Chapter 52: Apology

As the group made their way out of the room, Ana turned to Lala, her curiosity piqued. "Who was she?" she asked. Ray, overhearing the question, chimed in, "Her name is Montina, she is Kai's fiancée." As Lala heard so, she froze up. The revelation shocked Lala, but before she could ask anything, Ray added, "But their relationship is kind of messed up." As he said so, Lala looked at Ray, before she proceeded to ask him some questions.

Back in the room, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Montina stood near Kai's bed, her head lowered, while Kai just stared at her. "This is going nowhere," Kai thought to himself. "Maybe I should make the first move," just as he was about to break the silence, Montina spoke up.

"I… I'm sorry," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's my fault… the incident… if only, I didn't create a scene back then…" She stood silent, gripping to her clothes tight. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over and trailing down her cheeks. Kai wanted to comfort her, but she continued to cry, her sobs echoing in the quiet room.

Looking at her cry, Kai sighed. Slowly, he reached out and took her hand. She looked up, her tear-streaked face meeting his gaze behind his bangs. In his other hand, he held up a note. "It's fine," he had scribbled. "Thanks to that incident, we were able to save two lives."

At his words, Montina broke down completely, her sobs filling the room. Kai simply watched her, his hand still holding hers, offering silent comfort and understanding.

Back with the group, Lala and Ana were escorted by a maid, to a room where they would later discuss their future plans. As they stepped into the spacious room, Ana looked around in awe, while Lala was lost in thought, her mind filled with thoughts about Kai and Montina's relationship, her emotions a whirlwind of sadness, happiness, and curiosity.

Meanwhile, Ray returned to the palace to fulfill his duties as the Crown Prince, along with Niatina who accompanied him back, while Elysia retreated to prepare for her next lessons. Left behind were Hiro, Sakura, Maximus, and Celestina. They all took their seats in the living room, the room heavy with a tense silence.

Hiro was the first to break the silence, his expression worried, "It's happening again…" he's voice full of fear. "If only I was capable," he looked at his hands, shaking when Maximus put his hand on Hiro's shoulder. He smiled at it, "This time, we are on this together," his expression serious.

After a few minutes of silence, Maximus asked. "Did you find any information from them?" To this, Hiro sighed. He shook his head, "I did everything I could, but they only spoke that they didn't knew anything. They only came for the greed of the reward." He recalled the scene of the interrogation in the dungeon beneath an abandoned mansion. The memory of his bloodied fist, the unconscious bodies around him, and the man he held by the neck demanding answers, was still fresh in his mind.

Back in the present, Hiro sighed again. Sakura then asked, "What about the assassin, Trickster?" To this question, Maximus replied, "I looked into it, but no luck. There's no record of any girl with the appearance you described. And the type of magic she used," he paused, "I don't know about it either." Hiro added, "I asked Justin about it, but he said he needs to check it as well." He remembered Justin's words, back in the academy in the Principal's office. "The type of magic you mentioned, it sounds other-worldly. But give me some time. I will look into it."

In the room, Celestina pondered for a moment, "But to think that she just killed the leader…" she mused. After a lot of thinking, she spoke up. "Could it be that she was the one behind Kai's kidnapping?" she stated, "And she killed him to prevent her name from getting out?" Her question raised a topic of concern for them, as they sat silently, each lost in their own theories.

The group spent the next few hours engrossed in their discussion, each of them presenting their own point of view. As nightfall approached, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Hiro gave the permission to enter, as a maid came in and reported that dinner was ready. Maximus and Celestina were surprised to realize how late it had gotten. Sakura invited them to stay for dinner, an invitation they readily accepted.

Hiro asked the maid to let Lala and Ana know about the dinner, and guide them to the dining hall. Just then, Celestina asked, "Wait, what happened with Kai and Mono?" They recalled that Montina hadn't returned after she had asked to speak with Kai alone. After a moment, Celestina and Sakura decided to check on them.

Upon reaching Kai's room, Sakura knocked gently on the door. "Kai, are you awake?" she asked. The sound of a bell chimed from within the room. Taking the signal, Sakura slowly opened the door and entered, followed by Celestina.

