Chapter 54: At the Round Table

I stare at his outstretched hand for a moment, before heaving a breath – praying that this won’t all crumble with my next words. “I’m afraid I cannot accept your allegiance so readily, Kunzo.” He lifts his head to look at me questioningly. “And I mean no offense by this.”

Slowly, he retracts his hand and descends back to his own side of the table. His sharp eyes are curious and somewhat confused as he regards me. “May I ask why, your highness?”

“You haven’t given me a reason to trust you yet.” I say as delicately as possible. “From my relationship with Taeyeon, to my mother, to what it is that I want – you seem to know everything. But what do I know about you? Or the rest of your organization?”

Kunzo his beard in thought. “If you are as intelligent as you have shown yourself to be, my Queen, then I assume you have probably already done your research on us.”

“I have.” I admit. “But most of the information I managed culminate is at least a couple of decades old. It doesn’t give much of an insight into what kind of order you have become today. Not to mention the reason my family decided to cut ties with The Hashashin was due to your side going against orders and causing bloodshed. At what point thus far have you proven your trustworthiness to me?”

He nods in consideration. “I can see your reasoning. But shouldn’t you be playing by our rules? You need us and the information we have. You are currently in our lair with no knowledge of your whereabouts. A blind man could see that it is us that have the upper hand. It would be unwise to decline our allegiance so prematurely.”

“Maybe.” I take a leisurely sip of green tea. “But I also think it would be equally unwise to strike a deal with a man whom I don’t even know his last name or how he treats others, his moral code, his motivations.” I set my teacup down. “You said that we need you, implying that you don’t need us. Which I don’t think is true. I think, if anything, you need us slightly more than we need you.”

He chuckles lightly and scratches at his moustache. “That’s an interesting conclusion you’ve come to, my Queen. But I’m afraid your deductions are far from the truth. If you leave here today without our aid, then your chances of finding the King are null. And us, well, we’ll carry on just as we have for thousands of years.”

“I don’t intend to leave here without your aid.” I clarify, “But say I did. I could easily go out and find another organization to help our cause, an organization with potentially less risk. But, you, The Hashashin – you may not last much longer without The Royal Family, our funding, our contacts.”

His eyes narrow at me. His jaw tightens. “What are you trying to say, Your Highness?”

“You’ve heard things about me. But I’ve heard things about you, too.” I fold my fingers together and meet his eyes evenly. “I have connections and they say that you’ve delved into the black market and owe some scary people a scary amount of debt. Is that true?”

He smoothens over his facial hair before nodding. “Yes, My Queen. It’s true. And we are not proud of it.” His admittance comes out sincerely.

“Explain to me what kind of predicament you’re in with these people.” I demand softly, silently relieved at how this panning out.

“They call themselves The Ares. They’re a crime organization that deal in the things of nightmares.” His eyes flit downward in shame. “You’re right, Your Highness, we have been struggling to make ends meet without The Royal Family. We want to do honorable work, but in this business, there isn’t much of that. We had mouths to feed, so we turned to The Ares. They contracted us to carry out some of their dirty work, and we agreed, as long as they paid up front – which they did. But the job went wrong. Horribly wrong. The Ares demanded that we pay them back, with a ludicrous amount of interest, that we be their slaves, or else they would kill us all. One by one.”

I nod, digesting the information. “In that case, we both need each other. I’ll strike you a deal.”

Kunzo’s eyebrows rise slightly in surprise. “What do you propose?”

“Security. For both of us.” I begin with a breath, “If The Hashashin find Taeyeon, The Royal Family will formally accept your allegiance and pay off your debts in full.” I wet my lips, “But if you fail, we offer you no help with your debts and our ties will remain severed.”

He is silent for a moment. He takes a long drink of tea before finally putting the cup back down. “That is quite a deal.”

“It’s only beneficial to the both of us. I have assurance that you’ll stay loyal and motivated, and you the same. We can draw up a contract – just to ensure that nothing is miscommunicated or misconstrued. What do you think?”

“I think I underestimated you greatly, your highness.” He leans forward and seems to examine my face carefully. “Your intelligence and decorum have left me in awe. I would be a fool not to accept. Have your lawyers draw up an official contract, I will give you our terms. May this be a fruitful, long lasting partnership.”

