What the Flower Blossoms For Chapter 3
Who else own Hunter x Hunter?
Flower 3 : Assassination
“And this…” I said as I opened the main door, “…is the library.”
I had promised Killua to bring him to one of my favorite place in the Palace. The library. It had so many potential of knowledge that I could ever wish for. It was a magical place. Sacred as I said. A place where information, knowledge, culture, and intelligence came into one place. My kind of place.
As the door opened, it showed a vast room surrounded by cupboards of books that were towering to the ceiling. Computers were lining on the tables. We walked in to one of the long tables in the middle of the room and sat in front of each other there to open some books on the table just to see what it contained.
“Navigations, interesting…” Killua remarked.
“Do you want to set sail someday?” I said to him.
“Where?”
“Kujira Island. That’s our next potential market.”
“If I don’t have a job at the time.”
“Deal.”
There was a knocking at the door.
I said to it to come in and it showed two maids bringing us a tray of drinks. It was lemon squash. Perfect for this blazing of a noon. They walked in to our table and started putting down the drinks each to our own seat on the table. I was waiting for them to asked permission to withdraw themselves but they just stood there.
“Okay, thank you both of you. You can leave,” I finally said.
Only then they realized the cue, and walked out the door to leave the room. My goodness, I realized one of the maid was new but did they really expect me to drink in front of them? And then what, give them a review of the drinks?
“Lemon squash, huh? Not bad,” I saw Killua was downing the glass in a flash and I just looked at him. The weather must be getting into him. Then, he let out a sound of relieve before putting down his glass. But he suddenly said,
“You’re really a good girl.”
I didn’t understand what happen but I was no short of answer, “Judging people doesn’t suit you.”
“Good move, watching me drink it first. Don’t drink it.”
That was when I had a bad feeling in my stomach. There must be something in the drink for Killua to warn me like that. Before I knew it, the door flung open and showed a woman in maid clothes crash in to room with a pistol in her hand. After rolling down to take cover for herself, a bullet was already in my projactory. I didn’t know which one she did first, shooting the bullet or took cover, and I didn’t have time to think of it.
BAM.
My chair was crashing the floor hard with Killua on top of me.
He saved me from the bullet.
Flipping my chair to face the other way of the shooter, I had no idea what happened next but in what felt like a second, a shriek was let out of the woman. Followed by a sound of a crashing metal. Then, Killua called me to come out.
I tried to get up from a side position, and move away my chair. I walked up to where the two of them were to see the woman was down on the floor with Killua’s hand pointing at her, there were claws out of his hand and the other hand held her down on the shoulder. There was a line of blood coming from her neck.
“Do you know who’s this woman?” Killua asked me.
“Not yet, she only shows up twice. Once as my bath maid yesterday, and now here,” I crouched down to her eye-level and asked her, “I thought you’re just new, but my bath maids were only bath maid. That makes you out of place in the even in the maid group. Who are you?”
She looked so angry at me and barked loud, “You filthy rich palace people!”
I frowned at that, “why are you so angry at me?”
“Do you know how many people are hungry outside of your palace?!”
“What? There are hungry people?”
“You don’t even know your people and you call yourself a Ruler?!”
“Because there is no way, our kingdom is very developed, and there have been many shelters for the homeless to have free meals. Are you sure you are my people?”
“What? No way! I see it with my own eyes, these people are starving, lack of food everyday, including me!”
I frowned harder at that. What was this impossibility I never imagine in my whole life of witnessing my kingdom prospering every single day? Who in the hell is this woman? Who and what brings her here? The only thing that could come up in my mind was brainwashing. There must be a master she served that was brainwashing her into hating this prosperous kingdom. But we could extract more information from her if we could have a civilized discussion.
“So what is your goal, lady? Do you want equality of food share in the kingdom?”
“Yes! Yes that is what I want! But you filthy pigs are too proud to listen to commoner like us.”
“Who do you refer to us?”
“Us people of Valheima.”
This was where I was nervous to ask and my voice cracked a little, “Who do you serve?”
“Master Achlys.”
“This master was brainwashing her, Killua,” I said.
“What did you say?!” She exclaimed.
“This is not a gaslight but I asure you, you’re brainwashed. I don’t know how he did it, but he planted seed of distrust to the kingdom to you. If it was my people and I ask them who do you serve, they will say King Kiehlzen Snofrid. The fact that you didn’t say that, was proof enough you’re not my people.”
