“What happened between you and Alan?” 

It was quite unusual for Estelle to appear in the middle of his afternoon training. She is usually busy helping Alan manage the palace and investigate reports about Alrauna, from political to economic matters.

For her to avoid him like this, means something happened. 

“Nothing.”

It’s not like Cain wanted to be involved in Estelle's romantic life. But seeing her so dispirited while Alan seemed avoiding them both by taking in more work, he’s just irked.

Cain gave his practice bow to Rigel, silently ordering him to tidy up the training ground. 

“Seriously?” 

“We don’t fight.” Estelle sighed. “I just asked... things I should not.”

“And what is that?”

“I propose to him. Even kneeling, asking his hand in marriage but he declined.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Well, I did not kneel. But we had disagreement.”

“About marriage?”

“About marriage.”

Rigel felt awkward to be near Cain. He had learned that the princess and Alan are together. But he also knew Alan probably had no confidence to announce it publicly. He comes from a relatively humble background compared to the royal family. His father was a duke from the north area and a war hero. But above their family there were still better candidates to be Estelle’s husband.

“Anyway... Have you and Miss Callisto reconciled?”

“As if there’s time we do not talk in ‘arguments’...”

Estelle laughed. She patted Cain’s head. Softly at first, but then she ruffled his hair just like petting a cat.

“Ugh. Stop that.”

“I like her, really.” 

That was surprising considering how hostile Lumi Callisto was toward Estelle. But Alan and Cain both had told Rigel that Estelle could be quite weird sometimes. 

“She would make a great partner for you. Should I tell Dad to make it official soon?”

“I don’t want to talk about this. I am eighteen. Why do people keep pressing me to get engaged?”

Rigel found the thought about Lumi getting engaged to Cain quite funny. He snorted. 

As he followed Cain and Estelle walking to the dining room, Rigel could feel something was not right. It was just like when he could not sense Lumi appeared near him. This time, the energy was even fainter. 

“Your majesty… I think…” 

Just when Rigel was about to warn Cain, light appeared from the floor. Cain and Estelle both had walked into a magic circle without realizing it. A pitch black dome trapped them inside. 

“Your majesty!”

Rigel punched the dome as hard as he could but failed to destroy it.

The dome felt like it was made from the finest steel. Punching it more just would damage Rige’s knuckle.

Rigel sighed.

“Now what to do…?”

***

“Don’t get too far.” Cain’s grip on Estelle's wrist tightened. They were both not used to the pitch black surroundings. But Cain could adjust his sight sooner than the princess.

Estelle could sense that Cain’s palm was cold. Her little brother seemed to worry about being trapped here together with her. Cain was strong, but Estelle–despite having adequate power–was not a trained fighter. 

But more than that, this kind of trap reminds Cain of the one that trapped Ian Callisto. For two hours, Lumi and other wizards tried to break the dome. Cain was also present back then to help. But it took a group of high ranking wizards and King’s help to finally break the dome. 

The situation was chaotic back then.

“Cain…” Estelle shook Cain’s shoulder with her free hand. Cain was so lost in his thought he did not realize he had tightened his grip. Bruise might appear on Estelle’s wrist later. Cold sweat from his temple showed that he was in panic. 

“It’s okay. Winters would help us.”

 Cain believes that Rigel would call for help as soon as he realized the dome could not be broken so easily. But for how long would he and Estelle stay here? How long could they last?

As if answering Cain’s unspoken question, a small fire appeared. From one small fire it was divided into two, four, and finally a hundred flares that took the form of a butterfly. 

Incendio Falla–a magical insect that appeared in the legend of Alrauna Kingdom. It was said that before the kingdom was established, the war between tribes went on and on for a long time, and then it was stopped when the first King killed the evil tribe who did not want the war to stop. The King summoned little eternal fire from the magic realm and created Incendio Falla from it. More than just summoning, he created this beast by himself. 

Despite its beautiful appearance, these butterflies were a smart creature that would not let their prey escape. Letting them stick to the skin can cause a second degree burn in five minutes.

Estelle whose main element is water just like Cain’s erected a water wall before those butterflies could get near them. But judging from the condition, the defensive wall would not last longer. 

The swarm of butterflies radiated more flaming fire. The wall is getting thinner in minutes. 

“We have to get out of here soon.” Estelle bit her thumb in anxiety. “My water wall could not shield us for too long.”