We both stand. He bows, I bow. He extends his hand, and I take it, giving it a firm shake – sealing the first step of many.

* * *

The blindfold is lifted. I blink and realise that we are back at the rendezvous point where The Hashashin had picked us up, standing in front of our car. The sun is setting and when I look around I see Donghae and his men, Jun and Victor, blinking in a similar fashion of confusion.

“Your Highness,”

I turn around and find a tall, tanned man standing behind me. He is adorned in an entirely black suit and sunglasses, and his face remains emotionless and stoic.

“Master Kunzo told me to pass a private message onto you. Only you.” He glances over to Donghae, Jun and Victor pointedly.

Donghae shoots me a look of concern. “Just give me a minute. Wait in the car.” I tell him calmly. He looks between the Hashashin member and I before reluctantly sliding into the back of the car, with Jun and Victor following soon after.

“If you wish to contact Master Kunzo, please use this.” The man hands me a mobile phone-like device, but unlike one I had seen before. It was strangely small and sleek, with only a keypad and narrow screen on its interface. “This contact device is used only between the Hashashin themselves and our partners. It works through a private network and is therefore undetectable and untraceable.” From the inside of his jacket he produces a small white card and gives it to me. “When you wish to contact Master Kunzo, dial this number. Someone will pick up and ask you what you are seeking. The answer is: shadows. You will then be put through to Master Kunzo directly. If Master Kunzo tries to contact you through your device, the letter ‘X’ will show up on the screen and it will ring only three times. Other than this, your device should not ring. Do not share this device or password with anyone else, as Master wishes to communicate with you and only you.”

“I see,” I look down at the items in my hand, a strange feeling brewing in my gut. “Thank you.”

“The pleasure is ours, Your Highness.” He bows politely and backs away before entering back into his own vehicle and driving away promptly.

I stand dazed, for a moment, watching as the dust settles. Inhaling deeply, I turn and climb into the car.

“Well? How was it? Are you okay?” Donghae questions immediately, before I can even close the door behind me.

“I’m fine.” With a wave of my hand, I gesture for Victor to start driving. I slide the phone and card into my handbag that I had stowed under the seat.

Donghae watches restlessly. “What is that? What happened? What did they say?”

I shake my head softly. “Let’s talk back at the office. It’ll be safer there.”

“Fany,” He touches my arm and our gazes lock. There’s a silent plea in the way his grip tightens. His eyes are wide and anxiety-stricken.

“Everything is going to be fine.” I pat the back of his hand in reassurance. “We have to be calm. I’m going to call Yuri and Jessica and tell them to meet us at the office.”

He nods slowly and leans back in his seat, turning his head to look out of the window as city begins to thicken in around us. The rest of the journey is spent in silence. I close my eyes, touch my fingers to my chest, and think of Taeyeon.

* * *

Jessica, Yuri and Donghae sit, their breaths bated and their eyes following me earnestly as I pace back and forth in front of them, retelling what had happened in the conversation between Kunzo and I.

“…and he agreed. The lawyers are going to draw up a contract that both parties have to sign, giving security on both parts.”

“Wow.” They all say in unison.

“I know.” I exhale, only now processing what is actually happening.

“You did it.” Donghae says, his face tired but still light with relief. “You really did it, Fany.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you, though.”

“Please.” He stands and hugs me tightly. “I nearly blew our chance. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes in there.”

I smile as he pulls away and open my arms again as Yuri and Jessica come to embrace me. “We’ve been best friends since we were babies and I still had no idea you were such a smart badass .” Jessica mumbles in my ear.

I laugh as they release me. “Well, you better believe it now.”

“This is good.” Donghae says from behind his desk. “This is really good. The Hashashin are masters of being discreet and keeping things undercover. They know how to conduct an investigation without generating suspicion. I have full confidence that they’ll be able to find Taeyeon.”

I nod. “Me too. From the impression I got it seems as though they’re eager to get back into our good graces, even without the promise of their debts being paid.”

Donghae hums thoughtfully. “What did that guard say to you before you got into the car?”

“Oh yeah,” I go over to my handbag and pull out the small, black device. Donghae, Jessica and Yuri all step forward to inspect it more closely. “He said it’s for me to communicate with Kunzo and vice-versa.”

