Rogue and Riveting

Chapter 17 The Rogue Man

"No... That could not be..." King Yusef, Adelia's father, was utterly shocked at what Enoch told him. They were now talking about the true purpose of their visit to Sanjolia. Enoch and Adelia had to tell King Yusef about what the Noble Service had found out on the mysterious killings in their country. It was King Enoch who patiently explained to Adelia's father, and Adelia was right there next to him to support him. It was such a warm feeling being there for Adelia, listening to the two kings talking.

Back when she was still single, Adelia found it hard to imagine herself just supporting her future husband and not being the one getting the support. She found it akin to being a submissive wife. But that was just her assumption. Who would have thought that she would be doing the same thing that she had always considered lame? Because back then she thought that being a supportive wife only meant that you just had a secondary role in your decision-making as a couple. But this meeting with her father had changed her perspective on that. 

She found out that marriage is a partnership fully dependent on trust and support, so when one of them needs to support the other has to do it for them. Not because they are required to, but because when you get married the world around you no longer views you as just you. You are now a couple, and that to affirm that your significant other had to be there at your side too. Every decision that you make is also your significant other's decision because you are no longer just yourself. You are now two people as one.

"The Noble Service has found the samples, Father," said Adelia when she knew that her husband needed her help to convince her father that what her husband told him was true. "The traces of the virus had been everywhere in that region."

"But that's impossible! If it's really the reason, why would our own personnel be unable to trace it from the place of the killings themselves? It's not like it's a newly discovered virus."

"They have mutated again since their DNA is so unstable," Enoch explained. "But there is no mistake about it Father. It's that infamous virus that has been causing your country all these problems."

Adelia's father paused for a moment, and then looked at her daughter for affirmation. Adelia nodded at him and he nodded back, a gesture that meant that he now fully believes what the King of Romeodel had reported to him. In normal situations, it would have not been so easy to convince King Yusef of all these new pieces of information, but because he knew that his own daughter wouldn't lie to him, he finally believed the report. 

"If that's really what caused the killings, then we must do something about it as soon as possible. We can't let it spread to the whole country," Adelia's father added. 

"My men had already proposed the protocol that's needed to be followed for this virus," said Enoch, and then suddenly he was now holding an envelope that Adelia knew had the crucial information on it. "This is my suggestion, Father, based on what my team of scientists and virologists had suggested to me. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but this is the best thing to do in these types of cases."

Enoch handed the thick envelope to King Yusef, who immediately opened it and read the first page of what looked like a whole book. But Adelia's amazement was not for the fact that Enoch and his team managed to write and print a book for the case, but for the fact that he had already called his father, 'father' too twice already. She did not even know why she was amazed by that, herself. It was pretty normal for her husband to call his inlaw like their own parent. But Adelia could feel the giddiness kicking in her system every time Enoch would call her father that. Maybe because she found it weird but sweet that her husband is really making an effort with their marriage, and it was making her heartbeat abnormal again.

Who wouldn't? What he's doing is not to be expected from a man so powerful himself he could just ignore Adelia and her father. To be honest, Enoch and his country had always been out of their league. Enoch was powerful enough that he could opt not to use honorifics for Adelia's father and that would still be fine. But Enoch was such a humble man that Adelia also finds it hard now to imagine that her husband would not call her father, father too. Now that she knew what type of a man Enoch is, it was obvious that he was going to treat her father as his own father, at least when they are interacting.

"I see... Then I will study this, King Enoch---"

"Just call me Enoch, father. We are now a family. You can just call me by name," Enoch added, and that only gave Adelia more butterflies in her stomach. "And feel free to ask me about the resolution I gave you. Adelia and I have decided to stay here for three days so that we can talk about it more."

"Thank you, King E--- Enoch, I mean," said King Yusef with an awkward tone and the three of them laugh at that. "You should stay longer than that too, so you can visit the good tourist spots here in Sanjolia. Adelia can bring you to those places, right Adelia? You have to show your husband what our country has to offer!"

Adelia could not hide her excitement from that. "Oh yes!" she squealed like a child, which earned her a chuckle from Enoch. Then she tugged at his sleeves as if she was trying to be cute in front of him. "Enoch, we have to visit some places while we are here! Let's stay here for at least a week! Please?" Adelia even pouted her lips just so she can convince her husband to stay longer, but she didn't even need to do that. Enoch nodded and laughed.

"Alright. Let's stay for a week here. Who am I to decline that offer from my gorgeous wife? It only meant that we can bond together more!"

Adelia nodded. "That's right! And I promise you that you will love the places that we will go to. I am already excited! I can't decide where we will visit first! Should it be the Lea Lagoon? Or the Muwa Province! Oh, wait! But I also want you to experience the Fire Holidays at Pele-Pele!" 

