The Prince Regent Basandaya lay on a bed with his eyes closed. His body was pale and still. His wavy black hair was still wet after plunging into the river. Band aid was wrapping his shoulder where a piece of wood had staked through.

His mother, Princess Ritoja, pulled a white sheet over his body and placed the tip under his chin. Her lips trembled as she tried her best not to cry anymore.

Pram Agrawi and Il Dyang Wisangka could only stand aside. Prince Grahuri, who was also in the room, turned around and led them outside.

"Who could've done this?" asked Pram Agrawi.

"Who couldn't have done this?" replied Prince Grahuri. He tried to suppress his anger and sadness, but he couldn't mask his tone. "The Prince Regent has made many enemies with his extreme decisions. The new tax system has got to be the biggest reason. Any affected individuals could act rash and try to assassinate him."

"At least we know, it's not the Silent Vipers' doing," Il Dyang pointed out a positive side of this incident.

"How do you know?" asked Pram Agrawi. "Just because it's not that final meal poison, doesn't mean it's not their body of work."

"The Last Supper," Prince Grahuri corrected him. "The name of the poison is The Last Supper. But good question, Pram Agrawi. I also wonder why you don't think this is not their doing, Dyang Wisangka."

Il Dyang rubbed his bearded chin. He had heard a lot about the notorious assassin's guild. And there were two striking evidences that suggested that it wasn't their work.

"First of all, it wasn't silent," he pointed out, "Second of all, if it was them, the Prince Regent wouldn't stand a chance. This wasn't an assassination attempt. It just happened to end up badly."

"Well, what is it then?" asked Prince Grahuri. "A message? A warning? A diversion?"

"I shall look into it," Il Dyang nodded. "It's unlike the Shadows, not picking this kind of conspira..."

He stopped talking. A careful footsteps were heard up the stairs. They were in the basement of the royal physician's pavilion where Jantra Kawa and his remaining team dropped the body. Only select few knew about the incident and the Minister of Defense preferred to keep it that way.

Knowing his presence was noticed, the person showed himself from behind the wall. Dissimilar to the colluding old men, he was very young, not even wearing the head gear. His facial features were soft, round and boyish upon the smooth, untainted beige skin. His black hair was short but voluminous. If not for his delicate nose, no one could really tell that he was the younger brother of the Prince Regent. The quietly creeping figure was the crown prince himself, Prince Tapriyasta.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Inside," answered Prince Grahuri. "With the Dowager Princess. We should let her have a moment."

"So it's true?" Prince Tapriyasta stepped on the concrete floor. "Does that mean I have to be the king now?"

"Oh, no, my boy," Prince Grahuri approached him. "Bas is fine. Thanks to Gaptin Jantra Kawa's quick decision to give him defibrillation. And, of course, Maharahi's unquestionable healing potions. He'll go back to normal some time soon. Don't worry."

Prince Tapriyasta didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. He's glad his brother's alright, but he had convinced himself that if what he heard was true, he could handle it.

"Thank gods," he finally said. "I would like to see him, though. I'm sure Mother Ri is alright with me being there."

Pram Agrawi and Il Dyang gave way for the teenage prince to visit the patient. When he entered the room, Il Dyang turned to his comrades, "I shall hope he's the last person to know about this attack."

"In this palace?" Pram Agrawi chuckled. "Pray hard, old chap."

"I just think it's bad if other kingdoms or even our own people know that someone has harmed our head of state," said Il Dyang. "It shows how weak we are."

"How weak we are or how weak you are?" replied Prince Grahuri. "You said so yourself, it's unlike the Shadows, not picking up any hints about this conspiracy. Perhaps you need to reshuffle your intelligence agency in case there's a rat."

"Now, now, Your Highness, don't let this attacker pit us against each other," said Pram Agrawi. "I agree with Il Dyang's decision to keep this a secret. I also think it's best if the Prince Regent stays in the palace until the coronation of Prince Tapriyasta. These hands-on operations prove to be working against him. We should advise that he may leave the palace for imminent cases only."

Just a few meters from the discussing officials, Prince Tapriyasta stood idly by the door. He stared at a woman wearing a high bun with a head piece made of twigs, feathers and crystals who was holding his brother's shoulder. Green light pulsated from under her hand. She then pulled her hand away and slithered to Princess Ritoja's side. She helped her getting up and led her to the chair. When she was seated, Prince Tapriyasta walked in to get to her.

Princess Ritoja looked up and saw the worried face of her stepson. "Oh, Pri," she raised her arms. Prince Tapriyasta ambled into her arms and held her tight.

The woman with the twig head piece glanced at the two. Then she covertly pulled a strand of hair from the unconscious prince.

Meanwhile, on the lower side of the hill, the off-duty guards were buzzing around their base. Jantra Kawa and three of his horsemen had returned while looking like they'd been gone to war. The squad leader refused to receive treatments for his bleeding head. The food that they had sent was also left untouched. He now locked himself in his quarter.

In his dark, wrecked quarter, Jantra Kawa sat on the cold floor with his legs crossed. His eyes were closed and his hands were placed accurately on his knees. Even though a lightning just struck through his body, the only suffering he's having was on his head. But since he just unleashed a powerful technique that he never thought he'd use, his body had to adjust itself to its initial state.

He deeply inhaled. And all the world became silent. The sound of his regulated breath kept his mind focused to restore his fitness. Except he wasn't the only one breathing in the room.

"I need to focus, Lir," he said as he opened his yellow eyes.

