The Lycan King's Fate Calling (Shawn Gibson and Sylvia)

Rufus' POV:

I thought Arron might not be here, because Crystal had left abruptly and I believed that she had come across some lead.

As I listened to the clowns talking now, I wasn't so confident. Except for the best-looking one, all the kids were there.

Arron's face was scarred, so these clowns probably wouldn't find him to be the most striking one.

"Okay, let's do something productive. We should go outside and check if there are any superior goods." The red-masked clown interrupted him and asked, "Whose turn is it to cook today?" The clowns exchanged glances with each other, seemingly unwilling to take on the task.

"The temperature is dropping, so let's just eat something simple.'

"Yeah, yeah, preparing the food will take another hour, but I'm already starving."

The red-masked clown impatiently intervened, saying, "I'm tired after a long day's work. I don't want to eat simple fare. You guys play rock-paperscissors, and the loser will cook."

I considered it and believed that this was a good opportunity, so I volunteered. "I'll cook. What do you want to eat?"

The clowns were ecstatic to hear this. "Yeah, let him do it. Mike is a good cook. We're not picky. We'll eat whatever you cook."

"Then go ahead. Make some curry maybe. There is no more beef in the refrigerator. Get some from the

freezer." The red-masked clown handed me a bunch of keys, gave me a set of instructions, and sent me on my way.

I had already scouted this area earlier, so I easily found the freezer and brought the meat to the kitchen.

I quickly washed and chopped some vegetables by the sink, put the pasta to simmer on a low flame, and left the frozen meat to thaw. A clown came into the kitchen to get some wine. He cast a casual glance at me

and quickly left.

I could hear laughter and cheers from the warehouse. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, I sneaked up to the second floor where the children were locked up. After trying every key from the bunch the red-masked clown had given me, I finally unlocked the door.

The imprisoned children nearly screamed when they saw me.

"Hush. Everyone, be quiet." I quickly gestured for them to stay silent and turned around to close the door.

The kids were probably terrified of the clowns, so they obediently kept their mouths shut, but still watched me with fearful eyes.

I took out some chocolate and cookies I had scavenged from the kitchen and tried to give them to the children, but they all shook their heads and refused to accept them.

I didn't force them. I just placed the stash on the ground and softly said, "Don't be scared. I belong to the royal family and am here to rescue you I'm going to get you out of here soon."

Only when I said this did the kids meet my gaze properly, their clear eyes full of questions.

I knew they didn't believe me yet, so I didn't elaborate. Instead, I asked, "Are all the children here?"

One of them nodded first, but then immediately shook his head, and said, "Only one boy was taken away. Everyone else is here. The clowns said he looks the best, so they took him away."

I understood. It looked like the

clowns had been telling the truth and the best-looking one was fortunate enough to leave. Although I didn't know where he was taken, it had to be better than staying here.

I assumed that Arron must still be among these children.

The lights in the room didn't work, so I took out my lighter and used the faint light of the flame to look at the children's faces, trying to find Arron.

But all of a sudden, it hit me that I had never seen his face before and had no idea what he looked like.