Chapter 221
Chapter 221
«Juno, please wake up. Your grandfather is worried sick! I will die if I don’t see you again. Please, my love…» – Bai, pale and for some reason drunk, burst into tears near the unconscious girl. He had barged into the room to get the bastard, but the boy had already gone! The whole family was now searching for the scoundrel.
The best doctors in the Stone family were at a loss. They had checked her properly and did not find any serious health issues.
Finally, Juno slowly opened her eyes and muttered:
«Grandpa…»
«My sweet child!» – Bai jumped up and hugged his dear girl, and she held him close.
Juno hadn’t seen her grandfather for 13 years! Seeing him again meant so much to her. She needed his warmth, his love, his support.
«Are you alright?! Tell me, please!»
«Yes… I… I am fine…» – She whispered uncertainly.
Bai breathed a sigh of relief and muttered between his clenched teeth, still holding her tight. – «I’ll kill this monster for taking you hostage whatever it takes… I swear to gods, I will tear his head off… I will make him regret everything he has done…»
When Juno heard about the “monster,” bitter grief and sorrow pierced her heart. She remembered Lovr’s handsome face, the time spent together when he played the guitar, sang love songs, held her close, stroking her body tenderly, his pleasant baritone that caressed her ears… He had disappeared… Kyon didn’t have his memories, they were lost forever. She had killed him with her own hands. The masters had deceived her… They told her it was possible and it wasn’t…
Juno moaned sadly and burst into tears. She hated herself for that.
«Juno, please! Don’t cry! Your grandfather can’t stand to see you cry!» – The patriarch was worried out of his mind. He didn’t know what to do.
Juno had to ask Bai to leave because of his excessive anxiety. The doctors left, too.
The patriarch wanted to tear Kyon into ten thousand pieces for making his granddaughter cry so bitterly! He would kill him even if heaven was against it!
When Juno was left alone, she lay curled in bed, tears soaking her pillow. – {Lovr… Forgive me Lovr… We spent so many unforgettable nights together, we had so much fun… And then I killed you … I don’t deserve a boy like you… I am such a fool…}
Juno kept nagging herself till morning. Her heart was breaking apart. She was on the verge of suicide. For a moment, she thought that her death would bring her back to him. However, she knew that the other world was nothing but an illusion, and Lovr would be there again… He was gone forever.
{Forever?..} – Suddenly, the hateful image of Kyon popped up in her head. Over the past 13 years, her hatred towards him had lessened quite a bit, and the idea that he was Lovr made her wonder if hating him was justified at all. She had to remember how they began hating each other.
Juno recalled their first meeting, the way she treated him all the time, leaving him no chance of survival. She used to beat him to a pulp. He was nothing but dust under her feet… She remembered all the terrible things she had done:
“Kyon tried to apologize for looking at her too intense and make things right, and she answered: – «I don’t care about your apology. I order you: now and forever, you will never say a word. Your dirty mouth hurts my ears, you wretched slave.»”
“She fell on him herself when Yerogka paid her an unexpected visit and then blamed it all on Kyon: – «Yesterday you pawed me when I fell on you, slave. I order you to knock out all your teeth for that.»”
“Kyon was desperate to live. He was grasping at straws when she said she would spare his life and he believed her. And then she decided to killed him treacherously in cold blood: – «A stupid creature is so easy to fool… Did you really believe that you can stay alive after what you’ve seen? Today you will die a horrible death, slave. Face it.»”
“«Die, you fool.» – She said then with a laugh and began to beat up the boy who even couldn’t resist.”
Juno covered her eyes with her hands, burning with shame and contempt for herself. After the things she had experienced in the illusory world, all her cruel deeds towards Kyon now seemed completely absurd, unreasonably evil, and totally crazy! Was she any different from a demon? She wasn’t… Kyon was right when he said that it wouldn’t be Kara who would ruin her, she would ruin Kara…
If Juno were in Lovr’s shoes, she would also hate herself. She would lose respect for Juno, beat her and torture her emotionally and physically… She deserved this.
{It turns out that I am to blame for everything… I have started this stupid war! He was a victim! No wonder that he is so cruel to me… But why did he **** and kill Dinah? Wait, did he really do that? Lovr would never do that! I must find out the answer… I’m sure that everything is not what it seems.} – These thoughts gave her hope. Juno started to believe that Kyon was really that handsome boy from the imaginary world.
Juno wiped off her tears. She had found a new goal and fell asleep, calm at last. She wasn’t going to tell grandfather anything about key cleaning purification or her enslavement. Kyon would appreciate her good intentions, then she would apologize, and they would start all over again. Besides, it was hard enough for Bai after Dinah’s apparent death. He wouldn’t survive even more worries.
…
Kyon left the Stone territory, returned home, and fell fast asleep while Synergy started healing his dilapidated body at the cellular level. He made it back only with the help of pure energy.
It was early morning. Kyon had almost recovered. A solid, strong shoved at his chest and woke him up.
«It’s time…» – Kyon saw the girl’s in the black pretty face over him, a spark of excited anticipation in her dark eyes.
Kyon rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned widely.
«Don’t make me wait.» – The girl warned him.
«Yeah… Story of my life, they only want one thing.» – With these words, he reached out his hand and touched her plexus to clear the key of the wind. The girl’s reaction was just like yesterday. She cringed as if a slug was crawling over her.
A minute later, she quickly lowered her blouse, checked the purity and stared at him in amazement:
«Your talent is truly incredible! Did you get it from your mother? Aren’t people too impure to inherit this clean, holy bloodline?»
