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"WHEN YOUR BUTLER VISITED J.S High and looked for me, I was a bit surprised. I couldn't guess what he wanted, and even now that I'm here with you, I still don't know what this whole gimmick is about," River Karlsson, also known as Crazy 8's current Siren, says as he looks at Max who was casually taking a sip of his red wine.
"Maybe you can give me a clue. It wouldn't hurt, would it?" River adds, and Max grins, glancing outside the window of the plane before turning to look back at River.
"I can't tell you anything yet until we arrive at the destination, but what I can tell you is that we're meeting someone who you might want to have a little chat with," Max says, which only confuses the leader even more.
"That did not answer a single question I have in my head, but nonetheless, I love the secrecy," River answers, making Max chuckle this time.
"Oh, I know you do."
Despite wanting to say so much to each other, River and Max were quiet the entire flight, minding their own business like they were strangers. Max wanted to ask how J.S High had been going but kept his mouth shut as much as possible, while River wanted to get an update from Max and his mission to get PHD back, but he also did his best not to interrogate the heir.
This wasn't the time and place to chat about those things, and both of them knew that.
When Max returns from St. George Academy, that's when they can start asking each other questions.
"Gentlemen, we have landed in our destination. It is currently 7:15 P.M., and the weather is going to be a bit windy."
After the five-hour flight, the plane finally landed. River wakes up from a well-deserved nap while Max, who was awake the entire time, occupied himself with a novel that Étienne conveniently packed for him before they parted with each other at the airport.
"We're only staying here for a couple of hours. After we're done, we're heading back to London," Max explains as he and River step out of the plane, a ton of guards waiting for them outside to escort them.
"Who are we meeting? The president?" River jokingly asks as the guards start inspecting his entire body. Max, on the other hand, shrugged his shoulder and grinned mischievously, making River shake his head at how ridiculous it was for him to be in an entirely different country that he didn't even know about.
The two went through immigration like normal, and as soon as they were cleared, Max looked at River and finally revealed to him, "Well, I think there's no point hiding it now, but...welcome to Karlsruhe, Germany."
River looks around and laughs at the absurdity.
"If you're here to kill me in a foreign country I'd be very upset," River says as he and Max walk out of the airport.
"Don't worry, you're one of my favourite protectors so I won't do such a thing. Just don't tell Krist and the others," Max answers back, and the two of them laugh together.
"Germany, huh? I haven't been to Germany before, but we should definitely visit Berlin sometime. I've always wanted to see the Brandenburg Gate in person," River says, making Max nod his head in agreement since this is also his first time visiting the country.
While the two were having a casual conversation with a dozen guards standing behind them, a black car finally arrived, parking right in front of them. Max and River wait on the side as a woman, probably in her fifties, steps out to greet the two of them with a bow. "Sir Sinclaire, it is a pleasure."
"You must be?" Max asks as the woman straightens her back to look at the two properly.
"My name is Adelheid. I'm the one who called Janus Sinclaire so we can reach out to you," Adelheid answers before looking at River. "Unfortunately when I called, I made it clear that we only wanted to speak with Mr. Sinclaire. We didn't allow a plus one."
Max glances at River before looking back at Adelheid. "My apologies if I brought someone with me," Max tells her. "But having Sir Sky Hansen by my side is crucial. If you do not allow me to bring him, then we will return to England together."
"You're very stubborn," Adelheid then comments.
"Very much so," Max answers back with no hesitation, causing Adelheid to sigh in response, obviously frustrated. He turns to one of the guards and asks him something in German, which unfortunately Max and River are not able to understand. After exchanging a few more words with each other, Adelheid finally turns back to the two.
"Well then, we will welcome Sir...Hansen...as you insist. But we have a condition that he must follow before we head to our destination," Adelheid tells them, making Max and River look at each other before looking back at the woman.
"What condition?" River asks.
"Sir Hansen must be blindfolded the entire trip," Adelheid reveals, surprising not just River but Max as well. "We have confirmed that you have not revealed to Mr. Hansen the address that we sent President Janus, so we will keep it that way until you return to your country."
"Are you serious?" Max asks in disbelief. He was about to protest with the strange request, but River stopped him.
"It's alright," the brotherhood leader says. "I came all the way here without knowing where you're taking me. I've worn masks almost my entire life too, so a blindfold won't hurt. Don't worry."
Max stares at River, making sure he is certain about this. So when River nodded his head towards the heir for one final confirmation, Max sighed and gave in. "Alright, you can put a blindfold on him. But, I must stay beside him at all times. I won't allow anyone else to touch him. He is required to stay by my side the entire time."
"Okay. That is a manageable request," Adelheid answers with no hesitation. "Now, if there are no questions and concerns left, follow me and let's go."
