Chapter 12

After such incidents with brother Terrence, I distanced myself from him, avoiding contacts with him as much as I can. I still observe the two of my brothers in case someone will decides to attack again. It seems that they will leave my brother Terrence alone for a while due to my interference and his guards are now on high alert right now. If my thoughts and hunches are right, they would be aiming to brother Tyler next time.

I groaned, “This is so tiring and hassle. This will be better if I don’t need to hide my identity right?” I can only sigh, “Make it worst I just killed the assassin. I can’t think anything since my brother was there. If I linger longer in the room, he will eventually recognize me.”

I noticed these past few days, there is someone following brother Tyler. I really don’t know if that person was actually his guard or someone who wants to attack his prey in perfect time. No matter which he is, I must keep my awareness high always. But gaaah! I feel like I look more like a monkey right now, always staying up in a tree and jumping between them, damn!

I peeked in the small opening between the leaves and the branches of the tree. Brother Tyler is walking in the open lobby towards the next established building camp but there is still someone who is following him behind maybe waiting for moments like this that my brother is all alone. And just like I expected, the assassin came out from where he is hiding and charged towards my brother.

I immediately jumped out and blocked his dagger using my sword creating an ear-wrenching clanging sound.

“Ho~ another assassin. Are you the mate of the one I eliminated?” I asked.

“You,” the assassin said.

“Yes me,” and with that, I kicked him hard unto his groins but he quickly flipped backwards dodging the attack completely.

He created some distance between us and we stared each other.

“What is happening here?” brother Tyler asks.

“This is also an assassin sent from someone to kill you, bro… my lord.”

“Is that so?” he calmly answered.

Huh? is it me? Or he just sees this as a not so big deal matter, I mean how can he be so calm at this point? Whatever, I must catch this one and try to juice up some information I can.

I held my sword in front of me with both hands tightly gripping on it. I slid my left foot forward a bit making my knees bend. He also did make his stance preparing to attack or block attacks. From my initial stance I charged to him at a breakneck speed as I lift my sword up and swung it downwards when I closed our distances. The blade almost reached him but he just masterfully dodged my quick attack by stepping to the side and swung his dagger to me following a diagonal direction. I barely dodged his counter-attack and just grazed my sleeve a bit. His attack didn’t stop with that and we continued attacking and parrying each other’s blades. We both then stepped forward and launched our attacks at the same time, clashing our blades into each other. Sparks sprayed from the blades and a high-pitched metallic sound reverberated in the hall as our blades crossed each other.

“So, it was you who was watching these two brothers,” the assassin said as we pushed our blades on each other, “Then, I guess I shall leave for now. I must report this,” the assassin said sliding his dagger from my blade and immediately took quick back steps and ran so quick that he almost looks like he vanished out of the thin air.

I was about to go after him when someone suddenly held my shoulder.

“Wait.”

I stiffed upon hearing his words. No, no, brother please let me go!

“Who are you? Why are you following me?”

“Is that question for the assassin and not for me?”

“It is for you as well.”

I sighed. No matter what I do the assassin already escaped. I can’t follow him anymore, damn this brother of mine.

“Sorry but I have to do this… brother,” I softly said the last word.

“What? I can’t hear your last wo…”

I grabbed his hand pulling it hard then I bent down, throwing him in front of me lying on the floor.

“Ugh, fuck,” he groaned.

When I am about to run my brother held one of my ankles. This brother doesn’t really do things elegantly unlike brother Terrence. I shove off his hand and bolted away from him. After sometime, when I think I have gone far enough where no one is following me anymore I stopped to catch my breath. I decided to sit under a tree and lean on it.

“Now I think of it. These two assassin after my brother early. In the past life, my brothers corpses are not that so long been dead. But if you kill them now, that will makes the body a little different than it was,” I said while thinking, “Ah! Is that this attempt didn’t kill them since my brothers are one of the best knight in our kingdom. Then… I made myself like a fool there. I made myself be discovered for no reason,” I sighed, “Even so, there will be another attempt where my brother will surely die and be framed to be a traitor to the kingdom.”

I closed my eyes and try felt the breeze and peacefulness of my surrounding. This, I will solve this case no matter what and find out who is the person behind this. And as to why they are targeting my brothers and pick them as the scapegoat.

“Scapegoat huh,” I whispered to myself, “It could be someone is doing treacherous act now to the kingdom however they are putting the blame to my brothers. But why my brothers?”

I think again as to what my brothers have that made them the target. However, I’m so foolish not to realize this earlier. My brothers are the trusted men of the second prince, if my brothers’ reputations get ruined it will affect the second prince as well. As to why the prince in my past life didn’t meddle in our family crisis since he chosen to not to do a thing in order to save his reputation a little bit and the right to success the throne.

In addition to this, there is only one who wants the second prince to be put on his own place. There is no other than the first prince. The first prince who is the son of the empress which is to be said the true heir since the second prince is only the son of a servant. However, he got the right to succeed the throne because of his achievements in wars.

He shows what he is capable of and thus the king acknowledges his being as the prince who has a potential on the throne.

“All for the throne huh,” I smirked, “My family got dragged into this family feud over something a chair and a crown. Doing this from the outside view is better than getting entangled between. I should watch this from a far to see clearly what and how things will happen. This is a good idea since I don’t want to be the crown princess again.”

I stood up and clean of my pants, “For now let’s catch a rat who is running around the castle fortress and sniffing the cheese of mine.”

I turn and walk towards the training ground of the knights. As for a well, I must continue acting as the newbie. If Liebert started to notice something is going on me, I will be really trouble.