How My Brother And I Kidnapped An Assassin

13. A Mystery

There were people out there who wanted him and his family dead, but... who? He wasn't dumb, there were obviously going to be people who weren't going to like the royal family, but the whole assassination attempt was just odd to think about.

His first thought had been a group of Chinese out to overthrow the Kingdom, but for one, the tall man who had attacked them was a Cantonese speaker, not Mandarin. Plus, there were talks about how one man was Korean, one who had appeared in the hallways with the same clothing as the Canto-speaker. Was it a group outside of the two Kingdoms planning to overthrow both?

Of course, a small part of him still told him to stay weary of the Chinese royal family, but Yuta, his own advisor and personal guard, had confidently told Jisung that he believed that the Huangs didn't have a part in assassination attempt, and Yuta was never wrong. Speaking with Prince Hendery didn't help him clear any suspicions, but it certainly didn't create new ones.

Jisung tried to push his worries aside as he was led to the dining room, where the people in the inn bowed down to show their respects to him. The innkeeper came up to him and greeted him, and while Jisung was being polite and greeting him in return, he still felt like his head was in the clouds.

Yuta stayed by his side at all times as they sat down and ate the lavish breakfast that had been prepared for them. He took a few bites here and there, tasting everything in small portions, but at one point he could feel his stomach get queasy, so he pushed his chair back and stood up.

Yuta looked at him, surprised and worried. He had checked the food beforehand to make sure it wasn't poison, but what if he didn't try his best? "Your highness, are you feeling unwell?"

"Chocolate donuts would never do this to me," Jisung muttered, clutching his stomach. "Sorry, I need to go outside for a bit, I think I need some rest."

"I'll go with you," Yuta said, standing up as well as he led Jisung out of the dining room, the two making their way towards outside.

The main social rooms of the inn were filled with people, causing Yuta to be on more high alert and wondering if he should call any of the other guards when the crowd of people split and they both realized why.

Jisung reached out to have his hand over his dagger while Yuta on his sword as they made eye contact with Prince Hendery and the guards with him.

Hendery noticed him as well and, watching his guards lift up their own swords, gestured them not to. "Your highness," he said, bowing down. "I didn't fancy seeing you here."

Jisung glared at him. "Me neither, although I should have, considering how you recently told Chen Le and Yangyang my suspicions-"

"Your highness, who's Chen Le and Yangyang?" Yuta whispered, considered. He knew all of Jisung's contacts for safety reasons, so it was surprising to hear names that he didn't recognize.

Instead of Hendery reacting negatively or defensively, he widened his eyes from curiosity. "You've talked to Yangyang and Chen Le recently?" he asked. "Is Yangyang better? He didn't fall but he did faint for a bit the other day."

It was weird that Hendery wasn't going to say anything about snitching to those two, but Jisung was more confused on how he was asking about Yangyang. "Yangyang didn't seem in pain yesterday when I saw them," Jisung admitted truthfully. "It was actually Chen Le, he got hit in the shin with a hoe thanks to Yangyang."

"He is a bit clumsy," Hendery muttered to himself.

That's when Jisung realized - Hendery wasn't hiding something by dodging the question. No, it almost looked like he was speaking fondly about Yangyang.