Indecisive of what to do, Tan Chi climbed up the wall and jumped to the other side. She ran inside the worn-out mansion and looked around to find a hiding spot.
She sighed as she went under the unkept bed, her ears alert.
Her eyes widened when she heard footsteps nearing the room she was in. Soon, she saw army boots searching the room. Tan grabbed her sword tightly to attack them if she got caught.
"Do you think we should search the exile Prince's room to catch the assassinator?" An officer said, fear dripping in his shaky voice.
"Just shut it! And search the place, turn everything upside down, who even cares about a dethroned Prince? Keep doing your work. We have to catch the attacker!" The chief in command yelled.
"Sir, we have checked the whole area! The attacker is not to be found," an officer reported.
"What are you fools doing! You mustn't have searched the house properly! Did you even check the closets or beds?"
"No, sir."
"Then, what are you waiting for! Do it!" The chief roared.
Tan kept praying to Allah (SWT), making dua. She prayed for sustainence.
Before the officer could find her, Prince Xuan Lin came running, confusion looming on his face.
"What you doing, baldie?" The Prince said, not minding his grammar mistake.
"Sorry, Prince Xuan... we were ordered to search here," the chief gritted his teeth at the insult the Prince made.
I will see him later!-Chief Wien thought.
"Geeewt out! Otherwise, I will tewl Sue!" The Prince said, stomping his foot on the ground.
He really looked like a man-child.
"Move, Soliders!" Wien said, bothered by the innocent yet dangerous threat of the Prince.
Even if Xuan was an exiled prince, he was still favoured by Minister Sue. Wein couldn't even go on Minister Sue's bad side.
Tan Chi exhaled the breath she was holding on when she heard the faint footsteps away.
"You may come out of the bed if you don't want to dwell in it," the voice completely changed into a darker tone as her heart flipped.
She slid out of her hiding spot and stood up. Immediately, she felt a cold metal touching her back.
"Who are you, and what is your motive?" The elegant yet dark voice of the Prince came.
She turned around the sword poking her stomach. Her face blank, when she replied in her firm tone, " I'm the assassinator whose news arrival has spread out like a wildfire. And if you talk about my motive, well, I achieved my motive, successfully beheading your sick excuse of a brother. Mioran Lin, the crown prince."
The prince was amused by the words of the masked assassin. The voice is not too soft, but also having a feminine edge to it. He knew that the assassin was a female.
And he could not help but laugh, lowering his sword.
"Why are you laughing, Prince Xuan?" Tan Chi asked with a hint of irritation.
How dare he make fun of me!- Tan Chi glared at the man.
The man couldn't help but smirk, knowing he annoyed the deadly assassin talking around the whole palace.
"It's nothing for your little head to be worried about," the prince said, playfulness in his voice.
The assassin could not but roll her eyes as she thought - Here we go dealing with a childish prince!
"Come sit here, Miss Assassin..." The Prince said, pointing at the unmade bed.
"Why would I sit on your bed?" Tan Chi asked, confused.
"Just sit there unless you want me to carry you there," the amusement shined in the brown orbs of Xuan.
"That's outrageous! You possibly don't want to bed me, do you?" Tan Chi's eyes widened at her assumption.
"I mean, you gotta trade me something, you know. I helped you out," Xuan smirked at the silly face Tan Chi made.
It looked like Tan Chi's eyes would be popped out of her eye sockets.
"Hurry up! Unless you want me to call the guards," Xuan pretended to give an evil smile.
Tan Chi's face made it obvious that she fell into his trap. She sat down, fidgeting as the prince walked up to her.
She closed her eyes, praying to Allah (Swt) silently. She jerked her eyes open as Xuan grabbed her right arm. He touched the gash on Tan Chi's arm, causing her to yelp at the sudden contact.
The prince carefully slid the sleeves, so that least contact was made with the wound.
Tan Chi bit her lips to contain her pain.
Xuan inspected the wound; blood was dripping from the freshly made wound.
He gently dapped the wound with a clean cloth, cleansing her wound. Later, Xuan pulled out a small bottle of clear gel. He took the gel in his hands, putting in top of the wound. Tan Chi couldn't help but hiss at the burning sensation.
Xuan wrapped up her wound with a clean cloth, layered over some cotton to stop her bleeding.
He got up from the bed and said, "If you want to leave, you may leave. But I would suggest you stay here until the chaos has settled. You may give me your sword to wash off the blood tainting its true value," Xuan said.
Tan Chi was hesitant to give him her sword, but she put it on the table, indicating Xuan to take it.
Before leaving with the sword, Xuan said, "You may take a pair of my clothing as I do not have female clothes here. I will be back in the evening. For now, just lock the door of my room. If you get hungry, grab something from the fruit basket or the boxes on the table."
Tan Chi quickly closed the door, locking it. As there were no windows, she didn't have to worry about anyone peaking on her.
She looked at the closet and opened it, revealing beautiful pieces of garments, all for the prince.
All of his clothing was outstanding, and she didn't know where to pick from.
Suddenly, her eyes fell on a light blue garment, with embroidery down over the waist, back part, and the sleeves. The bottom of the yukata was threaded with silver linings, making the cloth more astonishing.
She took the yukata from the closet and wore it, getting rid of her dirty black clothes.
She fastened the robe and completed the look.
It would be an understatement that the piece of garment suited her well. Her skin glowed as she fixated the dress.
She took off the black mask and kept it with the pile of her old clothes.
