Chapter 28 - Machiavellian : Part 2

The president's palace was quiet. It was almost midnight time as the moon illuminated the dark skyline.

If you look over to the highest floor's window, you would find a red-haired man in his late thirties massaging his own head with his thumbs, sitting on his fancy chair with a heavy mind. The pictures of the late presidents hang around the room, watching the man being stressed out over piles of paperwork.

Not to mention that his daughter, Rune, was nagging him to send his best agents to search for her best friend that was gone for two days.

Of course, he tried to search for him, only to find out that the said best friend was apparently going on a vacation with his father and sister. The brother was the one that talked with the school about that.

And he also kind of accidentally found out that his daughter's best friend was the son of-

"You can't get in there without permission!"

A yell rang outside of his door before the said door itself slammed open, revealing a blond man in his late teen wearing a brown trench coat with a brown mask over his mouth. His chest was heaving up and down as he stared at the president. The clothes he wore were in ruin alongside his bleeding shoulder.

Hold on, a bleeding shoulder?

Three guards came running from behind the bleeding teen. They quickly grabbed the teen's arms, trying to cage him while dragging him out of the room.

Of course, Valerian would have none of that. He gritted his teeth before breaking free out of the hold, causing his mask to fall down alongside the guard that he pushed away.

"No, no." The lieutenant stated harshly, stomping his way over to the president.

"Mr. President, pardon my language but-" Valerian took a deep breath, bowing a little to show respect before meeting eye to eye with the leader of the country.

"-your fucking ministries kidnapped my brother so that I can keep my mouth shut on the human experimentations they fucking did."

The two guards that were standing behind him tried to drag him away again. But Valerian, being stubborn as he always did, stood still in his place. Green eyes stared at the hazel ones with boiling fire.

The president looked startled for a moment. Horizontal wrinkles appeared on his forehead, forming a surprising look on his face. Though it was gone as quick as it came.

The president cleared his throat and went to the black sofa in the middle of the room. "Sit down first, would you?"

The red-haired man motioned the lieutenant to sit down on the other sofa. His sharp hazel eyes moved to the two guards that quickly let Valerian go.

"Call a medical team for his shoulder." He commanded and quickly got two pairs of 'yes, sir' before the two guards disappeared from his room while dragging the fallen guard on the floor with them.

When the president made sure the door was already closed, he turned his head toward the stubborn pale teen who was looking at him like the blond wanted to eat him alive.

"It seems that some things happening behind me without my acknowledgment." The president began, voice swimming around the room with the tense atmosphere.

Valerian looked startled for a moment. "Mr. President, you... don't know?"

The red-haired man sighed. "Yes. It seems like they are doing some forbidden things behind me that cause you many disadvantages. I apologize for that."

"I also want to thank you for telling me this, but I do also want to ask a favor." The man's tone became stern as he stared at the two tired green eyes. "Can you tell me everything from the beginning? I would like to know."

Valerian nodded eagerly before starting to explain all of the stuff he went through. He told the president about the DM projects and the kidnapping of his own brother. Though he hid the fact that he worked with the mercenary to save Aster.

"Valerian!" A familiar voice to Valerian's ears called as the door slammed open again for the second time.

A woman in her forties came in hurriedly. A chief badge dangled from her left pants and her short blonde hair waved around as she ran to the lieutenant. Her face was stoic when she met with Valerian's tired face.

"Why are you barging into president's offi- oh my god your shoulder!"

The stoic expression turned into a hysteric one when the blonde woman noticed the hole in the blond teen's shoulder. She quickly examined it with two worried green eyes, forgetting the presence of a president behind her.

Valerian tilted his head back with a vague frown on his face. He tried to brush off the woman's smothering over him. "They kidnapped Aster, mom." He stated in between his mother's rambling.

"Let's talk about that later. We should tend your shoulder." She kept trying to look at the wound, only to make it bleed more. Valerian grimaced as he tried to shove his mom slowly.

