Chapter 15: The Duchess's Real Intention

Upon seeing those tears fall down from Gwen's face, Slavica didn't hesitate or even doubt and just went in a flash to Gwen's side. She cupped her face delicately with her both hands before staring really worried at Gwen's crying orbs. She wanted to ask but out of her instincts, she just pulled Gwen into her arms as she didn't like to see this side of her. She wasn't totally a fan of the crying Gwen. It breaks her heart into pieces.

"Hush, my queen. I am here. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe. I'm here, always." Slavica seriously didn't know what right word to say to calm Gwen's crying face aside from reassuring her that she won't leave her side no matter what happened.

"I'll keep coming back into your arms so please, tell me what did you see? It's worrying me, my queen." She was totally in her worried mode that none of her team had seen before. Only Gwen could pull out something in Slavica that even her never seen or felt before.

"Alwina…she…oh, Vica…she…planned things…oh, God…" Gwen finally answered which made Slavica pull away a little from hugging just to cup Gwen's face really delicately once again.

"Alright, breathe and come with me then. Let's talk about it downstairs." Slavica calmly instructed Gwen but she couldn't move over her spot. She quickly noticed that Gwen's knees were a bit shaky and she didn't think twice and just pulled Gwen into her arms just to carry her like a beautiful bride.

Gwen should be reacting to the bridal carrying style and the closeness of Slavica's face on her but she didn't. She was more preoccupied with what shocked her and still couldn't stop crying while they were heading to the basement the others quickly followed.

As they all got downstairs, Slavica already set things up while she was on the phone call from their headquarters and the secret security service agency that's what took her so long to show up to them. When everything was being laid on the long steel table, Irina and the others went into their professional mode and began discussing their cases that have some connection. But while they were handling it, Slavica take Gwen to the sofa bed to settle down and try to relax. Gwen was having a tough time calming herself down even though Slavica was already beside and helping her.

"Can you tell me what did you saw that made you cry?" Slavica had to do something as she carefully asked Gwen who was just finished wiping her tears. Her eyes really swollen from it and looked at Slavica.

Gwen was just staring at Slavica for a moment since she was arguing to herself about whether to tell her about it or not. But somewhere within her heart speak about trusting Slavica which made Gwen to close her eyes to collect and calm herself with one deep sigh.

"Vica, Alwina…she has already seen herself died in the future and even informed her beloved Falix about it. He didn't like it at all. She started reasoning with him to see the whole picture of her death. He was stubborn and led to their argument whether in daylight or nighttime not until some idea came to Falix one day." Gwen started telling Slavica what she just saw in memory lane in full detail as much as she could since she really trusted Slavica.

"They took suicide." Irina guessed when she heard it. But Gwen still looked shocked and held Slavica's hand tightly.

"Yes and no? It's a bit confusing but Alwina still sticks to their plan which involved my parents and even made a final decision on finding someone that really be hard to trace to kill her grandfather..." Gwen continued informing Slavica while the rest of the team could hear the detail of what she saw in memory lane.

"…but that was another way around it. She decided on using that idea instead of triggering the madness from her grandmother and her family." She added that made the others really confused but at the same time, they began connecting each of the gathered information in that certain case.

"I see…Alwina really saw something coming her way and it made more sense why she has to die through the hands of someone she hired." Slavica connected the information that came from the memory lane of Gwen to the evidence that they'd gathered around the scene.

"It was indeed clean so that it will fall into her grandfather's." Irina added that Slavica totally agreed. But there was still something stuck inside Gwen's memory that she had to clear things out before asking Slavica and her team about it

As she was busy calming herself, Gwen watched the team move around the table as they tried to connect each piece of evidence over the other. She watched how dedicated everyone on solving the case assigned to them until something finally kicked into her guts.

"Slavica, do you know any name Celestial Ceres Aspire?" Gwen suddenly asked out of the blue which made everyone freeze in their spot as if they were being struck by heavy lightning.

"What about her?" Slavica felt something creeping out from her chest upon hearing it but she still managed to ask in her calm voice. She tried her best to be calm as she could when she asked since she don't want anyone in the basement to be frightened of what was creeping out from her.

"Well, Alwina didn't have to die just to prevent her grandmother from killing her grandfather but to prepare Celestial Ceres Aspire on meeting her lost and lonely sister, Alwen Cris Larouve somewhere in the future." She was a bit wary when she answered Slavica since she noticed that suddenly changed the atmosphere around the basement when she mentioned that name.

"Also, she mentioned that when they do meet at a certain time, her broken sister will be once again whole as her beloved mate come as her personal heroine for her heart." She continued but she flinched when Slavica turned to meet her gaze. It was totally deep and heavy that Gwen stared back with more intensity.

"What did you say?!" Slavica almost growled from her throat as some temper came rising over her chest.

She knew that person since it was an irritating abomination that was being chosen for something. It was the same person that Gwen just mentioned was once Slavica's subject that she has to tail till she reached the Ciel Nocturne Kingdom. She still couldn't figure out who was that person really was to be chosen for something that could awaken anyone who was in her way.

"Vica, don't you dare use that tone on me. I simply just don't understand that. Was it because of being a night creature thing?" Slavica flinched when she heard Gwen's imperious voice. Slavica immediately softened and calm down before looking apologetic to her.

