"Quickly! Send her to the Operating Room!" Claude tells the nurses stationed.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He turns around to look for his bodyguard, "Please inform Caleb about what happened, I might not be coming home tonight" he requested
"Yes, Your Majesty"
When they arrived, Claude was waiting outside the room when someone pats his shoulder.
"What the hell happened? Are you okay?"
"Oh, it's you, Vincent. I'm really not sure what happened but let's talk about that later, you have to perform surgery on that girl first and fast before putting her inside the healing capsule"
Vincent watched him panting heavily "Your Majesty, I'll take care of this please go home and rest"
"No, no, it's fine. Please do what you must, I'll wait here"
Vincent nods and washes his hands before going inside the OR.
---
The surgery went on for hours until finally, the girl's condition began to stable.
"Please put her inside the healing chamber," Vincent told the nurses
He rushes outside and finally after finishing a six-hour surgery he gives out a huge sigh of relief.
"How is she?" Claude asked, still outside the Operating Room he approaches him.
"Your Majesty! You're still here?" Vincent can see the King was tired and offered him to go to his office where there's room to sleep inside, the King agreed.
"That was one hell of a surgery" Vincent comments as he sat on his chair when they arrived inside his office "But Don't worry your majesty, she's finally stable, I already had the nurses put her inside the healing capsule"
The King gave out a sigh of relief, "Good, that's good"
"May I ask what happened?"
Claude rested his back on his chair " I was about to go back to the palace until she fell on my car -- seven," he said
"What?"
"She fell seven floors high from this building, do you have any data of her? Was she a patient here?"
Vincent nodded "Yes, she currently checked in for having a broken arm last week and she was about to be discharged today until - you know, I believe it might be suicide"
"Why would she want to do that?"
"I dunno, I guess we'll have to find out when she wakes up."
Riing, Riiing, Riiiing.
The telephone rings and Vincent answers "Hello? His Majesty? He's with me, yeah,"
"Caleb?" The King asked
Vincent gave him a nod "Don't worry, he's okay, he'll tell you in details when he gets home" he puts down the phone "Your Chancellor is really worried about you"
"I apologize, he must be calling like crazy, my phone just died."
"It's fine, don't worry about it"
"Hahaha, so, what's the name of this girl who just literally threw herself to me?"
Vincent gets a folder on top of his table and reads the content " Her name is Tayne Willow, 26 and her profession is huh - interesting"
"What?"
"She's from the Royal Secret Service and a professional martial arts fighter on top of that"
"Royal Secret Service? So she's a guard from the palace?"
"Yeah, she has a good job background why would she want to kill herself?
"Well, we have to find out about that when she wakes up" The King stands up, "I think I've rested enough and will continue to rest at home, thank you, Vincent" he walked towards the exit and Vincent followed him when they open the door Claude's bodyguards were already waiting outside.
"It's good to see you back here Claude, it's not every day I got to talk with the King"
"Have I not been visiting?"
"You haven't visited the hospital lately since -- Erika and you --"
"Ah, I see. It's not like that really, things just got busier in the palace "
"I understand, your majesty"
Claude gave him a light smile "Please do inform me if she wakes up"
"Sure"
---
On the way home from the hospital, this was the first time Claude got to look at his surroundings while on the road. He looks at the busy street of his people minding their own business as he passed by them, he was only doing an errand yesterday to get his mother's medication voluntarily and that happened. Flashes of the incident start to pop in his head and it was surreal. He saw her fall in slow motion and the only thing he noticed was that she was smiling.
"Your Majesty" His guard Tseng calls his attention
"Oh, sorry, were you talking about something? I was kind of preoccupied"
"That woman"
"Oh, do you know her Tseng? I heard she's in the Royal Secret Service, just like you"
Tseng nodded.
"Really?"
"I did not quite get a glimpse of her when she fell but as you were rushing her to the Operating Room her face suddenly became familiar. She's our new head of security"
Claude was surprised "New head of security? That's new information, why was I not informed about this? Who got her the job?"
Tseng became quiet and Claude immediately notices his uncomfortable reaction.
"You can't hide it from me Tseng, who?"
"It's your father, Your Majesty"
That was even more surprising, Claude never expected for his father to be involved in the Royal Secret Service, he was already retired.
"That's -- interesting"
Finally arriving at the Palace he was greeted by a distressed Caleb.
"Your Majesty! Oh My Gosh, are you okay? I've heard a few details from Vincent"
"Y-yeah, but you don't have to worry about me I was not the one who threw myself seven floors above" He jokingly said to him
"Ah, right, how is she?"
"Fine I guess, have you seen my father?"
"He's with your mother they're at the garden"
"Thanks" he walks out and suddenly stops in his step.
"Caleb, what happened with Mary? You called me to hurry back here because of her, is she okay?"
