[Cution! The chapter may contain some gruesome things but I will try not to add gory details...]
(Third person's POV - Omniscient)
After a three day tracking of the culprit, Kairo felt tired.
Because in those three days, his men had found the culprit but not the mastermind of it. This was a long chain of people. Whoever planned the ambush, was really cleaver.
However, they won't go far since Kairo's men were all around Wansai capital and the small cities around it. He had managed to find out clues.
He was with two daggers as blood dripped from the tip of those. Nails were scattered around his feet as weeping of two men could be heard in the darkness of the cells.
He asked, "So, I will be very specific now... You got this small bottle from another man?"
He nodded shakily, tears flowing through his fear filled eyes. "I swear, I only gave it to that man. I hadn't even done a single thing... All I did was to carry it and deliver it."
Kairo rubbed his daggers and it cried with a screech noise as the man flinched, his eyes were on the daggers which had been tormenting him everyday for long hours.
Kairo said, "I see... But you did know that it was for the prince and for the princess?"
He nodded.
Kairo smiled, "That means, you did it knowing so well that you're committing a crime."
His voice shook, "I'm so sorry... Please forgive me."
Kairo smiled, a devious one, "Oh! I will forgive you if I feel like it. But unfortunately I am not feeling even a little bit of empathy..."
And the next second, the guards outside of the dungeon heard screaming and moaning of the captives.
One of them said, "Err... Kairo is certainly very... dangerous... If you forget how cheerful he seems from outside."
The other one nodded in agreement as he coughed, "No wonder he is in charge of us. Even when we are older than him."
A moment later, after a lot of his very personal sessions, Kairo went to report to Hiroshi. He was a bit tired because of the endless interrogations and tracking the chain of people.
He went to Prince Rian's chamber since brother Hiroshi would be there. As he was walking he could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was on the edge.
Apparently, trying to kill the heir of Wansai meant a war and it was not a simple matter.
He needed to tell Prince Rian the important details that he got out from the captives. Although it wasn't much but a little bit of information could become a great clue.
Lately he couldn't go back to home and hadn't seen Hana for a few days. Although he knew Hana was staying with Princess Bianka all the time since she felt shocked about the news where her child was about to get assassinated.
He didn't even have time to get Hana checked with Prince Rian since everyone was busy. And it might not be a good time for that. He just wished Hana wasn't having any nightmares like before...
He knocked and opened the door. As expected brother Hiroshi and Prince Rian were there.
Prince Rian's features were a little terrifying at the moment as his sharp gazes fell on Kairo.
"Prince Rian... I got an important information."
Hiroshi's brows knitted as Prince Rian nodded. Kairo entered and closed the doors behind him.
"So?" Prince Rian asked, his voice was on the edge. The tension in the atmosphere grew more.
Kairo said, "The last man who had the poison delivered to the culprit didn't seem to have remember the man's face..."
A coat of dissatisfaction clouded over Prince Rian's face however Kairo added, "But after some of the tortures... The effective ones, made him recall a few details of him."
Both Hiroshi's and Prince Rian's eyes narrowed to the slits.
Kairo said, "It seemed like he uses some kind of herb or you can call a kind of medicine to affect his victims' memories... Thus, it was hard to get any information about him but the man said he had some kind of carvings on his forearm."
"Carvings?" Hiroshi asked.
Kairo nodded. "Yes," Kairo handed a paper on which his men had drawn the carving.
Both Arashi and Hiroshi got stunned as their eyes fell on the paper. Kairo had no idea what it was as he burrowed his brows.
Did they know that tattoo?
He didn't immediately ask them as Hiroshi said, "Call Hana..."
Now it was indeed a pressing matter. Why Hana?
He didn't question as he left the chamber and went to look for Hana.
After a while, when Hana and him came back, Hiroshi spread the paper toward Hana asking, "Hana, I know you might not remember anything but take a look at it... Do you know it?"
Hana took the paper and as soon as her eyes fell on the serpent tattoo, she froze.
Her pale face couldn't be ignored from the gazes of them all as Kairo asked, "Do you... remember anything?"
However, Hana couldn't hear his words. She wasn't in a state where she could gasp of her surrounding as her eyes were on the drawing of the tattoo. Her hands started to shake as memories of that dark cave came to her mind. All those memories of it slapped her together as her knees gave out their balance.
Kairo immediately reached her and caught her as she slumped down on her knees on the floor, her breathing uneven and tears falling from her face.
She said with a shaking voice, "I—I know... I know it very well..."
Kairo felt her small body shaking under his arms as he caught her tightly. She looked up and said to the prince, "The man who had been experimenting on me had the same serpent tattoo on his arms."
And all of them froze.
Kairo had no idea what that man had to do with Prince Rian or his child. Why would he want to kill them? Why princess Bianka?
But it seemed Prince Rian and brother Hiroshi had some of the inkling of the matter as their faces bore grim expressions...
Not able to hold his curiosity anymore, Kairo asked, "What is the tattoo mean? Does the tattoo have some important meaning?"
Prince Rian nodded. He said, "That's the tattoo when Toushi clan recognise someone as their most powerful member. He must hold some great status in the clan to have that tattoo..."
Hana wasn't in a state to hear anything as she caught Kairo tightly and succumbed to his touch.
However, Kairo's eyes turned dark as he asked, "Does that mean the clan has anything to do with us?"
Prince Rian shook his head. "Not directly, no. But maybe someone had hired him since they had been hiding for many years. They have nothing to do with us."
Kairo didn't know why that man had tortured Hana but one thing he was certain of, he must have some motive to do so.
And he was angry because whatever he had done to Hana, she was still suffering all of those...
Kairo asked, "Prince Rian... Do I have your permission to get this man? Dead or alive?"
Prince Rian looked at him with a pair of worried gazes as he said, "But Kairo, he could be excellent in poison and fighting..."
Hiroshi added, "Besides, it is not easy to find the Toushi clan itself, it would be impossible to find this man."
But Kairo was adamant as he asked again, "Then, do I have the permission to catch him dead or alive?"
His gaze had determination and terror as Prince Rian looked at him for a while.
He said, "What if anything happens to you? And what if you end up dragging Wansai?" He said, "The clan might not be very large but they have enough potentiality to wedge a war. The most frightening thing is they don't strike on your front..." His voice turned hard, "They strike on your back!"
Kairo nodded. So if he got caught, not only Prince Rian but also everyone from Wansai would end up getting dragged. He took a large breath and said, "Then if I get captured, I'm not from Wansai..."
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A/n:
Hello Minna!
Sorry for being mia! I am really sick that I was almost bedridden. My health is still not doing well but I wrote a few chapters. I am waiting for the laptop so I can upload in a bulk. Yes, I have written around 15+ chapters...
Anyways, since I couldn't contact any of you and let you guys know of this, I had to upload a chapter for that. For getting notification on these things, follow me on I/G: michelinharuka (no space)
My f/b pa/ge: Michelle Manisha's books
I will notify all of you there... XD