Episode 62 - Tears of healing 8 ‘The 2 Conspiracies’

A week after Aernest’s return from the Imperial Palace….

Laying his eyes on a depressed tree outside the mansion, Louis couldn’t help but silently exhale. It was summer yet the weather outside is grey. Big clouds were hiding the dazzling sun away from the world creating a dim-like atmosphere in Xenperia.

Pursing his lips, Louis turned around and walked towards Aernest’s room. His body felt heavy, as if he was carrying a ton of rock with him the closer he got to his younger brother’s room.

Louis paused upon reaching Aernest’s room. There were many questions lurking in his mind when it came to Aernest, and the incident. It was almost terrifying when he connected the two together.

Shaking his head, he knocked on the door and went in. He slowed down on his steps when he realized everyone, with the exception of his father, was here. Why is everybody here? He wondered.

Seeing the surprised look on everyone, Louis questioned.

“What’s wrong?”

“No… Nothing.”

Moniqua shook her head. Aernest following her actions as well.

Coming forward towards Moniqua, Louis asked another question.

“Mother, how is Aernest?”

Moniqua hands peeling apples for Ramon paused.

Although she has never told her children why Aernest was in a bad condition, they still sensed something was wrong when she warned them on the first day not to make loud noises in the mansion when Aernest came back.

“Hmm..”

Glancing at Aernest’s extra protective headgear, she exhaled in resignation.

‘Louis must’ve caught on..’

Moniqua thought.

Louis and Ramon knew up to a certain extent that Aernest was sensitive to noises. However, like her and Levis, they didn’t know that Aernest wasn’t just sensitive but his ears were more like a time bomb that could explode anytime something incredibly loud goes off. The imperial incident was when Moniqua and Levis discovered how fragile Aernest truly was.

With no choice, Moniqua explained how Aernest ruptured his ears to Louis and Ramon with Eugene eavesdropping from the sidelines. She also added how Aernest wasn’t a fussy child, but because of his constitution, he had no choice but to act out sometimes.

To this, Louis only silently stared at Aernest in an unknown emotion he’s never felt before. His mother indirectly answered the questions he had in mind for quite some time now.

Louis silently clenched his fists the more Moniqua explained. His heart weighed heavier and heavier.

“.... I understand…”

Louis managed to mutter out.

Staring at Aernest who was sleeping in the middle of the bed with Euria and Eugene on both his sides, Louis couldn’t help but scoff. With incredibly rosy cheeks, Aernest looked like he was having a good dream seeing as his lips were curled up showing his blissful smile. Aernest was smiling like an idiot in paradise ignoring his problematic body.

‘.... No wonder…’

Eugene sighed in her thoughts.

Without Aernest, she might have died a second time when the man was choking her to death. Completely powerless without being able to defend, she was grabbed by her throat just like that. With no rooms to struggle, without being able to beg for mercy. Her throat was squeezed out, deprived out of any oxygen.

This also seemed to have traumatized Euria seeing as she would sometimes wake up from nightmares, and sniff herself to sleep.

“Brother!”

As if he realized something very important, Ramon’s two eyes expanded. Tugging on Louis’s pants he continued.

“That time... when Aernest suddenly crawled and hugged you..”

Ramon stared at Louis for confirmation. Remembering how Aernest got really weird all of a sudden in the waiting room.

“What! What happened?”

Moniqua glanced back and forth between Ramon and Louis. Getting incredibly anxious when a wave of emotion she’s never seen Louis have before was flickering in Louis' eyes.

Taking a look at Ramon's eyes that were getting a bit misty and Moniqua who had a worried look, Louis answered.

“Something happened before the cyanide poisoning that made us escape from the waiting room through the large window”

“Yes..”

Moniqua immediately knew what Louis was talking about.

From the children's recollection of what happened that day, many things already didn't make sense to the adult. The Imperial Palace wasn’t a place where someone could just randomly enter and or exit, this is a fact everyone knew and understood. Moles inside the palace have been uprooted following the current Emperor’s ascension to the throne.

There were many background checks and screenings before allowing people to work with the Imperial family. Yet even after those thorough screenings, 2 people with detestable thoughts towards the Imperial family managed to successfully infiltrate in. It was incredibly suspicious how the three, including the irrelevant lady locked up at the Imperial prison, manage to get in contact with each other and come up with a dangerous plan of kidnapping and assassinating the crown prince. This was one other reason why they hadn’t executed the lady yet, and that was because the investigation wasn’t complete.