«Why are you asking? Аh… I get it. Don’t worry, our child will inherit it by all means.» – Kyon said impassively.
«Watch what you say!» – The girl warned him in an icy voice. – «Imbecile… Why did I bother to ask?» – She knew she couldn’t take him seriously.
«By the way, where’s my money.» – He reached his hand.
Reluctantly, she paid him one million spheres and hurried to disappear. She couldn’t stand the sight of him.
«Wait! Don’t go!» – Kyon shouted after her. – «There’s something I have to tell you. I can’t clean your keys for one hundred percent if you don’t have the divine bloodline. You aren’t going to use it against me, are you? You’re an honest, fair and understanding girl, right?» – He said as kindly as could be. The previous cleaning had nearly killed him. He was going to risk his life clearing the last percent of her channel.
The girl materialized at the door, her eyes gleamed coldly, watching him. – «You swore, Kyon. I can’t trust you if you don’t keep your promise.»
«Didn’t you hear me?»
«We’ll talk about it when the time comes.» – She disappeared and slammed the door behind her.
«Damn it!» – Kyon cursed and kicked the wall. How could he know about the unknown force that pulled his Synergy into another soul at one hundred percent? He had overlooked this fact with Juno because it wasn’t his intention to steer clear from her soul.
{What am I going to do? Can I break the oath I gave her? What if I try and change the conditions? No… Then she won’t return the contents of the ring… But will she protect me for two years following the dictates of conscience and gratitude?} – He had no idea. However, the fact that he would get at least nine million was pretty reassuring.
Kyon got out of bed with a bad mood and went downtown. Today, he had to replace a lot of formations on his subordinates and feathered spies, as well as make new bug formations… Besides, he had to learn how to create a formation that blocked the “tracking” signal.
…
At noon, a pale elder responsible for the family finances entered Bai’s office. – «We’re in trouble, patriarch! In big trouble!»
«What’s the matter, Henry?»
«Last night, I received a letter from the department. It had the genuine seal of a high-ranking investigator…» – The elder started the report.
A minute later, the patriarch squeezed his glass of whiskey with such force that it shattered into fragments. – «Ten million?!» – He asked in dismay.
«Yes, sir… It’s exactly one-fifth of the fine that we’ll have to pay if they bring charges against us… I was in the guild and had everything confirmed. The documents are authentic! We are being blackmailed big-time, dear patriarch!»
Bai turned pale and closed his eye. He felt unwell. Where could he get this money in one month? The Stone family was struggling to make ends meet, and after the tournament there would be nothing left. It’s a crying shame! A sly investigator had showed up to blackmail him! One disaster after another! Dinah was killed… His grandson was on the run… Juno was taken hostage by her own brother and cried all night… And now he had to pay ten million!
A strong surge of emotion swept through him. It hurt to look at the old patriarch who used to resemble a stern-faced general with no compassion or pity.
«Sir… There’s an afterword in the letter. The blackmailer addressed it personally to you… You are supposed to know what it’s about. It says: – «How much is my life worth? You will find the answer in the dusty treasury.» – Henry added, doubting if he should have mentioned it at all.
Of course, Bai did not get the message. Only two people knew that the masked investigator was Kyon.
Without saying a word, the patriarch took out the sound transmitter and called Anna. He asked her to take a look at the treasury and give him the exact amount of money and keys.
Bai had been saving the treasures for his family over many years. If he sold all the medicine and precious things and added all the money and the keys from the treasury, he could scrape half the amount he had to pay… Alas, he wouldn’t sell the goods at the market price, not in a month. He would be happy if they took them at least for half the price.
Anna called back ten minutes later. Odd… Why so fast?
«Sir…» – The superior maid whispered. – «We’re in trouble…»
Bai did have the energy to raise his voice. He asked wearily:
«What’s the matter, dear?»
«All the money and the keys are gone… The medicine seemed to have vanished in thin air… There’s not a single blade of grass, no pills! There are only thick layers of dust everywhere! Nothing else… Even objects with formations have disappeared. I don’t know where it all went! We have been watching over the mansion carefully… Nobody could get inside, except the lady and… Maybe… Kyon…»
When Bai heard the name “Kyon,” he dropped the sound transmitter. The words from the letter: “How much is my life worth? Look for the answer in the dusty treasury” recurred to him, and he understood everything.
The patriarch was dizzy. He tensed with chest pain and clutched at his heart, grunting and panting. His face flushed, the veins swelling on his forehead. Death had grasped his heart in its cold hands. He did not want to die. He couldn’t leave his granddaughter and daughter in the collapsing family to be torn to pieces by their enemies. This thought must have saved his life in the end.
Henry was scared out of his wits, but he came to his senses in time to call the doctor. He saved the dying patriarch at the last moment.
Bai had a heart attack. His old heart failed, unable to withstand the hurricane of misfortunes that had crashed on his family and his dear ones. His time-tested steel nerves could not cope with this heavy blow …
The news of the heart attack was kept secret. Only Juno and Diana learned of the incident. They were awfully sorry for the head of the family and their dear protector rolled into one. They both cried with grief, standing next to him in the hospital ward.
When Kyon learned that Bai had hired a killer (even if technically it was the elder who did it at the request of the patriarch), he decided to strike back at once. He didn’t give a damn about Bai’s care and his attempt to take Kyon into the family. Murder means depriving him of his life, i.e., everything he had. Nothing worse could ever happen. Bai would have to pay for this crime. That’s the way Kyon thought. He had made the only exception for the little thief. She just did her job. Nothing personal. She was a rare exception. Kyon had a short way with killers. It was life for life.