"She's what now?" Claude jumps from his chair.
Tseng did not try to say it again. It's past midnight and his head of security was gone, Claude was stroking his head real hard, massaging it to make him feel better and then it hit him.
"Tseng, get the car, we're going downtown"
"At this time sir?"
"Yes! Don't make me repeat myself"
The startled bodyguard stiffens up, gave him a bow, and leaves the room. Claude didn't hesitate and gets a long black coat just lying somewhere inside his room and followed Tseng. He knew Tayne went back to that dirty town and for that, he's furious, this was the first time he has a guard acting on her own without his permission. Then, he thought about his father who did the same, what's so special about her that his father can do this kind of things to him?
His conversation with Vincent tells him that she was unique, yes, the way she fought her enemies and how she handles her weapon tells him she was strong and different, yes. The series of questioning inside his head can go on and on until it was put to a stop.
"We're here, Your Majesty, what are you planning to do?"
"To do what I should have in the first place" he got out of the car wearing his black cloak and his golden hair illuminate in the silence of the night and his blue eyes were revealed open for everyone to see. A surprised Tseng rushes out to him and grabs him by the shoulder.
"I'm sorry, your majesty, but what are you doing revealing yourself like this?"
"Let's go find that brat and teach these people here a lesson"
When the townspeople saw Claude walking in their street in the middle of the night, they immediately knew who he was, supposedly Claude was expecting a few people to appear since it's already dawn but he was wrong, his appearance had woken the entire neighborhood and that made Tseng more alert, he was about to hold on to his gun when Claude stop him.
"Don't, Tseng, I don't want to create a ruckus not when I'm like this"
Tseng pulls down his hand and they continue walking until they heard a familiar voice.
"This oughta do it!"
Anger boils down inside of Claude as he rushes his pace to where the voice was and leads him to the abandoned church. He saw Tayne's visible back with her chestnut hair tied in a high ponytail inside, he already prepared a good scolding speech, and the moment he steps foot inside the unfinished building Tayne notices him, obviously surprised. She was holding a paintbrush surrounded with a few kids.
"Your Maje---Err---Boss!? You changed your hair color and eye color?"
"Shut Up, you brat, what part of not going back here don't you understand?" Claude was about to grab on to Tayne's arms when a little girl jumps and hold on to his left leg, he was caught off guard and Tseng was already in a point of action to get the little girl away but Claude shakes his hand.
"Why are you grabbing my leg, kid?"
"Mister, you are so handsome! You have hair as bright as the sun and eyes like the sea!"
"Like the King?" Claude confirms
The little girl nodded and suddenly a big man pulls her out from him.
"That's because he is the King, Layla"
Everyone inside the church, mostly kids and a few adults, drops their jaw the moment Gus carried Layla in his arms and bows to Claude "Your Majesty", awkwardly everyone did the same.
"You seem to be calm about this Gus," Claude asked him
"If I had known you were the King the moment I point my gun at you, I should have done a better job killing you back then..." he paused "But... you also saved our lives, and for that, we owe you"
"I didn't do that because I cared, I just needed those bandits and one escaped"
"W-w-wait just a second here, so everyone's okay that he's here?" he points to Claude "Like you don't have a problem or anything?"
"We do Miss Tayne, but seeing how you and that bald guy over there fought those bandits, we can see no good results out of it, you're both his majesty's bodyguards, am I right?"
"Yes, we apologize for lying to you" Tseng politely answered.
Claude can see that Tayne was uncomfortable about the situation at hand, the kids around her were staring blankly in front of her, so were the adults. She must have been happily playing with them before he barges inside.
"Everything makes sense now why the three of you arrived on that day and how those bandits wanted him because they knew he was the King" Gus, despite his big appearance, was a bit disappointed in them.
"Sir Gus, I--" Tayne tried to approach Gus and Claude grabs her arm.
"If you wanted to help them they don't need it"
"But, Your Majesty! They---"
"He's right Miss" Gus confirmed
"If the reason you came here was to check in on us, you don't have to do that. We don't need you here so please leave our town alone."
"But Sir Gus, I just--"
"Please, I beg of you, we don't want to get involved with the Royal Family anymore because look what it did to us" he guides them to look at the townspeople outside the building "Please, I'll let you all go free this time, the next time you come back here --- I won't be forgiving" he threatened them
"Good, because we never plan to come back in this rotten place anyway," Claude said with a blank expression. He drags Tayne outside the building and she followed quietly.
"Miss Tayne! Miss Tayne! Don't leave!" The kids call out her name but the moment they show sudden movement their parents stop all of them. Tayne couldn't answer the kids back instead she waves her hand and still put off a smile bidding them farewell.