Although the 3-way collaboration did end up in complete failure, investigations did find out, to come up with a plan of such caliber would take years to plan out. Not only that, but they also needed someone from the inside who would know everything about the Imperial Palace and its schedule to help them. It was concluded in the investigation report that the culprits shouldn’t be limited to the 3 people but to an organization.

To be able to spread the whole ordeal throughout Xenperia on paper means there was someone else who witnessed the whole ordeal. Not to mention, they needed a huge amount of money to be able to spread the papers far and wide. To be able to concoct cyanide meant there was someone who had medical knowledge, which is very clear that the 3 people were incapable of.

What’s more, when the children told them about the vibrations before their escape outside, everyone was immediately alarmed. No one but the children reported such things. Therefore to be able to experience an earthquake in just one room was impossible!

With no choice, the Emperor ordered the demolition of the waiting room with the advice from the Great Nobles, and there they found a hidden room underneath the Imperial palace that connected to various rooms inside the Imperial Palace. When this was revealed, everyone’s heart completely stopped. No such room should have existed! Even the previous Emperor didn’t know of such a place, so how could anyone from the outside know?

What’s worse in the hidden room, there they found traces of hand-made bombs. Without a doubt, there was something big being planned out underneath the Imperial palace without anyone's knowledge. Upon digging even further down below, they even came across a dismembered body of an unknown man in plastic wrappings.

Everything was incredibly confusing when you connected the hidden room underneath the Imperial Palace and the Crown Prince together. However, one thing that made sense was that everything ended up in a complete failure because of the incident. The two plans were in total conflict with each other.

And from that, they were 80% convinced that the 3, and the person who spread the news were together in one organization, whilst the hidden room that was hastily abandoned with the fresh corpse was from a different organization.

This was something Moniqua found out whilst helping the Emperor and the Dukes investigate. This however was something she couldn’t tell Louis or Ramon. She could therefore only stay silent and continue to listen to Louis talk about Aernest.

“Before we could feel the vibrations Aernest was already behaving weirdly. I think he must've heard or sensed something because that was when he struggled out of Aeselak’s hold and started clinging on to me and the twins without letting go.”

Louis paused momentarily and then continued,

“Back then, I thought he wanted to play with the twins but thinking about it again, Aernest looked scared and most likely was protecting the..”

Louis glanced over at Euria and Eugene.

Twins.

“!!” (Moniqua, Ramon)

“I think he also must’ve wanted to protect you as well..”

A mesmerizing voice spoke out from afar.

Levis rushed home after completing many paper works containing reports from Serv and investigations about the Imperial Palace. Upon hearing Louis talk, he decided to quietly listen so that he didn’t interrupt Louis by just walking in.

Walking to the children, Levis continued,

“Aernest’s hearing has been sensitive since he was born, and he seems to be very sensitive when it comes to understanding one's emotion as well.”

“Sensitive in emotions?”

Ramon questioned, watching Levis ruffling Louis' hair.

“Hmm…”

Walking towards Ramon, Levis also targeted Ramon’s hair before continuing.

“I also did not know this until recently but, Aernest seems to understand and see through someone faster than the person himself or herself. This also means that, if someone is happy, Aernest is happier and if someone is sad, he will be sadder. He is someone who understands people very well.”

Levis explained in a simple way so that his children would understand more about Aernest. This was something he found out through Adele Graeme who counseled all his children. To ensure that his children won’t be traumatized he and the Great nobles sent their children to the house of Graeme once a week to talk with Adele. Unlike her sneaky personality self, she specialized in understanding people after all.

“So, he really… protected us?”

Ramon softly whispered. His eyes clouded with tears that were threatening to fall from how touched he felt.

This was something he didn’t know. He always thought that there was something wrong with his brother because he was always happy and never really sad. But when Aernest did become sad, it was as if a time bomb had exploded inside the house.

Smiling at Ramon and Louis, Moniqua soothed the two.

“So Ramon and Louis, you have to treat your brother really well alright? He loves you more than the two of you know!”

Patting the head of Louis and Ramon, she giggled. Although the two might feel a little guilty for now, everything will be alright. Even when they all separate and each starts their own families, she is sure that the bonds between the siblings will be unbreakable.

“I may not be able to solve all your problems, but I promise you won’t have to face them alone” - Unknown