“Heh,” she chuckled. Then, she laughed before saying, “It’s true what Master Achlys said to us. It’s because you don’t see us Valheima as one of your people. That’s why you makes us your scapegoat. And don’t even try to deny it anymore, because…”
“Because…”
“Because your sacrifice will be the better for the people.”
“What sacrifice…?”
She chuckled low, and then looked sinister at me with a smirk, “Our God will bring grace to us. With you as a sacrifice. Then Our God will possess Master Achlys as medium to rule this good-for-nothing forsaken kingdom and finally our people will be prosperous.”
“What are you talking about? God?”
“There’s no God in this world,” Killua said.
“THERE IS! Our God Kaicillius is ruler of the other world. With the sacrifice of the princess, we will bring Him here and finally He become the ruler of the two world.”
I shook my head and stood up before her, “I’m sorry, lady, if the God is the ruler of the other world it must stay there. To keep balance of the two world, The God shouldn’t rule the two, or the two world will collide.”
“What? NO!”
“Yes it’s true. And your master lie to you,” Killua added.
“If the God was real, what I said is the truth,” I continued.
“What?!” the lady looked at both us one after the other.
“You never read, don’t you, only have the teaching of your master?”
“Wh-what—” She trembled as she spoke. Bingo.
“Your master teaching is a lie,” Killua said, still pointing his hand on her neck.
“NO!” she yelled, her pupils followed in Killua’s direction. Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this scream. Looked like she’s about to lose it.
“It could be your master teaching is a mistake. But you need to see the broader light of this matter too decide for yourself whether your master is right or wrong.”
“Your master is not teaching the truth, nor even guiding you ine the right light,” Killua continue.
“SHUT UP! MY MASTER IS TEACHING THE TRUTH. HE IS THE LIGHT THAT’S NEVER SHED UPON PEOPLE LIKE US.”
“It might not be. Look, there’s always two side of the story,” I started.
“Your.master.is.a.liar,” and Killua ended it.
“SHUT U—” the lady forced herself to face Killua behind her and her neck was crashing hard into his claws, causing so much blood splattered from her neck and into the floor. Watching that at point blank, I was so shocked and my eyes could only follow the movement of the blood from her neck down.
“MIEL!”
All of a sudden, a familiar voice called my name from the outside. I knew whose it was. It was Akira’s voice. My childhood friend, the son of our field Marshal. He was calling my name. But I couldn’t bring myself to looked at him. I slowly turned my head to the left to looked at him, only to find him looking as horrified to the scene before him. He frowned. He was making up his mind, I didn’t know what it was, but he made up his mind. He run towards me directly and grab my hand, “Are you okay?”
And then he looked at Killua, “who are you?” while pointing his sword at him.
I was still out of it, didn’t know what to answer. Akira then grabbed my shoulder and escorted me out of the room. In the hallway, I was tripping over something that after I looked at it better, was the other maid, unconscious on the floor. Is she dead too?
I couldn’t think more of it. Akira was helping me to be out of it and he kept asking if I was okay, and now and then looked back at what was behind him, but I knew nothing followed. The picture of the lady’s neck and his claws running into it was still in my mind.
That’s how easily Killua could kill a person.
It wasn’t even anybody’s fault that the tragedy happened. It was an accident. There was just a sharp and strong hold near her neck and she snapped into it. That was what happen.
Killua didn’t kill, Killua…was only pointing his claws to protect me.
“How could you be with a killer and I didn’t know,” Akira started, “I’m sorry, I’m still in training when I heard a shot and I was looking for you,” he rubbed my forearms as if assuring me I was now in the safe place, “How could you be in one room with an assassin?”
“Huh? You mean the lady?”
“No. The boy. Poor maid, she died protecting you.”
I warded his hands off my shoulders, “Killua was not killing her. And she is the assassin.”
He looked confused at first and then sighed, “So, the name is Killua.”
“I told you she is the assassin.”
“Okay, okay, I heard you,” he saw me with a questionable look on his face. As if he was afraid to take an action.
I quickly grab his hand and run back to the library, “we have to head back, we shouldn’t leave Killua alone.”
“Wait wait wait,” Akira grabbed me on the shoulder, “It’s too dangerous out there, the other assassin might still be around. I’ll bring you back to your room first. Make sure to stay there.”
