Chapter 71: Meeting Tarian Again
Kestrel didn’t fuss about anything else, she tightened her arms around the man in her hug that, despite clenched teeth, was shivering non-stop. She knew he had gone through a lot, that he needed this hug. That was enough for her.
Time became thick and slow, unsure whether it was moving forward or had frozen in this very moment.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren gradually found his calm again. Kestrel’s large tendrils were wrapped tightly around them both. The small spaces were filled with a sweet smell and the cool mist of water, along with some indescribable scents, making it easier for them to understand each other’s feelings.
"He really doesn’t have to be this tough on himself," Kestrel thought.
As if Ren had heard her thoughts, his murmur came from her shoulder, "I often dream about them," his voice was very low, with a strong nasal tone as if he had been in a rain. Kestrel instantly knew who he was talking about.
"In those dreams, they stare at me, asking when I will avenge them. I can’t let go. If it brings them peace, I don’t mind becoming a monster," he continued, his voice even quieter now, almost like he was talking to himself.
Kestrel sighed in her heart—now she had learned how to sigh. "They wouldn’t want to see you like this," she said. "They liked the old you. The happy, bright alpha who lived freely. I think they’d prefer to see that version of you."
She didn’t know if her words were comforting. She wasn’t good at that. All she could do was share her deepest thoughts with this broken man.
Ren was quiet for a long time.
A while later, his body gradually relaxed, and his breathing began to calm down. A small tendril crawled out from the couch. It saw Ren’s hand trying to reach forward several times - he wanted to hug Kestrel back, but after a short hesitation, his hand quickly curled back to his side.
The little tendril looked at that hand in the black glove, the hesitant slender fingers. It found them somewhat cute.
"Hey, get on here. We like you too." The tendril curled around Ren hand, tickling his palm, encouraging him to be braver. But his hand pulled back as if it had been shocked and quickly hid behind himself, both hands restricting each other tightly.
Suddenly, an urgent knock sounded from outside the door. "Royal Guards! Open the door!"
Before Kestrel and Ren could get up, the door of their room was unlocked from the outside with a spare key.
A group of fully geared alphas burst in, pushing the door open.
The guard in charge quickly scanned the room.
The messy room was filled with various tools strewn about. Couches and cushions were disheveled, and water was everywhere. Used needles were discarded on the table. The bathroom door was left open, and a pair of twisted handcuffs hung next to the overflowing bathtub.
He didn’t need to ask to understand what had happened between these two; it was clear the events weren’t brief.
Scenes like these were common in this place. As they searched, any door they opened could reveal a similar scene. Over-indulged people were snoring expensive incense, leaving rooms in chaos.
However, they weren’t there to handle such matters. Their mission was to find the daring killer of the Minister of Military Affairs.
Malenia Riker, the Minister of Military Affairs, was assassinated in her own bedroom not long ago. Along with her, her personal bodyguard, highly skilled and vigilant, was also killed.
People were shocked—this brutal killer managed to sneak into Malenia’s heavily guarded room and kill these two people without a trace.
It was suspected that the killer must be an alpha, high-ranked, with powerful movement abilities and cool-headed strategic skills. They were also on the guest list for the banquet.
The order was clear: find the murderer. All alphas that attended the banquet were under suspicion.
The guard narrowed his eyes, sizing up the alpha in the room. The man was tall, his eyes watchful, yet his untidy clothes, the handcuff mark on one hand and a clear bite mark on the other, detracted from his formidable appearance.
The royal guard’s sharp eyes and observation skills quickly noted that, although the alpha quickly stood up, his steps were unsteady, his face pale, and red marks were left around his eyes. In contrast, the beta with him was neat, clear-minded, steady and composed when standing up, albeit with a slightly wet dress hem. The guard quickly categorized them, sneering inwardly, "Useless alpha dominated by a beta."
With this preconceived notion, the guard had already greatly reduced his suspicion towards Ren, so he merely asked a few routine questions.
The guard pulled out a notebook to record.
"Where were you both tonight, how long have you been in this room, and have you left at any point?"
Before Ren could answer, Kestrel gently nudged him and stepped forward to answer the guard’s questions.
Kestrel, with her slim figure and gentle demeanor, engaged the guard while casually playing with her dress. This managed to alleviate most of the guard’s suspicions. At the same time, an unexplainable shadow seemed to pass over their minds, making them lower their guard.
Kestrel answered all their questions, making the guards feel that these two were extremely cooperative and thus not suspicious.
During this time, Kestrel, who seemed naive about worldly matters, occasionally questioned the guards back. Some of these questions were not really appropriate, but some information was unintentionally revealed, although it didn’t seem to matter.
"Did something happen?"
"Oh, a killer, that’s scary."
"When did this happen?"
"So, that’s how it is."
"Yes, we were together."
"How could we possibly know about this?"
Just as they were preparing to leave and continue their search elsewhere, an alpha in a neatly pressed uniform, with a golden badge on his shoulder, parted the crowd and entered.
The man had a young and noble face. Upon seeing Kestrel and Ren standing together in the room, his face instantly darkened—it was Tarian.
"Kestrel?" Tarian asked with a stern expression, "Why are you still here? Who is this man?"
