100

Wild Animal

Akari closed the door to the secret room.  The four guards and Riho looked at Akari with question eyes.  

Akari shook her head from side to side.  

“Nothing.”  Akari told Riho.  

Riho sighed loudly, unleashing the tension from her body.  The guards body also relaxed their body with Akari’s words.  

“Has Mage Koya or Duke Obara come back into the room?” Akari asked Riho.

“No.”

“I’ll go check in on them.”

Akari left Rin’s room and made her way towards Obara’s study where he was giving orders to his staff.  

“Ensure that my words are spread to every staff member.  The second and third floors are off limits. Anyone seen on these floors without permission will be detained for questioning.  Any suspicious activity will be reported directly to their superior then to me.”

“Yes, my lord.” The steward said as he bowed.  “Any other instructions?”

“The servants should stay inside of their room, if they do not have any work to do.  No one has the permission to leave the estate without my direct orders. No one has the permission to enter the estate without my direct orders.”

“Yes, my lord. I’ll do as you say.”  

Once the steward left the room, Akari was left with Duke Obara and four guards.  

“I just need a moment of your time.”  Akari said as she sat down in front of his desk.  

“Go ahead.”  Obara said as he looked through the stack of papers in front of him.  

“Alone.”  

Obara’s hands froze as he slowly looked up to Akari.  Obara stared at Akari for a moment before nodding his head.  The four guards left the room and stood outside of the door, guarding it from intruders.  

Once they were finally alone, Akari sat back into the chair and let the silence surround them.  

Obara waited patiently, however his nerves were tense.  He didn’t want to rush Akari, however time was running against them.  

“You still have a mole inside of your household.”  Akari told Obara bluntly.

“Tell me.”

“Rin has a secret room under his room.  That secret room is a torture chamber. Can you guess who was once inside of that room?”

Obara’s eyes harden at Akari’s words.  What was Akari implying? That Rin held someone against their will and tortured them?  His Rin would never do that. He would never do that to someone. He didn't raise Rin to be this way.

“There was dried blood and other dried bodily fluids on the bed.  There was also several chains that were broken.”

Obara’s hands that held the papers were finally dropped as his hands squeezed tightly in fists.  His heart became as tight as his fists. It felt stuffy and he couldn’t believe his Rin could do such a thing to Kiko.  It was a set up. Rin could never do something so evil towards another person. Obara refused to believe it.

“It matters not what he did.”  Akari told Obara. “What matters is how Kiko was rescued.  Who else knows about Rin’s secret room? Who else has or had access to Rin’s room? If they didn’t know about the secret room, whoever it was, they had time to search Rin’s room and found his secret.  They had time to free Kiko and arrange her escape without anyone knowing. That means, you have more than one mole inside of your household.”

“I understand.”  Obara said as his anger was ignited once again.  “Should I let the King know?”

“Yes.” Akari told Obara.  “He has the right to know that his own Queen and son are conspiring to kill him.”  

“And if he doesn’t believe me?”  

“Even if he doesn’t believe you, once you tell the King, he will being an investigation.  That is all we need to give us more time to prepare for the Queen’s next move and to prepare for the mage.”  Akari told him.

“Very well.  I’ll do as you say.”  Obara said as he placed the papers on his desk inside of the desk drawers and locked them up.  “I’ll visit Rin and Riho before I go seek an audience with the King.”

Obara walked with Akari out of his study and once they were out in the hallway, Obara locked the door to the study.  

“What will you do in the time being?”  

“Mage Koya and I will go hunting.”

“For what?”  

“A wild animal that needs to be put down.”  Akari told him.