
When night fell and everyone fell asleep, someone dressed in all black entered Suiren's tent. He entered so carefully as not to wake the guard standing in front of Suiren's tent. Almost like a shadow.
'What kind of watchman is awake then asleep?' thought the shadow.
The shadow figure was approaching Suiren's bed, where he fell asleep on it soundly. Then, the shadowy figure had nudged Suiren's hand with the sword she was carrying.
“Hoam...” Suiren evaporated. “Who?”
“Goodnight Lady Suiren.” the figure speaks like a fifteen-year-old boy.
Suiren instantly woke up and then rubbed his two eyes. “Did General Kazuma Enkai send you?”
The figure just nodded small.
“I'm afraid the sign I gave was too small to see. But it doesn't seem to be a problem.” Suiren laughed softly.
“The sign you gave me was very helpful, Lady Suiren.” the figure was lying. Actually without that sign he could easily know the existence of Suiren.
“Mmm.. alright. Let me change clothes for a while. Because of course it will not be comfortable to move using an evening dress.” Then Suiren rushed behind the wooden curtain to change clothes.
After that he walked over to his bed and ruffled his mattress, threw a velvet blanket on the ground and dropped the table beside his bed slowly.
“This is so I look really kidnapped.” Said Suiren while putting his index finger in front of his lips.
'It's weird this guy, ' thought the figure that resembled the shadow earlier.
Then Suiren took a dagger the size of his three fingers from his storage drawer and put it in the cavity of his loose boots. After that he sat on the mattress that he was sleeping on and looked at the shadow figure.
“So, will I walk or.?” asked Suiren with a sleepy face.
“I'm sorry, Lady Suiren. But it would be better if you are unconscious.”
Suiren raised both eyebrows but then he smiled. “Alright, make me unconscious.”
The shadow figure had approached Suiren and pulled the sword from his waist without opening the sheath. “It may hurt a little, but you won't remember anything after that.”
Suiren looked tense but he just nodded his head. “Good. Then in the count of three.”
The shadow figure nodded.
“One.”
“Two.”
Not until the third count, as fast as lightning the shadow figure had struck the blunt end of the sword into the temple of Suiren. After that Suiren did not remember anything and was unconscious.
*****
Next morning...
The food in front of him was almost cold. She had been waiting for her daughter to have breakfast together for about fifteen minutes, and her daughter showed no signs of appearing.
When Suiren had not eaten breakfast yesterday, General Themisree could understand why. Perhaps his daughter was exhausted after a seven-hour road trip through a rugged mountain road. But today General Themisree could not think of a reason why his daughter did not come.
General Themisree sipped the already half-cold chamomile tea with a riled face. He hated drinking cold tea. He hated eating food in the cold.
Suddenly the tent opened. Gilbert appeared with a gloomy facial expression, a screaming expression ‘I bring bad news’. Between fear and worry being one. The same expression when Gilbert found Suiren in a soaked wet position lying on the edge of the lake.
Without needing to hear anything from Gilbert's mouth, General Themisree knew that something bad had happened. Something to do with Suiren.
Tend's messy. A ruffled mattress. Blanket on the ground. A small table beside the fallen bed. This sight speaks a thousand words.
“What does all this mean Gilbert?” although his voice was calm, General Themisree's heart was racing
and quick.
Gilbert did not dare to answer his master. Lately, he felt the task of guarding General Themisree's daughter was becoming more difficult than usual. It all started when Suiren drowned in the lake until the current incident.
“Lady Suiren can not be found everywhere, General Themisree.” He said after swallowing.
“Search all corners and places. Even if you have to cross the borders of the imperial territory though.”
Hearing that, Gilbert hurried to carry out his master's orders. He did not dare to tell General Themisree that he had searched all corners of the imperial military camp, hoping that once more a miracle would happen.
“Please, Lady Suiren. I hope you're just taking a morning walk and getting lost.” whispered Gilbert behind her heavy breath.
BRAK!!!
Gilbert hit someone.
“It's not too early to make someone's mood break, isn't it Captain Trancy?” Kyrie Wisteria said with her sarastical smile.
Gilbert rushed past Kyrie without answering her question. He could not even think clearly at this time, he only saw the lady he was serving.
“Have you lost your mind, Captain Trancy?” Kyrie pulled Gilbert's upper arm tightly.
“I'm sorry, Duke Wisteria. But there are things I have to do.” Reply Gilbert in an annoyed tone.
As the two exchanged glances, they looked like snakes and tigers preparing for a fight.
“To be honest, Kyrie. It's too early to get someone to fight.” Someone said to break the tension between Kyrie and Gilbert.
Crown Prince Frederick was walking closer, followed by his personal bodyguards, both Kyrie and Gilbert, then stopped the tension between them and saluted the Crown Prince.
“Is everything okay here?” ask Frederick.
Gilbert hesitated to answer. But he did not have time to linger. “Lady Suiren can not be found everywhere, Your Highness.”
Frederick raised his eyebrows.
“What did you say?” ask Kyrie. The look on his face that had been riled up turned confused.
Gilbert did not repeat his words.
“Is it possible that Lady Suiren got lost?” Frederick tried to think positively.
Gilbert shook his head. To be honest he wished Suiren was lost, but he had searched all the way into the forest and still found no sign of him. The only place he had not checked was the military camp of the Ginryuu Kingdom, and he might have reached that place by now had Duke Wisteria not hindered him.
Kyrie rushed towards her fiance's tent and found that General Themisree was standing looking at the messy state of the tent.
“What happened here?” ask Kyrie.
General Themisree did not respond.
Soon after, Frederick entered the tent together with Claudia.
With a single glance the three were able to deduce something from the state of this tent of girl whose existence was unknown. They are not fools or fools and they can conclude that this messy scene before them is just fabrication.