***

Lumi Callisto was the last to arrive after Rigel sent an emergency call to the wizards through Alan.

Rigel was helping the head of the royal wizard and Alan when Lumi pushed him so hard. The three of them were combining three magic circles and poured their strength to weaken the dome wall.  

“You all fool! Let me do it!”

A small light appeared on Lumi’s left palm, she pulled a dagger from it with her right hand.

Her wind dagger was almost crystal clear in color and beautiful, but looked deadly as well. The wind was spinning, circling the edge. Rigel and other wizards could sense the power being concentrated to the point. 

After accumulating enough destructive power, Lumi stabbed the dome with all her might. White crack appeared on the surface. Small at first, but then with more force, the crack formed a spider web pattern on the dome. 

“It broke!”

The wall of the dome shattered to the ground and vanished after seconds. But nobody expected that breaking the dome would release deadly Incendio Falla outside. 

“Prince!”

“Cain!”

Both Rigel and Lumi shouted at the same time. Cain's hand was covered in burns. His clothes were badly damaged. Lumi grabbed Cain’s arm and pulled him to keep distance from the butterfly attack. Alan reached for Estelle.

“Alan! Please help Cain!” Estelle shouted. She did not understand why Incendio Falla stubbornly attacked only Cain. She tried her best to pour her water energy to neutralize the fire energy on Cain’s burn caused by the insect. But the best she could do was lessen the severity.

“The killer butterfly!”

“Fire elementalist assemble!”

What makes Incendio Falla special is, it could not be neutralized by water energy. Unlike other magical beasts which could be handled by the opposite element or another summoned beast, these butterflies were famous for their special characteristic that brings up an old saying in Alrauna ‘what’s born of eternal flame would always be eternal’. It was a saying that means those born in honor would always remain honorable’. 

The first King was a strong fire elementalist and summoner, he created these creatures to burn evildoers and he made sure his creation was not easily defeated. Only someone with the same element and with the power on par with him could burn these creatures back into the magical realm. 

The fall of the dome caused the butterfly to go wild. Lumi used her wind to split the butterfly that came near her. But by doing so, it only made the butterfly multiply in numbers.        

“Come here you brat.” Rigel pulled the back of Lumi’s cape and positioned her behind his back together with Cain.

Rigel shot a big fire to shield the three of them,

More fire elementalist combined their power to burn these butterflies together. Slow but sure, the butterfly vanished one by one.

Too slow, Rigel thought. And what irritated him more that these wizards only focused on burning the butterfly that came their way. The main target–Cain–was still attacked ceaselessly.

“I’d forgive you for almost ripping my cape if you burn all these creatures to death.”

“You realize these bitches could only be sent back to the magic realm right? They are eternal.” Rigel asked rhetorically in a mocking tone. “Thought you’re smart, Missy.” 

This was probably the second time in his life that Rigel thought being born as a fire elementalist was beneficial. When he was still a kid, he used to hate his own element. It was the hardest element to control and its destructive power made people advise him to be a knight while he just wanted to continue his parents business and run a small drug store.  

Rigel focused his power before finally shooting a fire from his hand. The fire he shot was like a snake, circling the butterfly that came to Cain, creating a vortex where Rigel’s hand was the center. After making sure almost all the butterflies within his range were inside the vortex, he pushed his power more. He burned them mercilessly in a way that made even the head wizard gape in awe.

“So this is the power that burned the Barnard.”

***

“Missy was called to be questioned?” 

Rigel could never be not surprised by the way the wizard thinks. How could they now accuse their fellow wizard as the mastermind behind the trap that caught Estelle and Cain. 

“Don’t move. I have to tighten the bandage.”

“Oops. Sorry, Doc.”

Rigel had burned his own hand by using and preserving too much fire. When he’s being treated, Alan came to give him the news that now the wizard questioned Lumi about her ability to destroy the dome so fast.   

“The dome was formed by an unknown element. For Miss Callisto to be able to break it so fast of course would make people suspicious that she’s the creator.” 

Alan tapped the doctor table with his index finger. “I don’t believe that though.”

 Another servant put a bottle of medicine in front of Alan. “Here’s the medicine for the princess, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Rigel waved his bandaged hands lightly, making sure it was tight enough. “I understand that it was weird that she could break the dome easily when all of us struggle to do so. But I don’t think Missy would ever harm the prince.”

“They thought the trap was for the princess. That’s why she panicked when realizing the prince was also inside.’ 

