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Back to the present.
Everyone in the living room currently has their eyes as wide as bugs. Horror creeping underneath their skin. If listening to it could cause such reaction, what of the person who went through it?
"If it were a normal kidnapping case, she wouldn't be like this… it is precisely because it occurs in a near same way." Irene slowly let them out, ensuring that no one would try to bring it up again.
"It explains her being frozen when she saw the box engraving… It's a butterfly lily…" Qixiao slowly let the situation sink in. He took a glance at Lixian and saw that although he is as much as disgusted, he seems to have figured out why she was so scared of that flower.
'They did go herb gathering every summer. Maybe she found one and he saw her.'
Aside from the siblings, Luyao and Kazuto looks as horrified. It has been widely known across the empire that Yanyi has caught a really bad illness when she was 10 and it requires a whole year for recovery. That is the story across the public's eyes.
But among the High Noble House, it was made clear that Yanyi had disappeared and came back mysteriously. He had thought that someone had attempted to kidnap her and bring her across the empire and she fought them off. That's why she has to recover for a long time.
But to think that this is the real story.
Kazuto turns his head over to where Luyao is sitting. His arms are resting on the arm rest, which makes him compose. But the moment you see his wrestling leg you can tell that he is not as composed as he shows.
His eyes had never left the coffee table in front of him. He had put down his signia on it just because and not even once during the whole conversation did he take his eyes off of it. His eyes is squinting in guilt.
Like he is blaming himself.
As if something caught his eyes, he looked to the entrance of the living room. Quickly his feet got up and with a slow voice he whispered "Yanyi…" That caught everyone off guard and true to his reaction, the girl they speak about is now standing before the door.
Eyes as dead as a corpse. Body limp as a ragdoll. She didn't say anything. She didn't even look disappointed.
"Yanyi… I didn't mean- I…" Irene stumbles across her words. Clear that she wishes to apologize for telling her story without her permission. The girl shakes her head. "It's alright…"
No one spoke up.
"They need to know… If we want to save them,... they need to know…" Her body turned back to where her bedroom was located and took a few steps before stopping just as she passed the door frame.
"Thanks… Irene. For taking it off my shoulder…" referring to telling of the story. And she walks off.
Irene was about to catch to her but someone had already gone out and slowly followed her friends. Luyao had left his seat and went out of the room, slowly making his way behind Yanyi.
Irene didn't even know if she'd be able to confront her best friend about this.
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Reaching her bedroom, Luyao saw that Yanyi had taken a seat on the couch just in front of the door. He felt the need to close the door and he did. Making sure that no one is around to eavesdrop on what is happening.
He turns back to where the girl is, not moving from his spot unless a permission was given. It didn't take long.
As he saw her shoulder start to tremble and a soft sob escape from her direction, he went over and kneel down. Hands clenching her wrist which is covering her own face, hiding her tears as best as she can.
He had seen her panic and scared, but never cried.
He didn't say anything and just held onto her wrist. Reassuring her that he is there for her. "I hate… I hate this…" sobbing in between words.
Yanyi — "I hate this life… I hate myself… Stupid, Stupid girl! Fate chose you and you put everyone in danger! I didn't choose this life!... Fate chose me! Fate screws me over!... Fate… My fate is cruel…"
Luyao — "Don't…"
Yanyi — "Holy Maiden?... Young Marquess?... What do those titles provide? Just pain over and over again! Blessings they say! Be proud they say! Be grateful they say!... Just-Justice will stay by your side they said!..."
Luyao — "Yi-!"
Yanyi — "I have spent my entire life fighting for justice! Protecting others' justice! Ensuring their justice!... Yet… When I needed it most, no-no one… none…"
Luyao — "..."
"What about my justice…?"
Her voice starts to fade out with the sobs. She cannot hide her anger, her fury. This time not for others but her own fury.
He can't see her like this.
He slowly let go of the wrist and slowly took down Yanyi's hand. Her silver eyes now glistering with tears. Droplets fall onto her garments from the obvious tear marks.
One of his hands grip her hands together onto her laps, the other slowly reaching out to wipe the tears away.
