The Greed of Kronos

Pocong Leaf

Seventy-one: Pocong Leaf

With that being said, Tala Morlin looked at the crown prince for a moment. Well, they do have some serious business here, and it's not like Kronos to come by at all just because he wanted to see his sister. More importantly, by the looks of it, they took the longest route towards the north, and that was the sea. Meaning, Kronos was keeping tabs if someone was following them or not.

As a compensation for the crown prince being cooperative thus far, it would be fair to lend a hand too. Hence, Tala showed off a smile and replied after a moment of pondering. "Of course. Can I be of any help?"

Hearing that Tala was willing to lend a hand, the crown prince Eros then rummaged through his pocket and placed the same leaf that he showed Kronos back at the Academy. "Well, since Kronos insisted on going here, I'm sure you have."

Since it was the only evidence they had, Eros initially consulted a master of herbs that were placed in the imperial palace. However, his father, the Emperor, forbade the herb master to say a thing. That means that the crown prince should do the investigation without the help of the imperial palace.

Coincidentally, when Eros was pondering on who to call with the circumstances of his, he thought of Kronos. Even though Kronos had no social life and was cold to everyone, he had a gut feeling that Kronos would be a great help.

Turns out that his guess was correct. Because when Tala fixed her eyes on the leaf, there was a hint of recognition in her eyes. She even picked it up as if it had been so long since she saw that particular leaf. "Oh my."

With that being said, Eros then jerked up in his seat and attentively looked at Tala Morlin. "Do you know what this is?"

"Of course. The Pocong leaf. This is abundant in the eastern part of the empire." Tala Morlin then replied as if she was reminiscing some old memories of the past when she was still a Dame Commander. She would occasionally travel around under the order of his Imperial Majesty, the Emperor.

Just like how he guessed that Kronos could actually help him, he also assumed the right faction. At that rate, the crown prince thought of how good he was at guessing.

After a moment of pondering, the crown prince then settled back down to his seat and asked another question to the person in front of him. "So my guess was correct. How abundant is this leaf there?"

With that particular question, it was Tala Morlin's turn to ponder for a moment as she searched for the right choice of words to say. "Hmm. Let's say that it's growing everywhere? On the side of the roads or in the forest. It even sprouts in the garden of a household for no particular reason."

If Tala Morlin would say it like that… "So it's just an ordinary leaf?"

Was his imperial father pulling a prank on him? He took the job seriously, but why was that the leaf turned out to be an abundant and ordinary one every animal on the street could just chew on?

Tala Morlin, on the other hand, nodded as she once again looked at the leaf before placing it back on the table. "Yes. But it is also the main ingredient to the eastern delicacy called Pocong Cookies."

The information that the person in front of him nonchalantly said was something that shocked the crown prince. "This could be made into cookies?'

He was not very sure if it was just pure curiosity or with disgust. The leaf in front of him had a visual that did not go well with the cookies. In short, if the crown prince were to imagine what the 'Pocong Cookies' look like, it sure appeared to be not appetizing.

Tala Morlin, on the other hand, replied as if she was also remembering how she liked the pocong cookies very much. "Not just cookies but tea leaves as well."

In short, the two had different imaginations in regards to how it looks and how it tastes. But of course, Tala Morlin's perspective was more credible since she bought a box for herself once.

Regardless of the fact that the cookies and teas made of pocongs were heavenly, there's still one piece of information that only a few knows.

And that particular information surely was the one that Kronos was anticipating for his grandmother to say. "However, once Pocong Leaves are refined in a particular order, and at a particular degree of temperature, it results in toxicity."

And it seemed like that was it, considering how the crown prince perked up. "By toxic, you mean?"

Seeming to know what the crown prince meant, Tala Morlin nodded and then replied with a serious expression on her face. "Yes, that. Although the information is not well-known, I am saying with honesty that pocong leaves could also be the main ingredient to make a poison."

So it seems like his imperial father was not scheming anything at all. The correct words were just that the pocong leaves were more complicated than he thought. At first, it would appear to be a typical leaf that was usually cultivated in the east for cookie and tea making. But then, with a particular refinement together with a specific degree of temperature, the leaves could be dangerous.

Knowing that no one would suspect them because that information alone was not known to ordinary people, the one behind it appeared to be lax with no worries of getting caught.

"That bastard!" The crown prince clenched his cost as he was grinding his teeth.

'See if you can run away after selling poisons in the black market!'

Upon hearing that, Tala Morlin then asked. "Which bastard, your highness?"