"No," someone spoke in the shadows. With a movement like a cat, a figure slid to the ground. Soundless. Precise. The black-clad person took off the mask that covered half of the face. She was a young woman with sharp brown eyes, thick black eyebrows and cruel lips. "You need to eat. Starving yourself to death won't help the Prince gain his health back."

"I smelled it, Lir, the fire," he looked up at the slender woman. "I should've reacted quicker. I should've... Hell, I should've been riding outside, like other guards. I shouldn't have been carried away by the Prince's friendship. I should've..."

"If there's anyone to blame, it should've been me," Lir sat on the mattress. "I should've heard any plot to attack him. Especially after the whole fuss with the new tax system."

"One thing for sure, the attacker, whether it's an individual or a faction, must come from the upper class," Jantra Kawa stood up. "They are the ones who are at a disadvantage due to the new taxing."

"And there are so many upper class people in Ranundala," Lir also stood up to check on the wound on his head. "With its top one percent all working in the palace. Hold still."

Jantra Kawa followed her order and let her brush off his hair. She was going to get a clean cloth to wipe the blood when a knock was heard on the door.

"Gaptin Jantra Kawa," a well-known voice greeted warmly behind the door. "It's me, Saka Subarsang. You need to come with me."

"It's alright, Brother Saka," replied the guard. "Lir is helping me cleaning the wound."

"I'm afraid it's not about that," the man insisted. "Maharahi wants to see you."

Jantra Kawa and Lir traded glances. He then opened the door and found a long haired man dressed in all white waiting for him. The white-clad man led the squad leader to another block of building before giving the directions on where to go. After that, he left him to go to Talandang Hall where he must find Pram Agrawi.

He passed the glorious gold-plated doorway that was guarded by two men in red uniform. The marble floor reflected his every step in the grand entrance hall. The color of the sunset flooded into the room from the glass dome ceiling. There were some people waited by the chairs on the corners. Passing another gold-plated doorway, he walked into a hallway filled with paintings. The noblemen and women who were working there received his nod of respect, including Renggi Nanta Dipaswirih who was rambling around with a pipe in her hand. She needed the walk and the smoke to calm herself down.

Saka Subarsang finally stopped in front of a meticulously carved wooden door. He knocked twice. Once an old man's voice told him to come in, he opened the door. Pram Agrawi, Il Dyang Wisangka and Prince Grahuri were there, devising a new protocol for the Prince. "Your Highness, Your Grace, Your Honorable," he addressed them one by one, "the Prince Regent is awake."

Pram Agrawi took off his monocle. "Praise the gods," he said. "And how is he?"

"He's already able to sit down," answered Saka Subarsang.

"How long do you think until he's fully recovered?" asked Prince Grahuri. Saka Subarsang was only the apprentice of the royal physician, Maharahi, but he's practically a physician already. He must be able to create his own diagnosis.

"With a proper rest and well-ordered medication, in 24 hours at least," answered Saka Subarsang.

"Marvelous," Prince Grahuri smiled. "Please extend our gratitude to your master. We shall join the Prince Regent in a moment."

"My lords," Saka Subarsang bowed and left the room.

"Well," said Il Dyang when Saka Subarsang closed the door. He glanced at the prime minister of the high council. "I suppose you were a bit overreacting earlier, Pram Agrawi."

Like Saka Subarsang diagnosed, Prince Basandaya was already up on his feet on the next day. Maharahi still advised him not to burden himself with work. Pram Agrawi also agreed to handle the council meetings while he rested. He even told the council members that the Prince Regent was occupied somewhere else. Prince Grahuri had to hide his smile when the Prime Minister covered the attack by saying, "You know young people. They're very impulsive."

Prince Tapriyasta also managed to keep the incident a secret from his sisters. It resulted in his two twin sisters completely ignoring the Prince Regent. While his youngest half-sister, Princess Jiyani, playfully attacked their brother like usual. He could only wince when the princess landed on Prince Basandaya's wounded shoulder. If it wasn't due to Maharahi's potent potions, the wound must have reopened. And the blood would have seeped through his jaskap, horrifying the little princess.

When Renggi Nanta listed his schedule two days later, Pram Agrawi suggested to skip out one of the events. It was the annual feast to commemorate Kasurip's unification with Ranundala. Kasurip was one of Ranundala's vassal kingdoms. The feast required the head of state to visit the palace in Kasurip as a gesture of friendship and trust. Renggi Nanta argued that if the Prince Regent didn't make an appearance, the people of Kasurip would think that the friendship and trust was already broken. Prince Basandaya agreed and decided to go. Pram Agrawi insisted to send an emissary to tell them that the Prince Regent wasn't feeling well. But Prince Basandaya assured him that he would be more careful.

It was the late afternoon when the Prince Regent was all set in his kingly robe. As usual, Renggi Nanta accompanied him on his journey. She would ride another royal carriage this time. With two royal carriages, no one could know for sure which carriage carried the Prince Regent.

Jantra Kawa was already standing by the carriage's side, vowing to stay on his horse this time. Once the Prince Regent arrived on the gravel front yard, he opened the door. Prince Basandaya stepped on the ladder and went into the carriage. And it hit him.

Glimpses of the broken carriage slipped between his vision. All of a sudden, his breath was ragged. Drops of cold sweat were flooding his forehead. His skin could feel the freezing river water that had engulfed him that day. And the pain. Oh, the pain was pulsating on his shoulder, his upper leg and his foot where it had been injured.

"Your Highness?"

He opened his eyes to the face of Jantra Kawa, looking in from the window. And all he saw was the seconds when his jaskap slipped from his fingers.

Prince Basandaya stormed out of the carriage. Quickly, although staggering, he disappeared behind the stables and lost in the twilight.