Adelheid nods her head at one of the guards who automatically approaches River to blindfold him using a black bandana. When the brotherhood leader can no longer see anything, Max takes his arm, letting no one else touch him like he requested. Max felt responsible since he was the one who decided to bring River on this trip. If anything happens to him here, Max won't be able to forgive himself.
"I'll guide you," Max whispers as he leads River to the car.
The two of them sat at the back of the car while Adelheid sat in the driver's seat. The rest of the guards followed behind them, driving the same car model, making it almost impossible for others to guess what car they were really in.
"You guys are very cautious about this," Max says.
"It was the master's request," Adelheid surprising answers. "Only I and two other people know the location of where the young master is residing."
"Well, except for this insane amount of guards, right?"
"The guards will stop following us once we reach a certain point, and then we will all split in different directions until we reach the final stop where you will eventually meet the young master face to face," Adelheid answers next, which impressed and scared Max at the same time. He didn't expect the amount of effort they had to exert just to keep Klyde hidden.
"So we're meeting a young master? Interesting," River then says, his eyes still covered with a black cloth. "Why are you hiding and protecting this person so well? Is it an important asset? Or are you hiding them like this because there are very powerful people who are out to get them" River asks next, and this time, Adelheid isn't able to answer as fast as she normally does with Max's questions.
Max and River thought that Adelheid would no longer entertain them, but after a long pause, she finally answered, "It's both."
When Max heard her reply, he couldn't help but swallow the lump in his throat at how terrifying that must be. Vesper was right, involving himself with Klyde is very dangerous territory. Not only was Klyde directly involved with his family scandal—which could mean that there's a high possibility that he also knows the other people who visited that sickening island—Klyde also tried investigating the mysteries of St. George Academy, ultimately ruining his life in the process.
Should Max back out now?
Of course, he can't. That's no longer possible.
Max is already here, and not only that, he brought River with him.
Thankfully he still took Vesper's advice seriously. Other than telling Étienne where he's heading, the watch that Max is wearing is specially designed to send his exact location if he presses a button during an emergency. This was a watch that his father gifted to him when he first got kidnapped. Max never wore it because he used to despise the old man, but now things are different. If anything serious were to happen, they'd have a plan.
"We're getting closer to the first stop," Adelheid announces after two hours on the road. When they reached a bridge, half of the cars behind and in front of them changed directions. And then, at another stop, the rest of the cars changed course until they were the only ones left on the road. Max also realized that Adelheid had some sort of tracker on the screen to check if anyone was following them.
Max couldn't help but contemplate what River said earlier. The fact that they had to hide and protect Klyde to this extent only means that dangerous and powerful people are definitely looking for him. Max always wondered what life would be like if he wasn't a Lemieux and a Sinclaire. If he was a normal kid, he wouldn't have been drugged or kidnapped, and people wouldn't attempt to kill him. Max always questioned his life, but now, seeing how Klyde is in hiding and is probably all alone, Max realises that he has it better.
Max couldn't imagine what life would be like if Étienne had to hide him like a wanted criminal. He might go mad.
"We're stepping out of the car now," Adelheid says after another hour on the road, parking the car at what seems to be a river bank. Max was still confused as he and River stepped out of the car. But while Max was assisting River, Adelheid looked back at them and said, "We're going to ride this now."
"What do you mean?" Max asks before turning to look at the Adelheid who removed a cover of what seems to be a small speed boat.
As soon as Max saw their next means of transportation, Max's mouth instantly dropped in complete shock and disbelief. "You have to be kidding me. This is literal overkill," Max says while holding onto River's hand.
"Why? What's going on?" River asks.
"We're riding a boat," Max answers.
"A boat? For real?"
"You two, wear these life jackets so we can leave," Adelheid tells them, tossing the jackets to Max's direction.
"This is crazy," Max comments as he slowly helps River wear the jacket first before wearing one himself. "I knew you guys were keeping the location a secret, but isn't this too much?"
"Are you sure they're not going to dump us in the middle of the ocean?" River jokingly asks, looking less worried about the whole situation compared to the young heir. Well, he is the leader of Crazy 8 so it would need more than just a blindfold and a boat ride to freak him out.
"Alright, we're ready."
Adelheid steps on the boat first, followed by River and Max. Max still couldn't help but be worried about where they were really going, but all he could do now is hope and pray that they were not being screwed over.
After sitting comfortably on the deck, Adelheid turns the engine on and starts sailing away.
It was already 10 P.M. The stars were bright and the wind was strong, and Max's eyes were starting to get heavy. But while he and River were sitting behind Adelheid, Max couldn't help but ask, "How long has your master been hiding here?"
Adelheid, whose back was facing them, doesn't even turn around as she says, "It's been about two years now."
"And you? How are you related to him? Have you been taking care of him since he was young or just recently?"
Adelheid was quiet for a while, probably thinking about whether or not she should answer the question. But after a couple of seconds, she takes a deep breath and replies, "Nanny. I was their nanny."
