Toxic Empress

Letters Alina

“Gosh, Miss, you love to worry me so much. I thought you were kidnapped again like before, but thank God you're fine. Where have you been since yesterday? Where did you stay overnight?”

Gia waits for Xena's return to make herself unable to sleep overnight, she worries about Xena's situation because since the kidnapping incident and attempted murder, Gia increases her alertness.

“Sorry, last night I was caught in the rain. So, I stayed at Duke Geraldo's house,” replied Xena.

Then Xena asks Gia to prepare the water for a bath, she wants to change her clothes that are filled with the scent of Xander. Several times Xena let out a rough sigh, it made Gia confused about what really happened to Xena.

“Nona, does anything bother you?” ask Gia.

“Nothing, I just thought of some complicated things. Please get me a glass of cold chocolate, I want to drink a cold drink in this hot weather,” Xena said.

“Alright, I'll get it right away.”

Gia immediately went to fulfill the order from Xena, at this time Xena just sat by the window while enjoying a gentle breeze. He would occasionally raise his head above the blue sky. Slowly complicated thoughts hit his head one by one to create displeasure in himself.

‘Who was the woman who spoke to me last night? Then who's the guy who attacked me and Xander? Why is everything getting complicated? I haven't even gotten a clue about Alina's killer. Plus the assault on the base, how did they know where my base was?’

Then Gia came carrying a glass of cold chocolate, Xena paused for a moment her complicated thoughts. Now he returned to enjoy the quiet leisure time without having to be disturbed by problems that had no way out.

“What book are you holding?”

Xena misfocused on the maroon-bound book held by Gia, a book that was thick enough to attract Xena.

“This is a book that tells about the goddess of love,” replied Gia.

Xena stared at Gia, usually she never interested in stories about gods or goddesses, but somehow the goddess of love made her a little interested.

“What is told there?” ask Xena again.

“Said that the goddess of love will descend to earth once every thousand years, she seeks and witnesses more closely the man who has sincerity in love. The chosen human partner will be given special attention, but the goddess of love has never found a human who has a strong sense of love. Humans who love each other, complement each other, and protect each other, the goddess of love does not find that in this world. Until now the goddess of love is still looking for love like that,” explained Gia.

Xena nodded her head, at least in the least she understood what Gia meant. However, the story is just a story, Xena did not think that the goddess of love existed, even so far she actually never believed in the existence of gods and goddesses in this universe. When they exchanged words about the contents of the book, suddenly a knight came carrying a blue box.

The knight gave the box to Gia, he passed away after making sure the box had reached Xena's hand.

“It must be Alina's, please bring the box here. Let me check what's stored in it.”

Gia immediately gave the medium-sized box to Xena, but apparently the box was locked. Xena didn't bother, she broke the key padlock to reveal the lid of the box. Inside the box are a number of objects given by Xena to Alina on her birthday, and below is a letter that appears to have been written by Alina just before the day of her death. Xena opened the letter and read what was there.

“Xena, I want to send this letter to you, but strangely this letter keeps coming back to me again. I'm afraid, Xena, that black shadow always appears in my dreams, that black shadow haunts me. What am I supposed to do? I'm scared to be alone, no one cares about me but you. I was afraid to die, I was not ready to die yet, but the black shadow said that I would die in the near future. Xena, can you help me? Can you cast away that black shadow? It suffocates me.. Help me, Xena...”.

Xena's hand trembled as she read her letter, a shadow crossing her mind. Xena recalled the black shadow that had once attacked her. Most likely the shadow spoken by Alina was the same shadow as the one that harmed Xena.

“Gia, was there anything strange about Alina before she died?” ask Xena.

“I just remembered it, some time before the Empress died, she always complained of fear and could not sleep. He said there was a black shadow that always followed him at all times. I did not understand what the Empress meant because I did not see a black shadow anywhere. He also more often locked himself, even he never came out of the room to just greet the Emperor.”

Xena crumpled up her letter paper, Xena's heart was slowly enveloped by the guilt of not being able to be next to Alina. When she's at her lowest point, Xena can't help her, even to find her killer alone Xena is overwhelmed.

‘I know now..I know that Alina's killer is not from the palace, but outside the palace. But, I also cannot leave this palace right now, at least until that time comes, I will just move to destroy Charise. Before that, I had to see Xander again because I had no one to rely on other than Xander at Charise.’

...***...

At night precisely in Derryl's study, he was having a meeting with the nobleman he trusted the most, Marquess Andros. They seem to be talking about serious issues. They held this meeting without the knowledge of anyone else.

“How's Marquess? Did you manage to persuade the three nobles to revoke my mother's detention report?” ask Derryl.

The three nobles referred to by Derryl are Count Berend, Baron Elmo, and Marquess Cerano. Now Derryl tries to persuade the three to revoke the report against the Queen Mother, Derryl is a child who loves Mother so that she will do anything for her happy mother. Although the incident some time ago made him upset, but now he no longer harbors resentment.

“Izin replied, Your Honor, I failed to persuade them to retract the report. They insist on reporting on the Queen Mother,” replied Marquess Andros.

“Then there are no other options, please kill them all, Marquess,” Derryl's orders.

“Ready, carry out, Your Highness.”