Chapter 10

The prince received a notification and pulled out his device to check it. His brow furrowed as he read the message.

"Something wrong?" Bruno asked, approaching him.

Jing glanced at the young man, who, besides being his right-hand man, was also his closest friend. Bruno held that position thanks to his extraordinary skill with all kinds of weapons; nearly every tool of defense and attack they used came from his inventive mind.

The green eyes of the tan-skinned boy locked on Jing, waiting for a response that took longer than expected. Bruno studied the prince’s almost expressionless face, and had he not known him so well, he wouldn’t have noticed the subtle signs of concern.

"Búho just sent me all the intel she collected," the prince finally said.

"Whoa!" Bruno blinked in surprise. "That was fast. Isn’t that good news? Why the long face?"

"It’s her first mission—well, a test mission. You know how she is; the excitement, the need to feel victorious... Seeing my face when she hands me her success in person would’ve driven her to bring me this info herself, even though..." He hesitated, not wanting to sound weak. "...even though I specifically ordered her not to."

"You think something happened?" Bruno asked, and the prince nodded.

"Based on the coordinates, what was discussed, and the number of warriors she estimated, she shouldn’t be at a disadvantage. I suspect she might have been discovered. If she didn’t manage to escape..." His gaze drifted into the void. "...she sent me the information and destroyed the device to protect it."

"That girl is amazing!" Bruno grinned, clearly impressed. "Why are you even worried? We’re talking about Búho—she cuts through hundreds of men in battle."

"Not every man thrown into battle is trained like we are, or like the elite spies. Most of the time, they just shove the least prepared to the front lines to pad the numbers. It’s not the same. If my calculations are right, the mission shouldn’t have been too difficult for her. But if Leela chose to prioritize the intel, it means she saw something unexpected—something that made her reconsider and not take the risk." He fell silent again, deep in thought.

"Well, that’s something every spy faces," Bruno said, patting Jing’s shoulder. "We’ve lost good warriors out there, and we’ve won thanks to them, too. It’s a risk we all take—death or capture and torture. Are you worried Búho might be forced to give up something valuable?"

"No," Jing shook his head. "She has nothing to reveal. Even though she’s an official spy now, this was her graduation test. What she knows can’t hurt us."

"Then what is it?" Bruno tilted his head. "What’s really bothering you?" He paused, then raised a brow. "Wait… you don’t—"

"Don’t even think of saying something stupid," the prince snapped, glaring at him.

"Alright, alright." Bruno raised both hands in mock surrender as Jing shot him a deadly look. "If she destroyed the device, you won’t hear from her. So why are you still glued to the communicator?" he asked, eyeing his friend, who wouldn’t stop watching the screen.

"I’m tracking her," Jing admitted.

"Seriously?" Bruno shook his head disapprovingly. "You know that’s not okay. Anything you tagged her with could give her away. That’s why spies need to stay completely hidden."

"It’s her first official mission," Jing muttered defensively. "I’m keeping watch."

"I get that she’s your first disciple, but… don’t you think you’re going overboard?"

"I do things my way, Bruno," he growled, clearly irritated.

"Fine, have it your way. Is she on the move?"

"Yeah. She’s moving fast."

"At least we know she’s alive."

"Yes."

"Your Majesty." A servant bowed respectfully. "The kings are here."

'Just what I needed,' Jing thought bitterly.

He went to receive them in the grand hall, bowing as they entered.

"We heard búho went on her first mission as an official spy," his father said. The prince nodded.

"I also heard Northern warriors sent spies to Met. They’re up to something," the queen added, clenching a fist with anger and frustration.

"It’s not just spies," Bruno blurted as he entered the hall and bowed. Jing wanted to strangle him right then for revealing information he preferred to keep secret for now.

"What is Bruno referring to, Jing?" his mother asked, eyes narrowing sharply.

"According to the intel búho sent, there are Northern royal warriors in the city of Met, along with government officials," Jing revealed, his irritation clear at Bruno’s recklessness.

"I knew it!" his father exclaimed. "They’re trying to sway King Miha." Jing didn’t correct him, unwilling to share the new data Leela had sent before he had a plan in place.

"And when is she returning?" his mother asked curiously. Jing cleared his throat.

"She may have been discovered and could be fighting right now... or running..." The bitterness in his voice betrayed his dread at the thought.

"At least we got the information," his mother said flatly, brushing aside the matter of Leela. "Let’s hope she returns victorious. Then we can assign her more complex missions. Jing, serve us some tea while we discuss your engagement," she said, abruptly changing the subject. "Based on the traits your grandfather described in the letter he left with the Bonding Gem, we suspect your future wife is one of the Crystal Tribe princesses. I want to send trusted advisors to confirm my suspicions." A chill spread through Jing’s chest. He’d known this dreaded day would come, but he’d hoped it was still far off.

"I-I understand," he stammered. "But maybe we can talk about this another time. Right now, I’m—" He didn’t finish his sentence, distracted by the device, checking for the green dot that marked Leela’s movement.

"Are you daring to be disrespectful to the kings?" his mother snapped. He sighed, cornered by her manipulation.

"Very well, Mother. Let’s move to the tea room."

In the luxurious room where he sat sharing tea with his parents, time dragged on unbearably. Every moment there was torture, especially as he listened to their enthusiastic chatter about his dreaded engagement.

Now and then, Jing stole a glance at the device, hoping Leela would emerge from that place. Suddenly, the green light turned red—and then vanished completely.

Instinctively, and struck by the shock, he dropped the teacup, startling everyone in the room.

***

Leela had calculated several escape routes the moment she realized she'd been discovered. The group of men who had been conversing and had since scattered didn’t seem like ordinary warriors. She couldn’t risk the mission, so she decided to send the information to the prince and destroy her communicator. Once that was done, she launched herself into the treetops, moving silently above them, trying not to disturb a single branch.

Suddenly, a ninja emerged from the limbs of a towering tree, causing Leela to slip. She managed to leap and land on her feet, but the crunch of leaves beneath her alerted the other ninjas and warriors, who immediately began closing in. Surrounded and with no other option but to fight, she readied herself to face the challenge and carve out a path to escape.

They all rushed at her, but Leela sprang into the air, spinning mid-flight and delivering precise kicks that knocked several of them unconscious. Still, more warriors joined the chase as she darted from trunk to trunk with catlike grace. When another group appeared ahead, Leela glanced around and realized she was surrounded.

***

"Jing!" his mother scolded, her voice sharp with reproach. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, glaring at the shattered cup on the floor.

"I'm sorry… I'm just really distracted." He lowered his face in reverence.

"Leave him be, woman!" his father interjected. "You talk to him about marriage and expect him to react like it's nothing?" The king let out a sly smile.

"It's his duty as a prince. He doesn't have the luxury of reacting any other way," she replied, clearly irritated.

"I'm sorry," Jing said again, falling to his knees.

"Stop doing that!" his father waved his hands in frustration. "You're ruining the family mood with all that bowing, damn it."

The queen gave him a disapproving look.

"What? We're a family. All this formality makes me sick," he muttered.

She shook her head with a smile, while Jing stared at his device with nervous eyes.