Max was surprised, but at the same time, he didn't even question it since it seemed like this was a normal pattern between kids like them. For instance, Étienne is loyal to Max, and Max is much closer to his butler compared to his father. There's also CJ who ultimately cut ties with his family after what they did to the woman who took care of him when he was young. It's just surprising that people outside their family care more about them than their own flesh and blood.
When Max heard the answer, he didn't ask anything anymore and just waited for them to arrive at their final stop. The flight alone took five and a half hours, and the drive was three. Both Max and River were tired, and yet they were still travelling, now by boat.
This entire trip better be worth it.
As time continues to pass by, Max's eyes become heavier and heavier. He slaps his cheeks to keep himself alert, but Sandman is still slowly creeping in on him even if he tries to run away from it. The cold wind and the sound of water beneath them didn't help either, and River could notice that even with his eyes blindfolded.
"Are you sleepy?" River suddenly whispers, certain that Max is tired since the young heir didn't sleep during the flight like he did.
"I'm fine," Max softly answers before ironically yawning.
"Go ahead and close your eyes. I'll keep you safe," River assures him. Max was a bit sceptical, but River pulled Max's head towards him, forcing him to rest on the leader's shoulder.
Despite wanting to stay awake and watch over River as promised, the familiar scent of the marquis instantly made Max put his guard down. Before he could even fall asleep, he took a deep breath and whispered, "I missed you guys."
The long travel finally takes a toll on him as Max finally drifts to sleep. River, who still couldn't see anything, reaches out to touch Max's head, patting it gently as he whispers back, "We miss you too Max. Come back to us soon."
After letting go of Max, everything became still for a moment. It was smooth sailing, so to speak, but in a split second, River suddenly removed his necklace, which was actually a small dagger, before swiftly swinging it in front of him.
Silence.
No sound nor movement was heard in the boat, but then Adelheid, who was actually now standing right in front of them, slowly reached out to wipe the blood off her cheek from the sudden attack. She turns to River, making sure that he's still wearing the blindfold properly, and when she realises that he is, she grins, impressed at the quick instinct.
"You're not an ordinary kid," Adelheid says.
River, who's still pointing his tiny dagger in Adelheid's direction, doesn't even show an ounce of emotion as he says, "I'm a brotherhood leader. If you think this blindfold is a handicap, you've made a huge mistake. Touch a single strand of this boy's hair and this small dagger wouldn't be the only thing you'll be worried about."
Adelheid, who was actually holding a blanket all this time, chuckles at the hostile reaction before carefully draping it around River and Max's shoulder, surprising the leader as he slowly puts the dagger down.
"It's chilly tonight. And besides, I'm not going to hurt the two of you. I'd rather not add more people to the long list of rich families who are out to kill my master," Adelheid answers before turning back to the steering wheel. "Since his scandal, the young master has been hiding in paranoia. He rarely spoke to anyone, and sometimes he'd just stare out the window all day in silence. But one morning, I left my newspaper in the dining room. The master saw the headline and read through it. And then, for the first time in a long time, he spoke. He asked me to call St. George Academy."
"It was the news about Father Lucas Ivory, wasn't it?"
"Yes, he saw the headline and suddenly got emotional. When I called the Brotherhood Association, they briefly mentioned what happened, and then I eventually spoke to President Janus Sinclaire who shared his nephew's involvement with the case. I was expecting the young master to ask to speak to President Janus, but then he requested Sir Maximillian instead. Now here you are," Adelheid explains, which surprised River because he wasn't expecting to hear the entire story from the serious-looking nanny.
"We're meeting Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld, aren't we?" River finally catches on. Adelheid wasn't even surprised that he guessed it right.
"I wasn't sure at first, but after hearing your story, I was finally certain. It's actually not him that I want to meet, but I'm still grateful that Max gave me this opportunity. You might not be a fan of it, but I will definitely question Klyde so I can get the answers that I'm seeking."
"Looking for answers isn't always the best course of action," Adelheid quickly warns.
"Is that why you're hiding your young master like this?" River asks back, and this time, the question made Adelheid sigh heavily, almost like she remembered an unpleasant memory.
"Pictures of the Hatzfeld scandal suddenly resurfaced when Master Klyde was trying to look for answers on who St. George was sold to. When that happened, the young master just lost it. He attempted to kill himself, but I stopped him over and over and over again. After that, we were constantly getting targeted. Assassins, hitmen, unexplained accidents, you name it. It got so dangerous that I had to hide him where he's safe," Adelheid explains. River couldn't even see her, but he could hear the hurt in her voice as she explained her side.
"My master is now alone, but he is safe. And that is a gamble that I am willing to take," Adelheid finishes while gripping onto the steering wheel, unsure of why she's even saying all these things to kids she just met.
