Chapter 2 Kidnapped

The area around Adira’s warehouse is silent at midnight as some individuals slowly approach her home to discover a way inside. The strange men were fortunate to find a broken window in the warehouse that they could squeeze through, but getting to that window required climbing a ladder. The only entrance into the warehouse was through the junkyard in the back, which the men wearing black face masks discovered and used. They could only move inside quietly, making no noise as they did so. They were fortunate since Adira was exhausted and didn’t perceive an intrusion into her home.

Soon after the men began searching for Adira, one of them came across her dozing off and felt no one was nearby. He took a handkerchief from a small bottle of yellow medicine, brought it carefully to Adira’s face, and rapidly covered her nose. She immediately woke up and tried to get the handkerchief off her nose. The medication she inhaled from the cloth was too potent, though, and she quickly fainted, losing consciousness.

When Adira was unconscious, a man entered. He asked the man who placed the medication in the handkerchief, “Are you finished?”

“Yes, please pick her up so we can leave right away because the place we will take her is still far away."

Immediately after, the man took Adira and carried her on his shoulder like a garment. To avoid having to drive far before reaching the person who gave Adira the order to take her, they promptly left until the medication took effect.

Adira was awakening gradually as the sun rose. She had the impression that she had been sleeping for a while.

She gently stood up and closed her eyes several more times before managing to keep them open, but when she looked inside the room, which was large and the same size as the bed, and noticed that there were lovely objects on show in the open cabinet, she paused and frowned. She noticed the large chandelier on the ceiling when she looked up. She also observed a thin cloth tied to the bed’s right side to see the items within the room.

She grimaced. “Am I still dreaming? So why do I currently see this? The room I have in my home is different from this one." She gave herself several gentle slaps, perhaps to wake her if she was still asleep. However, when she opened her eyes again, she continued to see what she had been seeing. As a result, she promptly sprang up and prepared to leave the room when an older guy unexpectedly burst through the door.

"Young lady, you’re awake. I’ll answer your queries along with you. You must be wondering what you are seeing at this very moment."

She grimaced. “Wound up where? How come I’m here? I went to bed early and knew I was at home, so why was I in another place when I woke up?"

The older man waited for her to leave while further opening the door. "If you follow me, you’ll find out, but do you want to eat first? Are you famished?"

She gave her head a couple of shakes, and her expression turned grave. I want to leave this place, so let’s go where you take me.

“Follow me if that’s what you want."

She followed him as he continued to walk, and as they passed into the corridor, she was astounded by what she saw. Two troops were guarding a large entrance, where they stopped. They had on the identical outfits she mentioned earlier, but their styles differed. She had a hunch that the person she spoke to held a more critical position. They entered another sizable room that appeared to be an office when two guards unlocked the door for them.

"She’s here," the older man said.

She can’t tell who is on the seat because the chair she can see isn’t facing them. Still not meeting them, a male voice remarked, “You can leave, general.”

"If you have any orders, my Highness, I am only outside." The older man stared at her and bowed slightly before turning to face the entrance. She was astounded by the voice of the man in the chair asking the older man to go when he first emerged.

Confounded, she questioned, “General?” and returned to the chair facing her.

After a brief delay, the person carefully twisted the chair to face me. She noticed an older man, but he dressed differently. He had a more royal appearance. Her gaze shifted to the crown on his head as he donned one.

"Good day to you, young lady! Your sleep—how was it? How did it go?" He looked at her, but she made no response. "You are still curious and want to know what’s going on. We need to talk about something, so please take a seat."

With just a table separating them, she gently strolled over to his table and sat in the chair across from him. She quickly questioned, “Why am I here?”

He gave a small smile. "Could you please help me?"

She grimaced and said, “What for?”

"You accept missions. Right?”

"What made you aware of that?"

He groaned. “I was looking for someone like you, and your name is what everyone is talking about, so I looked in the shadows for the gangster named Adira, and that’s how I found you,” the King said.

"I’m hard to find, especially since I’m using a thing that can’t identify my face or personality. How do you find me?"

"Your mission companion's name is Simon, and he prefers to be called that."

She was in awe. "So why didn’t Simon inform me that a client was interested in using my services? Why did I find myself in this unfamiliar house when I woke up?" Her gaze strayed to that space.

“Now I see; you have no idea who we are or my palace’s name. Do you realize that there are palaces in a place like ours?"

“No, why?”

“Due to the order and peace in this place, my palace belongs in the place other nations look up to.”

Suddenly, she turned to face what was in front of her. "Palace, is this another nation?"

He sat back in the chair. "You are currently in my country, so you are not in yours."

“How did I end up in your nation already? I’ve just been sleeping." She got to her feet and gave him an odd look.

