The Vindication Gents

Chapter 1.26

Kai Virtanen’s POV

I was just so happy that I had been getting out of the meetings that I missed from my trip to Hungary. Of course, I still would have to manage my business as well as act as king. King Aaron would not have it any other way. He would love to see that I would crack under pressure and think I surprised him even more.

“Can’t wait to get home, did you?” Charles asked me as I was walking down the lobby with him. Charles Debrun was an investor from France but he had been a resident in Denmark. I think he was trying to be neutral in all cases of my meetings.

“Well, when you have a love of your own, you will understand,” I said as I was joking with him. Charles was a 25-year-old eligible bachelor that women might throw themselves at his feet, but he did not seem to care about it.

“I think Sophia would love to know that I will be back after this,” he said as he looked at me. I arched my eyebrows at him.

“Sophia? How come I never knew you were dating someone?” I asked him. He just laughed.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Virtanen,” he said before he walked out of the lobby and went into the streets. I turned to look at him and he had gone out of my sight quickly.

“Damn that man for disappearing so quickly,” I said as I went to the foyer to get my car. The valet nodded at me before he gave me the keys.

“Have a good evening, sir,” he said. I looked at him before I smiled.

“I was planning to,” I said before I sped off from the office.

But of course, it was not a good evening after all. I went inside the castle as it was so quiet, especially in the east wing, where Kathleen and I were staying for now on. It had been a month after that visit to Hungary and I knew that Kathleen was still trying to figure out who was behind all of this. I went to the door and I noticed that it was unlocked. Kathleen never unlocked the door when she was home.

“Kathleen?” I called out to her, but she was not in the main suite. I went to the bathroom and she was nowhere to be found, as well as the kitchen and the dining hall. I must be thinking that she must be in the bedroom as she loved to cuddle with a good book as I went out. The sight in front of me was not the sight that I expected to see today. Kathleen was lying on the ground as she was trying to call out my name, but it was a whisper.

“Kathleen!” I called to her as she turned to look at me. She tried to reach out as I went to her side and her blood was staining the floor.

“Kai,” she whispered to me. I touched her calf and it was bleeding badly. I was shaken by the sight in front of me.

“Who would do this to you?” I asked her as she was trying to keep breathing.

“It was—“ her voice was dead before I scooped her up and I went out of the east wing.

“Help! Help! Somebody, help! The princess has been attacked,” I said as I went to the big hallway where all the quarters were intersecting. I first saw King Aaron as he had just got out of a meeting.

“Father,” I shouted as I was holding Kathleen closed to me. My tears were blurring my view.

“Kai? s**t, what happened?” He cursed before his advisors gasped at him.

“Sorry, call for the medical team. Now!” he ordered as he was looking at Kathleen before we went to the infirmary.

Once Kathleen was stabilized and was being treated, I held her hands the whole time. I was nervous as I didn’t want her to close her eyes ever. Her big maroon eyes would get annoyed so easily and charged with the desire that was burning in them. My beloved eyes. My beloved Kathleen,

“Kai, you need to eat something,” Katherine’s voice was coming inside the room. I shook my head as I was keeping my eyes on Kathleen. She sighed before she put the tray beside the bed.

“I’m sure Kathleen would want you to stay fit. You haven’t eaten in 24 hours,” she whispered as she put her delicate hands on my shoulders. I tried to get it off before but I couldn't control my anger.

“Control it, Kai, you’re the master, not that emotion,” Kathleen’s sweet reminder was flowing through my mind and I relaxed at the thought. I glanced over my shoulder at Katherine.

“Would you mind leaving us alone? Please?” I said as I tried to make sure that she heard me. She nodded.

“Okay. If you need anything, I will be outside,” she said, before leaving me in the silence of the room. Only the machine was beeping as Kathleen was breathing.

“I thought she might not be gone by now,” a small whisper coming from the bed. I turned to look at Kathleen as her maroon eyes were glistening with mischief. She was still weak. I can feel it.

“My love—”

“Shh, don’t talk, my love. Please, you’re still recovering,” I said as I was trying not to make her feel weak. She looked around the room, as she did not know where she was.

“You’re in the infirmary. I thought I had lost you,” I said as I was kissing her hands. She chuckled at me.

“It would take a lot of poison to kill me,” she said as she was looking at me. I sighed as I was trying to control it.

“What happened?” I asked her, barely controlling my anger now.

“It was him, Kai.” She stated. I looked up at her as her face hardened.

“Who?” I asked her, confused. She rolled her eyes at me as she was trying to sit up. I helped her to lean on the bed. I told you how quickly she would be annoyed after a few seconds with me.

“The assassin. I know who it was,” she said as she looked at me. I don’t want her to worry about those things. For goodness sake, she just woke up!

“My love, why don’t we—“

“It was Chris,” she said flatly. My eyebrows were knotted together.

“What do you mean, Chris, like my cousin?” I asked her. She nodded.

“Look, I know how you feel about your cousin, my love, but—“

The door was bursting as King Aaron was coming inside as his guards followed from behind. He was sweating as he was looking at me and Kathleen.

“I think we have found him,” he said in Russian grimly.

“Who?” I asked him in the same tongue. The guards did not understand a thing but they kept their faces stoic.

“The assassin, I presume?” Kathleen said as she was getting out of bed.

“My love,” I said before she cut me off.

“Don’t,” she said as she took off the IV and was standing on her two feet. She looked like she did not have any injuries from the way she was standing. My face must be a dead giveaway as she rolled her eyes at me again.

“I have been immune to many poisons as I have induced them every day. You should give it a try, my love,” she said as she patted my cheeks. My face was priceless considering that King Aaron was chuckling. Kathleen then walked toward her father and told him about the information that she had just poured out for him.

“Where is Katherine’s fiancé?” She asked her father. Her father gave a questioning look at her. She patted his shoulder.

“I had a little chat with him and probably why you were hearing it right now,” she said as she went to get out of the infirmary. I followed her before her father was behind us.

Aaron Remes’ POV

Indeed, my choice of my heir has been correct after all. I knew that by giving Kathleen the power that she did not want, she would be a target. The assassin, Chris, my gut was churning to get out as I said those names. It was not expected that Kathleen had some small skills in her.

No doubt, my decision to send her to the sanctuary that was guided by monks and warriors had paid off when she came back and shone ever more so. Even Kai was stuck on her now.

“We just received this a moment ago,” my publicist said as he went to click on something and a video was showing a familiar face that I hadn’t thought that I would have seen after that accident anyway.

“What should we do, sire?” He asked me as I was looking at my estranged brother who had abdicated the throne to be with someone else.

“Well, we must show it to them. It’s time for no more secrets,” I said grimly before I went inside my study as Kai and Kathleen were waiting for me.