“But, what about Killua?”
“I’ll handle it. I’ll handle everything,” he assured me.
“Okay…” I was half-convinced, “but make sure he comes to my room after.”
“What?”
“What?”
“He is still covered in blood. I can’t send him to your room.”
“I don’t care, I need him in my room!”
Akira’s grip on my shoulder was limping. He was so shocked at my remarks. A wave of guilt wash over me and my eyes were wide open after the revelation, “I’m so sorry…Akira, I didn’t mean to scream at you.”
Akira was not looking at me anymore, he was walking away toward the direction of the library.
“I’ll bring him to your room,” he said.
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I was fidgeting in my room. My knee wouldn’t stop moving as I sat down in the corner of my bed. I was repeatedly standing up and sitting down again, waiting for my door to open up and showed the two boys. When would they come?
Akira told me to stay in my room but I occasionally checked outside, hoping if they already came.
Finally, when I was looking out at the window, the door was knocked. It must be them. The opened door showed two young gentlemen in their prime youth, one looking fresh, and one looking worried. Guess who’s who?
Killua was the first to enter my room. He called my name and I did too. I called Akira’s after. He was running preceded Killua and hold my hands again, for several times today, “I’ve handled everything. I called the guard to take care of the victim’s body and the maid to clean up the mess. While I let Killua take a shower, I give report directly to the Majesty. And now I bring him in to your room as you asked,” Akira said. He was always the responsible and reliable one.
“Thank you,” releasing one hand, I stroke his cheek softly, and smiled at him “You’ve done a good job.”
“Miel,” Killua said, “It’s dangerous here,” his eyes were directed towards me, “that’s only one assassin, we don’t know how many had infiltrated the Palace. But looking at her strength, I can handle them on my own, and just so you know, I did provoke her to tell more, but I was meant to take her a prisoner at first. Because then we can discuss about this matter further with your family.”
I released my hands and walked towards him, “yeah, I know you didn’t mean to kill. It was an accident.”
“Liar,” Akira replied, “you’re a pathological liar, Killua.”
“Akira, what do you mean?”
“He knows what his action will cost, but he still did it anyway. Because looking at how easy he can kill people, satisfy him.”
“Maybe you want to see for yourself, how easy it can be?” Killua provoked.
“Wait, hold on, both of you,” I half-screamed, “This is not the time to fight each others, we need to unite, the kingdom is going to be under attack.”
“You mean, you?” Killua probed, “You’re the only one who is going to be sacrificed by that group Valhemia—or something.”
“I knew you are a traitor,” Akira jumped in the front of me, “If you don’t want to protect her, you can leave, now.”
“I’m just saying the truth,” Killua defended.
“No, Killua, it’s not just me, also after the sacrifice succeed, they’re going to take over the Palace in the name of making a new order to feed the people. If. Because the original plan might not work at all, even if I die in their hands, they might not make it to overthrow the kingdom.”
“That’s what I mean by, you,” Killua sighed, “Their God is only a myth, you’ll just die for nothing. And after that maid died, they’re not gonna have any new information about you, but they’ll send in new assassin. Looking at how weak she is but so strong of believe, she didn’t get much training. But what about the guards in this place, easily fooled by a weakling like that? I suggest, it’s gonna be easier to just restrict any new maid or guards to minimalize new people coming in the Palace. Not to mention if there are traitor in the Palace. And it might be better for you to not get out of your room much or stay somewhere that group didn’t know.”
I was stunned at his explanation. All I could say was, “You plan all that?”
“No! it was a course of action but you can analyze it and make conclusion for it.”
I was stunned again for awhile, “Killua might be the smartest one here,” I said to Akira. But, he just clicked his tongue.
Then in the evening, announcement called for us to gather in the Court Room. I expected lieutenant and commander were going to be present as well. It was still undecided if the threat was only going on me or the entire kingdom.
When I walked in to the room, every seat has been filled. Akira was taking Killua to sit beside him but I suggested both of them stand behind my chair, as Killua was a guest important enough to see this discussion as I had seen it with my own eyes of his potential. Akira was my right-hand man always ready to protect me as his loyalty to the Royal Family, they deserved to had better view of this discussion. Sitting in my chair with both Akira and Killua behind me, I felt assured to join this forum.
