Genesis Code: The Genetic Awakening

"You look beautiful, my Duchess."

Princess Celine felt a pang in her chest. Despite accepting the fact that Caleb had more than one partner and would most likely have more in the future, the princess realised how difficult it was to see the man you loved in another woman's arms.

Fortunately for her, she was able to maintain a calm expression, hiding her inner turmoil. Evidently, the bitterness she felt would disappear. For now, however, it felt like someone was twisting a needle in her chest.

"I think it would be best if we give you two some space," Osbourne awkwardly cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. With a knowing smile, he guided his sister out of the room.

"B-But…"

"No buts, Celine." The prince shot Celine down, gently dragging her out of the room. "We should respect their privacy."

Celine looked back and saw Caleb direct a nod her way. The princess returned the gesture before allowing herself to be taken away. Celine would have preferred to be by Caleb's side constantly. It was the only way she could push her agenda forward.

How was she supposed to be assertive when her target was not around? Celine could not have that.

Once the door closed behind them, Caleb turned his attention to his wife, who smiled gleefully, unable to hide her joy.

"I've missed you, husband," Silvia said in a voice filled with warmth and passion, burying her face in Caleb's chest as she hugged him. "It hasn't been that long since you left. Yet I find myself thinking of you every day and night."

Caleb did not immediately reply, taking a moment to appreciate the feelings the duchess expressed to him. He gently caressed the duchess on the head, his hands moving through her silvery-white locks. Then, he placed a kiss on her head.

"I didn't know you were this… dedicated, Silvia." Caleb said in a warm tone and felt the woman shudder slightly. Not sure why, he continued to express himself.

"I've seen the strong side of you, the stoic side, and the ruthless side, but I never thought I would see this side of you."

"D-do you hate it?" Caleb heard the duchess mumble, almost missing it had it not been for his enhanced senses.

"Hehe, you've got it wrong, Silvy." Caleb chuckled, realising why the woman shuddered for a brief moment. "I actually prefer this gentle and dedicated side of you."

Slowly, Caleb pulled the duchess from his embrace and clasped her cheeks, making the duchess look him in the eyes. The duchess could not help but swallow in anticipation, returning Caleb's gaze with equal fervour.

With a subtle release of a breath she didn't realise she was holding, the duchess watched as Caleb leaned in and took her lips in a passionate kiss. The kiss was intense and sensual, sweeping the duchess off her feet.

The duchess closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Caleb's neck, fully surrendering herself into his embrace. Fortunately for her, Caleb had no intention of stopping there. With a thought, he vanished with Silvia, reappearing in the master chambers.

Meanwhile, Commander Fred had led the Royals outside, where their carriage and entourage waited. On the way to the carriage, Osbourne and the Commander conversed about the upcoming Royal Assembly.

"Then I hope to see you at the gathering, Commander Fred," Osbourne said with an outstretched hand. "Do remember to be in your best outfit. After all, your efforts helped us in defeating the demon generals."

"Of course, Your Highness," The commander took the hand offered with a smile.

While the prince's words might have sounded genuine and proper, the commander picked up the hidden meaning within. "This is a gathering that will change the fate of our kingdom; I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good."

Osbourne nodded, glad the commander picked up on his words. After letting go of Fred's hand, Prince Osbourne led his sister to the carriage.

"Brother, aren't we waiting for Caleb?" Celine asked once they were inside the carriage. She looked at her brother and the manor, hoping Caleb would step out at that moment.

"I'm afraid Caleb will be keeping busy for a few hours." Osbourne chuckled.

"Keeping busy?" Unfortunately for him, Celine did not get the meaning behind his words. "What will he be discussing with the duchess that would take hours?"

'Ah, right…' Osburne quickly realised that Celine was still new to all this. 'She only has her feelings to guide her; she has no actual clue of what couples do.'

"Well…" Osbourne racked his brain as he came up with a suitable explanation. 'The duchess hasn't seen Caleb since he went on his mission. So the two will be catching up on what went on during their separation."

"Oh, okay…" Celine nodded, buying the reasoning without much thought. After all, it made sense.

Osbourne let out a thankful sigh for Celine's naivete, shifting his gaze outside as the carriage made its way back to the Lunaris and the castle. They spent their return trip making small conversation — mostly Celine asking questions and Osbourne doing his best to answer them.

The questions began dying down shortly after, as Princess Celine got lost in her thoughts. Osbourne smiled slightly before his expression gradually turned serious, thinking back to what Caleb had disappeared to take care of.

'With that taken care of, the traitorous nobles can forget about any form of resistance.' Osbourne mused. 'But seriously… Do they never give up?'

Naturally, he understood that the nobles had their lives on the line and would certainly retaliate. But there was a difference in knowing when to retaliate and when to give up. Caleb was not someone they could hope to defeat.

Even the outside forces the nobles relied on proved to be no match for Caleb. It was why some took the risk and escaped while they had the chance. Fortunately for the royals and unfortunately for the nobles, those avenues were now shut.

King Gray had his men everywhere. Escaping won't be possible unless the nobles pull a miracle out of their backside. 'There's also Jess's report.'

Prince Osbourne had thought little about it, as Caleb took care of it. However, nobles of their calibre should have known their hidden forces would be found out and neutralised. So why go through the trouble when it wasn't worth it?

'Unless they still have a card up their sleeves…' Osbourne realised grimly. 'Those bastards will surely have more than one plan to get out of their situation.'

The prince knew the nobles weren't above going after their lives. They had done it once during the demon general invasion. There's no reason they wouldn't try a second time. With no connection found between the cases, it was difficult to judge how it came to be.

Fortunately for him, once the Royal Assembly was over, the captured nobles would be made to talk — forcefully even if they had to. There was no room for sympathy. The nobles extinguished that out of the king when they came after his life.

Soon, the royal carriage returned to the capital and then to the castle. With the masked visitation process completed and some of the hidden agendas taken care of, the only thing left was the Royal Assembly.

This time, King Gray wasn't going to be taken by surprise. Every member of the Royal Household, including the knights of the castle, had been checked for any binding spells or demonic magic. King Gray intended to have everyone regularly checked to avoid issues.

Naturally, this meant using a lot of resources. But that was of little concern, as the Royal family would have a chance to replenish the royal treasury once the assembly was over. King Gray would have invited a few of his commanders from the frontlines, but that was not needed for obvious reasons.

While the situation with the demons was at a standstill, things could change fast — just like when the demon generals invaded the Crownlands. His Majesty had every plan to focus his attention on the demons once he cleaned his home.

The days slowly ticked away as preparations came to an end. While the people continued with their lives and adventurers went on with their dungeon hunters, the noble class of the kingdom was in a different atmosphere.

A storm was brewing, and the nobles could feel it. Some were finally showing signs of panic, others remained calm, while the rest appeared unsure. A few of the low-ranking nobles tried probing an escape route but found all paths had been closed off.

Spies and soldiers were crawling everywhere, some disguised as regular people and adventurers. The least twitch, and someone would jump out from the shadows — they were locked in.

Finally, the day of the gathering arrived.

The regular folks were excited, wishing they were part of the noble class to partake in the gathering. They could only watch from afar, wishing the nobles luck in the acknowledgements they would be receiving.

Then the night of the event came around, plunging the Crownlands into a festive mode. People decided to have their own celebrations while the Aristocracy had theirs. It was the least they could do to be a part of the assembly.

"Look…! The nobles are on their way to the Royal Castle!" someone exclaimed as they spotted an entourage of noble-class carriages making its way to Lunaris.

"It's Duke Strall's entourage!" The people recognised who it was based on the crest carved on the carriages. "Hah… If only I were a noble."