Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening

Although the reasoning behind the prince's visit to the nobles was obscured behind bright smiles and gestures, the visitation was still warranted. The nobles were out of their domains and in the domain of the Royals; the Royals had to make sure everything was in order.

The visits were going to be brief meetings, as the prince's entourage would be visiting most of the high-ranking nobles present in the Crownlands. They could not waste too much time on one noble.

Naturally, there were nobles the Royal Family favoured more than the others. While not entirely exonerated, they were on the positive side of the king.

One of such nobles was the Duke of Vawns, Duke Jason Strall. This duke had once upon a time handled the issue surrounding Baron Zeke when Caleb had genetically crippled the baron.

He was a well-known man with strong principles and values. From the investigations carried out by the shadow guards on him, nothing significant stood out around him. Furthermore, there was nothing in the journal that linked the duke to the other guilty parties.

"I trust the journey to the Capital was not too burdensome for you, Duke Strall." Prince Osbourne extended his white-gloved hand towards the duke, who shook it without hesitation.

"A duty to the crown is never a burden, Your Highness." The duke replied in a deep tone, his gaze shifting past the prince briefly.

Behind the duke were his wife, a teenage daughter and a young man in his twenties, who all bowed once the duke replied. The prince looked their way and nodded. He did not miss how their gaze shifted most of the time towards Caleb, which was understandable.

They had heard so much about the mysterious man who always dressed in all black. How could they not be interested in taking glances at the man? His presence beside the prince was that strong, if not stronger.

Caleb and Princess Celine, who were right behind the prince, observed everything calmly. Slightly behind them were the knights accompanying the prince on his visitation.

When they arrived at Duke Strall's manor, the duke wasted no time and invited them into his receiving chambers. However, the prince had refused, choosing to meet the Duke in his hall.

The duke had not personally seen Caleb before. However, seeing him now made him realise that the rumours were not entirely exaggerated.

'There's not a shred of aura around him…' the duke observed calmly. 'Even so, I can tell… He's strong… far stronger than one would expect. How is that even possible?'

He noticed how the princess, whom he already knew had been miraculously healed, stayed close to Caleb, her dressing style mirroring Caleb's. The man, meanwhile, had both hands in his coat pockets, looking around the hall.

When their eyes met, the duke saw Caleb flash him a slight smile before looking away. He seemed so carefree and composed that the duke wondered if he knew he was in the presence of royals. Then again, the fact that he stood with the princess spoke volumes.

"Then I look forward to seeing you at the assembly, Duke Strall." The prince added after a nod of acknowledgement.

"Likewise, Your Highnesses." The duke and his family bowed as the prince and his entourage left the hall.

"So that is the man they call Caleb Zane," the duke's wife muttered thoughtfully. "I have to say, His Majesty found a good one."

"..."

The duke added nothing to his wife's comment, though he had similar thoughts. 'A show of the power behind His Majesty, huh… His calm and composed manner will surely make the other nobles think twice.'

***

"He's clean."

Caleb declared calmly, one leg crossed over the other. With his eyes focused on the view outside, Caleb cut a noble figure that the princess couldn't get enough of.

She had switched seats from her brother's side to Caleb's, hellbent on sticking to him even if he wasn't going anywhere.

"That's good…" The prince nodded with a slight smile. "I was afraid he was in on the schemes. Duke Strall is one of Father's favoured nobles."

"Mm."

Caleb nodded, not particularly bothered about who was clean and who wasn't. 'But clean in this sense is relative. Who knows what he keeps hidden from the world? Then again, not being involved with the Growians is all that matters now.'

Princess Celine, who sat to Caleb's right and mimicking his sitting style, furrowed her brows curiously. Although she was following her brother, she wasn't actually in on what was happening.

She hadn't shown any interest in politics before. However, seeing how her brother and Caleb conversed drew her interest. She didn't like the feeling of being left out.

"Brother, what's going on?" Celine turned to look at Osbourne, who turned his attention to her. "What's really going on? This isn't just a social visit, is it?"