As The forum was lead by the field Marshal, Father opened the discussion and some lieutenant would answer after him.
“This is not the first time, a Royal Family has been the target of assassination, but this, is the first time we heard of a case, where they would be sacrificed to call a God,” Father said. A murmur happening in the room, and as I heard, they were murmuring about the said God, as it had been established in the kingdom that we didn’t believe in God. “One of our Princesses, Mjollyra, has been under attack this afternoon by an assassin who infiltrate the Palace as a maid. I want to question the Head of Guards for the responsibility.”
Grade, the Head of Guards finally spoke up. He said he was terribly sorry about the incident that happen this afternoon as it was his duty to protect in the entire Palace. He would be ready to serve any punishment the King would see fit. Father said he forgave him, as I thought, as it was known well our firewall protection was top notch but the guards were not so much. Father said to work up the guards and would hold a new training from a special unit of the army to strengthen and increase the intelligent of the guards.
Continuing the forum, Father asked, “Is there any of you familiar with Valheima and their people?”
One of the commander answered, Valheima was an exile town, outside of Kingdom of Adonis, but it has been used to dispose of any trashes by some Kingdoms and Republics, and Adonis was one of them. From here on, we knew where the rage comes from. Father was visibly distressed about the situation, Mothers were worrying as well, but Mihael said it was not our responsibility once it was out of our kingdom reign, logically speaking. Father still felt it was part of the kingdom responsibility as the town was still of use to it. Because there was no symbiosis mutualism of this relationship with the exile town. Mihael still proceed with his idea that there was no relationship at all in the beginning so it shouldn’t be our worry. Franklin, Illumi and Fjolla were just observants, no comments from them as they were waiting for more information to be fold.
My Mom, Fondriffa Snofrid, would like to ask me, “How about Miel whom has been attacked this afternoon? What do you think about them?”
This was the perfect chance to tell them about the assassin, “I think of them as one of the lost and discarded. I sympathize with their privation and hunger as the assassin has told me. Seems to me, they just want their people to be as prosperous as our kingdom’s and they need salvation. But their way of needing it is wrong, sacrificing someone was never the answer,” then it came into my mind, “The sacrificed could be not only me, but my sister and other family as well. The Royal Family could be in danger, so, I ask for no new employee at the moment to prevent infiltration and have all the guards and maid to be checked of their identity. I don’t want any more casualty happening in the Palace. It has been rough this afternoon seeing death in front of my eyes, but I was lucky I could escape it.”
Akira then added, “And it was thanks to our guest, Killua, who have killed the assassin in the name of protecting our Princess, Mjollyra,” and then he clapped.
The whole room was also clapping, following after him, with more murmurs about it, but it was murmur of appreciation towards Killua. At first, I thought Akira had not been enjoying Killua’s presence here, but turned out he was rather appreciative of him. My parents were looking glad at this announcement. I looked at Killua to see his expression. He was rather flustered by it, hahaha, in the middle of something serious like this I could still get a humor from him. I bet he didn’t see that coming.
Hell, even I didn’t see that coming from miles away. Akira was kinda surprising sometimes.
Killua would be a star in the kingdom after tonight.
We proceed to strategies for overcoming this incident. First, tonight we talked about strengthening the security in the Palace, next forum was to whether we’d be contacting the nearest Kingdom and Republic who also has been using the exile town as well. Every commander and lieutenant was asked to lend an idea. After any ideas, Akira was the one completing them and sometimes he asked for Killua’s assistance. Not to my surprise, Killua was also an idea bank about maintaining the regulation and crafty ideas to detect if someone was suspicious as an assassin. Maybe, it was because he himself was one assassin, he knew what was inside one’s brain and found out exactly what they were thinking.
He's certainly gonna be a star after tonight.
The forum ended with everyone withdrawing from the room. Akira was holding my hand after I got up, and said, “I’ll sleep with you tonight.”
Perplexed by his announcement, I just blinked. I looked at Killua to find approval or rejection, but he just walked away. A scowl came into by my eyebrows, I was not happy being treated this way. I said to Akira I was okay and didn’t need that much coddle, and I walked away.
“I know you must be afraid after all that happened today. You need to have me in your room tonight. We used to sleep together and I can protect you. I do it all the time.”
“No, I am not afraid. I also don’t need that much protection. If you want to protect me you can do it outside.”
