"Please, Your Highness… show mercy," the man begged, trembling. Prince Zhan Prince Zhan Nathenial stared at him with a blank expression. Not a trace of mercy showed on his face. "I'll ask you one more time. Who ordered you to kill my sister?" he asked coldly, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"I… I can't say... He'll kill my family if I speak," the man stammered, trembling. He never expected to fall into Prince Zhan Nathenial's hands. His carefully laid plans to kill Princess Dyyana had been ruined. Who could have known Prince Zhan Nathenial would appear and attack him?
"Kill him," Prince Zhan Nathenial ordered, turning to General Wei.
"No, please…. " The words were cut short as a sword slashed across his neck. "Hmph, such trash. Throw him to the dogs," Prince Zhan Nathenial said dismissively as he walked away from the basement. The basement, where this event took place, had become a grim place for those who dared to cross him. No one left alive after entering that place. This basement was a secret, known only to Prince Zhan Nathenial, Princess Dyyana, General Wei, and a select few whom Prince Zhan Nathenial trusted. Even the King was unaware of its existence. This basement is hidden beneath Prince Zhan Nathenial's bedroom, the stairs leading to the basement were concealed behind a wall.
"Your Highness, we've killed that man, but how can we find out who ordered the assassination of Princess Dyyana?" General Wei asked, standing before Prince Zhan Nathenial, who was seated at his desk.
"Have our men investigate," Prince Zhan Nathenial replied calmly.
"But Your Highness, I don't think our people will be able to uncover the mastermind. We have no evidence or clues," General Wei said, concerned.
"Don't worry, I'll find a clue myself," Prince Zhan Nathenial assured him as he stood up and headed for Princess Dyyana's chambers.
As he entered, the servants immediately bowed and greeted him. He noticed Princess Dyyana, her eyes still red from crying earlier.
[Flashback]
"Your Highness, it's already late. You need to rest," Shu Mia said, looking at Princess Dyyana with concern.
Princess Dyyana paused her writing and glanced at her maid. She could see the worry in her eyes.
"Calm down, Mia. I just want to finish this quickly so I can go out to the city tomorrow," Princess Dyyana said happily, resuming her writing.
"But Your Highness, you can finish it tomorrow. And the King won't allow you to go out alone," Shu Mia protested, stifling a yawn as she grew tired, but Princess Dyyana remained focused on her task.
"If I finish my work quickly, I won't need to return to the castle early. I can go out alone. Father already gave me permission," Princess Dyyana said proudly, a smile on her face.
"Really? We can go out? Aaaa, I can't wait! I've missed the street food!" Shu Mia exclaimed, her mind already imagining the delicious treats.
"Oi, do you have money to buy all that food?" Shu Mia teased, holding Princess Dyyana's hand.
"Come on, my princess is so kind-hearted and always treats me so well. Pleaseeee!" Shu Mia begged, her eyes wide and hopeful.
"I'm just joking, Mia. I'll always give you what you want," Princess Dyyana said with a wink, and Shu Mia nodded eagerly.
"Yes, you're the best!" said Shu Mia, and both she and Princess Dyyana burst into laughter. "Well, well, well... what a touching little romance," a voice sneered.
Princess Dyyana and Shu Mia were startled. Shu Mia screamed for the guards, but no one came.
"Little girl, don't waste your time. I've already poisoned all the guards near your chamber. They won't wake up for hours," the man laughed.
"Who are you? What do you want? How dare you enter the Princess's chamber?" Princess Dyyana scolded.
"Hahaha, am I supposed to be scared? If I were scared, I wouldn't have broken into your chamber tonight. I actually wanted to kill you. But seeing how close you are with your maid, I think… I'll kill both of you," the man said, pointing his sword at Princess Dyyana.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced his chest. The man gasped, stunned in pain and disbelief. Prince Zhan Nathenial had arrived, immediately engaging the other men in battle. He left one alive to provide him with clues.
"Arrest him and clean up this mess," Prince Zhan Nathenial ordered, his voice cold. He turned to Princess Dyyana and embraced her.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" he asked urgently.
Princess Dyyana hugged him back, tears streaming down her face in fear.
"Shh, you're safe now. No one will hurt you," Prince Zhan Nathenial whispered, stroking her hair.
Princess Dyyana nodded, still crying.
"Shu Mia, take care of the Princess. I have something to do," Prince Zhan Nathenial said gently, breaking the hug.
"No, don't leave me. I'm scared," Princess Dyyana pleaded, holding into him tightly.
"Listen, Dyyana. I'll be back soon. Don't worry, I've placed guards around your chamber," he reassured her.
Princess Dyyana nodded reluctantly, and Prince Zhan Nathenial quickly left her room and descended to the basement.
