80 A Cure?

Prince Jambati lightly tapped his golden cane, as he waited for the king to speak. Although the king looked completely calm, the prince could tell that his brother was still angry about what he had said. Prince Jambati prided himself in reading people. He could easily deduce people's motivations and then use it to his advantage. However, when it came to Ometu, Jambati had no idea where to begin. For starters, his brother had a way of concealing his thoughts with blank expressions. This made King Ometu incredibly unpredictable.

"Is it true?" King Ometu finally broke the silence. He slowly wheeled himself toward the prince.

A look of confusion formed on Prince Jambati's face. "Forgive me, your majesty. But I do not know what you mean."

The king stared intently at his older brother, his face completely blank. He knew this man. He knew exactly what kind of cunning creature laid beneath those royal robes; he's had seventy-nine years to know exactly who his brother was. Thus, nothing Prince Jambati ever said was believed by the king.

King Ometu had had to learn the hard way in their much younger years. His earliest memory of him and his brother together was when he was about four years old. At that age, the then young Prince Ometu thought the world of his older brother, and the two were inseparable. But as Ometu grew older, in his preteens, he felt his brother growing colder and colder towards him. At first, he thought he had offended Jambati. But he would later learn as a young adult that his entire existence infuriated his older brother. The fact that Ometu was the more favoured son of their father simply because his mother was the queen created a rift between the two brothers.

Thinking that perhaps, his older brother had a point, Ometu decided to make himself worthy by his own merit and not because of his status as royalty. Thus, he dedicated himself to obtaining knowledge and skills in everything required of him as a prince. In so doing, Ometu had hoped that one day, his relationship with his brother would improve and that they would go back to how they used to be when they were younger. After all, Jambati had always been a loving brother until his mother started brainwashing him.

But the two never became close, mostly because Varensi Rui did everything she could to keep her son away from Ometu. Eventually, Jambati internalized her mother's beliefs as being the rightful heir to the throne since he was the first born.

Thus, their relationship became even worse when King Haniki declared Ometu the crown prince. Jambati became so furious that he actually left the kingdom only to return almost two decades later.

The fact that they seemed close now was a recent development and this was mainly because Prince Jambati had saved his brother's life eight years ago. Even still, Ometu knew better than to totally trust his brother. In fact, there was something about the incident eight years ago that still bothered King Ometu. However, since he had no evidence, he could do nothing about it. Moreover, as much as he mistrusted his brother, King Ometu did not believe hie would harm him just to take the throne. The two brothers had their issues but deep down, they still cared for each other.

"It has come to my attention that people are going missing in your city." King Ometu explained. He was frail and thin, yet, he spoke with such firmness that one was bound to shiver.

Even though the king was sick and could no longer use his soul armos because of his damaged soul, Prince Jambati knew better than to incur the king's wrath. One of the main reasons he had never directly picked a fight with his brother in spite of his disdain towards him was that Ometu was a blue user who had dedicated his life to the Mystical Combat Art of the Yugaki-Haniki Clan. Prince Jambati on the other hand was only a green user, and though he was equally skilled in the Mystical Combat Art, he was still a lot weaker than the king. In as much as the king was completely helpless now due to his affliction there was something about him that still invoked fear in the prince.

Prince Jambati ran his left hand through his thick black hair. "Your majesty, this is but a rumour created by my enemies to discredit me. I have been nothing but a loyal servant of the people."

"Brother, do not think just because I am indoors all day, I have no idea what is happening in my own kingdom."

"Absolutely not, your majesty. I'm assuming Yadaji told you this rumour. We both know I'm not his favourite person in the world." The prince said, cursing Governor Yadaji in his head. Ever since Hill City was handed over to the prince as an autonomous region, the governor seemed to be even angrier at him.

Governor Yadaji was only four months older than the king and the two grew up together. When Yadaji was eight years old, his identical twin brother died. Given that Jambati was seven years older and wanted nothing to do with his brother, Ometu got closer to his cousin. While Ometu's relationship with Jambati grew weaker, his relationship with Yadaji became stronger. They were so close that people actually thought Yadaji was Ometu's brother. And just as the two cousins were close, their children became even closer.

Thus, Prince Jambati knew that if there was anyone alive Ometu trusted in the whole world it was Yadaji. And if Yadaji called the king's attention to something, the king was likely to listen. The only time this failed was when King Ometu gave Hill City to the prince. Not even Governor Yadaji could talk the king out of it.

"Say what you want about Yadaji, but we both know he is a man of proof. I give you three days to investigate this. Or else I will let him do it himself."

King Ometu had no intention of involving Yadaji, however, he knew that bringing up his name would force Jambati to do the investigation. Besides, if Jambati was really involved in the people going missing like Yadaji had claimed, King Ometu knew his brother would cover it up. For this reason, the king was planning on letting someone else do the investigation secretly. This was why he had hidden his real intention from both Yadaji and Jambati.

A slight wave of panic clouded Jambati's eyes when the king warned him about involving the governor. However, he quickly masked it with a smile. He could not let anyone, especially Yadaji, look into this matter. He wasn't certain if the disappearance of the people had anything to do with Verrin, still, he was not taking any chances. If people found out about Verrin, the plan he had set in motion in the last twenty years would all fall apart. If that happened, Verrin would certainly kill him. The thought of being at the mercy of Verrin vexed him to no end.

"Of course, your majesty."

"I'm guessing you didn't come here for this."

"No, your majesty. Actually, I have good news." Prince Jambati was all smiles, revealing his set of beautiful white teeth and showing off his handsome features. He silently hoped the plan he had just come up with would actually work.

"Good news?"

"Yes, your majesty. It's about your illness. I've found someone who can treat you."

The king stared at his brother skeptically. What did Jambati mean he had found someone who could treat him? This sounded too good to be true.

What is this, Jambati? King Ometu thought. Are you trying to give me a sense of hope only to crush it?