"Pretty Boy"
"I told you not to call me that"
"Not that I care but I just want to give you a piece of advice in case you have already forgotten about our little talk before"
Claude gave him a threatening glare.
"Your family has secrets, and I'm sure those secrets will be your downfall soon if you follow in their footsteps"
----
The drive from the palace was quiet, Tayne was pouting throughout the ride and Claude was just being himself, indifferent.
"I don't understand why they hate you so much.." She finally starts a conversation
"Oh, so now you wanted to talk about that? Not planning to talk about your little trip tonight and how you manage me, The King, to be the one to fetch you? You should be ashamed of yourself"
Tayne pouts again "I didn't need you to be there anyway! And why do you have to get me!? It's already past midnight"
"You left your job! Dammit!" Claude yells, it startled Tayne.
"I wasn't!"
"Then did you find any leads about that man who escaped?"
"Well, I---"
"I thought so" Claude inhales and exhales deeply "I want to believe my father made you head of security for a reason but these past few days, you clearly show no qualities to be one, I can only acknowledge your strength and that's that"
"I - I'm sorry" she finally stops yelling back at him
"You better be, if you want to know why I hated those people I guess you understand now right? They never trust the system, they don't want to be part of it and anyone who gives a threat to the system is an enemy of my Kingdom. They are just lucky I'm not taking back the land they are staying in"
It was quiet after that until they safely arrived from the palace, already tired for the day Claude finally arrived inside his room and immediately jumps to bed. As he slowly drifted to sleep he thought about Tayne smiling with the kids inside the church. It was only for a glimpse but he thought for a moment she was okay when she genuinely smile.
---
Tayne visited the King's studies when morning came and brought a few documents inside and placed it on Claude's table.
"What is it this time brat?"
"It's about the man who escaped, your majesty" she explained. Tseng and Claude eyed on each other thinking if the woman in front of them is real or not.
"I told you I did my work but you didn't give me the chance to explain myself last night"
"Okay, I hope you're not wasting my time, brat and let me remind you again and I'm sure Caleb told you already that all documents must go through him first"
"I'm aware your majesty but I believe this kind of information must rush to you for confidentiality reasons"
"You don't trust my Chancellor? Are you saying that to me?
"I'm not saying that your majesty" she pauses for a while "There was one more reason that I wanted to visit that small town aside from checking in on them"
Claudes eyes became serious "I'm not really in the mood for an argument brat"
"No, no, please hear me out because I believe we might meet the man who escaped not too soon"
There was a sincere look in her eyes this time so Claude didn't bother to argue with her
"When I arrived at that small town last night the people were very welcoming and they thanked me for saving their lives from the bandits, I also heard they finally held a proper burial to the people who died in that rampage including those three people who were hanged" She was looking down while explaining then she looks him in the eyes.
"The next place I got to visit was the abandoned church that's when I got to finally take a closer look at the place, other than the damages from our last battle there was one thing I discovered while inside and the person who found it was little Layla and thankfully she gave it to me as a gift because it was shiny and pretty" a white family heirloom, a brooch, with two lions with wings back to back with each other was presented to the King, she placed the item on his table as well.
"Does this look familiar to you your majesty?"
Claude became silent and stares at Tayne.
"It's the Ainsworth house seal"
"Whoever that guy was, he might be connected with this household"
"That's impossible" the King corrected her
"Why?"
"That's Vincent household, the Duke"
-----
"Then he must know something! We must ask him, your majesty"
"That's not easy, Miss Tayne" Tseng interrupted
"Why?"
"The Saveria and the Ainsworth has a bond longer than the other households in this Kingdom. They even have an oath to never betray each other, that's why they can't be involved with raising that black flag and the bandits" explained Tseng
"Then how can we know for sure if they are truly related or not? I apologize for saying this but If that household got nothing to hide from you, your majesty then it's good right? We can eliminate them as suspects"
"Suspects? Do you dare treat them as suspects now? You're becoming shameless as the day goes by"
"I'm only doing my job, your majesty, you told me to get leads and this is the only lead I have to find that man who escaped"
"Then, let me be the one to ask him" Claude volunteered
"Very well, your majesty, please ask him as soon as possible because we might be facing with enemies within your kingdom"
Claude gives Tayne a grievous expression "I doubt about that, brat, but I don't like your tone of voice, it's as if you're telling me to run my Kingdom well"
"No, that's not ----"
"Enough"
The King takes the brooch on his table and stands up going to his window.
"One more word about the Ainsworth and I'm firing you"
He could see it that Tayne wanted to answer back but Tseng shakes his head gesturing not to, so she straightens her posture and left the room.
"I want to believe you're a good King," she said before exiting the room.
--- End Of The Chapter.
*