"Ah! She's okay, she's okay, it's just she was angry you left without telling her. You know how she is your majesty" Caleb sighed
"Hahaha, must be difficult with all her mood swings, don't worry that's how married life is especially when both of you are expecting"
"But instead of confiding with me, she always looks for you, her brother, I can't deprive her of that especially when you are the King!"
"Hahahaha! You'll get used to it, see you later, I need to talk to my father" he left him
The garden was located behind the palace surrounded by different kinds of roses and a big cherry blossom tree at the center that was always in full bloom. Claude finally saw his parents taking a walk along garden grounds slowly. When he arrived, his mother give him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, my son, welcome home" her voice was very soft
"Mother, how are you feeling? I got you your medicine, so you better not skip it okay?"
"My, you are just like your father" She gracefully chuckles
"Well, he is my son after all," said his father
Claude's face changes to something serious that his father began to notice.
"My love, if you don't mind, can you leave us father and son for a while?" He requested to his wife
"Why it's fine" she answered and a servant maid guided her as they continue to walk in the garden
"I heard what happened from Tseng," his father said
"Who is she? Why did you hire her?"
His father was quiet for some time.
"Was she that suicidal?"
"She's not like that"
"Then do you know that she jump sever floors high?"
"But she did not die right?"
Claude's eyes grew large by how his father was talking to him.
"She's not the type to want to kill herself, if that happened and she's still alive, she must have a reason"
"Where did you get her?"
"You don't need to know, what matters now is your safety, they're moving again" his father puts his hands on his shoulder "I am not against you going in and out of the palace as you will, I have no questions on how you want to rule this Kingdom as well, just take care of yourself, what will become of this Kingdom without you?"
"You say that as if this kingdom will fall if I die"
"That's precisely what will happen, Saveria is famous for its resources and many countries wanted that. I am now old, my son, that's why with her, it will be fine, just trust her"
"Hmmm. I never doubted you, father, but today I am slightly thinking twice, to be honest, however, I will do as you say not because I am King but because we are family"
His father smiled "That's more than enough, I should go back to check on your mother"
After his talk with his father, Claude stayed under the cherry blossom tree to clear his thoughts. He never expected his father to do something behind his back, especially hiring someone without his permission, as King of Saveria aside from ruling the Kingdom, the Royal Secret Service was under his validation as well.
"Sigh, did I do the right thing by saving her or I'm making a huge mistake here?" he asks himself
----
The next morning Mary Gray came rushing to his brother's room without knocking.
"Brother! Brother! Brother!" She cheerfully shouts
Claude who was still soundly asleep, wakes up feeling agitated "Mary, what did I tell you about barging inside a man's room? You're married now, how would Caleb feel?"
Mary goes in carrying a tray with a cup of coffee " Oh, c'mon! Just because I'm already married doesn't mean I can't give you your morning coffee?"
"How many times have I told you, let the maid do it, serve your husband instead, if you keep doing this, Caleb will hate me, I don't want to lose my trusted Chancellor" He rises halfway on his bed and strokes his head
"Are you okay? You did not come home the other day" Mary sat beside his bed and gave him the coffee she prepared.
"Oh, that" Claude suddenly remembered what happened the other day and his conversation with his father "Don't worry, it's already been settled" he accepted his sister's coffee and take a sip "It's bitter"
"As always right?"
Claude smiles back at her, he never was fond of drinking bitter coffee but he just couldn't tell his sister about that for she never misses serving him every morning even after she got married to Caleb.
"How are you? Are you taking good care of my niece?" Claude teased her
"Of course! Caleb has been taking good care of me with my pregnancy and his work so, please don't put everything on him okay?"
"I'll think about that"
The siblings were laughing like any other mornings, Claude finds this relaxing when they were disturbed by a knock and Caleb goes in.
"Darling, what brings you here so early? Did you miss me already?"
"My, I always miss you every single day my love if that's what you want to hear" he teases her back, Mary suddenly flushed and looks at his brother "Darling! Don't say things like that in front of the King" she stands up covering her face "I-I'll go ahead brother, see you at breakfast"
"See you, Mary, please take care"
When Mary left the room that's when Caleb starts greeting the King " I apologize about that your majesty, it's the only way I can make her leave"
"Is this something private?"
Caleb nodded.
The King gets off from the bed and wears his loose white long sleeve top "What is this about?"
"It's your guards, your majesty, they were ordered to gather in the training hall by someone"
"Gathered? Why? And who is that someone?"
Purururururu, pururururu, purururururruu. Claude's phone buzzed
*Click* "Hello?"
[Ah! Claude, glad you picked up right away!] Vincent was on the other line
"Why?"
[Tayne Willow! She's suddenly escaped out of the healing chamber and disappeared last night. We couldn't find her!]
Claude stares at Caleb who was about to answer his question but got interrupted by the phone call.
"Caleb, may I know who gathered all my guards at the training grounds?"
Caleb stiffen his posture, "Yes, Your Majesty, she said she's the new head of security, Tayne Willow"
Splack!
Claude let go of his phone "Pardon?"
---- End Of The Chapter.