Royal Assassin

Chapter 7

There was one thing she felt grateful about the marriage. It seemed that her land was beginning to restore order and people became more cheerful than before. The people and the royal house welcomed the party graciously and she had never felt so overwhelmed by the events that were unfolding in front of her eyes.

The people responded well at Justin’s presence and acknowledged him. Justin was relieved that the Vast people were very happy for them. And at least, they didn’t treat him with hostility. Initially, he was nervous to his stay here because he thought the people here were like, well Jaden, since she was very cold and mean to him. Then again, she didn’t rule the land and sometimes actions from royalty didn’t influence people at all. And maybe she was only cold toward him.

He noticed that the people of Vast were not so different from his own. Though their clothing styles were rather combative, they were pretty much friendly and warm despite their aggressive demeanor.

When they reached the Vast Palace, Justin was greeted warmly by Jaden’s twin brothers, Robin and Robert. Justin had a vague knowledge on Jaden’s family background and only knew the basics like, Jaden was the last daughter of the royal family and that she had an eldest sister and two twin brothers above her. So Justin had met the brothers and now he was wondering how her oldest sister was like. He also only knew that Jaden’s sister was also the reign Queen of the Vast. And the people here sometimes called the queen, ‘Your Royal Vastness’ not your majesty.

Justin let himself pondered about the land his wife was born on. The land was indeed beautiful – stunning to be precise, a jewel, that many foolish and greedy people would dirty this land for. But though it seemed peaceful, the air of the place was shrouded with mysteries and weaving tale that intrigued visitors here.

He let himself sank with another thought. He relived the conversation he had with Jaden’s twin brothers. The brothers were quite playful, talkative and friendly so Justin easily warmed up to them and felt comfortable to have some familiar male friends that he could count on.

“I have to say, Justin, you’re really something”, Robert said first when Jaden wasn’t in sights.

“Pardon?”

“Her eyes have become bluer these days. I haven’t seen those eyes untainted ever since our parents died when she was a mere kid”, Robin explained.

And then, Justin understood – her eyes, the part that set her apart from her family and the people.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but I think your sister is the one who changed me, or the one who made me return to my duty sincerely”, said Justin.

“If you’re talking about the past, then, don’t worry. It’s behind us, already”, said Robert as he patted Justin’s shoulder.

“About my wife’s eyes,” Justin changed the subject. “Did she contract a disease or something when she was small?”

Both of the twins looked at each other with deep concern.

“Disease seems inaccurate but her eyes used to be blue like ours. But when she was already five, the royal house separated her from us three siblings. For the last child, she was always escorted and had different classes than ours. It was during at that time, her eyes became different”, said Robin.

And then Robert continued, “I heard she had more brutal lessons and severe training. It was cruel actually. When we got older, we understood that she was shaped to be used for the country’s convenience. The royal house only saw her as a mere tool, for what use, who knows. But I guess seeing you answers it all, no offense, Justin”.

“But our eldest sister, Cassandra, was deeply concern. When we were too young to understand, we trailed her quietly when she was skipping her lessons. It turned out she was seeing Jaden. I guess, if you want to know more, maybe you should ask her. After all, among us, both of those sisters have a deep trust and bond with each other. But maybe you change something within her. She has more glows being with you”, Robin concluded.

Well, he hoped the twins were right. But even so, his wife was still a piece of puzzle to unlock, a shroud of mysteries waiting to be unraveled.

However, he did manage to get a few clues of who his wife truly was. And that one particular thing that Jaden had been searching for was resting nicely on top of the current King’s bed, waiting to be opened once again…

When dinner was served, Justin finally saw Jaden’s sister, the acclaimed closest sibling to his wife – Queen Cassandra of the Vast Kingdom. The distinctive family all had different hair color, such as Jaden, green as jade, the twin brothers, red as ruby and the Queen, blue as sapphire, blue as the sky, vast as the blue horizon spread across the earth and sea, reflecting her quality below and above the land.

Being among them, made him rather ordinary. He heard that the Royal Vast princes and princess were put among jewels and diamonds after they were born. The people believed it would refine their features, made them powerful but all he could see was their different and out-of-this-world hair color, but it still fitted them naturally, just distinctive among the rest.

“I see your hair is of topaz”, Cassandra said to Justin. Justin realized she was talking to him.

He was caught off-guard that the Queen actually talked to him. So, he managed to put a small smile and nodded.

“It complements our youngest sister’s”, she said approvingly.

“I don’t know what you mean…”

“The colour of your hair”

“Yes…you mentioned it was topaz but you don’t need to flatter me. It’s a natural blond”, Justin said slowly trying to understand the things she was saying. He could never really comprehend when his sisters talked about hair or fashion or makeup let alone, making conversations about his own hair color with an indifferent sister-in-law.

“What I mean is that Justin, you seem promising. The colour of your hair is bright. It shows light. It shows locks of sunshine. It shows of wonderful things to come”, Cassandra stopped and sipped her drink and continued eating.

Justin was a bit dumbstruck by her words until he felt a nudge by his arm which came from Jaden, who signaled him to eat.

