A skinny young man with yellow hair and blue eyes was called by his mother.
"Andrian Joseph, are you ready? We must leave now to attend Malik Zanagi's birthday celebration," said his mother.
Andrian turned around and replied, "I'm ready, mother. Do we really have to go to the Zanagi Kingdom?"
"Yes," his mother replied gently. "This is an official invitation from the Zanagi Kingdom to welcome your father's visit."
Elisa Bryi smiled softly. "We must leave before six in the evening. Are you feeling any better? And have you taken the medicine the doctor gave you?"
"I have, mother… but I still haven't fully recovered from this strange illness," Andrian answered quietly.
Andrian often complained because the illness made his body weak and caused him to faint frequently. His mother gently stroked Andrian's head with affection.
"I believe you will get better, Andrian. Trust me, you'll be healthy again soon," she whispered softly.
Elisa added, "The doctor also said you'll be completely healed within a month, at most."
But behind that sweet smile, there were hidden intentions and secrets unknown to anyone.
"Alright, we must go now. Your father has been waiting at the front door," his mother said again.
A middle-aged man with a dark-colored hat, blond hair, and blue eyes stood at the main door. His face looked stern but calm as he watched his wife and son leave the house.
Zall Joseph, father of Andrian Joseph, pulled out a pocket watch from his coat, showing the time: 12:20 in the afternoon. He sighed lightly before speaking firmly,
"You two are very slow. We must go to the carriage immediately. The servant is waiting outside with the horse."
"Sorry, father," said Andrian. "I just took the medicine the doctor gave me. Mother said I'll recover within a year at most," he said cheerfully.
Zall Joseph smiled slightly and said, "I already know. Now let's go."
Yet behind his warm smile, there was a hidden evil that no one knew about.
A servant quickly opened the carriage door, and the Joseph family stepped inside. Inside the carriage, Zall Joseph and his wife, Elisa Bryi, whispered to each other. During the conversation, Zall handed a small bottle of medicine to his wife while nodding with a smile.
Andrian, meanwhile, enjoyed the view from the carriage window. He smiled to himself and thought,
"When I get better… I want to help my parents and study at a famous school like I always read about in the newspapers."
He rarely went outside due to the strange illness that made his body weak and unable to stand the sunlight for long periods.
Elisa Bryi looked at her son with a smile. She gave him the medicine she just received from her husband.
"Here's your medicine, take it now," his mother said softly.
Andrian frowned in confusion. "Didn't I already take the doctor's medicine, mother?" he asked quietly.
Elisa simply gave a weak smile. "The more medicine you take, the faster you'll recover," she replied calmly.
She handed him the medicine along with a glass of water. Without asking further, Andrian swallowed the medicine and finished the water.
Thirty minutes later, Andrian suddenly felt a severe headache. His head spun, his eyes became heavy. When he tried to look ahead, he saw both his parents, Elisa Bryi and Zall Joseph, smiling… but their smiles looked terrifying, full of malice.
Andrian closed his eyes, his body weakened, and he collapsed onto the carriage seat.
Zall Joseph immediately knocked on the front carriage wall, signaling the coachman.
The carriage stopped instantly. Soon after, the wooden door opened, revealing a servant on horseback. The servant smiled sinisterly, his eyes glinting with wicked intent.
"Well done," said the servant. "As we agreed thirteen years ago… I'll pay one hundred thousand pounds for this child."
Zall Joseph smiled in satisfaction. "Just transfer the money to my kingdom."
The servant nodded. Without wasting time, he pulled out a black sack and roughly stuffed Andrian's unconscious body inside.
From afar, another carriage that had been following them also stopped at the roadside.
Before the servant left, Zall Joseph asked quietly, "We've been planning this for thirteen years… may I know your real name, sir?"
The servant remained silent for two minutes. The air was quiet, only the horses' breathing could be heard.
Then he answered with a cold smile, "Just call me… Mr. A."