“Stop worrying, young lady.”

“No! How can I relax if I wake up in a castle and am already in a different country? You just told me to calm down."

He averted his gaze. "Sorry, but this is your partner’s plan."

She was in awe and say, “Who, Simon?” and in answer, he nodded.

"He wants us to kidnap you because you avoid your clients, according to his plan. But I accepted because I wanted to speak with you directly. They placed the handkerchief over your nose while you slept, containing the medication that deepened your slumber. Those who took you had enough time to fly you here. Your partner, Simon, ordered these individuals to bring you here after a five-hour journey. General Agustin then discreetly transports you somewhere when you arrive here. Those individuals won’t be able to see where you are anymore."

When she learned, she tightened her hand. "How crucial is your mission proposal to getting me here?"

He had sorrowful eyes. “I need you for the mission I want you to do because my son is more important than my life.”

“What kind of a mission?”

“To serve as a bodyguard, teach the prince to fight, and covertly observe him everywhere he goes, including in his room and while eating.”

She pondered what he had said. “When you have warriors in your palace, why must you recruit people? They have weapons so that they can perform better."

He joined his hands in a fist. "There might be people here who aren’t loyal to me. Therefore, it’s better to be cautious, so I won’t trust my men’s and my son’s safety."

"Why does your son require supervision?"

“Unknown persons have been threatening my son’s life in letters to me since he is frail and unable to fight, so they put his life in danger. Additionally, although Prince Dylan was my heir, they wanted me to surrender my reign."

“Why?”

“That’s what I don’t know right now, and I have no idea who is doing this to me or why, given that I have no enemies anywhere, not even here in my own country."

She lowered her arms. She answered abruptly, “I cannot take the assignment you offer."

Stephen, the king, also got up. "Since I don’t have time to hunt for another individual to complete the mission and will be glad if the person I employ is good, I hope you accept the task even though you have yet to take it in a scenario like this."

She could see the imploring when she gazed into his eyes. She groaned. “In such a case, I must understand the prince’s training regimen. I won’t decide on accepting the mission until after that. If I hadn’t at the time, I perceived a good reason to take it. I said at the time that I would go back to my country. You’ll get right on it.”

He gave a small smile. "You can rely on me to fulfill your request immediately, but you can meet the prince tomorrow morning instead because he has somewhere to be today."

"Can I use your phone, then? I have to make a phone call."

He removed a smartphone from a drawer after opening it. "You’re aware of how to use anything similar?” Adira asked.

He grinned widely. “Even though we are inside the palace, we can keep up with everyone. We still use our outdated phones, though." He set the phone down on the table next to her.

"Where can I go to make a call in the palace?"

He spoke at once. "Please come in for a moment, General Agustin."

The older man she had earlier spoken to suddenly entered, and she reflected on how keen his hearing was—he even caught what the monarch had to say.

“General, could you take her up to the palace’s roof? Make sure no other soldiers are present as well."

“All right, Your Highness." Before beginning to move, he glanced at her. She glanced at the king before leaving, who was nodding.

Following their exit from the room, they immediately proceeded to the top of the palace, where a few soldiers were manning the hallway, and immediately down the stone stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, they came to a stand still. "I’ll sit here and wait for you. They were getting upstairs. Even though they aren’t there right now, don’t be alarmed—no one is there."

She stepped up the steps as she walked while nodding. When she first emerged, she noticed a broad view, and if Adira looked down, she could see that she was standing in a very high place.

She quickly dialed Simon’s number without wasting any more time. Before Simon picked up the phone, there were a few rings. “Hello! Who is this?"

“Adira.”

On the other hand, Simon kept his mouth shut since he was aware of his wrongdoing. "Why were you called.?" He needs to refine his responses once more.

“Simon, I had no idea you were turning against me. How have you done this?" She screamed furiously.

Simon averted his gaze. “Adira, I’m very sorry. I’ll find a way to get you there because he wants to talk to you."

She experienced head spins. "What do you think of my mission for Mrs. Torres?"

"Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll be back here due to the assignment you had to do two days before your trip to see her husband."

"I’m telling you, Simon, that I don’t want this to happen again. If I’m already in another nation, how can I return home? How could I enter without a passport, too?"

"You passed through despite the fake, so it’s all right. However, you will fly on the king’s aircraft to return to this location."

She grimaced. “What? Even if I fly privately, I’ll still go through security and have my passport checked at the airport before I leave for home." She averted her gaze from the issue Simon had brought up.

“You went there without being discovered. The situation was urgent because you were sleeping, and I assumed you would need to fly there to undergo the procedure."

The longer she spoke to Simon, the worse her head hurt, and she decided to end the call. She expelled all the air and left the room.