No words were said.
There is no need for one.
They stay like that for approximately 5 minutes. Enough until Yanyi had slowly started to stop crying.
Seeing that she is no longer crying, Luyao releases her hands and cups her cheek. Attempting to wipe away the tear mark. He then stared her down directly into her eyes.
Yanyi was stopped for a moment and didn't do anything to avert her gaze. She can't. Not when he is holding onto his face to stare directly at her.
Luyao — "Don't cry again, okay?"
Yanyi — "Wha-!"
Luyao — "Justice is there for you too, Yanyi. It may not come from you, but I will assure you. If no one is giving you one, I will deliver it to you. Your own justice."
"..."
Luyao — "You have protected, answer the people's call. You have answered mine."
"..."
Luyao — "For 20 years I was left in the dark… Unable to find justice for my past, my background… But you did. You bring a closure to all I have asked for…"
"..."
Luyao — "You have given me 22 years of answers. You gave it when I wasn't looking for it. So as repayment, I will be there to protect yours. Your past, present and future. I will bring justice for everything that you have faced and will face."
His grip on her cheek tightens and he smiles tenderly. Something Yanyi never directly noticed before. "I promise." He swears with his thumbs wiping away the remaining tears.
Without thinking, Yanyi had reached out to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her face burrowed into the side of his neck. Slowly nodding with silent cries coming out.
A cry for happiness.
"Thank you…" She silently muttered and Luyao felt it from the vibration. He returns her embrace and hugs her back. Stroking her head like soothing a crying child.
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Eventually 10 minutes has passed and Luyao is currently sitting beside Yanyi, who is now leaning tiredly on his shoulder. The man didn't mind. He continued to curl her hair slowly.
After calming down, Yanyi pushes herself back up and turns so that her back is facing Luyao. She then proceeded to grab a hold of her long sky blue hair and lift it up.
There before his eyes is the burn mark that Irene had told them. This means that all of those stories are real. It is still dark as it has been from the beginning.
"I have used all the medical treatment, even healing power from mages to try and get this off… It didn't work. That's why I covered it with my hair." Which is true.
For the entire time that he had worked with Yanyi, she never put her hair up to expose her neck. Even if she puts her hair up there would be a good amount still dangling behind. Enough to cover that mark.
"Who else knew about this? Prior to us?" She lets her hair down and turns back to face the other side of the room.
Yanyi — "Devian, Luciel and Irene."
Luyao — "Your parents?"
She shakes her head. "They don't know. I don't want them to know." Her eyes casted down to her hands.
Luyao is staring at her with sorrow with a tinge of fury. A mere death is not enough for what he had done to Yanyi. She was 10 years old.
Suddenly, Yanyi turned to look at him. An almost determined and guilty face plastered there. "I'm here on Devian's order." Well that caught Luyao off guard. He didn't know this talk was about to happen.
"I can't tell you every detail right now. But when we get back to Ashrin, I'll tell you everything." he nodded, reassuring her that he is okay with her decision.
"We have the belief that whoever is behind this cult is somewhere or somewhat hiding in here. Enough to cause a ruckus to almost all of our investigation." Her eyes then move to where her study table is. Just in front of the window of her room.
Yanyi — "I have been sending messages to Devian. Not for every case, just those that could be related."
Luyao — "How do you know it is related?"
Yanyi — "The subtle changes in the suspect. The first one was during the warehouse confrontation. He was outnumbered and was nearly down, but he came back up so suddenly. And his eyes… they are dilated with a hollow white circle in the middle."
Luyao — "Then…?"
Yanyi — "The children case. The terrorist attack. And the orphanage case. All of them have something off with their eyes. I even have the feeling that somehow, the murder at the manor and your family ones have somewhat connection to it."
Luyao — "Can you tell me what your suspicion is?"
Yanyi —"Umbra. Or so I can think off…"
Luyao was silent and Yanyi kept her mouth shut. She didn't know what to do until Luyao reacted to everything she had said. Until then, it would appear as bad on her part.
