The next morning, Rick was casually walking along the streets of Richtpole. However, even for a superstar like him, the crowd around seemed not to notice his presence; not even a gaze was laid on him. As a big celebrity such as himself, the people not reacting to his existence were strangely odd.
Since seeing his presence would cause a stampede in a congested area, Rick completely hid his presence by cloaking himself with the power of the Perfect Concealment. If he did not conceal himself, Rick would definitely be swarmed by his fans.
He had reasons why he hid himself from the eyes of people. He was actually going to the place where he would meet up with a certain person. The same person gave Rick the letter last night. Rick had been seeing that person from time to time and had been secretly discussing it with one another. No one should know that they were meeting, so both parties were painstakingly careful for each of their rendezvous.
After a few minutes of walking, Rick finally reached his destination, at the main gate of Astley’s royal palace, which was a strange location for something like a meet-up.
But Rick knew that was the place since he had been there several times to begin with. Naturally, the person he was going to meet was there, whether a court member or a royal. The gates were open, and the gatekeepers did not seem to take heed of his presence either. As carefree as walking for a picnic, Rick passed through the opened mithrill gates and entered the palace. Upon entering the royal premises, Rick immediately traced the route he usually took to reach the rendezvous, passing the guards and servants around. Rick could instantly reach the location by teleporting, but for some reason, he should not.
It was not long before he ultimately arrived at the door of a certain chamber. Detecting no one was around, still under the unseen cloak, Rick knocked on the door five times. ◆◇◆
The gorgeous chamber had two men in it. One was a brown-haired man in his late fifties who maintained his body’s robustness, and the other had shoulder-length, ginger hair and seemed to be in his early or mid-twenties.
Both of them were equipped with splendid garments seemingly woven with premium materials, which indicated they were in lofty positions in the palace. The chamber, as well, was ornamented with highly valued articles, such as one of the paintings of the Mother of Arts herself.
They were currently having a formal meeting as they took seats on the couches that surrounded a low table. The two had been discussing for a while as they were patiently waiting for the third person to arrive.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
Once he heard five knocks coming from the door, the older man took a glance at his pocket watch. When the hands exactly portrayed nine in the morning, he then stood up from his seat and opened the door.
Creak. When the door was opened, nothing but empty air could be seen. Immediately, footsteps mysteriously rang out in the room, as if something unseen had just passed. The younger man was baffled by the sudden manifestation of the steps and looked around the room. On the other hand, the older one just stayed as cool as always, as he was used to that occurrence. When the invisible footsteps stopped, he closed the door before turning his body around.
“You can reveal yourself now.” “Thank you.”
After the mysterious voice suddenly uttered those words, something blurry started to appear before the two men. In front of their eyes, a figure was gradually regaining its shape. Meanwhile, the younger man fascinatingly stared at the mystical event with round eyes and an open mouth.
The magic only took place for a second or two. Once the manifestation was finished, a man in a two-button black blazer over a striped crew neck sweater over a white collared shirt. That set was the signature outfit of a certain person. When the person finally made an appearance, the man immediately recognized the person, and he suddenly became enthusiastic and jumped out of his seat.
“Isn’t he Rick of the Rickroll?! Is it for real?!”
“Yes, Your Highness. I would like you to meet Rick of the Rickroll.” “Good morning, Duke Lancer.” Rick greeted Robert Lancer, Astley’s prime minister as well as the duke of the Duchy of Lancer, and shook hands with him before he turned to the other man. “Nice finally meeting you in person, Your Highness Paul.”
Rick took a light bow before the man, who was actually a member of the royal family. The man in front of Rick was the second prince of the Kingdom of Astley, Paul Astley.
Today, Rick was going to have an important meeting with Astley’s prime minister and second prince, which took place at the prime minister’s office in the royal palace. Obviously, the meetings were secret, and they had been very careful to keep their rendezvous confidential.
“As you have known, Rick, my name is Prince Paul Astley, the second prince of Astley.” Introducing himself, Paul put a hand on his chest. “Also, I am really a big fan of you, and it is an honor to meet and greet one of Astley’s greatest geniuses.”
“It’s a pleasure to be praised by a prince such as yourself, Your Highness.”
Paul excitedly reached his hand out, and Rick grasped it, and they did a handshake as a mark of their acquaintanceship. Even though it was the first time they had met personally, they had the gist of one another, as Paul idolized Rick’s music and ideas while Rick admired his patriotism. “Ahem.” Robert interrupted by clearing his throat. “Now that you two have known each other, I think it’s time to go to the main topic.” “Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.” Paul snapped his fingers. “But to think that Rick is actually the person who has been helping us. This day is truly full of surprises.” “Indeed, Your Highness, I was pretty surprised when Prince Paul was the person Duke Lancer has been talking about.” That was what Rick stated; however, he had known the person in question since he sometimes observed Robert, through Clairvoyance, talking with Paul. But he had to make a facade; he had no idea of it. “Alright, let’s take a seat before we start the discussion. Do you know what we will be talking about, right, Rick?” “Of course, Your Highness. Duke Lancer told me that you are planning to start a revolution…”