Truthfully, he was still yet to find out. There were ships transporting goods from other parts of the empire to the imperial city. And there were three ships that were in charge of the leaves. Those boxes were of different owners, so the crown prince was laying low and decided not to point fingers. As of the moment, Eros had three suspects. And after hearing the information from Tala Morlin, Eros was already sure of what to do next.

Hence, Eros fixed his composure and smiled warmly towards the person in front of him. "I am still not certain. In any case, thank you for the information. I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut well."

"Thank you too, your highness. You must be exhausted. I'll take you to your room." Tala Morlin replied.

Hence, that covered their conversation. And truth be told, Eros was not in his best condition either. Considering that they traveled for two nights and three days by the sea.

So it was a good thing that he could finally rest. "Yes, thank you."

On the other side of the mansion, Kronos was having a good time with his sister, who was currently brushing his hair and talking to him. "Brother. Are you here for good, or are you just paying a visit?"

Since Nyx was the only child in the vast mansion, she was lonely. Hence, when Kronos would visit, they always played doll games. Meaning, Nyx would always doll up Kronos.

"Paying a visit." Kronos simply replied as he was adjusting his head while Nyx tried to tie up his hair.

That was also the sole reason why Kronos' white hair was long and past his ears. (For Nyx to comfortably make it into twin tails.)

After hearing his brother's reply, Nyx adjusted the dress that Kronos was wearing as she whined. "What? So you are going to leave me?"

"I'll be back." Kronos simply replied.

At first, he was embarrassed about playing dress up together with Nyx. But as time went by, Kronos got used to wearing dresses, being a clown because of the excessive make up and having his hair tied up into something that Nyx wanted it to be. That was why Kronos could casually sit there with a blank expression while conversing with his sister, as it does not bother him anymore.

Hearing this, Nyx rushed towards the other side of Kronos' hair and brushed it carefully as she replied. "When are you going to leave then?"

While it's true that they were siblings, they do have a big difference in terms of visuals. Kronos looked like his father with ocean eyes, while Nyx was a carbon copy of their mother. From eye color, hair color to facial features. It was as if Hethera was looking at her younger self whenever Nyx showed up in front of her.

Thoughts aside, Kronos was at first hesitant to reply. But then, Nyx deserved to know the truth. "Tomorrow."

And as expected, his sister definitely threw a fit as soon as she heard it. "Tomorrow?! It's too sudden!"

Nyx may be shy to other people. That's why she had a cute first impression on everyone, but when she was with Kronos, she quite had a temper and was a chatterbox at that.

Well, Kronos could not totally blame her as she was always lonely. That was why he seized the opportunity to make a surprise visit for the sake of his lonely sister.

Shortly after that, Kronos looked at Nyx and pinched her cheeks while he was replying to her. "Like my visit."

Yeah, like his sudden visit, his departure was also sudden.

On the other hand, Nyx pouted as she looked away with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed. "Hmph! Brother, tell me honestly, do you not love me anymore?"

"I love Nyx." Kronos instantly replied.

"So why are you not staying here for months like before?" Nyx then finally looked at him as she was moved by how her brother abruptly replied without any hesitation.

She was already pissed off as her make up skills gradually improved. Kronos was actually looking better than Nyx expected for it to be. Hence, she was kind of ticked off by her brother, who was being so beautiful. And then the moment she heard that her brother was going home tomorrow, she could not help but to sulk like a baby.

While Nyx was waiting for her brother to reply, she was staring intently towards him. And with that, Kronos was pressured to answer. Even if their parents told him not to mention school in front of Nyx, how dare he lie to his lovely sister?

Hence, after some moment of pondering, Kronos heaved a sigh and replied. "Because of school."

With that being said, Nyx was more furious. "What?! Mother and Father never mentioned anything like that! Who is school?! A girl?! A boy?! Your lover?!"

Of course, she would think that way. Since Nyx never stepped foot outside the mansion and was not allowed to meet a lot of people, the one who was currently tutoring her was her grandfather, who was currently away for a hunt. In other words, there's no way she could know what school was.

But it would be a pain in the ass to clarify things. That was why Kronos decided to reply with just a simple "No."

"What kind of answer is that?!" Nyx retorted but still continued to tie Kronos' hair. It was a good thing that even though she was being aggressive, she never pulled out Kronos' hair.

Hearing this, Kronos then simply replied. "Just that."

"Hmph! Just you wait! When can I leave here and be with you and Mother and Father, I'll meet with school!" Nyx pouted once again.

What Nyx said was quite possible for her, even if she's a dangerous weapon to everyone. "Until you master how to hide your potential."

Kronos' words were right and just. If Nyx truly wish for them to live together, then all she have to do was to master the most important thing. And that was on how to hide her real identity.