"Sorry for growling and I am not mad or anything…but that lady was really weird when I was appointed to watch her. She's…how can I say it…argh…irritating? She's irritating in her own way..." Slavica tried to calm herself as much as she could when she recalled that person's vibe giving to her at those times.

"...but you'll get used to it when you get to know her. But she's still a mystery in me that I don't want to deal with." She honestly sigh as she informed what she really felt toward that certain lady that she doesn't want to deal with any longer.

Gwen somewhat understood what Slavica just explained to her but when she turned her attention back to the silver table, Gwen felt cold all of the sudden. All the gathered information and a few pieces of evidence that were scattered on it were taken everyone's attention and felt cold and neglected. She knew that she doesn't have any right to feel that way but her heart just could not shake the feeling. She just sighed before she closed her eyes and let her energy started on moving throughout her entire body. She opened her eyes and stood up from the sofa bed. With a few feeble knees, Gwen went to the table and went to Irina's side instead of Slavica's. They all noticed that but didn't comment since they also need Gwen's input regarding the case that they were handling.

"So, what we've got?" Gwen asked the team as her eyes and aura shifted into a very serious side that they were eager to work with. They all felt it again which they got all excited on working with her.

"I've gathered that information directly from Alwina's sisters. Alwen stated that her sister died because of their grandfather who went after on the selected day that Falix was about to change into a vampire for the sake of being with his wife. As for Alyin, their youngest sister, she doesn't like their grandfather at all for being strict and way too old fashioned led their clan to be prevented to be with their mates." Irina showed the testimony of Alwen regarding about that issue that was still ongoing within the vampire councils.

"So, it was about the night creature thing, and thank you for answering that, Irina." Gwen smiled at Irina followed by a friendly nudge. Irina giggles at that which she never giggles before aside from her husband's presence around.

"Well, yeah. You see Gwen, in the realm of night creatures back then were still tight, or let's just say they didn't entertain any abomination of blood in their society. They didn't like mixed breeds but when time began to move again, things also began to change. And with the help of what you've seen in memory lane that Alwina left in you, the vampire council will take some consideration about the duchess's death. Even though Alwina plotted something in their deaths." Irina explained to Gwen who was taking everything that Irina had into consideration regarding the case.

"She might plot it at first to kill her grandfather or point things out on him but whenever I replayed what Alwina just kept hidden from my memories, I think she also did that for the sake of their clan. They had to appoint someone but to do that, he has to die since he was the family head of their clan." Gwen agreed as she took a few of the photos in some pattern that they never considered at all.

Gwen placed the family photos from happy days at the top followed by some family fake smiles then on the third row, she placed the images of the duchesses of the Larouve family. Each photo was having two faces, the genuine happiness to the sour one. As Gwen was done arranging the pattern, she finally understood why Alwina's decision changed at the last minute.

"Look over at their two faces photos; whenever their grandfather was present they wore their fake smiles and when he wasn't around, they were having genuine smiles. Not to mention the wedding that Alwina had with her beloved Falix. Their grandfather didn't like it at all. There you see how negatively his presence affected everyone in their family which led them on being fake to what they really feel from within." Gwen explained the new pattern that she created and presented them which made sense from Irina's point of view.

"If you look it that way, it was indeed an eye-opener to save the whole Larouve clan back into their grace." Irina agreed before she glanced over at their boss who was keeping her mouth shut ever since Gwen stood beside Irina.

"Seems like it." Yui agreed to it as well while looking over the arrangement of the photos that Gwen just did.

"If Alwina changed her previous plan for the sake of the family clan, then she has to contact directly the person who she hired." Slavica finally decided to speak which everyone agreed.

"Without contacting my parents first then, Alwina and the assassin already meet privately before the plan was altered." Gwen added to what Slavica had guessed as she was being considerate of what Gwen placed on the table.

"Correct." She agreed as she threw the two photos of the skilled assassins that from her parents' team.

"Why I've got the feeling that they are both being hired by two different persons?" Tacker falsely guessed as soon as he saw the photos that their boss tossed over the table.

"No, Tacker. His grandfather might already plot on killing Falix on that same night but he won't hire a human assassin just to kill a human that's being protected by vampires, especially a duchess." Yui corrected what Tacker just guessed.

"But he was still the core of why they were dead." Gwen pinpointed that made Tacker confused. He might be a huge man but he was the slow one in analyzing what their discussion was about.

"What are you saying, Gwen?" Tacker asked in his confused tone.

"Yeah, kindly explained that to my slow mate here on how he was the core of their deaths even though he wasn't there in the first place." Yui wanted to hit her mate who was standing a bit lost to what they were walking about. But she knew that Tacker understood it well – he was just confused about the sudden twist of their case.

"Alright, her grandfather might not be there in the scene when it happened but having a plot on endangering someone to death, Alwina already knew about it. That's why Alwina had to make drastic measures to make sure that every piece of evidence will point to her grandfather. She saw all of it and she was aware of it until the right moment came to move and let her plan work for the sake of their family." Gwen went on clearing to Tacker what the real intention of the duchess was on committing such a disturbance in their clan that only their organization, DIP must handle.