The Duke maintained his composure until they all gathered in the quite spacious family room.
And in that room, their only daughter, Olivia, was also sitting and playing by herself. The atmosphere of the room felt very peaceful, but the Duke could no longer hold back his curiosity and vigilance. He would not allow any intruders to roam near his family.
Suddenly, Duke Melvin stopped in his tracks in the middle of the room. He turned around and glared sharply at an empty, dark corner of the room.
"Come out!" Duke Melvin demanded, his booming baritone voice breaking the silence of the family room. "If you refuse to reveal yourselves right now, then I will not hesitate to kill you all on the spot!"
Instantly, that threat-filled shout made Duchess Olive, Ervin, and Olivia, who were relaxing, become very surprised and confused. They looked at the Duke, then followed his line of sight toward the seemingly empty corner of the room.
"Father, why are you suddenly angry and talking to yourself?" Olivia asked in wonder, the little girl tilting her head innocently.
However, before the Duke could answer or calm his youngest daughter, the air in the room distorted slightly.
Simultaneously, from behind the shadows of the furniture, dark corners, and the room's supporting pillars, ten figures dressed in pitch black suddenly revealed themselves. Those ten people were the elite assassin squad that Arvin had previously recruited and specifically ordered to protect his family in Vanzhas.
They landed on the carpet very smoothly and without the slightest sound, then simultaneously knelt on one knee while bowing their heads.
The presence of the ten assassins appearing out of nowhere immediately made Duchess Olive, Ervin, and Olivia flinch backward in great shock.
"Forgive our insolence for watching you without permission like this, My Lord!" answered one of the assassins acting as the group's leader, his voice sounding very calm and respectful. "We are here because we were directly ordered by Young Master Arvin to protect you and all your family members from the shadows. We are also tasked with monitoring everyone who enters, exits, and lives in this mansion."
"What did you say?" the Duke replied, his eyebrows furrowing sharply. He truly did not expect that his eldest son, who was currently studying in the capital, had secretly recruited and ordered ten high-class assassins just to watch over his own family.
Seeing the doubt and vigilance from the territory's ruler, the assassin leader slowly took out a letter from the magic bag given by Arvin.
With full caution and respect, the assassin stepped forward and handed an envelope, still tightly sealed with a wax stamp bearing the Vedegra family emblem, to Duke Melvin.
"This is a message from Young Master Arvin for you, My Lord." the assassin said as he stepped back to his position.
After ensuring there were no magic traps on the letter, Duke Melvin accepted it. He tore the wax seal, unfolded the paper, and began reading it carefully.
And what happened next truly made the whole room hold their breath. The Duke's facial expression drastically changed in just a matter of seconds. His jawline hardened, and in an instant, his gaze was filled with peaking anger that caused the room's temperature to drop drastically once again.
Seeing her husband clenching his fists with an expression full of anger, Duchess Olive could not hide her wonder and worry at her husband's behavior.
"Darling, what is it? Why did your expression suddenly turn so terrifying?" Olive asked in confusion, stepping closer to her husband. "May I read the contents of that letter?"
Duke Melvin took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger so it wouldn't explode in front of his children. He then handed the letter to his wife without saying a single word.
The Duchess immediately took it and read the string of sentences neatly written on the paper now in her hands.
"Father, if you read this letter from their hands later, this is a bitter reality you must know. And that is the main reason why I asked them to watch over the mansion to prevent that terrible event!"
Duchess Olive's eyes widened slowly, continuing to read the letter with her heart starting to beat fast. Her eyes moved left and right following every word she read.
"To be honest, before long there will be a heinous assassination plot aimed at all of you. To avoid that tragedy, I hired and asked them to stand guard inside the mansion and monitor every movement of the servants working in our home. I am doing this purely so that you all will not be killed! If you are wondering who the mastermind behind all this is, I will tell you directly when I return to Vanzhas later."
"Here, I am heavily focused on finding and gathering all the great people first amidst my busy studies at the academy. Because the people I gather are strong individuals. I am doing all of this purely for the future of our territory, especially to ensure security when Ervin officially replaces you as Duke later. I hope you understand this seemingly presumptuous decision of mine, Father. I just do not want to lose my entire family."
