Chapter: 3

Two weeks before the beginning of the selection, the Duke Daughter vanished and the whole mansion is in chaos. She can hear the loud scream of the Duke from his library, and broken glasses. She doesn't really know what about the selection? She just knows that the selected after three months will be the future queen of the Feronia Empire, there are 30 Noble ladies from different families already chosen to attend the selection.

But it's not Katara's concern, she doesn't really care about it. If the mistress is missing, she doesn't really care about it. Because she knows her reason, the mistress tried to talk to her father about it but he never listened. He is always busy, the mistress always jokes she just wanted to flee together with her lover. She heard her crying in her room because she doesn't want to enter the selection process, because she doesn't want to marry the person she didn't love. Karata understands her, who would want to marry the one they love. But as she says, the mistress is not her problem anymore.

What worries her the most, is that her mother's condition seems to worsen. And they need a big amount to send her to the hospital in the city, she sighs again.

Should I try to be an assassin again?

Katara can't help but to think, killing someone can make a big amount of money but she can't do that anymore.  She has a family now...

She looks at the letter she's holding, after she wakes up today she found this on her bed. And she knows that this is from her, from the mistress.  She walks to the library of the Duke, she still hears a loud noise but she just ignores it and then she knocks at the door.

"Damn! Ave, if I'll see you. I swear, I'll punish you! You're my one and only hope to gain more power, and you ruined it!"

For the tenth time, no one opened or answered why she decided to open it. She immediately feels something is coming to her, it's a lamp. She quickly moves herself to avoid it, and then looks at the duke with her cold eyes.

"What are you doing here?! Is it not clear that I don't want any disturbance today?! I don't have time for bulshit!"

"I'm sorry for interrupting Duke, but this is the letter left by the mistress." She handed the letter carefully, the duke looked at the letter and then he glared at Katara.

"What did you say to my daughter? I know you're always suggesting nonsense to her, I know that everything. You made her flee right?" Katara knotted her forehead, the Duke held her wrist too tightly. She tried to control herself, she was already thinking about killing him but she thinks about her family again.

She can't be reckless as before, she can't.

She held the Duke wrist too, and held it so tightly that he let go of hers. She smiled politely at him, but inside he really wanted to choke him to death.

"I'm sorry duke but it's not my fault the mistress flew away, you never listen to her so you leave her with no choice. She wanted to talk things to you, but you just ignored her. That's why it's not fair if you blame me for her missing." She put the letter on his chest.

"I'll be going to Duke, if you excuse me." She exited his library, while she walked in the hallway and she saw guards entering the Duke Library. Maybe they wanted to report something about the Mistress' disappearance.

She heard that the duke really wanted to be part of the royal family, he wanted to gain more power and influence. Even in this world, greed is still reigning.

Because of people like him, the people who are at the top will always be on the top, while the people who are at the bottom will remain at the bottom.

Really finding the Mistress is just useless, you can't really find the person who's hiding but even that Katara borrowed some horse and ran to the forest. Maybe she will see her there, and she can convince her to go back.

The Duke is blaming her for the mistress' disappearance as if she really suggested that? She just says to follow her heart, maybe the mistress' heart is really on that guy.

She entered the forest, she got off the horse and looked around. She could hear the birds chirping, the tree branches sounds as they moved when the wind blew. She tied her horse at the branch of the three and started to move herself to look at the mistress.

As she walks, she hears the dried leaves sounds as she steps on it.

"Mistress!" She yelled and continued to walk, this forest is the only way to get away. No one guards here, you can use this as a passageway to flee to another country.

"Mistress!" She yelled again, she never stopped. She heard the echo of her voice in the forest, but she didn't get any response. See, it's useless. She was about to yell again when she heard something, a heavy breathing of a man.

She looks around and then to her surprise she sees a man leaning on a tree, he's wearing a wolf mask but most of all he's bleeding. She quickly approaches the man, he has a wound on his side of stomach it seems like he was from fighting someone.

"Hey, are you okay? Can you answer me?" She asked, but the man didn't respond. But she can hear his heavy breathing, it means he's still alive.

Katara removed her apron from her and then ripped the man white long sleeve. She also pulled out her handkerchief and then covered it to the man's wound and then began to tie so that the blood flow stopped running. His blood is continually flowing, he might lose if it continues. His wound is deep too, she put her two fingers on his neck to feel his pulse and it's not good.

She needs someone's help now.

"Just, just stay here Mister and I'll get someone help." She said she was about to leave when he held her hand and slowly shook his head.

"H-Hid-de…" He hardly whispered, Katara disagreed and for the second she heard footsteps coming. She ready herself to fight and pick the wounded man sword, another man also wearing some mask appears in front of her eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked him.

"And who are you? What are you doing to our Master?"

"Master? Who's your master?!" She looked at the wounded man.

"Who am I supposed to say?! Devils? Gods? Of course the man at your back!" Katara is pissed, he really dares to mock her huh?

"Liar! I don't believe you!"

"Then ask him…" Katara turns to the man again.

"Are they your men?" She questions for assurance, their eyes meet and the man nods slowly again. But still he can't trust the other man, who's wearing a bear mask. She took a two step towards him, and then he smelled him. If he has the smell of the wolf mask man then it means he was lying, for twenty-five years of being an assassin she developed this kind of talent that she could determine someone's blood after she smelled them.

"What are you doing?" The bear mask man asks, she raises her sword.

"Move and I'll kill you." The man smirks.

"Did you already kill someone? Then do it if you dare..." He asks and provokes her. She wanted to laugh, did this man really ask her if she already killed someone? For just a blink of an eye, she is already in his back while her sword is on his neck.

"Don't freaking provoke me boy, you don't know what I'm capable of." She whispered, she continued to examine him and it seems that it's true. He was his one of his men, she let him go.

"I'm sorry for my bad behaviour, but I'll leave him to you. I still have a person I need to find, so I can't help you any further." She handed the sword to him, and another group of people appeared wearing some masks.

"Are they your friends?" She asked.

"N-No…" He answered, she immediately looked at the ground of people and he smelled his blood.

"Then, I'll just borrow this again." She said and then started to attack them. For just a second all of them are already at the ground lying lifeless. She put her index finger on her lips and glanced at the man.

"Shhhh…"

Katara looks at her hand, she can't believe that she already killed someone. She lost her mind when she saw some blood, she wanted to just kill herself for breaking a promise to herself.

She promised that she'll never kill someone again, not in this world but damn! Why?!

Why the hell did she help that man? She just found herself helping him, she just found herself killing for him and she doesn't know why? What's her reason? Why did she become so impulsive after seeing that man?!

Katara can't help but to pull her hair because of frustration!

While being mad to herself she heard a knock on her door, she stood up to open it. She was confused when she saw the right hand of the Duke, what is he doing here?

"What can I do for you Miste—" Before she could even finish her words someone hitted the back of her neck. Slowly the darkness swallowed her, she tried not to faint but she couldn't.

Not Edited