My Rebirth as an alien Queen

Episode 20-Apprehending Zioko

I walked slowly and sluggishly towards Hero who seems busy in instructing Barb what to do and how to get the recording as she silently followed Zioko who was looking behind him time to time but there was no one following him. Zioko kept walking and I get to see more of the street he was passing, the hood of his cloak were adjusted over his head as he knocked five times on what seems like an iron door, then the door slid open and was about to close when the view immediately shifted to the inside of the house so I was convinced Barb was in there. She started to follow Zioko and another Ghafil whom I assume had opened the door for them inside the house.

“Did you get anything?” The other Ghafil asked, he was ridiculously shorter than the prince and I didn’t know who he was until my brain started to paint a familiar image.

“Wasn’t both of them here earlier? He was sitting at the right side of him” I muttered my realisation but it appears Hero had already noticed since he was unusually quiet, he just sat and watch.

“Nothing but the recorder I plant in his study should get us something? I don’t believe his lies about the servants protecting him…they are my mine and answer only to me so I know all those were just lies” Hero grimaced, I guess how it must be for him, though he knew of his brother betrayal, it was still going to hurt having him confess to him.

“But the information I collection to was in earth language” He was finally inside what looked like a big warehouse since most of what was inside were unopened boxes laid on top of each other.

“I didn’t understand the language so I brought it back with me to be deciphered” Zioko spoke softly moving the what seem similar to the computer Hero was using, he inputted memory chip of recorder and was about to browse the files I supposed when Barb kicked down a box that made about three other boxes stacked together with it came crashing down making the two jump. They hurried from their seat and tried to see who had caused the fall of what looked like toy guns, or were those real guns that spilled from the box. They all looked like water guns except the water compartment was glowing Green so I guessed they were weapons but I didn’t get to see a better view of it as Barb raced to their computer and deleted every audio files fast enough before the two Ghafils returned to their seats still looking unsettled by the boxes that just fell.

“We should take those to the underground tonight, my brother is highly suspicious right now and worse I don’t know what he’s thinking, he might have suspected his servants were unfaithful to him and killed them all but he thinks it’s Nio and Kio which is the only advantage we have, we have to let his suspicions be on them, we have to create proofs that my other two brothers really did it, he loved them too much I doubt he’s going to kill them, after all after framing them for Aira’s murder attempt, he still couldn’t bring himself to kill them. At least I had eliminate the potential threat of becoming the grand vizier of the entire empire, the only way he would approve that post for me is if I helped him to find the culprit who had tried to kill him, so we give him one and I’m certain will be too happy” Hero’s hand was balled into fists as he watched his brother confessed his crimes in front of the camera, he could almost not watch anymore, he was at the verge of crying but he held back.

“Kivion!” Zioko exclaimed after realising the audio files have vanished, I saw panic in his eyes as he stood and started walking around but saw no one.

“I wasn’t followed was I?” He asked the Ghafil with him but he shook his head in response and Zioko heaved a sigh of relief, probably the files corrupted, I feel uneasy tell all the court members that had paid allegiance to us lay low for a while, we won’t be meeting with our associates anymore, not until we satisfy my brother’s curiosity” Zioko ordered and the other man nodded.

“Make sure to have them all informed, also…Gyla is the cook right? Have you been able to convince her to work with us, we need someone to keep an eye on my brother inside the palace” Zioko looked pensive and his eyes instantly narrowed down.

“What about the talking machine the king made as a gift for the queen, we can just to plant a bug inside her head and-“ I mentally scoffed since I know Barb was a robot and not a talking machine but can as well be.

“It’s too risky and besides the queen’s plaything is always with her, not my brother…we need something or someone that would be able to watch his in and out” Zioko was still thinking.

“The king hasn’t had a pet in a very long time, maybe you could get him a spy pet” The Ghafil suggested again and Zioko seems to be buying the idea.

“I’ll look into that, after all he has been looking much stressed lately; I wonder if it was the queen or his insecurity that was making him edgy, a spy pet can do the job” Zioko eventually agreed and Hero gave a psycho laugh watching his brother scheme against him, making me worry.

“It might be the queen, she doesn’t seem herself since that illness that almost took her life-

“I noticed, she doesn’t look like the Aira I used to know, she lacked proper etiquettes as a queen and have no knowledge at all, the way she talks in also strange…Aira have never spoken like that-

“Do you think It’s the side effect of the cure he made her, the queen used to be very smart that she preferred ruling while the king just played around but now she seems indifferent about the government matters, it might be the side effect of the cure” Now they were talking about me and I started to get a glimpse of how Hero was feeling, this immense anger raging up my throat ready to explode but I exhaled sharply wanting to get a hang of it.

“She’s the least of my problems right now, if she has become dumb after the cure, I think it’s to our best advantage. In fact I would prefer that better to killing her, her intelligence was made her a threat in the first place, it was why I stopped my brother from curing her. She’s too cunning and she was getting more and more interested in me. Just leave her out, once my brother is out of power and I showed the Rhafils I can balance the stone with technology rather than the internal energy generated from our ancestors over the century, they would worship me and she would be thrown out of the palace, I might pity her and send her to her home or I might make her my bed warmer if I so wishes, after all…she’s a very beautiful Rofik every Rafik fantasize about” Zioko laughed and started to head to the door making Hero furious that one of the monitors showing surveillance burst and shattered at his rage though he wasn’t moving a muscle, then he exhaled to bottle in his anger.   

“We will meet in our hideout tomorrow to start making evidence against my brothers, see to it that you have done all I ask…” With that Zioko exited the warehouse and Barb was about to follow him when Hero ordered for her to follow the other Ghafil instead, Hero was able to date down all the people who had betrayed him that way and literally, half of his court was in support of his brother.

For three days that was all Hero did, generating evidence. He was sour and angry and I could understand why but it worsens as each day passes, as he dug more into his brother’s betrayal he become bitter and I felt helpless since there was nothing I could do to help, he had been so busy that for two days we didn’t see each other and it was killing me as he continue to work and work.

 He didn’t eat with me much and I only heard his voice when he was yelling at his servants for doing something wrong, even Barb was mostly with him, eventually I snapped and stormed to his chambers, he was getting ready to sleep even though it was very late already, I had waited for him to finish work since he always work late.

“Claire what are you doing here?” He asked in concern standing from his bed and walking over to me in worry, he was looking so tired and it was making me mad since he didn’t allow me to work much, he had been working with his two brothers on apprehending Zioko so practically I didn’t do much than watch him sulk all day with his head buried into work. Hero’s room tripled the size of mine and his bed was twice the size of mine, he had more furniture than me and his room was well decorated and furnished with luxury appliances that I haven’t taken notice before.

“Claire, is something wrong?” Hero asked narrowing his eyes at me while studying me intensely but yet in concern. I didn’t know the reason I stomped his room to be honest or maybe I did know and didn’t want to accept it to myself, I miss him and I’m losing him to the hatred I never knew existed in his world, instead of talking I just closed the gap between us and lay my head on his chest hearing his frantic heartbeats, it been long since I found out their hearts beats faster than human. Hero thinking I probably need a hug wrapped his arms around me but was quite taken aback when I raised my eyes to meet his and slowly took his lips welcoming the sparks of pleasure that ignited in both of us, I wanted more…more than just his kisses, I missed him so much. Hero fluttered his eye open and looked into mine, he must have heard what I thought since our Fils had automatically connect.

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