A child's laughter echoed softly inside a sunlit home. Tiny footsteps padded across the wooden floor as a woman bent down, smiling, and scooped the boy into her arms.
But the image flickered—like an old film caught between frames.
The woman's smile wavered. Her face blurred, shifting—her skin pale, streaked with blood. The soft home light dimmed into a sickly red glow.
The wounded woman's image began to alternate rapidly—her and Lala, their faces overlapping, both hurt, both calling his name.
"...Lala—"
Fenn jolted awake.
The ceiling above him was unfamiliar — tall and white, framed with wooden beams. He was lying on a large bed, a faint ache throbbing through his head.
His hand instinctively reached up. Bandages.
"You would've killed him last night, you know," a voice said calmly.
Fenn turned his head sharply. In the corner of the room, lounging on a sofa, sat Kai — legs crossed, a steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand. Beside him, Ray was slouched comfortably, greedily scraping the last of his drink with a spoon.
"Mmh—this stuff's amazing," Ray mumbled between gulps. "I never had anything this sweet before."
Fenn blinked, disoriented, still trying to piece together what had happened. His gaze landed on Kai, who was already watching him with that faint, knowing smile.
"Ah, right," Kai said casually, snapping his fingers.
With a small poof, a cup of hot chocolate shimmered into existence on the nightstand beside Fenn.
"Have a sip," he offered smoothly.
Fenn hesitated, staring down at the cup. He reached for it slowly, the warmth soothing against his bandaged palm — until Kai spoke again, voice still calm but cutting through the air.
"Your injury from the other night is still there," he said. "So, it's best you rest for now."
The next second, the room shifted.
Five sharp, black tendrils erupted from Fenn's fingers, coiling in the air, their pointed tips aimed directly at Kai and Ray. The floorboards beneath him groaned as the aura around him darkened.
But neither of them moved.
Ray didn't even look up — just gave the tendrils a single disinterested glance before sipping his drink again.
Kai simply sighed and met Fenn's glare with a faint smirk. "Relax. Drop the act."
For a long, tense moment, the only sound was the faint hiss of the tendrils moving through the air. Then, with a quiet exhale, Fenn lowered his hand. The shadowy limbs receded, dissolving back into his skin until his fingers returned to normal.
"You two…" Fenn began, voice tight, but Kai interrupted with a casual wave of his hand.
"Questions later. Chocolate first."
Fenn gave him a suspicious glance — but the rich, velvety aroma rising from the cup was impossible to ignore. Slowly, he lifted it to his lips.
The first sip hit him like magic — warmth and sweetness spreading through his body, the exhaustion and tension easing without permission.
His shoulders slumped, a soft sigh escaping before he could stop it.
Kai chuckled quietly. "Told you."
Ray raised his empty cup with a grin. "To the sweetest drink ever!"
Fenn gave a warm smile — then took another sip, his earlier edge fading into quiet disbelief at how good it tasted. But as the last traces of warmth faded from their cups, a quiet stillness settling over the room.
Fenn finally set his mug down and spoke, his voice low but steady. "So… you two were the ones who knocked me out last night?"
Ray immediately shook his head, raising both hands defensively. "Hey, not me!"
He pointed a thumb toward Kai, who was still lounging casually. "He's the one who did the chopping. I just dragged your dead weight all the way back here."
Fenn's eyes narrowed. He exhaled softly, lowering his head with a small sigh. "...I thought I disguised myself well. But you two found me in the end."
Ray chuckled awkwardly, scratching his neck. "Honestly? I never thought you could be the assassin type. You always looked—uh—too cowardly, with that messy hair, and always running around doing errands—"
Each word seemed to stab Fenn a little deeper; his expression darkened, head lowering with every adjective.
"—and, you know, kind of jittery all the time—"
"Ray," Kai interrupted smoothly, setting down his cup. "You're bad-mouthing him, right in front of him."
Ray blinked, realized what he was doing, and coughed. "Ah—No! I didn't mean— Uh... That... My bad..."
Kai stood, brushing off his coat, and with a flick of his hand, a digitalized screen shimmered into existence in front of them. The projection hovered midair — clear and bright enough for all three to see.
One feed showed Lala, awake and resting, surrounded by the girls and Sakura talking to her, and the palace healer tending to her.
Another screen showed a grand hall — Maximus, Hiro, and Justin seated alongside the duke and a visibly battered Lorant, flanked by knights and nobles attempting to mediate.
Fenn's breath caught at the sight. "This… What is this—?"
"Live transmission," Kai said simply. He stepped closer, his tone shifting slightly — firm but not unkind. "There's a meeting going on for the verdict about last night. It's a waste of time honestly, so I'll work things out my way."
He rested a hand on Fenn's shoulder. "Ray and I will hear your story later — why you hide your power, and what's behind your hatred for Marquis Lucrus and his family."
The name hit like a blade.