He was stunned after my answer, “You’re not afraid? You’re supposed to.”
“Well, I am not.”
“Man, don’t tell her what to and not to do,” Killua interrupted. Where the hell had you been all this time? “Hhh, I was gonna walk away to let you two settle it by yourself, but I guess I can’t let a girl be forced to sleep with by a man. I suggest you wait by the door and guard it all night long.”
“Stop playing the peacemaker, Killua. If you were me, you will do the same.”
“Not without her consent.”
Now we’re talking. It’s true I used to be scared, overthinking, anxious, and paranoid years ago, but I was not that little helpless girl anymore. I had followed routines of training to strengthen my mental and body, followed courses of meditation and taking medication, to control my mind better.
“I am okay, I’ll call you if I need something,” I said to Akira.
Akira then agreed, he would be on my doorstep the minute I asked for him. Killua went back to his room, he could handle things by himself if something happened, and hopefully there was no more assassination tonight.
It has been three days of Killua and Illumi stayed in the Palace. On the fourth day, it was a good-bye day. Fortunately, there was no accident nor assassination in the third day, as with Killua’s help too we strengthened our fortress. I wouldn’t forget him and the days we spent together. It was so much fun colliding thoughts with him. For three days, we spent so much time just talking about ourselves and of course there was an action genre that happened in day two.
“I hope you’ll be okay,” he said.
It's time. Killua would be going home.
I was running in the hallway bringing a little story book. Before we bid good-bye, I told them to wait because I wanted to give Killua a souvenir so that he would remember me in the time we did not meet. The book was about someone who try to live out the ordinary and achieved bigger goal. I thought it represented us well, me who wanted to broaden my horizon outside of being a royalty in this kingdom, and Killua as a wish for him to find his goal in life. I was sure he could do it.
I gave out the book to him, “Save it. It’s yours now.”
He flipped the book upside down, paying attention to every crook and nook, “why a dirty book for me,” he smiled, warmly, “do you read this often?”
“One of my favorite. You’re gonna like it.”
“I like that confidence,” he said flipping through the pages, “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
It was a peaceful good-bye. No hard feelings, no tears, but there would forever be a missing.
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Killua’s POV
I was in the airplane to Republic of Padokea, to go home.
Nothing much I could really do in the trip, so it got me curious of the book Miel gave me. The title was ‘Walter Mistry’, sounded like a name. I began to flip it through the first page. It began with the environment the main character lives in, he works ordinary job in the magazine company. He wasn’t really unsatisfied with his job but he also didn’t want a bigger job. Until, someday he found out one of the photograph he organized missing, and then he saw some kind of hallucination of seeing a photograph calling to him.
“Kil—”
The man in the photograph pointed two fingers at him and began to pull them as if telling him to ‘come’.
“Kil!”
“Huh? What’s it Aniki?”
“Is the book really that interesting?” Illu-nii was looking at me in the corner of his eyes.
“Uh, I don’t know, this is just the first chapter.”
“Do you like it so far?”
“Well… it’s not bad. But maybe also not that great. I don’t know.”
“Good. Then, throw it away.”
“Huh?!”
“It’ll be bad if it is distracting you from your mission, or from listening to father and me. I think you must throw it away.”
“This book’s mine now. I do whatever I want with it.”
“You seem to be getting along with Miel, do you think you’re friends with her?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t forget Kil, you shouldn’t be friend with the outside world.”
“Our family was close enough for us to maintain relationship with them. That’s what brought us there.”
“Acquaintance. Also, we’re originally there for a mission and just have a place to sleep for free.”
I closed the book, sighing, “then how about you and her sister?”
“Oh, us? Hahaha, she was trying so hard to be impressed by me, though there’s nothing to be impressed for. So, we made a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Yeah, that as long as I am friendly to her, she will help me with anything I asked for.”
“You’re just using her.”
“Ping-pong. You should do the same. They have many accesses to countries and facilities, using them could be handy.”
I scowled at the thought of that. It’s true I might not consider Miel a friend yet, but it didn’t mean I didn’t want to. My little heart that I never even used, felt a tinge in the deepest part of it. I have known a lot about her, her way of thinking, her preferences, her likes and dislikes.
I don’t want to use her.
.
.
.
It was until the next five years, I never finished the book.
