Then, almost fifty years ago, the owner of this estate and concurrently the head of the city of Raswell could be safely called a friend of Raphael, but this was the last time he singled him out in this capacity.

Derrick Rochester was a young, ambitious scientist, engineer and alchemist. Thanks to his mindset, he was able to achieve great heights and was recognized as the previous king of Riliya.

But, the kingdom in which he happened to be born was most proud not of scientists, but of their magical abilities, which Rochester did not possess, and this very burdened him, hurt his ego and inspired self-doubt.

Once, the previous king, with his good will, granted the little - known Derrick Rocester the title of count, in gratitude for his services.

Thanks to Derrick, the kingdom of Riliya was able to strengthen its artifacts, and also acquired powerful traps, which the king ordered to be placed in a chaotic order in order to surprise his enemies.

And he did it. The Kingdom of Rilia developed and was protected from all sides, certainly not without the fate of manpower.

On the day of his twenty-fifth birthday, he received from the king this estate, as well as all the property rights to the county on the border of Rilia, in its most forgotten corner, from where young people usually sought to leave closer to the capital.

In this place, he was isolated from the oppressive upper society, which refused to recognize him, but could continue to create and study for the benefit of his king.

However, a chance meeting with Raphael changed his faith in the king. He opened his eyes to the fact that the king was using him for his own purposes and the rejection of his retinue of the king was done with his tacit consent. The reason for this is his rootless status and lack of magical abilities. It was shameful, and therefore shameful, which is why the king sent him so far away from himself.

Derrick refused to believe it and was blind to everything Raphael had told him. He couldn’t understand why he was telling him this. There was an assumption that he wanted to win him over to his side or find out Riliya’s weaknesses, so he was too skeptical, while Raphael stubbornly occupied all his time.

He literally registered at his estate, took the best guest bedroom without permission, ordered the best food and used the services of courtesans. And all this on the territory of Rochester. At one point, he couldn’t stand it and a small brawl broke out between them.

It was then that Rick learned about the essence of Raphael, for whom it was nothing more than a game. He did not hide himself, but on the contrary proudly flaunted his vampire abilities and even offered to convert Rick, but he refused every time.

- Why don’t you ask the king for his daughter’s hand in marriage? - Raphael said thoughtfully, sitting comfortably in an armchair, crossing his legs.

- Do you know what you’re talking about? Where am I and where is Princess Jasmine? - Rick looked at Raphael as if he had lost his mind.

- I don’t see anything reprehensible. You are a very important person for the king, judging by the way you believe in it, will he dare to refuse you? - lifting the corner of his mouth in a grin, he asked.

- She’s certainly beautiful, but it’s impossible. The King will not consent to this. - Rick said with a sigh. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

- But it will help you evaluate his loyalty to you. You probably haven’t heard, but he announced a ball at which everyone will be able to propose their candidacy for marriage with the princess.

Rick instantly turned his head to Raphael. His forehead was furrowed and his lips were pursed. He had not received invitations from the royal court for quite a long time, but attributed it to the fact that perhaps no events were held. This was an unpleasant revelation for him.

- But you know, I have this. - Raphael waved a small paper envelope with the sealing wax seal of the royal court of Riliya in the air. – They invited me, but it’s too boring, so why don’t you go there and try your luck?

He tossed him an envelope and sat down in Rick’s chair, resting his head on the desk.

- I’m sorry to see you wasting your talents on a person who only uses you. But that’s all for the time being, until he finds a replacement for you.

No matter how desperately Rick tried to resist, but Raphael was like mold - if he was already wound up, then it was almost impossible to get rid of him. And given the doubts that crept into his head, he decided to agree and go to this ball after all.

He had money and opportunities, so he prepared for the evening with special scrupulousness and when he arrived at the main entrance of the Marro palace, he was very surprised that even the guard looked at him skeptically, taking the official invitation of the king from his hands. Was it possible to feel humiliated even more than this look of a guardsman?

The ballroom was very lively, the number of invited guests simply did not fit in his head. There was no room to push through, and despite this, the king did not consider it necessary to invite him?

He nervously bit the skin on the inside of his lower lip, and his gaze wandered from side to side until it caught on the slender and graceful silhouette of Princess Jasmine. She was surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting and friends, sweetly covering her mouth with a fan at a time when something seemed very funny to her.

Rick’s gaze could not tear away from her for a second, she was too beautiful not to want to marry her. He finally realized that there wasn’t much he could do about himself anymore, but he still had a chance if she chose him from among the other applicants for her hand.

Having plucked up the courage, he approached the crowd of chattering girls and bowed, wanted to greet the princess, but he was called by the voice of the king from behind.

- Rochester! What a surprise! I remember I sent you an invitation, but I received a reply with a refusal. It hurt me so much. - The king theatrically clutched his heart and rolled his eyes, continuing to laugh.

Richard already understood the rules of the game that was being played on this field, so he decided to play along.

- I apologize, Your Majesty, for this misunderstanding, I must have been ill then. - He bowed to the king without a smile on his face. – I am pleased to pay my respects to you, as well as to Her Grace, the charming Princess Jasmine.

His gaze slanted towards the confused princess.

- I’m also glad to see you here today. - The princess curtsied slightly and smiled. – You have matured a lot since our last meeting. It’s been so long.

- Yes, it was not possible to appear more often in your presence. - he returned her smile.

- Well, I don’t think it would be easy with your busy schedule. - The king taunted him, slapping him casually on the shoulder. – How is the work on new amulets for the army going?

- I have almost finished the development, it remains only to synchronize the magic streams. – he answered modestly. – In fact, the work is really difficult and takes a lot of time and effort from me, sometimes I even sleep for a couple of hours a day to do everything on time. But today I made an exception, leaving the improvements for later, because I had a good reason for that. Will you allow me to voice it, Your Majesty?

The king tensed for a moment, watching the impenetrable face of the young man in front of him.

- I’m looking forward to hearing it. -The king replied with a casual chuckle that didn’t go unnoticed in Derrick’s eyes.

He already knew what answer he would get.

- I would like to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage, Your Majesty. - He turned to face the dumbfounded Jasmine, who was throwing unequivocal indignant glances at her father. – I would be happy if you would reward my services to the kingdom with this marriage. In turn, I want to note that Her Serene Highness Princess Jasmine has deeply and firmly clung to my heart like an unfading flower.

Excessive nervousness was reflected on the trembling lips of the princess, who kept on trembling legs with the last of her strength while her father was silent.

- You certainly deserve the best reward for your efforts, my young friend. - The king’s grip on Rick’s shoulder tightened. – But you see, this is impossible for certain reasons.

With a wave of his hand, he told Giselle to leave, leaving them with Rick.

- You’re a smart guy, Rick, why do you need all this? – the king spread his hands. – There is nothing in you that can strengthen our family, so you should think about developing in your own direction. If you need a wife, I will woo you any other noble girl. But you must understand that I will never give up my daughter for you.

The muscles on the Count’s cheekbones were so tightly compressed that they were visible to the naked eye. Unpleasant sensations rolled up to him like a wave and he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

- I understand you, Your Majesty. That’s right, you’re right, I’m not worthy of the princess’s hand. Please forgive your slave for this free-thinking. - He bowed and turned to leave, but the king only grinned, and immediately Rick was grabbed by two guards, dragging him out of the ballroom.