A few minutes before Kiva bumped into Alyssa, she saw her brother first.
Kiva continued to walk away, pretending not to see Ziloh.
Ziloh grabbed her arm, stopping her on her tracks. "What?" Ziloh, sensing something, asked Kiva.
Kiva raised an eyebrow. "Why would I tell you?" She refused to tell the news to Ziloh.
"I'm your older brother." Ziloh tugged Kiva's arm. "Should I tell your father you're not being obedient again?"
"Alright," Kiva pouted. "Alyssa's attendant…was it Levi? Yes, Levi, he's summoned to the throne room." Kiva struggled to remove Ziloh's hold. "I told you already, let…" Kiva suddenly realized that she was talking to the air, the pressure in her arm, gone. "rude bastard!" She shouted at the empty hallway as she continued to walk towards Alyssa's chamber.
***
There were two guards standing on each side of the throne room.
A sudden gush of wind passed by the two guards, forcing them to take a step back. The door of the throne room flew open from the force of the wind. The guards were confused, strong wind like that would be impossible in such an enclosed area. Snapping themselves into reality, one of the guards rushed to the door, bowing his head to the Queen as he closed it.
Ziloh was at the farthest corner, hiding in a column.
Eli, Maya, and Barn was kneeling below the stairs. None of them realized that they had company inside the room.
"Pack your belongings and leave the palace. Both of you are no longer an attendant, I'm stripping you from your positions."
Maya, the female attendant, pleading to the Queen.
Apparently, the two attendants violated the curfew--- but Kathy did not care about that. What they did wrong --- and Ziloh knew that this what bothered Kathy--- was they brought Alyssa to the kitchen.
"There's no excuse for your action. "Queen Kathy waved a hand. "Leave."
Ziloh felt her before she entered the room. "Mother!"
Alyssa--- as Ziloh was aware--- knew her mother too well. Alyssa was using herself as an excuse to save the attendants from being punished. Kathy cannot say no to her daughter and Alyssa was using this to her advantage.
"You are the best." Alyssa kissed her mother on her cheeks.
Alyssa lead the way the door, with the three attendants following closely behind her.
The room was quiet, leaving the Queen alone in her throne.
"Ziloh," Kathy called out.
Ziloh walked out of the shadows, standing right below the stairs.
"Follow those two," Kathy fumbled with her golden locket. "you know what to do."
"Is that a command," Ziloh taunted Kathy. "or a request?"
Kathy let go of her golden locket. "As a favor, for a friend…as long as you do not cross the line."
Kathy was still a little annoyed with the stunt that Ziloh did on the foundation day.
"I could do a favor for a friend." Ziloh smirked. "Understood, Kathy."
***
Alyssa forcing Barn to allow Eli and Maya to have the same day off made Ziloh's job easier.
Ziloh placed a long distance between him and the pair as he followed them.
Ziloh was laughing silently in the shadows. Eli and Maya were circling around town to confuse him, but neither of them knew that Ziloh was not following their footsteps, he was following Eli's strong scent--- the scent of an outsider.
Eli and Maya's efforts were futile, Ziloh found their base--- easily.
Ziloh was standing below the street of their apartment.
Chatters on the street clouded Ziloh's keen senses, he closed his eyes and focused on the voices he wanted to hear.
A woman came close to him, touching him, looking at him with desire, trying to get his attention, but he ignored her. Not getting the attention she wanted, the woman eventually left him alone, unsatisfied.
Ziloh focused to his hears, giving his full attention at the meeting currently happening upstairs.
Ziloh sniggered as he opened his eyes, voices on the street slowly getting louder.
From the moment Ziloh saw Eli on the Flea Market, he knew that Eli was from the slumps.
Ziloh knew that Eli did not come just to observe inside the palace.
Brian sent him for a whole different reason, sending in an untrained spy was Brian's mistake.
Ziloh had been curious.
It was a chess board, and players began to move. Ziloh decided to give other players a push, observing what would happen.
Ziloh suggested to Barn that the Foundation festival was a good day to hire attendants--- especially the young ones.
Eli took the offer and applied as an attendant.
Simply hinting to Barn that out of the three finalists that he chose, Eli's experience was the most appropriate for the job.
Ziloh made Eli to be at Alyssa's side possible.
What Ziloh heard from their meeting confirmed everything he suspected.
Ziloh was right, Eli came to take Alyssa, and it was now Alyssa's choice if she would want to go.
Ziloh merely gave Alyssa an option, and no matter what Alyssa's choice would be, Ziloh would support her.
To Ziloh, their plan… was predictable.
'But interesting? Alyssa is interesting?' Ziloh did not expect that at all.
***
Ziloh was sitting at the round table with Kathy beside him.
"So?" Kathy rested her back on the chair, her arms crossed on her chest. "What happened?"
"They had a meeting outside the palace, as expected." Ziloh informed Kathy. "Exchanging information about the palace…about Alyssa…they talked about reporting what they gathered to Brian."
"If they are the eyes of Brian," Kathy smiled, reminiscing the past. "then let them be."
Kathy knew that Brian, the slump's leader, would always send spies in the palace. But she did nothing to stop this, in fact, she welcomed them.
"Brian's men are starting to get sloppy," Kathy rested her hands on her lap, relaxed. "We never caught them this easy before."
"Right. It's possible he wanted you to notice."
"Maybe." Kathy smiled, touching her lips.
The Queen was oblivious that significant information was not disclosed to her.
Ziloh left Kathy in a good mood.
Ziloh was in a good mood too, the pieces were starting to move.
Who is playing? Who is being played?
Ziloh smirked.
***
In contrast to Kathy, Cliff was restless. He was pacing back and forth in his room when Ziloh found him.
"So? What did she want?" Cliff ran straight to Ziloh, confronting him. "Did she figure out our plan?"
"No, she wanted to fix some issues with certain attendants."
"Oh," Cliff finally relaxed. "Good, good."
Cliff took a seat at the table. "Do I need to know about it?"
"No."
"Okay," Cliff shook his head. "look at you, being used as Queen Kathy's errand boy." He smacked the table. "And that…that… King Garrett! He's getting on my nerves, acting mighty and ruling the palace but," he shook his head "he's barbaric, eating without manners. He's not fit to be a royal."
"The main reason why the Queen likes him." Ziloh sat right next to his father.
"Since she likes King Garrett so much, let's dispose them, together."