She grabbed the blue headwear and wore it on top of her hair. Covering the bun, she sat on the bed.
Her thoughts wandered off to the Exiled Prince. She had heard the news of his insanity which spread like wildfire through the nation two years ago.
She assumed that it was true, considering him to be removed from his rightful title.
His younger brother, Mioran Lin, gained the title of the crown prince after Xuan Lin was deemed as the exiled prince.
Even tho people of the nation were outraged at the sudden decision, the central government quickly silenced their protests, leaving them in a state of anguish.
Even if the civilians never showed any sign of aggression to Mioran Lin, the fire of fury resided deep within their hearts.
To the people, Mioran Lin was nothing but a tyrant, oppressing people openly and forcing women to have sexual intercourse with them.
After he brutally raped the young females, he left them for the enjoyment of his guards.
The women were nothing but a treat in their eyes. As if females were the toys for pleasure; worthless in their eyes.
People couldn't raise their voice on the crown prince because of his so-called title.
The women whose lives he tainted either fled off the nation or killed themselves.
Tan Chi's heart ached for her fellow sisters as her fury grew inside her heart.
Mioran didn't deserve to live! He had his sufferings coming for the lives he ruined.
In Tan Chi's eyes, he was nothing but a cold-blooded murderer who pushed her sister to the brink of death. If only she didn't notice the obvious signs, maybe her sister, Lian Chi, would've done the unspeakable.
Lian Chi didn't end her life because of one thing Tan Chi promised in the name of Allah (Swt) that the news of Mioran's death will be spread upon the country.
To kill Mioran became her life mission. Tan Chi wouldn't hesitate to die now, knowing the bastard that hurt her sister is now dead.
She kept her promise. Lian will not die now, hopefully.
Tan Chi's work hasn't ended yet. She stayed back for one reason.
To eliminate the people who were involved in sinful deeds with Mioran.
I will hunt you down - Tan Chi said to herself.
...........
Xuan wiped the sword, lost in his thoughts.
He had gone to Finyur Valley, a pretty far place from the Palace. He needed some space to get his mind off the unknown assassinator.
He has to say, she was pretty amusing, tho there were no emotions on her face.
Her choice of words proved that she had no care for the situation she was in.
She didn't actively show the fear of death, but her eyes gave it off.
He pretended to ignore her true emotions in order to make her more comfortable with him.
He couldn't let go of a visible ally now. Can he?
His motives remained deep inside his heart, tho they wanted to come out.
He ravaged the fuel on top of his anger, revenge, and plans.
Initially, his plan was to frame Mioran in some way or another. But, for now, he has to step back from his plan for a bit.
Since the assassin killed his brother, he had to think before taking any steps.
Right now, the imperial court is at a state of uncertainty. So, he had to wait for some time...or he could get into some serious trouble.
He exhaled the breath he was holding on. He looked at the sword in his hand, marvelling the beauty of it. It had been a long time since he last saw such a fine work of art.
Its maker must have some skillful techniques to wield it.
Xuan, ever since his childhood, had an interest in swords, knives, bows, and arrows. Before he was exiled, he owned the title of the 'best sword fighter' in his adulthood.
Due to his interest in swords, he had twelve hundred swords in his then collection. Most of them were gifted to him.
They remained with him until he was alleged for treason and later on deemed as insane.
Even his own father didn't trust him. He repeatedly pleaded and swore in the name of Allah (SWT), that he didn't commit the certain allegation forced upon his name.
His father did not even once conducted an investigation on the case his son was alleged to. He gave of his verdict because of a piece of cloth. A small part of the cloth, which Xuan used to wear.
His father didn't even bat an eyelash for him; not once did he pity for Xuan, who was bound by shackles stopping his movements.
Chiang Lin, his father, didn't even express any emotion for the ordeal. He gave the verdict for execution Xuan Lin without a second thought.
The son who did everything to make his father happy; the person who controlled all of his moves; the doting father Xuan once had.....hurt him the worst way possible.
Xuan would have died only if Allah (SWT) didn't send an angel for him, Minister Sue. A single miracle of Allah (SWT) changed his wrongful end.
Xuan couldn't thank Allah (SWT) enough for saving him.
Minister Sue planned an ambush attack for Xuan, which ultimately worked to save the prince.
~FLASHBACK STARTS~
It was a chilly winter night, where Xuan remained awake. He looked out his caged cell, sadness and pent-up anger crept into his mind.
He still couldn't understand why no investigation was conducted. It couldn't be like his own father wanted to kill him.
His eyes widened at the assumption, and he shook his head.
A loud screech echoed through the dungeon, indicating that something was wrong.
The guards rigid posture confirmed Xuan's doubt. Their alert eyes didn't cause any fear in Xuan's heart.
He already knew what was going to happen.
He was going to be assassinated. Yet, no fear made to his eyes.
Soon, the clashing of swords died down, the bloodied bodies of the guards laid down. Blood coated the hallways of the dungeons.
The men in black came near him, unlocking the cellar door.
With the sword pointed at him, Xuan smiled, "I was wondering why it took you so long?"
One of them replied, "Let's go, before they come to execute you, Crown Prince."
~FLASHBACK ENDS~
Xuan pulled out a new sword holder. It's brown leather polished and studded with a blue jewel.
He slid down the sword inside it, strapping it with his waist.
He lit up a fire and burned the old sword holder, making sure that no evidence was left.
He pulled out his blue cloak and put on his black mask, concealing his identity.
Thinking of Tan, Xuan went off to handle some business.