been?" He slightly bowed.

"Fine." Compared to his voice, Raihle sounded cold and harsh.

Hugo rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, Loka stepped in and introduced himself.

"It's pleasure to meet the headmaster of all temples in the empire. I'm his highness secretary, Loka Chiron."

Raihle was looking around but caught Lain expression twist. He thought he was good at controlling his face and always wearing the kind, sweet person face but this moment he was taken aback.

Lain silently moved his eye toward Hugo.

"Here, I will explain." He pulled Lain to farther corner leaving Raihle and Loka in place.

"Haha." Loka awkwardly laughed, knowing that the sudden change in his face happened right after he spelled his name.

Raihle didn't ask and kept his eyes on the temple walls.

Loka noticed that and stayed silent for a while, then words slipped from his mouth.

"Your highness you really don't mind..." Loka himself didn't know if he was asking or telling.

Raihle didn't look at him "Mind what?"

"The fact that the son of the man who was suspected of murdering your parents is working by your side."

‘Excuse me, what?’

He slowly turned his head at him.

How can he possibly mind something he just knew about?

"What were you thinking?" Lain quickly said in suppressed shout. "Marquis Chiron? That man despises the last emperor."

Hugo nodded in understanding "I know, but it has been a long time. Whatever grudge he has it must have faded away even for a bit. You remember he didn't always hate him."

"Yes, he was his closest tutor and helped making him an emperor but then you know what happened." Lain choked with his words and lowered his head "His majesty had betrayed him..."

Hugo rubbed his temples "We don't know what changed his mind at the last minute but..."

He still annoyingly remembers the Marquis face clearly, right when the late emperor announced the people who are going to have the greatest honor of out coming humanity and becoming Dragon Wings. His Dragon Wings.

It's the special name and the magnificent power you receive for being so precious to the emperor.

The Marquis was the one who always supported the late emperor, not only as a subordinate but also as friend.

Hugo and Lain, his childhood friends and schoolmates, and Marquis Chiron, those three were the ones who were assigned to be the Dragon Wings.

Until the day came and the Marquis was replaced right in front of everyone's eyes.

The Marquis was stabbed ruthlessly in the back, Hugo saw his face darken of shame and his shoulder slump, burning alive from the inside and bleeding from every single citizen’s sharp gaze.

The rumors just started then, they said he was corrupted, or a had committed treason. Soon enough they claimed he was unworthy of the Marquis title.

He suffered for years trying to maintain his place, but then the emperor and the empress were slaughtered leaving the five years old Raihle behind.

The first suspect everyone's eyes fell on was the Marquis, but his name was cleared after few months because of lack of evidence.

Even after more than a decade had passed, things could never be the same.

Lain carefully asked "Did you get his highness permission before bring Loka?"

"No. But I asked if he minds and he said no."

Lain raised an eyebrow, questioning his judgment.

Hugo got unsettled "What?" He snorted "He is pretty rude and unbearable, if he really wants, he would have kicked that kid out without waiting for my permission." Then he pointed at his face and grumbled "He called me an old man! Can you believe that? I’m only thirty-nine and a half! Women still think I'm in my twenties."

Lain helplessly shook his head "What brought you here anyway?"

"I want to switch!" The only reason he came here is because Lain was here.

He grasped Lain shoulders "Let's switch!"

Lain flinched hard "Switch what?"

"Jobs. You take care of him, and I will you do your job."

Lain looked at him doubtfully "You will do my job? Hugo, you should try spending a full day sober before becoming a priest." 

Raihle felt like he was in awkward position.

"At first, I really doubted coming to the palace after receiving Duke Miola's letter." 

Loka was talking very sensitively about a topic he never heard of before.

Loka lips curled faintly, it didn't reach his sunken eyes "I thought you would neglect me, because of the kind of past between our parents." His voice started to go lower "My father built everything on the hopes of becoming a Dragon Wing, but then everything crumbled to ashes. He was destroyed, our home was destroyed, and we never were the same family again." His eyes met Raihle's.

The cold, senseless eyes. 

He felt uncomfortable urge to laugh, he couldn't even tell whether he cared or not.

"And you...you lost everything starting from your parents, you were left as a prince who is people can't even recognize."

He chuckled and subconsciously covered his eyes, he felt too exposed in front of him "I mean, what kind of relationship we are supposed to have?"

"You are thinking too much." 

He was looking at the back of his hand when Raihle voice hit him, his curved lips slowly fell and he removed his hand.

"Didn't I tell before not to stress yourself out? Your father and my father are different people than me and you and our past is already called past, not present. Stopped going through events you've already overcame, that's ridiculous."

He swallowed a sigh and turned his head away "And you just introduced yourself as my secretary, how much clearer our relationship is supposed to be?"

He didn't wait for an answer and walked ahead leaving Loka frozen in his spot.

He didn’t know the specifics of their history, but it didn’t matter because he wasn’t the real Raihle. Whatever grudges Real Raihle might has, it had nothing to do with him. In his eyes Loka was just a trouble kid who came to work for him.

Instead of overthinking things, he focused on the wall art that caught his attention from the start.

It displayed the majestic creature with scales shining like silver under the light, wings as tall as mountains and eclipsed the sun. The great Dragon's body covered the entire wall, it was a delicate art and brought goosebump to anyone visiting the temple for the first time.

As Raihle got closer to it, the colder the dragon's eyes seemed. The golden color was dazzling, but it felt like it was looking at lewd creature beneath his claws. Next to the massive dragon a small human shape stood. It looked like a helpless ant in comparison. 

Raihle could tell this art presented the ancient dragon and the first emperor, the human who changed the dragon. 

He would have bought it in the children's book, but now, looking at this blood lust carried by the dragon's image, he couldn't believe there is a way in hell he would bent down to others.

He was caught up with the art on the wall, that his body turned immediately stiff when a hand grasped the top of his shoulder.

He turned around but before he completes the turn the body slipped and fell by his feet.