"What happened, Father?"
Jaden appeared before Duke Rizwell with visible concern in his eyes.
The atmosphere across the drill grounds was tense and chaotic. Several injured guards remained kneeling on the ground with pale faces while trembling in fear. Some of them still carried wounds from the clash in the no man's land, yet none of them even dared to seek treatment first. Their attention remained fixed entirely on the duke standing before them.
They had failed in their duty, and the young master had been kidnapped under their protection. For soldiers entrusted with the safety of a noble heir, such failure was often enough to warrant execution.
Rizwell looked toward Jaden with exhaustion and worry written clearly across his face before turning his gaze back toward the kneeling men.
"They claim that a powerful vampire abducted the entire group of first years," Rizwell said heavily. "Alfred was taken along with them."
Jaden immediately frowned.
