Chapter 6: Secrets And Lies
"What the hell are you talking about?" Neo's response made Vanessa realize he was as ignorant of the prophecy as he was of his bloodline.
"I see.." Vanessa spoke softly before turning around as it became obvious she wasn't going to obtain the information she needed from him.
"Hey hey hey hey! get me outta this thing! I didn't kill your mother so why are you still punishing me like this!?"
Vanessa stopped in her tracks, she looked over her shoulders back at Neo's cell.
"I thought you said dying in the most electrifying way was manly, you complaining about some tight chains soldier?"
Neo grunted before smiling a bit trying to be tough.
"I meant this chains are too loose, are you going to punish an elite soldier like this? I've been through worse you know."
Vanessa sighed as Neo foolishly asked for it.
"As you wis-"
Neo immediately realized what he said and interrupted her before she could complete her statement.
"W-w-w-wait! I was joking I was joking!"
Vanessa walked out of the dungeons shaking her head in disappointment, jokes asides she still hasn't gotten to the bottom of the whole issue, there was only one person who could answer her questions now.
A day had gone by since Neo was captured and detained. Vanessa's thirst for answers were driven solely by one thing only, to find out the identity of her mother's killer. Her father might have convinced her that Neo was not responsible for her mother's death but she wouldn't rest till she has a name.
"The bigger question is, how did Neo Tempest get mixed up in this prophecy they argued about?"
Another mystery she tried to uncover, but she didn't have any leads on both questions that is until she crossed paths with her father's special advisor.
"A good afternoon to you my princess."
King's Leonard special advisor, Tazuki Hashato bowed to Vanessa as he passed by her and alighted the stairs leading to the third floor of the castle. The hallways of each floor were lined with six to eight suit of armors at most.
She came to a halt and watched Tazuki head towards the throne room with a smile on his face. Thankfully her sharp thinking made her realize the only possible way she could gain Intel was from someone who was involved in the agendas created by the king.
SWOOSH!
"What!?"
Like the wind Vanessa moved swiftly grabbing Tazuki by the back of his shirt and pinned him against the wall holding his left hand behind his back. She took the sword from a suit of armor nearby before pointing the blade at Tazuki's neck.
"Y-your highness! what are you doing!?"
Vanessa pressed the tip of the blade against his neck and cut through the surface of his skin slightly, a bit of blood escaped the opening of the cut and rolled slowly down his neck.
"Silence, or this goes all the way through your neck, am I clear?"
Tazuki gulped and nodded to the threats and warnings of Vanessa, Princess Vanessa had the exact same warrior spirit her mother possessed, not to mention she possessed unique abilities so Tazuki knew if she made up her mind to kill him she'd do so without fear of the consequences of her actions.
"How is Neo Tempest mixed up in this prophecy and what exactly is this prophecy?"
Tazuki hesitated to answer her, the king had instructed him not to reveal anything to his daughter most especially the prophecy. If he did he would pay for disobeying King Leonard's order via execution, but if he didn't Vanessa would grant him a slow and painful death as she was a woman of her word.
"W-what are you talking about princess?" He denied knowing anything about the prophecy.
He was left with an extremely difficult choice, Vanessa pressed the tip of the sword deeper into the skin of his neck and he started to feel a sharp pain as the blood that escaped the cut on his neck rolled down in small amounts.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! Neo Tempest is the surviving member of the Tempest family, the only individuals who poses a threat to the king's throne in this war."
Vanessa's eye brows were raised in confusion.
"What do you mean he poses a threat to the throne, aren't the Tempest family from this kingdom? why would a family of elite soldiers who serve under the kingdom to handle difficult tasks rebel against their king?"
Tazuki remained hesitant which proved to be a fatal mistake on his part, Vanessa dragged his left arm up his back in a way the arm wasn't supposed to bend.
"ARGHH!! okay I'll tell!"
Tazuki could feel the bones of his arms creaking like they were seconds away from breaking, Vanessa reduced the pressure she applied on his arm.
"The prophecy!" He exclaimed not wanting to experience the same pain he just went through in the hands of the princess.
"What prophecy?" She asked quickly, interrogating the special advisor to the king during daylight was a dire idea so she had to make it quick.
"Five years ago after the start of the war, your father summoned the Sage Of The Cross."
The sage of the cross is a powerful divine overseer who is believed to have been hand picked by the gods, isolated from the four kingdoms she lived in a forest that was considered sacred and unwelcoming to humans, she had the ability to predict the future of anyone.
"He wanted to know if the kingdom would survive in the war against super powered knights from the other kingdoms, b-but.."
"But what!?" Vanessa exclaimed swiftly.
"His prophecy wasn't what he expected, it was revealed to him that someone from the Tempest family would put an end to his reign."
Vanessa slowly released his arm and removed the tip of his sword from his neck.
"I-is that why..he was so hell bent on eliminating the Tempest family?"
Tazuki gasped holding his left arm trying to ease the pain he felt after being manhandled by a princess.
"Yes, he was worried about the prophecy coming to light since the Tempest family were once the elite force of the Suzana empire directly under the command of the king. So he killed them all one by one throughout the years, however there was a survivor, Neo Tempest.
He managed to escape death and ran away from the safety of the kingdom, terrified of letting the prophecy come to light he sent you to capture him before he had a chance to escape."
Vanessa dropped the sword of the ground before laying her back against the wall, everything her father had said till this point was merely a lie including the part about the Tempest family being a serial killer.
"It all makes sense now, Tazuki...if the Tempest family are innocent, who killed my mother?"
Vanessa raised her head gazing at him, her eyes reflected her inbuilt rage and desire for vengeance. Tazuki hesitation reached its limits causing him to stammer. He sweated profusely not being able to answer her question.
His unwillingness to answer forced her off the wall, she approached him slowly with anger, judging by his reaction to her question he knew the truth about her mother's death. Failure to answer would result in his permanent death.
"I won't this ask again Tazuki...who killed my mother?"
Tazuki fell his buttocks, with the princess approaching him quickly he used his hands to drag himself backwards.
"I-it was.."
He still hesitated to talk.
"It was.."
THUD!
The door to the throne room on the third floor slammed open, two of the king Leonard's knights escorted the him from behind as he approached the steps to the floor they were on and saw Tazuki sitting on the ground just at the beginning of the steps. They heard the voice of a woman screaming earlier prompting them to figure out who it was.
"Tazuki?"
King Leonard called to him, Vanessa had fled swiftly the instant her ears picked up the sound of the throne room doors opening.
"What are you doing on the floor? And where is the woman screaming?"
Tazuki knew he couldn't tell the king that he had revealed vital information to his daughter so he lied.
"I stubbed my toe against the suit of armor, quite painful once you become an old timer like me your majesty."
The king scratched the back of his head in confusion, the feminine screams he heard came from his royal advisor? It's not something he saw everyday.
"O..kay, anyways your presence is required urgently Tazuki, meet me at the usual place in 5 minutes."
Tazuki got to his feet before dusting his clothes and clearing his throat, he bowed to the king on receiving his orders.
"As you wish your majesty."
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