The princess looked at Osbourne and then at Caleb, who had also turned his attention over. The two men exchanged glances, pondering what to do. Regardless, the decision lay in the hands of the prince.

"How do I say this…"

Osbourne closed his eyes for a moment, considering his next set of words. He didn't want to go into too much detail, potentially opening the floodgates for a flurry of questions he didn't want to answer.

"There are some nobles with shady dealings, and father has tasked Caleb and me to investigate…" The prince's gaze shifted to Caleb, hinting that he took over.

"My abilities allow me to investigate without actually moving from my place," Caleb's reply turned the princess's gaze over. She nodded with a thoughtful expression, not bothering to question how such an ability was possible.

"I see… So that's why your attention was not on what brother was doing," Her imagination filled in the blanks, and the two men nodded swiftly, agreeing with her deduction.

"Exactly," Osbourne added. "We don't want anything to go wrong at the Royal Assembly. It's an important event, after all."

After satisfying Celine's curiosity, Osbourne let out an imperceptible sigh, thankful that she didn't ask any further or more profound questions. The prince looked at his sister thoughtfully, a small smile gracing his features. 'If possible, I don't want her to see the ugly side of society.'

The visitation ruse continued without a hitch after that. The prince visited most of the dukes first, followed by the Marquess class, Counts and Viscounts. Naturally, some of these nobles had forced expressions on as they greeted the prince.

The known guilty ones would focus their attention on Caleb most of the time. It was evident that they were on edge and would want to be anywhere other than the capital. Unfortunately for them, they could not escape like some of their companions did.

"Loyalty to the crown has always been our family's way… regardless of the cost," one of the nobles said to the prince's greetings. At the very least, they were trying to sell themselves in a good light.

Many had begun to notice that the hidden forces they brought along were quietly disappearing. Surprisingly, as Jess observed, the responsible ones did not show any visible signs of panic. Although some of the responses the prince got to his greetings were threats veiled as auspicious words.

"May the Royal Assembly be… a fruitful gathering, Your Highness."

One of the visited dukes said with all the confidence he could muster, slightly taking the prince and Caleb aback. Even so, Caleb's presence cast a dark shadow over their heads.

"Good… I look forward to seeing you at the assembly." To the veiled words of some of the nobles, Osbourne gave this reply, never failing to smile when he said those words.

***

Duchess Silvia Erindor had been patiently waiting for the prince's visit ever since she got the memo. Unlike some of the nobles, she had nothing to worry about. The duchess was actually eager to meet the prince.

Though her reasons were more than ceremonial.

Caleb, her man, was visiting after many weeks of being apart. While they occasionally conversed via the call artefacts, it took too much mana to keep it going. She still needed time to increase her level, after all.

The genetic awakening she underwent awakened abilities she hadn't dreamed possible. However, having the potential was different from having the required mana. Yes, she had the resources; however, she wasn't an adventurer who spent most of her time refining monster cores.

In fact, it was not her forte. But for her man, Silvia was willing to go through the dedication to stand by his side, and she was glad that she did. After all, she could now put her head commander in his place with ease.

Dressed to impress, Duchess Silvia Erindor wore an elegant gown that flattered her figure, every detail chosen with care. A delicate touch of perfume lingered in the air as she waited, her poised demeanour hiding the flutter in her chest for the man she longed to see.

Her warm brown eyes held a quiet anticipation, betraying the excitement she tried to mask. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, she heard a knock on her door. "My Lady, the prince and his entourage are— "

Before her butler could finish his words, the doors flung open, revealing an excited duchess. "Talk about excited," Commander Fred commented smugly, standing a foot behind the butler.

Unfortunately for him and the butler, the duchess did not wait around, walking past her retainers and making her way to the receiving chambers. "We shouldn't keep our guests waiting."

"Right…"

Commander Fred shook his head as he and the butler, John, followed behind the practically running duchess.