"Please take good care of yourselves and your health there. Although I rarely say it, I love you all very much. Please pass my warm regards to Mother, Ervin, and also my little sister Olivia. From your son, Arvin."
Duchess Olive felt so shocked and her body went a little weak after finishing the last sentence of the letter. However, behind her shock, a mother's instinct made her very curious and angry, wondering about the madman who dared to plan an assassination against all her family members in their own home.
She turned to look at the man dressed in black who was still kneeling on the carpet.
"Is this really a genuine letter from my son?" Duchess Olive asked with a slightly trembling voice.
"That is absolutely true, My Lady!" the assassin answered without the slightest hesitation, his tone very convincing. "It was Young Master Arvin who wrote and gave that letter directly to us before we departed. He instructed us to immediately hand it over to the Lord Duke if our presence in this mansion was discovered by him."
I never expected that my eldest son had planned everything so maturely and neatly from afar. Duke Melvin said in his heart, feeling both amazed and horrified by the thought process of his son, who was only seventeen years old. Not only about the arrival of that girl named Melisa, but he also thought about the assassination threat and immediately sent all these elite assassins to protect us!
The Duke closed his eyes for a moment, massaging the bridge of his nose.
Just what exactly is happening here? he muttered again in his mind, trying to piece together all the puzzle pieces of information in his head. Who is so reckless and daring to try to assassinate me and all my family members in my own territory?
After remaining silent for a moment, the Duke took a long breath to discard all the negative emotions that had taken over him.
It seems that for now, I must not act recklessly. I can only be patient and wait for the time my son returns from the capital. Duke Melvin thought, calming himself. Because only through his direct explanation can I find out all the secrets and the mastermind behind this threat!
Duke Melvin then opened his eyes, staring straight at the ten assassins who were still loyally kneeling, waiting for him.
"Just continue your secret duties as usual!" Duke Melvin ordered with a tone that no longer contained hostility, but rather trust. "From this moment on, I leave the extra security of my family under the supervision and guard of you all within this mansion!"
"Leave everything to us, My Lord!" the assassin leader answered firmly after paying his respects once again. "I assure you, we will protect the safety of you and your family with our lives on the line. We also do not want to disappoint Young Master Arvin, who has employed us."
"He is right, My Lord!" chimed in a female assassin from the back row with a voice no less steady. "Young Master has trusted and ordered us from the very beginning. We, as professional assassins, must execute this duty perfectly to the end!"
Hearing that oath of dedication, Duke Melvin felt very amazed by the loyalty shown by all the assassins recruited by his son. I never expected that Arvin truly knows how to choose reliable people.
"Thank you!" Duke Melvin answered sincerely. "I leave all surveillance from the shadows of every corner of this mansion to you!"
"As you command, My Lord!" all the assassins answered simultaneously in a single breath.
After answering the Duke's instructions, the ten assassins seemed to melt into the air. In just the blink of an eye, they immediately disappeared from the sight of all the Vedegra family members, blending back into the darkness to carry out their duty of watching from the shadows.
Meanwhile, after the atmosphere returned to silence, Duke Melvin dropped his body and sat leaning against the family room sofa.
In his head, there were still many questions continuously ringing, especially regarding the drastic changes in his eldest son. His highly well-planned actions that seemed to precede fate were the biggest questions in the Duke's mind.
This son of mine seems to have eyes that can see what will happen in the future very clearly. Duke Melvin thought, still plagued by a mystery-filled confusion. Has my son truly awakened such an absurd ability?
However, no matter how great the curiosity tormenting his mind was, he realized that he had to hold it in for the time being. Because his son was currently far away in the capital studying at the academy. The only person who could answer all his curiosities was Arvin alone.
It seems I really can only wait patiently until my son arrives at this house later! Duke Melvin decided firmly in his heart, staring toward the large window showing the evening sky. Only from him alone will I know the exact answers to all the nonsensical mysteries currently haunting me and my family.