Fenn's head snapped up, eyes wide with unease. "How do you—"
Kai only smiled faintly and turned away, walking toward the antique almirah near the far wall. Ray followed him, brow furrowed in curiosity. "You said there's something here for me to see. So, what is it?"
Fenn slid out of bed, still unsteady, but curiosity — and a bit of dread — pushed him to follow.
Kai reached the almirah, placed a hand on its handle, and with a casual tug — click — opened it.
Both Ray and Fenn froze.
Inside, on the lowest shelf, was Harold.
His wrists and ankles were tied neatly with glowing rope, his mouth sealed with a strip of tape. He was crouched uncomfortably in the confined space, head lolling as he slept soundly — or perhaps still unconscious.
Silence.
Ray's expression twisted in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
Fenn just stared, completely lost. "That's— Harold?"
He blinked rapidly, trying to piece the situation together. "But the servants at the Lucrus estate said he'd been away for days—"
"Wait," Fenn began, pointing at the tied-up man. "Don't tell me you—"
"Caught him that night?" Kai finished for him, his tone light as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
He shut the almirah door halfway, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk. "Yeah. While you two were busy fighting, he tried to sneak out. So, I… put him somewhere safe."
Ray blinked again, gesturing at the almirah. "That's your idea of safe?"
Kai gave a small shrug, perfectly calm. "He's alive, isn't he? That's all that matters now."
Fenn pressed a hand over his face, sighing. For a few seconds, all three simply stared at the unconscious Harold stuffed inside the almirah — the silence thick enough to hear the soft hum of the ropes binding him.
Then suddenly—
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP!
A sharp, blaring alarm cut through the quiet, echoing from somewhere outside the door.
Kai's eyes flicked instantly toward the source, his calm demeanor unchanged. "Act normal," he said quickly. "Now."
"What—" Fenn started, but Kai's tone sharpened. "Just do it."
Ray didn't even question it — he immediately sat back down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and picked up his half-empty cup as if he'd been there all along.
Kai turned to Fenn, his expression unreadable. "Lie down. Bed. Now."
Fenn blinked in confusion but obeyed, slipping back under the blanket, still unsure what was happening.
Kai clapped his hands once.
Whooom.
The air rippled like disturbed water. The entire room began to shift — the walls stretched and reformed, the bedposts morphed, the paintings on the walls melted into new frames. Even the light through the window changed hue, showing a completely different garden outside.
Fenn's eyes widened as he pushed himself up slightly. "W-What in the world—"
"Some kind of teleportation magic," Ray said casually, as if explaining the weather. "He just changed our location back to the palace."
Before Fenn could reply, the door clicked open.
Celestina stepped in — elegant as ever, her expression composed yet commanding. The air seemed to shift again with her presence alone.
By that time, Kai was already levitating a few feet above the ground, his cloak gently billowing as though caught by an unseen breeze. Ray stood up smoothly beside the bed, folding his hands behind his back.
Fenn, still half-confused, could only blink between them and Celestina who had just entered. But as realization dawned on him, he quickly got out of the bed and did his signature ninety-degree bow. "I gre-greet your highness, the empress!!"
A soft chuckle escaped Celestina's lips. "You're awake," Celestina said softly as she approached him. Her tone was warm but laced with authority. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Ah… yes, my lady," Fenn managed, lowering his eyes respectfully.
She nodded faintly. "Good. You should rest a bit longer, but there's something we need your help with."
Her gaze shifted to Ray. "Take him to the meeting hall. The others are waiting."
"Understood," Ray replied promptly.
Then Celestina turned to Kai — her expression gentling, though her words carried weight. "And you… I'm glad you did the right thing last night. But from here on, leave the rest to the elders."
Kai floated down slowly, his boots touching the ground without a sound. He met her eyes, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips.
"I appreciate the concern," he said quietly, "but I'll be going too."
And without any further words, Kai quickly began to move out of the room. Ray tried to call out to him from behind, but slowly he suggested to both Celestina and Fenn that they should go with him. As the three followed Kai to the meeting hall, they felt the coldness around themselves as they made their way closer to the hall.
Fenn slowly moved next to Ray, as he whispered his doubt to him.
"Excuse me, your highness… With so many stuffs happening, I couldn't ask him. But what's his name?" He glanced over Kai, with Ray following his gaze. Slowly, he realized that Fenn only saw Kai in his messy look before. He gave a small smile.
"His name is Kai," Ray said with Fenn nodding in acknowledgement. "Ah—He's got the same name as the archduke's son, huh," Fenn commented. But Ray cleared his doubt, saying it was him; the archduke's son.
This caught Fenn completely off guard. Looking back at Kai, then to Ray. He questioned that he saw Kai before and he wasn't able to talk back then or even move his legs. But Ray simply responded that he's still unable to talk and walk. "At least to the other peoples point of view."
