Kurao squinted his eyes as his gaze glanced across the room and not familiar with the room he jumped up, but then he remembers what happened yesterday and that he slept in his mother's room.
'Where is mother?' Not finding Ella anywhere he gets up but almost trips on a stool which made him curse out.
"Why in the hell is it so dark in here!"
The room was almost pitch black except for the few rays of light coming from the door gap and the closed blinds of the room.
'Mother lives similarly to those creatures who roam the night in the stories Aunt Valya told us.'
He went towards the window and opened the blinds letting the light shine into the previously dark room.
'Looks to be about noon, I guess I didn't get to sleep early cause of what happened last night.'
As the light shines through he gets into thoughts about yesterday's assassination attempt.
'A Royal Council Member is the one behind my assassination attempt just because he thinks of me to have potential to be the inheritor of the empire, which I assume it's because I am a threat to whoever of my sibling's they are backing.'
Kurao left his mother's room and saw that the hall was empty as usual, going towards his room he stops when holding the handle, noticing that there was a slight cold emitting from the door he freezes.
Remembering what happened last night in his room, how a man was literally being mutilated in his room made him feel a little on guard for whatever frightening sight that may appear. Preparing to see a ice sculpture with a dead guard to be the center piece to his room was the thing he was most likely going to see.
Opening the door he is greeted with a draft of a slight breeze, but besides that it looked as if nothing happened in here yesterday.
'When did they even clean this up. There's not even a drop of blood or ice in here, but it does feel a little chilly.'
Kurao thought as he observed the room as he dragged his gaze he suddenly got struck with dread as he rushed his night stand.
'Oh Ilerus, please tell me nothing happened to it!'
He found his book with a cover slightly frosted, brushing it off he touches it and realizes its not even a bit wet, flipping each page making sure it is fine and good he closes it.
'It's fine just slight weather damage but nothing drastic.'
He then sits down and grabs his notepad and a pen, but then stops.
'Why am I even focused on this book, I just escaped a assassination attempt and I am going back to deciphering this book?! This thing has ruined my priorities. How am I supposed to get father's acknowledgment without getting stronger? I won't always have mother to protect me from this, especially if I leave the palace.'
As he placed the notepad and book back on the night stand, he hears a knock at the door and a voice come though.
"Baby, are you in there?" A melodious voice speaks from behind the door.
"Y-Yeah mother." Kurao hurriedly replies, he was reminded of how vicious his mother was and freezes remembering what she did last night forgetting that as he was more focused on thinking about who was after his life then the what his mother did.
The speech and tone were drastically different then the one from the person beyond the door, the one from last night was a psychopath that wouldn't hesitate on threating unrelated parties to get her goal, which was finding out who was after Kurao.
He was a little afraid of her actions and repressed them last night when he heard who was after them.
The door was opened as a tall beautiful woman with white hair entered the room without warning. Kurao quickly hid the slight fear he held for her, as he greeted Ella who stood beside the door with a small chest in her hands.
"Mother where were you this morning?" Kurao said trying to ask a topic to divert his mind from the thought of picturing his mother as a homicidal psychopath.
"Well I went to take care of a little business after dealing with a rat that entered the palace." Ella spoke is a perfectly melodic voice that highly contrasted the meaning of her sentence.
Kurao winced slightly even after remembering the sight of death so close, but quickly reverted his expression as to not let his fear be seen through.
"So does that mean I was right into assume that my assassin did come here last night?" Kurao said deciding to address the topic as to hid the fact he knows of what happened.
"Yes baby, but guess what I not only caught the assassin I also got justice on the person behind it as well!" She said while gesturing for Kurao to come closer then started opening the chest.
Kurao seeing the gesture gets up and comes closer as she opens the chest wide enough to see a decapitated head that had half of his face burnt with the hair fried as well. Seeing it Kurao jumped back slightly scared by the deformed burned face as his voice cracks.
"MoTheR Wh-at are you showi-ng me!"
"Oh baby don't be scared I didn't mean to scare you. See last night after the assassin coughed up his backer I went and got him, since I know you wouldn't feel safe to cultivate otherwise.
This head belongs to the person behind your assassination his name is Jamius and he was one of the Royal Council Men."
Ella said innocently as she closed the head containing the box upon noticing Kurao's fright
over the decapitated head.
Kurao heard this and regained most of his composure at how easy his mother was talking about the subject and decided to relax a little as he remembered something he noticed about the head as he pointed at the box and asked.
"Why does the council man have recent looking burn marks, mother?"
"Oh that? Well when I went to find him in his office to get him to pay to have him pay for his crimes he was already dead.
So I decided to pack up his head as proof to his demise so you wouldn't have to worry and just to focus on getting stronger so you can work along darling~."
'Why didn't you just lead me to his body if you wanted me to confirm his death, instead of showing me this grotesque confirmation'
Kurao thought inwardly but seeing the loving smile he thought about it again.
'I guess this is her way she is showing her care for me, though it is gross action. She still loves me even if she acts a bit scary.'
Kurao buried the rest of his prejudice against his mother and stopped fearing her as he went over and hugged her.
"Thank you mother for protecting me."
Ella embraced her son as she combed his hair with her hand. "Don't worry its my job to protect you."
"Okay baby I am gonna leave now, make sure to focus on cultivating so you can get as strong as your big brother Soleil." Ella said after she detached herself from Kurao then left the room, leaving him alone in his slight chilly room.
After Ella left, he thinking, specifically about the council man who took ordered a attempt on his life; So getting up he walked towards the chest and opened it up revealing the decapitated and charred head, he studied the grotesque and burnt face.
'So who killed you, if mother didn't cause your end? The only person who could possibly get away with killing you without percussions is my family who hold higher status then any of you slow bastards.'
Kurao studied the decapitated head a bit more and saw most of the brown hair was sticking upwards. Seeing this Kurao gave himself a depressed chuckle as he combed through his hair with his hand realizing who it was that killed him.
'So the person that caused your end was Soleil... This is quite problematic for me.' Kurao closed the chest as he slumped back against the chair.
"I guess since he failed he silenced you, huh... Well no matter I will make sure you get what you deserve in due time."
Kurao muttered quietly as he gave the chest one last glance before getting on his bed and start to train his mana with reinvigorated drive.