The Beginning of an Investigation

"Please come in and make yourself comfortable, your highness", Kaliso says as he welcomes Cynane in his personal library.

The room takes Cynane by surprise. She has always thought that the biggest library there is to exist in the entire kingdom is the royal library. However, sir Kaliso's personal library appears to be more gigantic than that of the library they have at the palace.

The library they are in right now has three levels. One must first go through the stairs if they want to get a book from either the second or third level. Just looking at the incalculable number of books makes Cynane's head hurt. She is not an imbecile, but she cannot understand how someone can have the patience to read such numerous books. Then she remembers those four years of being personally tutored by Kaliso. She was amazed at the young man's intelligence at that time - from science to mathematics, to history, his knowledge was limitless.

Eyeing the dark blue fainting couch at the corner - the only furniture in the room aside from Kaliso's desk - Cynane makes her way to seat on it. Her hand unintentionally brushes the velvety material of the sofa. She quite enjoys the feeling of it, and she wonders if sir Kaliso uses the couch to rest when he gets tired from studying.

Cynane's eyes continue to scan the room. She then happens to notice the huge chandelier hanging in the middle of the library. She has seen enough chandeliers to know that this one is very expensive. It is not shocking though, considering how well off the Ross family is.

Moments later, Kaliso clears his throat, pulling Cynane's wandering eyes and mind.

"Do you like it, your highness?" Kaliso asks, referring to the chandelier that Cynane is gazing at.

"Oh", Cynane replies shyly. She feels a little embarrassed to be caught staring at a light fixture as if she has never seen such a thing before. "Yes. I think it's pretty", she admits. "We obviously have fancy chandeliers at the palace, but there is something different about this one. I don't know. I can't really find the right words to describe it."

Kaliso grins at her response. "My mother was actually not fond of it. Mostly because it is old. It has been here for more than a century now. When she became the mistress of this house, she would always make a petition to my father to replace it with a new one. However, my father would always decline her request, saying that it is the most beautiful chandelier he has ever seen and that it shall continue to grow more beautiful as it gets older."

As sir Kaliso speaks, Cynane observes the gleam in his eyes. She has come to understand for the years that she has known him that there is a certain glimmer in his eyes when he speaks about things that he is passionate about.

"When I was just a little boy, I couldn't understand what my father meant. But as I grew older, and as I spent more time in this room, I realized the meaning behind those words. The more years that pass by; the more this chandelier becomes beautiful in my eyes. When I look at it, it is as if I can see my great grandfather, my grandfather, and my father when they were here, spending their time studying just like me."

Sir Kaliso's words leave Cynane speechless. She has always known that the man is smart, but he appeared to be devoid of emotions or perhaps he just didn't like to show it. There was almost nothing he did not know. He always knew the right answer to everything. Yet he rarely spoke about his personal feelings. Seeing how vulnerable he is right now to Cynane makes her feel closer to him, and for once, she is convinced that he is not merely a very intelligent man who is cold-hearted. Rather, he is a human with a heart, just like her.

"Forgive me for straying off for a moment there your highness. This is not the reason why you came to see me."

"It's alright sir Kaliso. I might have been a stubborn student before, but I do enjoy listening to you."

"Then shall I tutor you again?" Kaliso jests.

"I would love to but I'm afraid I have a full-time job now", Cynane replies, going along with the joke.

Kaliso lets out chuckle in response. Cynane finds it refreshing to see him bare more of his emotions like this in front of her.

"So, let's talk about the reason why you are here. You said you want to research about a butterfly that is as huge as a man's head and has the ability to change its colors."

Cynane nods. "Yes. I want to know more about this creature. Perhaps you know something about it?"

"Well, there are actually many species of butterfly your highness, and depending on which continent it is from, there can be thousands of them. However, I think I know the specific creature that you are looking for." Kaliso grabs the thick brown book on his desk and hands it to Cynane. "I believe it's the Iridis Birdwing."

Cynane studies the picture in the book carefully and tries to compare it to the creature she saw that night. "There is no mistaking. This is the same thing", she murmurs to herself. "Please continue sir Kaliso."

"Right. So, this is actually the largest recorded butterfly in the world. Not only is it gigantic compared to other butterflies, but it has another distinct characteristic. It can camouflage, meaning it can change its wings' colors depending on its environment. Books also state that its capability to change colors is not just solely an ability to camouflage, but in some instances, they can be used for hypnosis. Some scholars believe that when threatened, it will flash an array of different colors on its wings, and when another animal or even a person stare at it long enough, they can be hypnotized. What is more interesting about this butterfly too is that no one really knows where it came from. There are very few records of this butterfly and there have been no sighting of them for centuries."

Kaliso's explanation confirms that it is indeed the same butterfly that ensnared the young prince that night.

"I do not intend to come off as impertinent your higness, but might I ask if this has something to do with the royal family?"

Cynane freezes for a moment. She has not mentioned anything that would hint that this has got to do with her family. "What makes you think of that?" she asks with wariness.

"Unless you are dedicated to studying history, I guess this is something that one wouldn't know. You see, the whole land of Macedea used to belong to the kingdom of Fuema. However, it became an independent country after the son of Alexander Bilistiche, the founder of Macedea, was killed. After that, the two countries had been in constant battle and war over the centuries. Fuema tried so hard to reclaim Macedea, but to no avail. Until a century ago, the two countries finally decided to call a ceasefire. Most books only mention that king Alexander's son was killed, but there is really no explanation as to how he was killed. But if you search for older records, which are very rare, it actually states there that he died by falling off of the palace's tower as he followed a strange butterfly that can change the colors of its wings. Not only that, but records also say that the same thing happened to the oldest son of the third king and fourth king of Macedea."

Kaliso's revelation makes Cynane's skin prickle with horror. She believes that these are not just mere coincidences. Someone is trying to repeat history, and this time, in the current generation of the royal family.

"This has been buried deep in history, but for scholars like me, I shall always remember. The Iridis Birdwing is always related to the deaths of the sons of the former kings of Macedea." Kaliso pauses for a moment, contemplating carefully how he should go about the next words he is to say.

"Your highness, did someone try to kill the young prince?"