Aaron Remes' POV
"Kathleen, Kai, thank you for the wait," I said as I took my seat. Kathleen as usual just rolled her eyes at me but Kai looked deep in thoughts.
"Kai," I called his name. He looked at me as if he just got out of trace.
"yes, your highness?" He asked me. I sighed. Even after being married to my daughter for a few months, he still did not call me father, or perhaps by my name to say the least. But that matter can be solved later. The only time that he called my father was when Kathleen almost died in his hands.
"there was something that I don't completely being honest with you, children," I said as I went to stand up. They looked at me as I was trying to break this news as easy as possible that I can.
"Kathleen, do you know that your old man was the second son of your grandfather?" I asked her as she looked at me. I was afraid to look at her face but I did anyway. She did not have a surprise facial expression at all. She just shrugged.
"well, I guess the rumor was true then," she said as she looked at me. I knotted my eyebrows together as I looked at her. She rolled her eyes again.
"When I was in the sanctuary, they said that you were the second born and when your brother wanted to marry some chick, he abdicated it and give it to you. You never had official training so you must be tough and stoic for the people to see who you made yourself to be," she said as she was looking at me. I smiled at her as she did not seem to believe in the rumor until she heard herself.
"so, do you know why you must not let your sister know about this?" I asked her as she looked at me before looking at her husband. She smirked that just looked like Inari. How I missed her.
"well, it depends on what you want us to do next," she said as she was looking at me. She knew about the things that I haven't mentioned and yet she still could tell what it was. Damn my daughter for her skills.
"Kai?" I asked my son-in-law, who was again lost in the trance.
"hmm?" He asked as Kathleen and I was staring at him.
"you probably should tell her the truth," I said as I sighed before Kathleen said something.
"Well, he was assigned by you to protect as he was one of the elite warriors that you sent to the International Espionage school, isn't it?" She had to open her big mouth. I sighed before Kai gulped.
"well, it looks like things have been out in the open. It's a good thing we all speak in Russian, right?" She said as she relaxed in her seat. Kai was fidgeting his hands as he counted to control his anger. He might have to deal with that later and Kathleen was on the other end of receiving it but I guess she can handle it herself.
I cleared out my throat before I showed the monitor of my screen. I closed the windows and locked the door as I told my staff to leave us.
"what's this? Another secret you want to show us, old man?" She asked me. I sighed before I played the video. Kai was gasping before Kathleen was knotting her eyebrows together.
"Greetings, my family. How is it been? How long has it been, indeed? Well, I was not the one that keeps track of the time but it has been 5 years since I saw you guys. so, how was my little Kathleen, still playing hide and seek?" He chuckled that made Kathleen flinched. I tried to control my anger as I saw my daughter's face when she was found from that accident.
"Now, I don't want to spend some time. I just cut to the chase. I wanted the throne back, Aaron. And I meant it this time. You have been a fool when you were on the throne and I know that I have not been qualified but hey, I was a member of the royal family too, right?" He asked as if he was chatting with us. He smiled darkly before he switched to be grim.
"you will give me the throne or your treasure will be gone," and with that, the video ended. I blinked a few minutes before I looked at my subjects.
"well, what do you think of that?"
Kai Virtanen's POV
After I saw that video, I don't know or rather I don't want to think. It was clear that was my great Uncle Fenn who has been married to my great aunt, Stella. They have been living in Italy until recently, my great aunt got a job in the States. He had followed her but to see him that was dark and grim, I don't know who to trust anymore.
and of course, his obsession with Finland and their history should have been a clue. I did not know his background or anything that would be made him a greater threat but I supposed I have missed that part because of my stupidity.
I gulped as I just looked at the king and my wife. She was arching her eyebrow at me before she could read my emotion. She smiled before turning to her father.
"father, I think we will retire for the night," she said sweetly before she pulled me out of the chair. Her father nodded at us.
"very well. I see you tomorrow then," he replied before we headed for the door. We got out of the study room and we went to our quarters on the east wing.
"Are you okay, my love?" She whispered to me in Russian, even though people might not understand, there must be some spies lurking in the dark just to catch us.
"I don't think I am. I was merely shocked at the news and the video," I laughed bitterly before we were walking through our quarters. Kathleen locked the door before she went to kill the lights. She motioned not to make a sound as she pointed at the window.
"I feel like someone was watching us," she signed to me as she thought I could read it. But of course, I did. It was a necessary skill for a spy in espionage.
"do you want me to check it?" I asked her. She shook her head before she pointed at the bedroom.
"The last time Chris came, he went through that window. I wonder if he might be there again," she signed me. I nodded before I went to take a fighting stance and I went to the door.
"wait," Kathleen whispered. She shook her head as I was about to open the door.
"why not?" I asked her and before I know it, she was dragging me out of the bedroom as she heard something that I did not.
she was right.
As we went out of the room, the building exploded, leaving only a few miles behind us as we were huffing and puffing the debris of our body and were looking at each other.
"told you something was not right," she said as she was looking at me before she stood up. She pulled me to the side and she went to look at the debris that was about 500 meters radius of the blast.
"it looks like the bomb was handmade," she said as she was tracing some wiring and she looked at me. I grimaced.
"then we have been underestimated my cousin then," I said as I looked at her. She smiled before she went to kiss me but was cut short as some guards were running toward us. The king's guard.
"Your highness, your father—" the guards did not finish as Kathleen ran for her father. I was left behind for one second before I ran after her as well.
We were huffing and puffing our chests out and breathe for air. The king has been inside the secured infirmary as the guard told us that he was moved here after we went out of the study room.
"This was all my fault," Kathleen whispered as she leaned into the mirror that was separating us. I went to hug her.
"it is not. Your uncle was the one to blame if anything," I whispered to her. I kissed her head and smelled her fruity scent in the hair.
"I should have stayed away that night," she said. I arched my eyebrow as she turned around to look at me.
"come, I will tell you everything," she said as she dragged me into an abandoned room inside the infirmary.