Yuri whistles in amazement as I pass it to her. “This is kind of crazy. It’s a whole different kind of technology they must’ve designed themselves.”

She hands it to Jessica whose eyes are just as wide in intrigue. “How do we know this isn’t like a bomb or something?”

“If it was,” Donghae says, plucking it gently from her grasp, “they would’ve blown us up as soon as we were off their property. And that isn’t really The Hashashin’s style, anyway.” He turns it around, running the pads of his fingers over the buttons in curiosity. “Why did they only give you one? How does it work?”

“Uh,” I take the device back and measure the weight of it in my hand, biting down on my lip gently, unsure how to tell him about Kunzo wanting to communicate through me. I turn to Yuri and Jessica apologetically. “Yuri, Jess, do you think you could give Donghae and I a moment to talk in private?”

They both nod quickly. “Yeah, of course.” Jessica says, her expression understanding. “Whatever you need.”

I look at them gratefully. “Stop by the palace tonight and we can have a better catch-up?”

They both agree before bidding farewell and leaving.

“What is it?” Donghae asks, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

“I don’t know how else to say it, but…” I take a breath. “The Hashashin member who gave me the phone said that Kunzo wants to communicate with me. Only me.”

“Ah,” He looks away as the realization of what I am trying to say dawns on him. “I see.”

“I’m sorry, Donghae.” I say softly.

“Don’t be,” He pushes on a smile. “It’s probably for the best that you do this alone.” He wanders over to the window and looks out at the cityscape, tucking his hands into his trouser pockets.

I watch for a moment before eventually drifting over. The sun low in the sky, nestled on the horizon, a long way away in the distance – far beyond the noise of this place and all its problems.

“Honestly,” he says, “The whole thing was causing my anxiety to skyrocket. I’m surprised I haven’t gone into cardiac arrest with the stress of it.” A quiet chuckle leaves his lips.

“What if I can’t do this by myself?” I ask. The sky is a conundrum pink and orange above us, clashing and mixing, bleeding into one another.

“I’m still gonna be right by your side.” He says, reaching out and taking my hand. He squeezes it gently. “We all are.”

“Thank you. For everything. And sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

He shakes his head. “Taeyeon is one of the best people I know. I haven’t ever met anyone kinder, more genuine. I’d do it for her and do it for you a thousand times over.”

“I’m so glad Michelle married you.” I say, my voice suddenly cracking with emotion.

He laughs and lets go of my hand to loop his arm around me, drawing me into another hug. I return it gratefully and wrap him in my embrace.

“If you ever need anything,” His voice is clear and packed with vehemence. “Please don’t hesitate to ask. Just because The Hashashin only want to work with you, doesn’t mean the responsibility rests solely on your shoulders. Make sure you keep me in the loop. I’m always here for advice.”

“Thank you so much.” I heave a heavy breath, realizing the weight of the crown is not just physical.

* * *

I stare at the device for a moment, which is something that I have been doing with an increasing frequency lately. It has been four days since our meeting with the Hashashin, and two days since our lawyers drew up and sent the contract to Kunzo. All I’ve done is sit and wait anxiously for a response.

With a sigh, I set the phone down on the nightstand and get into bed, running my fingers over Taeyeon’s side that has laid empty for all these many nights and months. My heart heavy as always, I lay down, pull the duvet over me and switch the lamp off, willing sleep to claim me quickly.

An electronic beeping sounds. My eyes snap open. I fumble to turn the lamp back on. And there the device lays – screen lit up green, displaying a single, ominous ‘X’ in the center. I nearly fall out of bed as I grab it.

I regard the ‘X’ on screen for a moment and take a deep breath before hitting the answer button. I place it to my ear. “Hello?”

“What do you seek?” asks an almost robotic-like voice.

I swallow down. “Shadows.” Silence ensues, shortly followed by a click.

“You Highness?”

“Kunzo,” I feel a sense of relief wash over me at the familiarity of his voice.

“I apologize for contacting you at such a late hour. I thought it would be best in terms of being discreet.”

“Thank you for being considerate.” I run a hand through my hair and fold my legs into a basket, pushing the receiver close