"Don't worry Chief Edelweiss, I've called a medical team." The president chimed in, trying to help the struggle Valerian went through.

While Valerian himself was still struggling with his mother's grip. "Nevermind my shoulder, mom. Aster was-"

"My son, are you okay?" Another familiar voice came out of nowhere, revealing a blond man identical to Valerian's. His father quickly looked over to his wound, somehow managed to squeeze the wound even more.

Valerian took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, "I'm okay, dad. But Aster was-"

"Honey, the medical team is here, we should let them tend our son's wound." The blonde woman interrupted when three people from the medical team arrived in the room right after his father did.

The medical team quickly inspect his wound. The two chiefs stood behind them, looking at Valerian in worry.

The blond teen who was too young to be a lieutenant looked around wryly and sighed as he tried to talk once more. "Aster was kid-"

"I was fucking kidnapped, mom, dad." A younger voice chimed in, making all the people in the room snap their heads toward the voice owner.

Aster's hands crossed over his chest as he walked barefooted. "And he-" The younger blond pointed his hand to Valerian furiously. "-decided to leave me downstairs. What if I got kidnapped again, dickhead?!"

"Hey! Watch your fucking language in front of the president, Aster!" The oldest chief stated, scolding his youngest son who quickly stuck out his tongue to his father.

"No," Mrs. Edelweiss spoke up, walking over to the two bickering male and tweaking the father and Aster's ears, "you two watch your language!"

Valerian wrinkled his nose in embarrassment before looking over to the president that somehow was forgotten in his own office. "I'm so sorry about them, Mr. President."

The president's mouth formed a little smile. "It's alright. You have a bright family, lieutenant."

A shoe went flying over the president's head as the three members of the Edelweiss family continued their bickering. Valerian covered his face with his hands while the medical team tried to ignore the mess in the room.

The red-haired man blinked a couple of times before clearing his throat. "...really bright."

A second shoe almost landed on his face if the president didn't dodge fast enough.

"...so bright." The man added, trying to be humble as he kept his strained smile.

Another shoe was thrown and landed on his face. The medical team who was done with stitching the wound quickly left, trying to ignore the scene happening in front of their eyes. Avoiding the president at all costs.

The president smiled through his gritted teeth as he put down the shoe that was glued on his face. "Really, really bright family if I may add."

Valerian shrugged and smiled apologetically at him.

"Oh god, we're so sorry, Mr. President." Upon noticing what they had done, the blonde woman bowed at the man and put a hand behind Aster's neck, forcing the boy to bow down unwillingly with her.

"It's okay, it was an accident." The president brushed it off half-heartedly, trying to keep his leadership facade.

"We apologize for the inconveniences," The chief continued before diverting her gaze to her youngest son. "Aster, go to the interrogation room now, we need you to tell us what happened." She whisper-yelled.

"What?! I was kidnapped! I'm a victim, can't I like- get my wound treated or something?!" Aster angrily ventured.

"Shut up and just follow me, you brat." The head of the Edelweiss family quickly dragged the boy with him outside of the president's room after nodding at the president himself.

"Dad, Valerian got treated and I'm not! I was the one who was kidnapped this is so unfair!" Aster threw a fit while slowly fading away around the corridor with his father.

The president was blankly stared at the two fading figures before looking over to the chief and lieutenant. Valerian quickly stood up from his seat and went beside his mother, bowing slightly at him.

The red-haired man sighed. "You two are dismissed for now. And lieutenant,"

Valerian looked up to see the two hazel eyes sternly staring at him. "Come back to work tomorrow."

The president rubbed his head with both of his thumbs when he was finally alone in the room. He had been doing this movement so often lately.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

"The mercenary is dead."

He did not believe it at first. Because it sounded like bullshit. But when he was told that Gina, his ex-subordinate killed the mercenary himself, he believed it. She was always better than him in any aspect.

Although he was in denial for almost a week, waiting for the mercenary to appear and annoy him out of nowhere with his crimes.

