"Brother!" the older prince yelled in surprise.
The king looked towards the entrance and saw his youngest son walking towards them. His happiness knew no bounds. His heart was overwhelmed with joy. Ecstatic, he smiled and that grew just wider and wider. His most capable son was alive!
Prince Mua Kong went up before his father and knelt on one knee. "Father, I'm sorry for worrying you."
The king was just not overjoyed but also emotional but he had to play the role of king. He quickly changed his facial expressions. "Where were you?" He asked in a low, stern tone.
"I was attacked, but I escaped. It took a few days to get my strength back, and I took the time to investigate on my own." The prince glanced at his royal bodyguard, who at that moment seemed happiest to see him.
The king had two sons, but he knew that his younger son was more capable than his first son. The youngest son was sometimes hard to understand and sometimes, unpredictable, but he always had a leadership aura and calculated moves that showed this how he thought several steps ahead. Not only that, several years back, a random diviner they bumped into had prophesied that his youngest son would one day combine the two neighboring kingdoms and bring peace to the entire continent. Since then he had slowly tested and watched his son, to see if his son possessed the traits to combine the three kingdoms that were archenemies.
Prince Mua Kong continued, "Father, can you leave this matter for me to investigate?"
The king had already gathered intel and he was ready to dispatch them to further investigate. When he heard his son, many thoughts flashed through his mind. However, this would be a great opportunity to test his son's ability.
The older prince budged in, "Father, my little brother's life was in danger, and this could be too much for him. Let me help him in this case."
Mua Kong glanced at his brother. "Brother, there is no need for you to assist me. You already have enough on your plate. I can take care of this problem myself. I've got to grow up sometimes."
The king was satisfied with Mua Kong's words. "Fine, I'll leave this matter to you. Don't drag this investigation out too long."
"Yes, father."
Prince Mua Kong got up and walked out. His personal bodyguard quickly followed. He went behind the prince and exclaimed, "My Lord, I'm so happy you're okay!"
Mua Kong continued walking towards his quarters. "Mm... let's go back. There is something I need you to do first."
"Yes," the bodyguard obliged.
Back at Prince Mua Kong's place, he issued an order for his personal bodyguard. "Go to Buffalo Mountain and find out which brothel chased two sisters and killed one of them. Burn that place to the ground when you find it." He then handed a rolled-up scroll to his bodyguard.
The bodyguard took the scroll and opened it. In the scroll was a hand-drawn map of the little hut. "My Lord, what is this?" The bodyguard asked with a confused look.
"Send some bodyguards to guard the place marked on the map. Do not let anyone know of these two activities. There should be an elderly woman and a girl. They saved my life, but one assassin escaped. I can't afford to be careless," Prince Mua Kong said with an iceless expression and a glint of killing intent in his eyes.
The scene changed and it was the night time there.
That night, Prince Mua Kong was looking through some documents in his study room when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Mua Kong answered.
A bodyguard came in. "My Lord, we were dispatched early this morning to the place you marked on the map but..." He sounded a little nervous, thinking of a better way to break the news to the prince but there really was no better way to break the news. Regardless, the prince would be mad so he continued, "But there wasn't anyone living in the hut and the place looked like someone raided it."
Prince Mua Kong stood up as he slammed the book in his hand onto the table and glared at the bodyguard. "Have you searched thoroughly?" His voice sounded colder than ice which sent chills to the bodyguard's bone.
The bodyguard cowered lower than before and nodded.
"And you found no one?"
"Yes."
"Useless!" Mua Kong slapped his hands on the table causing the table surface to crack. "I'll go there myself tonight," he declared in rage.
That night, Mua Kong secretly went out of the palace with a few bodyguards.
Dawn was approaching when they arrived deep in the mountain. The little hut looked like a tornado had just blown through the area. Prince Mua Kong could not find the two people he wanted to protect. He felt a sense of hopelessness. He knew it was the work by the same group of assassins. He could only hope grandma and Hli Ja were okay since they could not find their bodies. The next thing was to find the assassins. There had to be a clue somewhere. He thought of the same thing as his father, to send spy and intel to infiltrate the other two countries and he would investigate from within.
The next scene began and 'six years later' appeared on the big screen.
In a town bustling with people and businesses, a beautiful young girl ran out the door in a hurry from a little house. She turned around and waved back. "I'll see you later grandma."
She ran happily to a famous restaurant, Lotus Flower Restaurant. She went to the kitchen and greeted the head staff. "Hi, I'm Hli Ja. I will be here temporarily working in the kitchen until the owner comes back. I will be in your care for the next two weeks." The head staff was well aware that she would be helping for the next couple of weeks as the owner and his family made the trip to see their mother-in-law who was on her death bed. Their mother-in-law lived in the next city so the owner would be gone for a couple of weeks. Their son Cher Pheng was a good friend with her and they asked her to help the restaurant while they were away.