[End of Flashback]
"Dyyana, are you okay now?" Prince Zhan Nathenial asked as he sat at the edge of Princess Dyyana's bed.
"I'm okay now, just a little bit shocked. But why are your men in my bedroom?" Princess Dyyana asked, noticing a few men entering her room and searching around.
"Oh, it's just that the killer who came earlier has already died without leaving any clues," Prince Zhan Nathenial replied, patting Princess Dyyana's head.
"Your Highness, we found it," one of Prince Zhan Nathenial's men said, handing him a silver medal with an inscription on it. The medal had a golden eagle on it.
"What does this mean?" Princess Dyyana asked, looking at the medal.
"It must be a clue about where it came from," he replied.
"Your Highness, I also found an eagle tattoo on each of the killers who came," said General Wei, who had just entered.
"That's helpful, we now have a lead . Tell our people to start investigating this," Prince Zhan Nathenial instructed. General Wei nodded and left.
"Dyyana, don't worry. I'll make sure to find the person who dared to harm you," Prince Zhan Nathenial promised.
Princess Dyyana smiled. "Tomorrow, I want to go to the capital. Can you come with me?"
"I'm sorry, I have something to do tomorrow, but I'll send my people to secretly cover you," he replied.
Princess Dyyana pouted. "It still doesn't feel safe." She looked away.
Prince Zhan Nathenial smiled and comforted her. "I'm sorry, okay? How about I make it up to you? I'll stay with you tonight."
"Fine," she replied, then broke the hug, grabbed a blanket, and covered herself.
Prince Zhan Nathenial just smiled, watching how grumpy his sister was. He leaned against the bed's wall and soon fell asleep there.
The Next Morning
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live the Lord. Greetings, Your Highness the Empress," said Prince Zhan Nathenial and Princess Dyyana as they stood in the castle living hall infront the Emperor and Empress.
"Get up," said the Emperor.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," they both said as they stood.
"How are you, Dad?" Princess Dyyana asked.
"Of course, I'm good, especially after seeing my beloved princess," the Emperor replied, smiling at her.
"I heard someone broke into your chamber last night. Is that true?" the Emperor asked, a worried look on his face.
"Yes, it's true. They tried to kill me and Shu Mia last night. Thankfully, my brother arrived at the perfect time. If not, you might never have seen me again. I was so scared," Princess Dyyana said with a sad expression.
"Don't say that. My baby will always be blessed by heaven," the Emperor said, trying to comfort her. "Nathenial, did you catch them?"
"Answering Your Majesty, yes, I caught them, but I already killed them because I no longer needed them for investigation," Prince Zhan Nathenial answered.
"What?! You killed them? How are we supposed to know who's behind this?" the Emperor snapped. "Don't worry, Dad. I've already found a clue. I promise I will find the person," Prince Zhan Nathenial reassured him.
"Hm, fine. I leave this matter to you. Make sure you don't disappoint me," the Emperor said.
"Don't worry, I'll never disappoint you," Prince Zhan Nathenial replied confidently.
The Emperor nodded. "You may leave now. Don't forget to increase the guard around the princess's chambers."
Prince Zhan Nathenial nodded, and both he and Princess Dyyana bowed before leaving the castle living hall.
Later, when night had come…
The night was quiet. Only the sound of crickets filled the darkness outside the old wooden house, almost falling apart from age. Inside the dim living room, a man knelt on the ground, facing a woman who stood before him. They spoke in low voices, as if something heavier than words stood between them.
"Is this what you call good work? " the woman asked. Her face was full of anger.
The man trembled.
"I… I'm sorry, Your Highness. Everything was going smoothly. I already killed someone and left his body on the main road to distract Prince Zhan Nathenial, so he would return to the castle late. But I didn't expect him to finish his investigation so quickly and come back early," he said, staring at the floor, afraid to meet her eyes.
The woman sighed sharply.
"I don't care what you planned. You should've made sure everything went perfectly. Now, the Emperor has increased the guards around Princess Dyyana's chamber. Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?" she asked angrily.
The man could only lower his head. His heart was pounding, his body shaking.
"I'm truly sorry, Your Highness," he whispered.
The woman rolled her eyes.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I have another plan," the man added.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Really? And what guarantee can you give me this time? What if you fail again?" she asked, voice cold and mocking.
"My head," the man replied with confidence. "If I fail again, you can take my head."
The woman smiled slightly.
"Then tell me," she said.
The man nodded and stood up, then leaned close to whisper something. As the woman listened, her eyes turned dark, sharp and focused. A cruel smile slowly formed on her lips as she heard the wickedly clever plan.
But as they spoke, unbeknownst to them, in the dense shadows beyond the crumbling wall, a pair of cold eyes watched in silence, ears catching every word that passed between them.
No one had noticed the hidden presence.
"When the time comes…" the figure thought darkly, "…I will strike."