Chapter 9 The Crimson Merchant

The morning sun cast a dull yellow light through the windows of the small study. Kaelen sat quietly in his wheelchair, holding a warm cup of tea with both hands. Across the room, Aurelia leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the door, waiting.

A loud slam broke the silence as the heavy door flew open.

A large man with a thick gold chain around his neck walked into the room. This was Master Donald, the richest merchant in the border town. His face was red with anger, and his expensive boots left dirty tracks on the floor as he marched toward the desk.

"What is the meaning of this, Prince Kaelen?" Donald shouted, slamming his fat hand onto the desk. "Two of my grain wagons were stopped at the south gate this morning. Your guards refused to let them pass without a new tax paper. I have a contract with the Capital! You have no right to touch my goods!"

Kaelen flinched away from the shout, his shoulders shrinking back into his chair. The cup in his hands shook violently, and some hot tea spilled out, splashing across the papers on his desk.

"Oh dear," Kaelen muttered in a small, panicked voice. "I am so sorry. The noise... it startled me."

Aurelia watched from the corner, her lips pressing into a tight line. She felt a deep sense of shame looking at her husband. A mere merchant was yelling in his face, and the prince was trembling like a leaf. She wanted to see how Kaelen would handle this pressure, but so far, he was failing miserably.

"I don't care about your tea!" Donald roared, leaning over the desk. He looked down at Kaelen with pure contempt. "I pay Captain Boros a lot of coin to keep my wagons moving. Now his men are blocking my trade. You need to fix this right now, or I will stop bringing grain into this mansion altogether. Let us see how long you last without food."

"Please, Master Donald, do not be angry," Kaelen said, his voice pleading. He reached for a small cloth on the side of the desk. "Look, I have ruined these important papers. Could you... could you step closer and help me hold this side of the desk? My arms are too weak to reach the spill."

Donald let out a disgusted snort. He stepped closer, leaning his large body over the desk to grab the edge of the damp papers. "You are completely useless, you know that? A prince who cannot even clean his own mess."

As Donald leaned down, his face was only a foot away from Kaelen's.

Kaelen stopped moving the cloth. He raised his head slowly, and his dark eyes locked directly onto Donald’s eyes.

One second passed.

Donald opened his mouth to speak another insult, but the words died in his throat. A sudden, strange pressure filled his chest. He tried to blink, but his eyelids felt frozen.

Two seconds passed.

The room seemed to grow perfectly quiet. Donald could no longer hear the wind outside or the sound of his own breathing. All he could see were Kaelen’s deep, black eyes.

Three seconds passed.

Deep inside Kaelen’s mind, a quiet tone sounded.

[Target Subjugated. One year of lifespan deducted.]

Suddenly, Donald’s legs gave out. The large man dropped heavily to his knees, his knees hitting the floor with a dull thud.

"I am sorry," Donald gasped, his voice cracking as he pressed his forehead against the floorboards. "Please, Master, have mercy on me! I have been greedy. I have been so blind!"

Aurelia stepped away from the wall, her eyes widening in total shock. She stared at the weeping merchant, then at Kaelen. "What is wrong with him?"

Kaelen sat back in his wheelchair, looking just as surprised as Aurelia. He held his hands up in a defensive gesture. "I... I don't know! He just started crying. Master Donald, please get up! Why are you on the floor?"

"I am a sinner!" Donald wailed, his body shaking with deep sobs. "I have cheated the poor people of this town for years. I have hidden the grain to make the prices go up. I cannot live with this guilt anymore! Master Kaelen, please take it! I will give you half of all my grain storages in the town. Just let me live!"

Aurelia walked closer to the desk, her brow furrowed in deep suspicion. She examined Donald closely. The man was sweating, his chest heaving as if he were facing a firing squad. She had seen men break under torture or extreme guilt before, but Donald was a hardened, corrupt criminal.

Is he having a mental breakdown? Aurelia thought, her eyes shifting to Kaelen.

Kaelen was looking at Donald with wide, innocent eyes. "Half of your grain? But Master Donald, I cannot just take your property. That does not seem right."

"No, you must take it!" Donald cried out, reaching into his pocket with trembling fingers. He pulled out a official stamp and a piece of parchment. He quickly wrote down a statement, his hand shaking so much the ink was messy. He stamped his family seal at the bottom and shoved the paper onto the desk. "Fifty percent of the granaries belong to the mansion now! Please accept my apology!"

Kaelen looked at the paper, then looked up at Aurelia with a helpless expression. "Lady Aurelia, what should I do? He seems very insisted."

Aurelia scoffed, turning her eyes away from the pathetic sight of the merchant. She believed Donald had simply lost his mind from the stress of his illegal dealings, or perhaps he was terrified that her father, the Duke, would investigate his contracts.

"If a madman wants to give you his food, you take it," Aurelia said coldly. "We need the supplies anyway. But get him out of here. His crying is giving me a headache."

"Right, of course," Kaelen said. He looked down at Donald. "Master Donald, I accept your generous gift. You may leave now to rest. Your health seems very poor today."

"Thank you, Master! Thank you!" Donald wept. He stood up on shaky legs, keeping his head low, and shuffled out of the study as fast as his feet could carry him.

Once the door closed, Aurelia shook her head in disgust. "This town is full of unstable fools. First the captain, now the merchant. You are incredibly lucky, Kaelen."

"I agree," Kaelen said softly, folding the grain paper and putting it into his desk drawer. "The heavens must be watching over us."

Aurelia did not answer. She turned and walked out of the room to check on her guards, completely convinced that the merchant's breakdown was just a bizarre stroke of luck for her foolish husband.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, the warmth left Kaelen’s face.

He leaned back in his wheelchair,his eyes dark and completely focused.