The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Meri'an)

(Secret Location- Private Estate Of The Crown Prince)

An obedient smile spread across the crown prince's face as he felt the warm hand on his shoulder and the fingers that lightly brushed against his shirt.

His puppet master had finally arrived, and it was time to greet him.

Prince Theseus turned around and knelt down on the floor without hesitation until his eyes were level with the strange man's knees.

"Get up my dear brother," a soft melodic voice echoed through the hall.

Prince Theseus rose up from the ground and looked at the man standing before him.

He bore an eerily striking resemblance to the late emperor and possessed a charm and beauty that seemed almost unnatural.

His beauty was a walking contradiction with both feminine and masculine charm that was hard to ignore.

A black cloak that was adorned with golden threads was draped casually over his right shoulder and an easy-going smile appeared on his face.

"You have worked hard my dear brother," the man whispered lovingly as he stretched out his hand and gently stroked Prince Theseus' cheek.

The crown prince closed his eyes and enjoyed his reward.

It was a peculiar sight and it seemed unthinkable that the frontrunner to become the next emperor would behave this way.

The mysterious man's eyes were filled with love as he touched his brother's cheek. It was neither familial nor romantic love but rather…

It was the way that one would look at an obedient dog.

"The date of the succession ceremony is coming soon, and the master is grateful for all the hard work that you have done," the man softly whispered.

Prince Theseus basked in his praise as he felt a surge of pleasure and happiness flow through his body.

It felt good to be praised. It felt good to obey orders.

He no longer needed to think. He no longer needed to care. All his worries and stress seemed to just fade away to nothingness.

The crown prince reached into his pocket and pulled out a red crystal that was around the size of his fingernail.

Under the watchful eye of the mysterious man, the crown prince crushed the crystal in his palm and the reddish liquid was then absorbed into his skin.

The crown prince's eyes briefly turned completely white before returning back to normal as if nothing had just occurred.

A pleased expression flashed across the mysterious man's face as he watched his loyal dog put a collar around his own neck.

"But your work is not done…" the man's melodic voice sent a chill down Prince Theseus' spine as he felt another surge of pleasure.

"Here are your new targets. They will all be valuable chess pieces in the palm of my master, so it is very important that you succeed."

"His plans require them, and you will be handsomely rewarded for your efforts…"

The mysterious man took out a small metalloid device with a flat monitor in the center. He handed it over to the crown prince and the screen flickered to life.

A list of names and pictures were displayed on the screen and the crown prince quickly took a glance at some of the faces.

Princess Gamora… Prince Lucas… Prince Alexander…

"There should not be any problems," the crown prince hesitantly spoke before one name in particular caught his attention.

Princess Cleo.

He vaguely remembered inviting her to today's banquet, but his memory seemed to be getting worse over the last few months.

The crown prince tapped her name on the list and additional information was pulled up.

This princess was not particularly well known since she was young and had no significant accomplishments.

It said that she had talents in mech controlling and attended Zrudread University.

That was a bit surprising since all the other members of the royal family around her age were currently enrolled in Atlas University.

The only noteworthy thing about the young princess was the fact that she was currently dating the daughter of Duke Peterlor.

Wait…

The crown prince furrowed his brows as a sudden memory briefly surfaced in his mind. He powered on his wrist communicator and opened his inbox.

"Princess Cleo… politely declined my offer to come to the banquet…" Prince Theseus stuttered slightly as he spoke.

He was afraid to disappoint the mysterious man standing in front of him, but the crystal compelled him to be honest and tell the entire truth.

"Duke Peterlor is determined to maintain a neutral stance and I believe that he must have warned princess Cleo about attending the banquet," Prince Theseus stated plainly.

A frown appeared on the mysterious man's face as he listened to the new information. It would be too great a risk to approach Cleo if she stayed at the Peterlor estate.

Duke Peterlor's senses were far stronger than those of a typical god stage cultivator so using his teleportation technique was not an option.

Well… she couldn't stay there forever…

The man rubbed his fingers together as he stared off into the distance.

Yes… all he had to do was plant spies around the notable locations across planet Gaia.

As soon as the princess stepped out of the mansion… he would appear. Then it would be a simple matter to inflect her with the Kry'en crystals.

"You can ignore that name for now. Focus your attention on the easier targets and inform me if anything goes wrong," the mysterious man commanded in a firm tone.

Prince Theseus placed his right hand on his chest and nodded respectfully as the air began to shimmer behind the man standing in front of him.

The handsome man stepped into the shimmering air and then disappeared into the veil. There was a brief moment of silence as the crown prince stood silently in place.

He remained frozen for what seemed like hours before turning as attention back to the small metalloid device in his palm.

Princes Theseus placed the device in his storage bag and walked out of the hall with slow steadfast steps.

Night had fallen and most of the servants in the mansion were fast asleep. The crown prince absentmindedly touched the side of his cheek where the beautiful man had touched him.

He wanted to feel that touch again.

There was a small voice inside his head that kept screaming that something terrible was happening, but that voice grew smaller by the day.

Why would he listen to that irritating voice when one simple word of praise from his puppet master brought him such ecstasy?

And soon…

Princess Cleo would be just like him…