Wings of Hypnosis

"What on earth is that?" Cynane asks in disbelief. Floating in the sky is a butterfly as big as an adult man's head - its wings changing colors. "Did Milan follow this thing?" As Cynane stares more intently at the butterfly, she realizes that she is getting sucked into it. "Hypnosis!" she exclaims. She quickly averts her eyes from the strange creature and immediately covers the eyes of her nephew.

"Guards!" she yells.

"Yes, your highness!" the men yell back. The sounds of their footsteps and heavy breathings are becoming louder as they near the highest point in the tower.

"There is an odd butterfly flying around the palace. The prince had followed it. If I'm not mistaken, it has the ability to hypnotize. Be careful. Catch it and make sure to catch it alive!"

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"Thank God you came just in time, or else..." Filip says, his voice shaking as he watches his son slumber. After the strange creature disappeared, the young prince was left unconscious.

"I have so many questions right now, but I think one thing is clear from what happened tonight, brother. Someone tried to kill the prince. Whoever is the person behind this, he is certainly a clever one. He probably knows that it is impossible to penetrate the palace's security - at least for a human. It would be difficult for a person to get in without being noticed by the guards. They cannot risk being caught. So, they thought of a safer way to assassinate the prince, and that is by using that strange creature. I must say, that was a pretty neat plan."

Cynane can tell that the culprit has put so much attention into the planning of the prince's murder. It was well thought-out. Had she not arrived in time, the prince's lifeless body would have been found on the ground below the tower, leaving them with no explanation as to how he ended up there.

"But brother, I just honestly cannot comprehend. Why would someone want to harm Milan? What threat could a young boy possibly pose to anyone?"

King Filip shakes his head. "It's not about Milan. It's about me. You have mentioned it yourself; they have no direct reason to hurt Milan. The only reason why they are targeting my son is because of me. It is me that they are after."

"Again, why? Why would anyone want to do such a thing to you?" The question may be perceived as a foolish one. After all, assassination of the royals is no stranger in history. Politics is a messy and dangerous playground, especially in a monarchy. Many would want to have their hands on the throne. Strife between noblemen and the royals are also not unusual. There can be numerous possible reasons as to why one might bore ill intentions to the king. However, Cynane has a reasonable argument for asking the question. "You are loved by our people. Our father, who undoubtedly had a worse character than you did not even have anyone who had the guts to come after him. So why you?"

Cynane's brother stays silent for a moment, dwelling on what his sister just said. He is well aware that he is not a perfect king nor a perfect person. He has his shortcomings and flaws just like any other human being. Yet at the same time, he believes that he has not done anything wrong to cause someone to hate him so much. He is just as lost as Cynane.

"Truthfully, I do not know too, sister", he answers. Cynane can detect the frustration in his voice.

"If only we were able to catch that butterfly. We would at least have a lead by now", Cynane replies. She knows that the peculiar butterfly they saw earlier is their key to solving their case. "Should we disclose what happened tonight? Surely, many would be interested and would volunteer to help us search for the culprit. That can at least help us, right?

Filip shakes his head to disapprove. "No, we cannot do that, as I have a feeling that the person responsible will be wary and will probably hide himself. That would make it harder for us to catch him. Remember, we have no proper lead. The last thing we want is for him to hide. We need him to stay in the open because that is our best shot in catching him."

Cynane nods in agreement as she grasps her brother's point. She silently praises him in her mind. 'Again, brother just proves how wise he is. There is obviously a reason why he is the king.'

"What should we do then?"

"Instruct the guards to keep only to themselves everything that happened tonight. We will pretend as if nothing happened. When the culprit realizes that we have not disclosed anything to the public, he would assume that his plan didn't work and that we have not found any proof leading to him. He might even think that we have not seen his odd 'pet'. When that happens, I am convinced that he would frame another scheme. He might go after me directly this time, or he might go after Milan again. Either way, we shall be prepared for any possible attack. You take care of the security in the palace. Double the number of guards and place some of them in hidden areas. Have eyes and ears in all corners of the palace. Plan well. We will set a trap to catch the mastermind. Also, set a secret meeting with sir Kaliso regarding the creature that you saw tonight. He might be able to give you answers as to what that thing is."

Cynane makes sure to pay attention to every single detail that her brother says. "Yes, brother. But don't you think I should let Michal know too? He can be a huge help."

"No, don't tell Michal. At least not for now. There is something I want to confirm first."

'What could it be?' Cynane asks in her head, curious to know what his brother might want to confirm with Michal. But she chooses not to push the question in her mind as she realizes that this is something that his brother might not want to involve her in for the time being.