The two began talking about their unplanned vacation as King Yusef watched them closely. Adelia had no idea that her father thought that she was just acting and was only trying to win Enoch so as not to wreck their plan, but she was actually enjoying the time she had with her husband. It was all business for her father, but Adelia was already madly fallen in love with Enoch, and that's going to be trouble soon for the two of them.

***

"Your father had decided to follow my suggestion," Enoch told Adelia. They were in their own room, Adelia's room when she was still living here at the castle, to be exact. They were in the bathtub, both naked and was enjoying the bubbles and the flower petals scattered on the lukewarm bath that Adelia had prepared for the two of them.

She could tell that Enoch was really having a good time, but it was mostly because they made love on the said bathtub while cleaning themselves. Adelia's heartbeat was still a little bit faster than normal because of their intense but passionate lovemaking, and Enoch was all smiles too because of that. He really loved having s*x with her, and that was something that Adelia will always find so surprising. When it came to her, Enoch could become almost like another man. making love to her had brought another version of him that she loved just the same.

"I hope that this will not become too much of a problem for you and your people," he added in between his hot kisses. All Adelia could do was close her eyes when Enoch is kissing her, and her breasts were his usual target. 

"Y-You said that we need to clear the whole area, r-right? It will be difficult, but if that's the only choice we have---"

"Yeah, my Queen, sadly that's the only thing we can do about it. The Rogue Man Virus is airborne, so it's highly contagious, especially if you are exposed to someone infected by it. But since they only affect people with the blood type AB, not everyone could get it."

"But you could still be a carrier of that virus, right? That's why we have to lock down the whole area?"

"That's right. People who are exposed to an infected person will most likely get the virus on their systems. But if they don't have type AB blood, the virus won't survive. But they are still there on your body. So if you happen to pass it to someone who has the blood type---"

"Then that would infect that person with the blood type." 

"Exactly. It is a rare but highly dangerous virus. I don't know how it still exists here in your country when it should have been eradicated years ago when it was first discovered. People with that virus had all been isolated until they died, right? It's in the World History."

"Yeah... That's why I was so shocked too," said Adelia. Because it was true. She even thought that Enoch and the Noble Service made a mistake because as far as Adelia knew from her history lessons, that highly contagious virus has been monitored and eradicated ages ago. The Rogue man virus was feared before and for some good reason. Anyone who got infected by it would act like well, a literal rogue man. They have an extremely terrifying condition which is a mix of bloodlust, bipolar tendencies, and excessive aggression. People who have the virus were often killed because they attack other people. A lot of victims back then were murdered for the same reason. People infected with the virus would kill anyone because of the bloodlust, even their loved ones.

But thanks to research some fifty years ago, it was finally discovered that it only affects people with the AB blood type. And since it was found out that it was caused by a virus, and not just random people getting mad as hell, governments around the world back then were able to control it. They isolated everyone infected by the virus and sent them to places where they would live the rest of their lives since it was incurable. Once you got the virus, you would no longer be able to live a normal life. But thankfully, the virus was eradicated to extinction after five years since it was discovered that it only affects a certain group of people. The whole world became free from the virus and a lot of countries even celebrated afterward.

That's why it was shocking for Adelia when Enoch told her back at Romeodel that it was the virus that's been the reason for the mysterious killings. Adelia wondered not only where would be an extinct virus come from, but why would it be on Sanjolia in all place and why has no one detected it from the corpses or the bloodstains, but Enoch told him that the virus have already evolved to make it undetectable.

"We have to get rid of the virus before the rest of the world finds out about it," said Adelia back when they talked about the virus that night Enoch told her about it. "I can't imagine what will happen to us when word spreads out. Sanjolia will be shunned by the whole world, Enoch."

Adelia was already crying because she could already see the future of her country once news about the virus spreads out to the rest of the world. "You don't have to worry too much about it, my dear wife," said Enoch and he hugged her tight again, making her rest of his chest. "I will help you. Romeodel will help you control the situation."

Adelia could not believe what he said. "Y-You'll help us? But it's highly contagious, Enoch! Shouldn't you be worried about your own country? You should close the borders first! I don't want you and Romeodel to get infected too---"

But she could not complete her sentence because Enoch stopped her by kissing her. And when their lips parted, Enoch's next words were marked in her heart. "Why would I leave you with this problem, Adelia? You are my wife. I will not just sit here and watch you and your country suffer. I will do everything that I can to help you. We will eradicate the virus again, my lovely wife."

"Enoch..."

"And in return, I want to have a child with you, Adelia," he added with a wink, and in Adelia's mind if she could give it to him that instant, she would have given him children on the spot.