CHAPTER 79: UNREASONABLE (1)

Somewhere far away, the skies looked greyish and dim with a tinge of red swirls. It was a beautiful sight to behold for some but a little creepy with a tinge of bad omen for others.

Giant trees and almost irregular and weird-looking plants graced the small patch of land that was visible across a large expanse of water.

If one were given a whole look at the land from above, like through an eagle’s eye, one would ask, how do you even get here?

The expanse of water had a still and calm middle, but the surrounding water space was very turbulent all the time. It was like the land was placed in the calm, like the eyes of the turbulent storm.

On one of the grounds of one of the very tall vegetation and in a building that looked to be secluded from the rest of the population of this place, a frail man so thin that he looked like he could not support his own body on his legs, sat cross-legged surrounded by books stacked on top of each other.

Tiny computers also lit up one part of the room. They occasionally let out a beep and whirl, which were the only sounds in the room.

He reached out his hand to grab a dainty cup of herbal steaming tea while the other hand held a book that had engaged his attention.

Because he was so engrossed in the book that his hand missed it, tipping over a closed container adjacent to it instead.

"Eeek!" He immediately dropped the book and cupped his fingers around his nose and mouth.

"Oh no, no, no!" He had unfortunately dropped the book in the spillage!

"Ahhhhhhh! Damn it! Things that go bad come in threes! I hope nothing worse happens after this. But seriously, this thing smells so bad! Who put it here?"

He looked around frantically, trying to find anything to clean up the stench that rose up, almost choking him as he gagged.

One hand pinched his nose close and the other holding the book by the tip far away from him so that nothing drips on him.

"Oh yeah.... I did put it here. Silly me!"

He laughed at his own realization and then waved his hand up in the air. The mess created by the small container and the bad stench disappeared as if it had never been there.

"That’s more like it. Why do I always forget to do this and only think of doing things like those humans who know nothing?!"

The place went back to being completely still after his self-made ruckus, except for the slight whirl of the computers.

He sat back down and was about to turn a leaf in the book when a long beep sounded from the computers that had been almost silent for literally years!

He jumped up in a way that was visually painful to watch.

’Is he about to break?’ one would think.

Just like his hunch, ’trouble come in threes....’

The other computers started beeping simultaneously and really loud all at the same. The loud sound in the previously eerie quiet room was almost devastating to the ears.

He jumped up in the air, a pair of wings springing up to support his weight. He whipped towards the computers at lightning speed.

It was more than the human eyes could follow. His face was set in a grim line, and his eyes glowed, and his sharp features remained stern and composed.

After a while, he lowered himself onto the ground, mixed emotions running across his face as he thought of what to do. But he knew that it was his duty to report each and anything that came out of the system he was in charge of. He had let the system run for years, searching for any speck of evidence of this same. However, now that he had the confirmation, he was unsure. Hesitating briefly, he sent one single message.

"We have the proof. He is alive!"

’I hope that I am doing the right thing,’ he thought, staring at the screen.

****

"Who DARED!" Ian roared.

Currey turned his face away, but he was not phased by the fact that he was in a predicament with the way Ian was almost choking him.

"Aren’t you overreacting a little bit here, Your majesty? You have not been with her for the past few years, pining over another woman, and now you are concerned about who may have touched her? That will probably be a good section of all the men on T-Vino Island!"

"What did you say?"

"Did I say that aloud?"

Currey disappeared from Ian’s hold in a blink and reappeared not far from him, banging his head on the ground. The sound was so loud that it felt like he was cracking his head open.

"I really deserve death! I shouldn’t have said my thoughts out loud. I will-"

He stopped realizing that whatever he was saying sounded absurd. He raised his head and slapped his mouth a few times.

Ian shook his head at Currey’s exaggerated gestures, marvelling at how stupid he looked then.

"Get out!"

Currey did not badge but got up and planted himself flat against the wall.

Currey was right. Ian did not bother with him and did not really want him gone at that moment.

Ian walked out of the room and back into the cold room that hosted the computers. He sat down and asked yet again,

"Still, get me that list!"

"Your Highness, that will be a tad difficult but you already know a couple of them..." This was enough to get Ian off the topic with Currey as a calculating thoughtful gaze washed over him.

"How has she been doing all this while?"

"She’s in good hands, so do not worry too much. As I said, this blood oath, was a big advantage for her and she has had a smoother life than before she met you that night."

"And the stepfather?"

"He-"

Currey paused, not knowing how to explain this to Ian, but then, he realized that his hesitation was not needed as Ian already knew everything from what his wife had told him and the information, he had uncovered for him.

"I think you already know everything, so I will leave the analysis and deduction to you on this one."

Ian did not react to this. In his mind, he was thinking of ways to ’handle James.’

Currey’s voice pierced his thoughts,

"You know, I do not blame her stepfather nor young master Brad too much."

That earned him a freezing glare from Ian, but he closed his eyes tightly and continued talking, "The strange charm she has is too much for any human to handle. I commend her for growing up to this stage without any major mishap in her life from guys charmed to the point of being unreasonable. I don’t think that it will ever leave, but I am not sure; I think it may be manageable if she remains by your side...."

Ian relaxed as he heard this. In his mind, any possible statement then that linked him to his wife was enough to calm his erratic heart. Just the words were enough!

"However, the case with master Brad-"

"He made his bed, and he should lie in it!"

"Bu-"

Currey knew when to back off and said a silent prayer for Brad because he understood exactly what he was going through. Not that he cared, though. Currey had only brought it up, thinking that Ian would be interested.

"When will she be back?"

’How would I know that?’ These were Currey’s first thoughts, but this time, he held himself and did not utter them but rather replied,

"You Highness, it’s in the middle of the night, and your wife should be fast asleep by now."

Unfortunately for Currey, similar questions kept them up all night, but Ian still never considered stepping a foot out of the room.

The sun arose the next day; Ian sat on his bed and eagerly awaited his wife. Seconds turned to Minutes and then hours, but she did not turn up.

"Why is she not coming?"

Currey was exhausted and had stopped responding to such questions a while back. He flippantly said, "You can either go to her for once or call her!"

’Why didn’t I think of this?’

Ian thought and then went back to his cold room to look for his phone. It was plugged into a live panel in there.

He long-pressed the power to turn it back on and it got flooded instantaneously with missed calls, unread texts, emails and whatnot.

Ian did not even take one look at any of them. Reading off Shelby’s number from the lit up screen, he called but there was no answer.

His mood dampened at once. That did not deter him though,

"Find her for me!"

Currey did exactly what was asked of him, so he sat by the computers once again and skillfully navigated it, tapping into CCTVs and any digital connection to the grid.

Soon, Shelby popped up on the screen by a shirtless man in an apron.

When Ian saw her, his eyes lit up and then dimmed almost instantaneously after seeing who she was with.

"Who is that ’chicken-bodied’ person by her?"

*********

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