And soon enough, Kai was in front of the entrance door. "Now or never," he whispered to himself and entered as he pushed the door open. But inside, it was as if a storm just passed by.
Furniture and curtains were scattered. A few nobles were huddled in the corner. Faces filled with worry and fear of getting closer to the main table. Towards the left, a few maids with tray of tea-cups were hiding behind the curtain. And at the center, Maximus was seated with a worried look while rubbing his forehead. Justin sat to his left, his head resting over his hand on the table while he just watched ahead to Maximus's right. There, Hiro was standing. His one hand grabbing onto the collar of the foreign duke and the other hand formed into a fist.
"My son has already done half of the work. Now, I shall give the final touch…," Hiro said so while the duke tried to escape Hiro's fist. Opposite to them, sat Lorant with his face down.
But the moment Kai opened the door to the room, everyone's attention was pulled to him. He too, just glanced at everyone for a second. And then he began to move towards the table. Pulling out a chair, he took a seat; right next to Lorant on the right. Slowly, he placed his left arm on Lorant's shoulder. But that movement made Lorant flinch, yet he kept his head down.
"You know what?" Kai began to speak. Ray, Fenn and Celestina too arrived by then and stood by the door. "I'm hungry," Kai continued as his eyes landed on the maids and asked one of them to bring his breakfast here.
Everyone in the room was taken aback, unsure how Kai could remain so casual in such a grim atmosphere. The maids glanced toward Celestina, silently asking for direction. She only gave a small nod, and one of them quietly left the room.
"Thank you," Kai said, as if nothing unusual had happened. Hiro then tried to ask Kai to leave, letting the elders do this work. But Kai shook his head. "Just five minutes," he turned to Lorant with calm composure. "Now then, why don't you speak the truth so everyone can return to their work?"
"He can't," a voice cut in. It was the duke who was now slowly sitting down on his chair, his expression hard. "Maybe from the punch last night—or some other injury—but the prince has lost his voice."
Kai already knew the real reason, of course. He was the one who caused it. But he wore an expression of feigned concern.
"Oh my, this poor prince," he sighed dramatically. "How tragic. I can relate, you know—I couldn't speak myself, not long ago."
Everyone caught the sharp edge beneath his words. Even Lorant, trembling, couldn't meet his eyes. Rage, they thought. But only Lorant knew it was fear that made his hands shake.
Kai gave a light pat on his back. "Don't worry. I'll just ask questions. You only need to nod or shake your head."
Just then, the maid returned with a tray of breakfast.
"Ah, finally." Kai began to eat, slowly, deliberately. Between bites, he asked, "So... did you try to force yourself on Lala last night? Yes, or no?"
Silence. Lorant kept his head bowed, unmoving. The room held its breath.
Time passed. But no response came by Lorant. Even Kai finished the last bite of his breakfast, wiped his lips, and set the napkin aside.
Lorant sat rigidly to his left, every breath shallow.
"Still no answer, huh," Kai said softly.
Before anyone could process the words, Kai's left hand moved.
The fork flashed once—then sank into Lorant's chest, right above the heart.
The sound it made was soft, wet, and horrifying.
Lorant jerked violently, air scraping out of his throat in a strangled gasp.
His mouth fell open, ready to scream—
—but Kai's grip tightened.
His voice dropped to something cold enough to still every heartbeat in the room.
"If you scream or move an inch, this fork will slide all the way in.
You'll die in seconds.
If you want to live, stay still… and answer."
The room froze.
The nearest maid clasped a hand over her mouth, a thin whimper escaping before she forced herself silent.
Another took a step back, bumping into a table hard enough to rattle the cups, but didn't dare apologize.
The guards exchanged terrified glances, but none moved; their legs felt rooted.
The Duke's jaw tightened, rage and helplessness warring in his eyes—but he didn't speak.
Celestina stood rigid, expression unreadable except for the slight tremble in her fingers.
Everyone wanted to say something—stop it, plead, shout—but the words died before reaching their throats.
All that existed was the fork, the trembling prince, and Kai's calm voice.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Did you try to force yourself on Lala last night?"
Lorant's breathing hitched. Tears spilled down his cheeks.
Then—frantic, desperate—he nodded. Again and again.
Not a single person in the room breathed.
Kai watched with quiet interest.
Finally, satisfied, he loosened his grip and simply withdrew his hand—
but left the fork embedded in Lorant's chest.
Lorant let out a tiny, broken sound, more fear than pain.
Kai stood, straightening his coat with the same ease he'd shown while eating.
Turning halfway back, he spoke in that same casual tone that chilled everyone deeper than the violence itself:
"Keep that fork exactly where it is until the medical team arrives.
Pull it out now… and you might bleed out before they reach you."
He walked past the stunned crowd.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then, as though the matter was already settled, he turned and moved out of the hall—leaving behind a silence so heavy that even the sound of his cloak floating in mid-air felt deafening.
-To be Continued