"You know, you shouldn't be telling me all these things. If you don't know yet, they call me the Master of Secrets. Well, someone out there is said to be better than me, but I still uphold the title in my own right. So everything you say to me might backfire on you later on," River then says, making Adelheid chuckle.
"Well, a kind man wouldn't warn me like that, don't you think, Sky Hansen?" she tells him. "And besides, sir Maximillian brought you with him, which means you are to be trusted."
"Hmm, you got me there," River says with an impressed smile. "Well, since you gave me a secret let me give you mine in exchange. My real name is River Hansen Karlsson, or River Karlsson for short. Sky Hansen is my twin's name. My background is a bit troublesome but to make it short, I'm using my brother's identity, who is known as a famous model. People don't know River exists. They don't know I exist."
Adelheid was quiet for a second so River thought she was caught off guard. But then the woman chuckles, and then she looks straight at River and says, "Don't worry, I already had a hunch."
"Looks like you're not an ordinary nanny either," River says back, and Adelheid could only smile as a response.
"Well, I still don't know the reason why Sir Maximillian brought you specifically to meet Master Klyde. I don't know what you're seeking, and I don't know what you're planning to get from him. But let me warn you as well, Master of Secrets," Adelheid then says as she slowly turns back to look at the brotherhood leader who was listening to her attentively.
"Be very careful with what you're trying to find, River Hansen. You kids don't even know half of what adults can do. There is a reason why certain things are kept as secrets. Sometimes the things you're forcing to swallow...will end up choking you."
...
"How's the interrogation going?" One of the police officers asks as a man named Roberto Marquez steps out of his office.
Roberto, a detective who was hired by Janus Sinclaire to handle the case regarding the Ministry, removes his glasses and massages his eyes before saying, "That Lucas Ivory is one hard nut to crack. I couldn't even get enough background information about him. All I know is he was an orphan, and then he studied to become a priest and eventually turned into a bishop."
"How did President Janus even meet that guy?"
"Said he got acquainted with them when Janus visited Milan on a trip. He was stationed at the church that the president attended. They got close there, and after a couple of years of friendship, he invited Lucas to handle St. George Academy," the detective answers as he and the officer walk their way to the lobby.
"Didn't know Janus was Catholic."
"The Sinclaires are known to be Roman Catholics, but most of them don't practice it. Have you been living under a rock?" Roberto says back, making the officer shrug his shoulder. "Anyway, I didn't want to get involved in this case, to begin with, but no one in the office was accepting it despite how large the amount Janus was offering."
"Why? Is it that difficult?"
"Actually that's the strange part. Other than the exploitation of the students in St. George, Janus is pushing us to get information about who Lucas Ivory sold the school to. This should be an easy case, but there are no documents to track the buyer, and Lucas wouldn't say a single thing. It's like he's scared of someone. Even the Secretary of Education wouldn't budge and said he'd rather revoke his title instead of snitching," Roberto explains.
"So that's the reason why you didn't want to get the case?" the officer asks back, but Roberto shakes his head in response.
"No, even if this was a case of petty robbery I wouldn't have taken it if that darn Janus didn't threaten me," Roberto says, stopping on his heel to look at the young police officer. "The reason why I initially didn't want to get involved is because there's a famous saying in the police department when it comes to these people."
"What saying?"
"It's better to cross paths with the Grimm Reaper instead of a Fleur De Lis. Grimm will only take your life, but a man with that symbol...he'll do more than just kill you," Detective Roberto Marquez says, making the officer shiver in fear.
"If you don't remember, a few months ago there was a case involving Augustus Kierspe, the son of the chairman of that rich food and wine company. I think it was a r-pe case, but I'm not sure. For some reason, not a single media outlet reported that scandal, and then a few weeks later, despite having solid evidence, it was magically dropped. Whoever that victim was never got their justice," Roberto explains further, surprising the officer. "Never fuck with those elites, Bruce. As much as possible, you turn a blind eye. These families...they practically rule the countries they live in. Us regular folks won't stand a chance," Roberto truthfully says next, and the officer named Bruce couldn't even react to it.
"Anyway, I'm just doing what I'm being paid to do. If I can't get anything from that bishop before his court trial officially starts then there's not much I can do now. And it's better that way. Don't want to cross over those dangerous waters," Roberto finishes as he starts walking down the hall, making Bruce follow behind him.
But as the two were getting closer to the lobby, they suddenly got stopped by another officer who was running towards them at full speed.
"Detective Marquez! Detective Marquez!" the officer shouted, stopping in front of the two while panting heavily. "We have a huge problem. We have a huge fucking problem!" he repeatedly exclaims.
"Calm down son. What's going on? Explain it to me calmly." Roberto says back, confused as the officer looks at him with a panicked expression.
"I-Ivory...Lucas Ivory...he's dead. Someone killed him."
- END -