Maybe the crooked way of thinking naturally runs in wizards. Rigel remembered how Lumi also accused Estelle by making her own twisted scenario. 

“I am sure she is innocent though. There's no way she created that dome.”

“You are always so sure in your judgment, sir Phoenix?”

“I have known Miss Callisto and the prince for so long. They could be quite a handful, but still, good kids.”

The old doctor that treated Rigel’s burn commented. “The wizards are just frustrated. They are afraid that the King might accuse them instead, for they have been in charge as investigators quite long, yet do not bring any result.”

“Why can’t they trace the energy left by the culprit though?”

“They tried but the culprit was just so meticulous in covering their tracks. The energy left always feels like everybody’s yet also nobody’s. It confused even the great wizard when he first sensed it.”

Alan stood from his chair. “I think the wizard would release her soon. They just need something to do so the King would not vent his anger on them.”

Rigel followed Alan outside. Both walked to the side of the palace where the prince and princesses' chambers were located.

“The prince is resting. His condition is not as bad as we fear, thanks to the princess who injected water energy to neutralize the damage.” Alan pushed a medium sized medical kit to Rigel who accepted it without question.

“I can not thank you enough, Mister Winters.”

“It’s my duty.” Rigel responded awkwardly. “You know you can treat me casually, Sir. It’s weird when you always talk to me so politely. We are about the same age, I believe. And you are not those brats' parents. Stop thanking me.”

Alan chuckled. “Then please treat me casually too.”

In front of Cain’s room, Nara in his true form sat protectively. The big feline radiates threat even to the royal guards for they could only stand across the prince’s room.

Alan left Rigel in front of Cain’s room to go to Estelle’s.

Rigel then looked at Nara, eye to eye. It still amused him that Cain’s fat cat could be really cool in its true form, a really big one without the cuteness. 

“You know I saved your master, right?” Rigel tried to pat Nara’s head. Nara waved his big paw, rejecting him. Even without his claw, Nara’s big paw hitting him made his hand quite sore. 

“Let me in, okay?” Rigel said softly. Nara blinked slowly before finally moving. 

“Thank you, Mister Carbonara.”

After Rigel went inside, he could see from the door gap that Nara moved again, back to its initial position. 

Cain stood up in front of a body length mirror only in his short pants. He seemed surprised that Rigel came in. Rigel was also surprised by the sight. The burn on Cain’s hand was quite severe and the paramedics had bandaged it with specialized medicine. But the invisible wound on his body where his clothes did not even burn could not be underestimated. His pale skin looked horrendous with red scars and white spots from peeled skin.

Incendio Falla is indeed dangerous for they could also cause wounds without lit actual burning fire. And this prince with trust issues, of course, only showed the paramedics his visible burns. 

Rigel looked at Cain’s from head to toe. “Want me to prescribe you scar ointment? I am quite skilled.”

“Need me to teach you the manner of knocking a damn door?” Cain grunted while reaching for the clothes lying on the floor.

“You need to treat that. The friction between your wound and fabric-”

“I’ll let Alan do that later.”

Rigel sighed loudly as if he really wanted Cain to hear his desperation. “Just trust me a little, could you?”

Rigel pulled Cain’s arm and directed him to sit on the bed. He himself sat on the thick carpet. He placed Cain’s heel on his lap. 

“You need to cool down your body.” Rigel pressed on his calf softly, trying to sense Cain’s energy flow. “I will tell the maid to mix specialized medicine into your bath water later.”

Cain observed Rigel. This guy indeed is a skillful apothecary. He could even examine energy flow in the way experienced doctors do. 

“You know that Miss Callisto is being investigated right now?” Rigel asked, wanting to break the cold atmosphere between them. “You won’t go to her?”

“She’s more than able to defend herself. And there’s no way she’s the one that created the dome.”

“You and Alan seemed to believe her so much? It’s not that I suspect her, but to be able to break that damn dome so fast is really…” 

Cain moved his leg from Rigel’s grip, almost kicking him while doing so.   

“Shut your mouth.”

“Well…” Rigel grabbed Cain’s ankle once again, squeezing with a little force. “Who was the brat who wanted to teach me manners?”

Cain winced in pain before Rigel loosened his grip. 

“There’s a limit for being like an angry little kitten, you know.” 

Both stared at each other. Cain’s angry glare met Rigel’s mocking eye smile. 

“Let me prepare your treatment plan?”

Cain snorted. “Suit yourself.”