Chapter Text
A month.
It had been a month - no, a month and a half - since Madeleine last saw him. The Coffee Criminal.
Ever since their last meeting, the prince heard less and less from him. Every time he received reports of the criminal seen around the area, he would rush to the supposed locations - only to be greeted with bodies of soldiers laid all over the ground and his target was nowhere to be seen.
Madeleine was growing tired of this. Was the Coffee Criminal hiding from him out of cowardice, or did he just want to achieve his kills faster and easier? For each time, they made preparation after preparation, desperately trying to catch him, but each time he'd already fled by the time they arrived to apprehend him.
It was making him mad. He couldn't stop thinking about how he became a different person that day, how he'd been so swiftly taken out by that dreaded criminal. He remembered the look on his face, on their faces.
Was the criminal playing games with him?
But why?
Madeleine couldn't quite wrap his head around the situation. What a coincidence, huh? Just as he made that request that day, a request to "lead" the "hunting down" of the criminal, said criminal decides to disappear?
But whatever. He knew, he would definitely, definitely catch that guy someday. Someday.
Nothing the great Prince couldn't achieve. Right?
Just then, there was a knock on his door.
"Come in."
With a creak, the door swiftly opened. A Light Soldier stepped in and gave a bow.
"Apologies for the late night interruption, Your Highness, but there has been another sighting of the Coffee Crimi-"
"We're not going." Madeleine cut him off, waving a hand dismissively.
There were a thousand questions written clearly enough for Madeleine to see on the soldier's face. But he asked no questions. He simply nodded and left with a bow.
It was the 4th sighting that week.
Madeleine sighed to himself. Despite trying to ignore his mind, he already had a clear plan formed and sitting in his head. He didn't like it at all. He didn't want to face that arrogant snob. But it wouldn't budge. What could he do? He really didn't want to see him. (Or at least that was what he told himself.)
But he had to do it. He knew he had to. He was the only one who could, after all.
He glanced out his window. It was dark outside, a clear indication of the late night. Sighing again, he made his way to his bed, to rest for the night.
He needed the sleep. It'd certainly help him the following day.
The next day, before sunrise, Prince Madeleine awoke and left the palace.
"Early morning walk," was the excuse he told to the guards.
He walked and walked. The sun was just barely starting to rise, painting the sky a beautiful blend of colour.
What he was doing right now, though, wasn't as beautiful.
Finally, Madeleine stopped and looked around. Trees and trees and more trees surrounded him. He was in the forest. The same forest where all those encounters took place.
He sighed. "I know you're there."
Immediately, almost as if it was magic, a dark figure stepped out nearby.
"My, my, I see you've come to visit." The dreaded figure laughs.
Oh, how Madeleine hates that laugh. Hates that smirk. Hates that arrogant, prideful air. Hates that snobbish pose and that damned confidence he got from god knows where. He wants to wipe it off the bastard's face so bad, it's not even funny anymore.
"I didn't come to see you, criminal. I came for another round."
The criminal laughs again. Madeleine grits his teeth in annoyance.
"Hah. I see."
Said criminal takes a few steps forward. He removes his hands from his coat pockets, and eases into a more battle-ready (but still prideful) stance.
"Let's begin then, Prince."
And for the second time in that very forest, Madeleine draws his sword as the Coffee Criminal readies his magic.
Again, sword meets magic. They clash. Eyes narrow. And they can both tell, that they both enjoy this.
But of course the high and mighty Prince Madeleine would never admit that.
Said Prince's "enemy" finds that rather amusing.
They fight and fight. Neither hold back. Both are going all out. They're so engrossed in their little spar, neither notices as the sun breaks through the sky and starts rising.
It's now officially daytime.
Well, actually, the magic caster does notice. He notices, just as he ducks an attack from the Prince's greatsword.
There's another fresh smirk creeping up his face, as he prepares to do that move again. Madeleine notices, just a split second before.
But it was too late.
"Wait-" he manages to make out, just as he feels a hard tap on his shoulder.
"Farewell, Prince."
Again, he found his world fading into an endless black.
What a shame, he failed. He'd definitely beat himself up over that later.
Indeed, about two and a half hours later, Madeleine was beating himself up over his failure to stop the criminal once and for all.
Honestly, what did he expect?
He'd woken up and remembered everything. How that darn criminal smirked the exact same way he did the last time he pulled this same shit on him.
It was... making him mad, to say the least.
The King, his father, wasn't all too pleased about this. He had gotten himself knocked out and unconscious twice already, after all. By the same criminal, no less.
This was so dreadfully embarrassing to the prince, he would really rather have the bastard kill him already. He had so many chances to do so, yet he didn't. Drat!
"...But if he chose not to kill me, that means..."
Such was the young Prince's train of thought. Oh god, he'd only just realised.
Madeleine's pride was definitely wounded beyond repair now.
For some reason, that was more important to him than what his father had to say later.
But was it more important to him than his desire to find the criminal again? To hunt him down and ask him all the questions he had?
For now, he decided not to think about it.