"I'll help you then." That statement turns her neck around. She hadn't anticipated his help. The most she had thought was for him to say he understands or say that it is okay.
No him lending a helping hand.
Luyao — "I can't help you with all of these things since it is something confidential and you cannot explain it to me. But I will help to at least protect you. After all, the Holy Maiden is the Guardian of society. Protecting you is protecting the civilians. Just like my job description says."
…
Yanyi twists her neck around, not looking at Luyao. She felt her face heating up. "Are you okay?" He asks almost innocently. She nodded, multiple times. 'Please, I don't want you to see me like this!'
"A-Anyway… about the case. What do we do now?" She asks, trying to find a grip on her current situation. Honestly, she still didn't know how to react to all of this.
"What do you want to do?" He asks back, a smile on his face. Confident that whatever she chooses will be the best option for them. She didn't take it as a challenge.
Yanyi — "Since we know that the box is something new, we can go and ask the shop owner. Specifically on why they put butterfly lilies on them."
Luyao — "Then?"
Yanyi — "Then we can start to recount back on our evidence. Based on Jingyao's case, you say that there are tire tracks right? We can try to confine the space of the operation and find what we can around there."
Luyao — "For them to make such bold action in the middle of the day, they must have some sort of hideout nearby. I can ask for all the businesses around to produce permits and those who are suspicious can be investigated."
Yanyi — "That is the most we can do for now."
"Not right now." Yanyi turns back to Luyao.
Luyao — "It's already near dusk. Those shops might have already closed for the day. I will ask some of the off duty officers to stand guard so that nothing can come in or out."
"Ask for 8 of them." Luyao was a bit stunned. He was only about to dispatch around 5 of them to cover up the whole area. But Yanyi's request would not be without reason.
"I want to test a theory. Besides, the more the safer right?" He nodded and was about to head out. The moment he opens the door, two figures fall forward nearly crashing into him. Grunts and hissing came from the two on the grounds.
It was Lixian and Qixiao. Apparently they had been staying outside of the door for a long time. Waiting to maybe have some moments with Yanyi.
"Are you two eavesdropping?" Yanyi crosses her arms in a scold. She had discussed quite the confidential information with Luyao. She didn't want it to get out of here without permission.
"Well… Maybe for like… 15 minutes? But we didn't hear anything, we swear!" Disapproving look for Qixiao.
"We-We were waiting for Jie… We only heard about the plan for A-Yao and Eker only! SWEAR!" A glare to Lixian.
"If I found out that you have been lying about this, I will force 30 laps around the street for both of you."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Both of them salute.
Yanyi cleaned her garments and moved back outside, she took a map for Kinsel and headed to the living room. There everyone is still waiting around for her. Irene is still gloomy and Kazuto is dabbing with some newspaper on the coffee table.
The moment Irene saw Yanyi again, her feet moved instinctively. She hugs Yanyi so tight and mutters "sorry" around 10 times. Yanyi didn't hold any grudges and genuinely forgive and thanked her for taking the burden away from her.
She then moved to place the map on the coffee table and proceeded to mark out where the accidents took place. Luyao then marks where the carriage was supposed to move and what general directly it is going to.
"The theatre is a bit further away from the carriage but they are generally headed the same way." He commented.
"Considering the timeframe between the occurrence and the arrival, it would be around a 3 to 5 minutes run near the carriage area." Kazuto then proceeds to circle the area of which he presumed to be equal to such time.
Irene — "That is quite large isn't it?"
Yanyi — "It is. But this will cover all the possible skills our suspects have. I doubt they are working alone on this one."
Kazuto — "Now what?"
Luyao — "Officers will be deployed around this vicinity to prevent any escapees. This will give us enough time to work things out tomorrow morning."
Speaking of which, Yanyi remembered what her brothers had requested early in the morning. If it is possible to follow her to the station. She had turned them down as it is much safer in the house.
But considering how Eker got taken away even with guards around him, Yanyi didn't like the idea of them not being around her any longer. "Both of you also will come tomorrow morning. So get some early rest after dinner and we'll depart tomorrow after breakfast."
They nodded with eagerness.
Well. Let the chase begin…
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