Naive or Dumb

The group turned their attention towards the persistent girl who continue to speak, causing their anger to intensify and their fist to tighten. "It's that and more," the man responded, turning in her direction. "You are incredibly naive or we can say you are dumb, even after spending so much time with that cold-blooded creature, Ms.Simpson."

Kira didn't waver at his words, fully prepared to slip away undetected if she has a chance. With Drey nowhere to be found, she had to fight at least for Richard, Kira knew this won't work but... "Even the great merchants are scared to lay a finger on a commoner, such a disgrace to the Black Belt Group," she whispered, shaking her head in disappointment, and the next moment the man who tore her dress had a tight grip on her collars.

Without hesitation, she finally freed one hand from the ropes and struck his cheek with a forceful blow. The sharp impact caused a deep cut, and he release her collars,

staggering for a moment before collapsing. As he fell, her nails smeared with his fresh blood.

The man on the ground groaned in pain when he tried to move. His cheeks were in so much pain, it felt as if he had been stabbed with a dull knife, or what just happened for her to have great strength?

After that, the woman tried to free her legs that had been attached to the ropes, fear, and horror appeared on their faces as they stepped back

"She has... she has claw!" Anna exclaimed.

The man called out loudly, "Anna!" but she was too frightened to look at him and instead stared at the woman.

"Sir Isaac, did you see that too?" Anna asked.

Kira fought on intuition, perhaps unaware but was driven solely by her desire for safety.

This was the scene that greeted the King as he entered the room.

°°°°

Drey arrived at the castle before the sun had fully set. He felt weakened from inhibiting the human body and hadn't fully regained his strength yet. It was the short, plumb cobra who had roused him from his cultivation to return.

Upon stepping inside the castle, Drey immediately sensed the somber atmosphere that surrounded it. Sydney's voice broke the silence, expressing his enthusiasm soon as he saw the King at the doors. "The King has returned!" he exclaimed with passion, running towards the doors.

As soon as they heard Sydney's voice, everyone made their way to the hall and assembled there. They each bowed respectively, waiting in silence for the King to address them. Jerome, Trina, and Rico, we're the last to enter.

But that wasn't all Old Winger also arrived and stood before Drey. Seeing his grandfather here only added to the numerous question swirling in Drey's mind, leaving him with more questions than answers to provide to his loyal subjects.

Drey bowed to his grandfather, and all of his loyal servants followed the suit. Impatiently, scanned the room, but the person he was searching for was nowhere to be found among the assembled individual. His gaze eventually came to rest on the five individuals, standing behind Old Winger.

Richard shifted his gaze to Trina, who narrowed her eyes and looked at Jerome, who shrugged without daring to speak. Alex lowered his head in shame, with no one willing to respond to the King's unyielding stare. Rico, finally clearing his throat, looked up and broke the silence.

"Your Highness, may we speak with you in your study?" the King nodded and dismissed his servants. While the knights knelt before him as a sign of failure before walking out.

"Where is little Kira?" Upon entering the study the King inquired. "Alex," he promptly called out to the man who was hesitating to come inside.

"Your Highness," he answered, and came in quickly.

"Rico, did they take her away?"

"A few days ago, during Lord Reigns' inaugural ceremony," Rico responded. Not only did the room was freezing after Rico's reply, but also caused the weight of anger to become palpable.

Drey scanned the faces of everyone in the room, but he found himself unable to speak. He looked at Trina, who avoided his gaze, and the men who all seemed remorseful. Drey's once-composed demeanor had disappeared, replaced by fiery anger. "I entrusted Kira's care to all of you, but I did not expect her to be taken under your noses, and to endure such agony again at the hands of those people!" Drey's voice boomed with fury before he stormed out of the study.

"Go after him," Old Winger instructed Rico and Alex, who were already making their way to the door. "But be sure to keep your distance. We don't want his wrath to fall upon you." Both nodded in agreement before quickly descending the flights of stairs and heading towards the stable.

"Will he be okay?" Trina asked, starting at the old man who appeared much more composed and calm than he did two days prior when he received the news of Kira's disappearance.

"Moreover, he will return with little Kira," Grandfather replied confidently. Jerome watched them in silence, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.

Chard inquired, "Is there a chance he might bring little Kira back?" It was the first time in days that the young boy had shown a glimmer of happiness, as he had been crying and his eyes were red with dark circles from lack of sleep since Kira's disappearance.

Old Winger embraced Richard tightly and affectionately ruffled his hair, having heard about the two previous experiences of kidnapping. The comforting gesture brought a sense of warmth to Richard, and he nestled into the old man's arms for a while.

The tense atmosphere that had enveloped the castle dissipated as though it had been a mere illusion. Despite their fear of him, the cobra was always the best source of comfort whenever they needed it, bringing harmony to those who might not realize they needed it.