Now that he thought about it, it was her right for her to tell the ministries about him finding out the DM projects. Though, it was kind of a jerk move to do as she let them kidnap his brother. He was mad at her when he found out it was her doing.

But then again, he too found out Gina was killed by her own boyfriend who betrayed everyone and killed all the guards within the building. He was not given time to actually be angry at her.

He did not know what to say nor what to do. It was as if the anger just washed away, the bad things Gina did were gone in his head. Now he only remembered the nice things she did.

Like how she talked about Lucas dreamily yet refuse to admit it, or the time when she always bought him something to eat when he forgot to actually take care of himself. Or when she always got his back every time they were on a mission.

It was ironic, wasn't it? You just started to forgive a dead person's wrongdoings while you would be angry at them when they were alive.

And now, after putting a bucket of yellow hyacinth flowers on her grave, the blond teen left the graveyard and walked slowly on a sideroad.

Gina was the one who usually brought those flowers to him when they were still working together, he just returned the favor right now, he hoped that she liked them.

He still had another bucket of yellow roses in his other hand as he walked down the side of the streets, walking in a haze when he dully looked forward. The sun decided to hide behind the grey clouds, really matching the atmosphere inside his heart.

The president took down the governments that tried to harm Aster. Valerian still got his job and everything was going pretty normal within this week.

He would never in a million years admit that it was kind of empty without his sworn enemy's tricks and crimes.

Though, he could make it this far because of the mercenary's sacrifice. He led the enemies away from him and Aster, causing him to actually manage to get away.

The blond teen snapped out of his hazy thoughts when he realized he had arrived in the field.

He looked around, taking his surrounding. The hole in the ground was big yet not that deep after the bomb explosion two years ago. It was his first meeting with the mercenary after recently being a lieutenant.

The wind blew his blond locks that were covering his right eye. He took a deep breath and let the memory fill his head. This was where they started to dance around each other, playing in front of death's garage as they chased one another.

The teen walked to the hole and crouched in the middle of it. He put the yellow roses down and took out a brown mask that the mercenary let him borrow that day.

"Rest in peace, jerk. Thank you for helping me and my brother." Valerian said, looking to the ground with an unexplained gaze.

"It was fun, I guess." The teen sighed. Green eyes started to water a little, though he quickly wiped it over before anyone could see it. Though no one was actually around to actually see it right now.

"Those flowers are for me? You're so sweet, police boy."

A chill ran down his spine and Valerian turned his head so fast that he was sure his neck was cracked.

"You-" The lieutenant took a startled step back, pointing at the mercenary with mouth hanging open. "You're alive?!"

"Yes, miss me?" The mercenary brushed it off easily while picking the yellow roses on the ground and threw the brown mask to the lieutenant who swiftly caught it.

"But your body was found- and- and-" The blond teen stuttered around trying to find the right words to say. The mercenary only chuckled at him with a pair of blue teasing eyes.

Noticing that the black-haired man was playing with him, the lieutenant quickly focused again. "Wait, what are you doing here?!"

"Criminal thing of course." The criminal hummed, circling around the blond teen with yellow roses in his hand.

"I'm just here to remind you that the world will burn soon, that is." The blue eyes glinted dangerously at the teen.

A smoke bomb was suddenly thrown in the air, causing Valerian to cough harshly at the sudden interruption. He ran to the smoke, trying to catch the mercenary even though he knew he would fail to do it.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He yelled at the air, hoping that the criminal would hear him.

"You'll find out soon, just be sure to not die, police boy." A voice whisper in his right ear, making the hair on his neck stand. When he looked to his right, the mercenary was nowhere to be seen.

With a brown mask gripped in his hand, he looked around once more. "Tch, that bastard." Valerian snarled to the air.

Despite him saying those words, a small smile- really small almost unseen, tugged on his lips.

Though he would soon find out that he really shouldn't have smiled at all.