As he tried to digest the situation he was in. He could only make one guess. Was Jaden’s family accepting him? Did they approve of him? Did they like him?

The thought made him happy. And since, so far there was no mishaps, he happily chewed on his steak and ate lots of food.

Midnight approached and the kingdom was enveloped with a peaceful night, a night that the people of Vast used to doubt of having and living in them. For now, the children slept soundly with their stomachs filled and the adults slept to wake early for a comfortable job tomorrow. All seemed well, or so it seemed.

A person cladded in black was perching on top of the castle’s roof, breathing in the night air. The person’s right hand was still wet with blood and the left’s was clenching a bag of pills. The person gave a sigh of exhaustion.

Even though, she just returned to her kingdom, she was already asked to run errand by her sister. But it couldn’t be helped since Cassandra could only count on Jaden for the job.

Jaden thought back of her secret meeting with Cassandra. After the fine dinner, Cassandra asked for her presence at her study room. Both of them, stood almost at the same heights and yet without talking and the long silence, they were still bonded by their family blood. They wanted to talk more, to talk freely but things were still unsettled at the moment.

“I know I shouldn’t bother you Jadelyne. After all, you just got married”, said Cassandra in the dim light of her study room, as though the dark setting would make them more secure, more secretive.

“It’s okay, Sister. Who is it, this time?” said Jaden.

“This”, the Reign Queen handed her a piece of paper onto her right hand. And then, she grabbed Jaden’s left hand and pushed a bunch of sachet on her palm.

“I know you had sleepless nights, before. I’m sorry we couldn’t give it to you when you left it”, said Cassandra.

Jaden accepted the things Cassandra gave to her. And then, Cassandra rested her head on her shoulder, as though seeking comfort, protection and warmth. Jaden knew that when her sister was like this, it meant she was worried and afraid. No one ever saw this kind of Queen; the Vast Sky Ruler bowed her head to her green-haired sister’s shoulder, just like how the rain from the sky would always fall and touch the ground.

It meant no one was perfect. Just like Jaden, Cassandra had a gift but hers was the insights on to the unknown. She could sense the feelings of the future and she felt that the time to come spelled uneasiness.

Jaden was adamant to protect her sister just as how she’d protected her in times of her sufferings and still was.

As she held the bag of pills in her hand, she pondered at those tiny ball shapes medication. Even though the thing she was doing seemed wrong, having a night out once in a while felt good. She had become so adapted to dirty her hands that it had become a routine, a necessity for her to live, like air.

She could feel some of the adrenaline rush from doing her errand was shooting up to her head. She could feel the ruby circles returning to her eyes and darken. And when her eyes were dominated with the ruby circles, her senses were awakened and her reflexes became more accurate and super-fast. Her thoughts also became sharper. Her sensitivity also rose making her feel the cold tip of the wind grazing her body.

She thought long and hard. Why is it so difficult to kill him!? You never falter in your mission, Jaden, what is holding you back?

But Jaden had already has the answer. Even though, she was trained to deceive others, she never really had that kind of practice, so when she was tasked to betrothed the Prince, it all seemed easy at first, but she didn’t expect to be caught up in her own emotions to be doubting the initial mission at hand.

Who was she kidding, anyway? She reasoned herself. Her primary job was only to assassinate people come and go. Her movements was always stealthy and indirectly. She didn’t realise that she had to also act in the process to kill someone. Truthfully, she didn’t know what to do when she was growing to learn more about the husband she claimed to hate unjustly. She was always killing people out of order. She came in the night and slaughtered them silently, leaving no trail but the victim’s blood. She came and went – no greetings and no goodbyes.

And that was the problem, knowing the people personally and knowing them through papers or researches were different. She was starting to doubt her own actions after all this time.

She had always known killing was wrong but sometimes, order can only be achieved through murder; because there will always be people that would never learn their lessons or do not even want to learn anything. Those people that treat others like trash should be cleansed from the world.

But what about those that are starting to change? Lately, she saw it in the current King’s persona. He was generous, loving and knowledgeable up to the point that Jaden herself respected him in the quiet. He once admitted and confided her, on a late supper of their last day at Gallant’s before going to Vast’s, that he was wrong for abandoning his own family and not stopping the war. That was why now that he was King; he wanted to make things right on his own way, and with his own name and hands. And having Jaden by his side reminded him the importance of everything.

Jaden retraced those memories and then she realized a flaw.

Oh God!

I’m the only kind to have these eyes…

Don’t tell me. He saw right through her? Did he realize that they met before in the past? This was bad, because then he would’ve known who she truly was. This was bad because it meant that she was doing horribly in her mission! How could she have slipped? She cursed for her weak power at the time.

But still…he hadn’t said anything, and he hadn’t done anything that could disrupt the balance and peace they had for now.

Jaden sat long enough and stood up. She was lucky that she was concealed in black because as she rose, the wind felt different. And that was when she realized another presence not far from her.

She quickly turned and though it was dark, she could make out the figure that it belonged to.

“You…” that voice, Jaden’s guess was right and she didn’t need to do more to confirm it. She took off by jumping over the roof.

“Hey! Wait!” she heard Justin, his husband, called her.