Silent Strife

Loud yet sad bells rang in the mansion once again. It was a time for a funeral, a funeral that made some people happy and left others with many questions behind.

"Get up, bastard. It's time to get ready," Rosa spoke to him with a commanding tone.

Karyan woke up without showing any feelings on his face and stared at Rosa, the maid who was still acting rude.

"Is my mother back?" He asked, but Rosa just rolled her eyes and didn't say anything.

From then on, Karyan and Rosa were kind of fighting without using words. Karyan was serious and didn't say much, but his look showed he wanted answers. 

Rosa, on the other hand, was being stubborn and didn't want to give any information. It was like they were having a quiet battle, using their expressions and silence to say things they didn't speak out loud.

Karyan's eyes were like a challenge to Rosa, asking her to stop being rude for no reason. 

Rosa stared back at him with a proud look, refusing to answer and acting like she didn't care.

Karyan and Rosa were like two sides not agreeing, and the room felt heavy with the tension between them. 

As they exchanged these silent clashes, it was clear that Karyan wanted Rosa to change her attitude, while Rosa wanted to show she wouldn't be pushed around anymore by anyone.

Even though they didn't say much, the room was filled with the strong feeling that something was wrong, and their weird arguments made it hard to tell how things would end.

As Karyan continued his silent standoff with Rosa, she abruptly pushed him from behind. "Hurry up! We need to get to the garden for the funeral," she barked with an aggressive tone.

Karyan, startled by the shove, shot her a sharp look. "I'll go at my own pace. Don't push me," he retorted.

The tension between them escalated as they headed towards the garden, where the air was heavy not only with grief but also with their unresolved emotions about each other.

Rosa, undeterred by Karyan's resistance, continued to push him forward. "We don't have time for your nonsense. Everyone is waiting!" she snapped, her impatience started slowly to transform into aggression.

Karyan, resisting Rosa's forceful nudges, shot back. "I won't be rushed. Show some respect," he insisted.

Rosa, losing patience, unleashed her frustration. "If you want to see your mother sooner. Move faster!" she demanded.

Karyan responded with a cutting remark. "And she wouldn't want to be rushed either. Back off."

'What did she mean by that?' He raised a brow.

Rosa, unwilling to back down, pressed Karyan further. "Stop being so difficult. This is about your cousin, for heaven's sake!" Her frustration was boiling over.

Karyan, standing his ground, glared at Rosa. "You don't get to dictate how I grieve. Mind your own business," he snapped.

"Tttscc."

As they reached the gathering, Karyan's gaze shifted from Rosa's persistent aggression to the scene at the garden.

There, Maiko stood in front of the casket, emotionless and empty. Victoria, with eyes as red as lava, leaned on him, her grief visible in the heavy silence.

As Karyan observed the mournful scene, he noticed the absence of Barbara, a sinking feeling settled in.

"Where is she?" Clenching his fists, he scanned the surroundings, but Barbara was nowhere to be found.

Something was wrong–she hadn't returned from the court.

Turning away from the garden, Karyan's eyes caught the mansion's silhouette, and there, on the periphery, he saw Mateo.

His red eyes pierced through the distance, too proud to attend the funeral. Karyan's jaw tightened at the sight, anger and disappointment filling up within him.

The garden was adorned with dark black roses, their petals seeming to absorb the sorrow in the air.

The atmosphere was heavy with grief, and the flowers mirrored the darkness that had befallen them.

Karyan couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The absence of Barbara and the disapproving gaze of Mateo intensified his unease.

The funeral should have been a moment for shared mourning, but the air was tainted with more questions.

He knew that Mateo wouldn't be attending the traitor's funeral, but it was his own grandson, yet again, he didn't hesitate to kill Karlin on the spot.

In the middle of the mourning, Victoria collapsed in grief, her red eyes blurred with tears.

"My son!"

Mateo, watching from a distance, turned away.

"What did he do?" Karyan couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. He questioned Mateo's role and asked loudly, "What did you do to Barbara?"

It's been four months since the funeral of Maiko's son and Barbara's strange disappearance.

He had no answers about what could have happened to her and where exactly she went.

Royal investigators came in and out, pretending they were doing their job in finding Mateo's daughter.

But no clue, evidence, even her own documents were gone, vanished, like she never existed.

During that period, Maiko tried to conceive another baby with Victoria, whom Karyan was sure couldn't have any children. 

His tea worked, driving Maiko crazier.

He couldn't represent a son from a maid to carry the family's legacy, and he couldn't divorce Victoria. 

The only way he could get a child was if she was going to die, but he didn't have the guts to do that. Not in Mateo's house.

Mateo, on the other hand, was secretive and distanced from everyone, pretending that he was in huge regrets on how he was treating Barbara and now that she was gone. He stayed depressed.

But thanks to Sera, Karyan was capable of spying on him. Mateo wasn't depressed; he was studying the elements and trying if it could actually work on him. So far, there were no visible results.

In those four months, the situation for Karyan stayed the same.

There was no news from anyone, nothing from Estera, Karlin, and his mother, but there was a reply from his old friend, "Hello, Karyan, I'm writing this letter to your question, yes, it's true. The spirit lives within a king, and it's vulnerable right now."