"Sorry, it took us so longgg…" Sakura's words trailed off as she froze, together with Celestina behind her, taking in the sight before them. Kai was awake, sitting on his bed. But the sight next to him was what surprised them the most. Next to Kai, Montina was sound asleep, her head resting on Kai's lap. The swelling around her eyes, a clear indication that she had been crying. They looked at her, then at Kai, who put a finger over his lips, signaling them to keep quiet.

An hour back:

While Hiro and the others were engrossed in their discussion, back in Kai's room, Montina was in tears. "Wow, I thought she was a rebellious and strong girl," Kai mused to himself. "Well, she is a kind hearted one as well." He smiled, as he remembered the night, he saw her giving food to poor children and the day of their date when she ran off to help the needy. He watched her continue to cry, sniffing and sobbing, apologizing for all her wrong actions towards him, from the banquet to the date disasters she had caused. Kai gently pulled her to sit on his bed, as she continued to apologize. A few minutes later, she had fallen asleep, her head resting on Kai's lap.

"Why do most girls fall asleep after they cry their eyes out?" Kai wondered to himself as he looked at Montina. He stared at her face for a while, his hand almost reaching out to touch her cheek but he stopped himself. He sighed, running his hand through his hair and pulling his bangs upward, revealing his face. "What was I thinking?" he pondered as he looked at her once more.

Just then, Eva spoke up, "Sir, there are many chemical reactions happening in your body."

"Really?" Kai replied subconsciously, as he asked while watching Montina's sleeping face. "What kind of reactions?" To this, Eva replied, "Your brain is releasing dopamine, your serotonin levels are increasing, and oxytocin is being produced. This causes you to feel a surge of positive emotion. In short, you're having butterflies in your stomach." At her words, Kai nodded as he continued to watch Montina. "Righ- wait, what!?" he exclaimed, coming back to reality as he asked Eva not to speak of such things.

Kai cast another glance at Montina, his mind lost in deep thought. He continued to wonder for some time, until his reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Sakura and Celestina who had arrived. Later when they entered the room, the scene in front of them caught them by surprise.

Back to the present:

Both were visibly shocked, as Kai showed them a note. "Please speak in a low voice, I will explain everything," it read. Both Sakura and Celestina nodded as they took their seats on the chairs nearby.

Kai then recounted the events that had transpired, from Montina's heartfelt apology to her falling asleep as she cried. As Kai finished his explanation, he looked at them, who were clearly taken aback by the story. Kai waved his hand in front of them, bringing them back to reality. Sakura then spoke up, "It's good to see that you two have made amends. But what do we do now?" she pondered, "It's almost dinner time." As she said so, Kai scribbled another note, "Can you bring our dinner here, mom? Her and mine."

To this, Sakura pondered for a moment when Celestina put a hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked at her, who nodded her head. With that, Sakura agreed to it, and told Kai that she would have a maid bring their dinner to his room. Later, as they were about to exit the room, Celestina paused and looked back at Kai. "By the way," she spoke up, "you should always have your hair pulled up, Kai," she smiled at him as she said so, while Sakura chuckled and they made their way out of the room. As they did, Kai wondered about what she said when he recalled that he had his hair pulled up the whole time. The atmosphere in the mansion started to warm-up, but far away, unknown to them, many threats were rising.

The scene shifts abruptly to a dark room, so quiet that the silence is almost deafening. Suddenly, fires flicker to life, casting dancing shadows on the walls. In the middle of the room, a figure cloaked in darkness stands alone. The cloak conceals his features, making him an enigma.

"What happened to the task I gave?" he asks, his voice echoing in the emptiness. The room remains silent for a moment before a disembodied voice responds, "The task was almost completed, but due to their greed, they met their end." The voice reverberates throughout the room, a chilling reminder of the absence of anyone else.

Upon hearing the answer, the cloaked figure speaks up, his voice laced with impatience, "I can't wait anymore." He pauses for a moment before continuing, "We are attacking the Archduke's household in one month from now. Get on with the preparations!" His command echoes in the room, a clear testament to his authority.

The voice responds again, agreeing to his command. The cloaked figure smiles underneath his cloak. "I will have it no matter what. The key to my plan… the Archduke's treasure," a vow hidden in the shadows. As quickly as they appeared, the fires go out, plunging the room back into darkness once more. The figure stands alone in the darkness, his plans set in motion, waiting for the day of reckoning to arrive.