Chapter 106 - The Curious King

The next day, Captain Yelena was sitting in her office discussing something with Lt. Morris. It was around 10 in the morning. Felix returned to Edeladon and like always, he didn't allow her to see him off. He was afraid that he would change his mind.

"Captain, do you think that the Iselin's had left the country? If not, then why else would they be so quiet? I can't find them anywhere." Lt. Morris stated with a troubled face. He looked for the Iselin's in all his free time but to no avail. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack!

"Then who is the one aiding them? They won't be able to receive treatment on their own, let alone leaving the country." The Captain sighed. Ever since the Iselin's disappeared, she felt like she was trying to solve a never-ending puzzle!

"How many hospitals have you checked?" She asked Morris.

"I already checked all the hospitals in the capital, be it big or small. I also asked for help from my friends in another state. I think I already checked out more than 70 per cent of hospitals in our country." Morris responded.

With a bit of hesitation, Morris took the laptop that was placed on the table and checked out the video once more. The last time he watched, his emotions took the best of him and he didn't even get to watch it properly.

Keenly watching and listening to it through a earphone, he ended up rewinding several parts again and again while the Captain sits still next to him. She didn't glance at the laptop, not for even once!

"Captain, do you think the voice is quite familiar?" Morris finally spoke up after focusing on the video for minutes.

"Do you also feel that way? I know that I had heard it somewhere but I cannot figure it out. That's driving me crazy." She recalled forcing herself to listen many times despite the excruciating pain that it gave her, all because she wanted to find out the owner of the voice.

"Yes, I do. Surely, the man will be among some high ranking officers and if he is still in service, it's understandable because we already met all the high ranking military officers of our country." Morris explained. But his question was who might it be? They had many high ranking officers in the military. How were they supposed to identify him?

Yelena sighed when she recalled the task assigned to her for the evening. "I need to leave the capital in the evening but I will be back by tomorrow afternoon. Until then, just keep checking more hospitals, even if they are located in the most rural places." She instructed Morris.

"I understand, Captain. But what will you do there? We only finished that dangerous mission and you are given another task again? That's too much." Morris complained which made Yelena chuckle.

"I know. But what can I do? I need to follow the order. I will only be inspecting the demo for their mission. I have many experiences in this type of mission. Maybe that's why they choose me." She put her hand on Morris's shoulders and smiled. "Don't worry. I don't have to use much energy for this task." She reassured the Lieutenant. He was always over-worried about her!

After Morris left her office, she visited Maj. Gen. Lucian to discuss about her task, then she returned to her office only to saw Ella who was waiting for her.

"Shall we go and grab lunch together? It's already time." Ella who was sitting on one of the chairs rose from her seat and asked Yelena.

Glancing at her wristwatch, Yelena realized that it was almost 12 in the noon and her eyes instantly grew wide. Oh no! She had a lunch appointment! Why didn't she look at the time a bit earlier?!

She rushed to her table and grabbed her car keys. "Sorry, Ella. I already have plans!" She said as she ran out of her office, leaving her friend astonished.

"Please. Please. I can't be late." Yelena mumbled to herself as she drove her jeep car as fast as she could. She didn't forget her appointment but she didn't realize the time! Scolding herself for being so thoughtless, she continued driving her car.

Storming inside one luxurious restaurant, she was led straight to a private room. She stood before the door, quickly fixing her appearance and looked at the time. She heaved a sigh of relief when she noticed that there was still 5 minutes left.

She narrowed her eyes at herself and hung her head low. If only she was not that thoughtless, she would have the time to change her dress to a formal one and not her uniform!

Having no other choice, she opened the door and walked inside. When she saw King Lawrence who was calmly sitting there, she wondered how long had he waited for her. It made her more discouraged!

When the King called her just before she left for work, he asked to have dinner with her. But due to her task, she needs to fly to another state in the evening. So, they settled to have lunch together.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. I should have come sooner not to make you wait." She said as she stood next to the table.

"It's fine. You must have been busy. Besides, you're not late." The King calmly said to her. "Have a seat."

The Captain took a seat opposite the King and then lunch was served.

"I told them to serve as soon as you reach here. Your schedule might be tight, so I don't want to hold you back for long." King Lawrence explained with a smile but he noticed her looking at him with a strange look and that goes on for a while.

"Why? Am I saying something wrong?" He asked with a little laughter.

Hearing him, Yelena immediately shook her head. "No. I wondered how Felix take after you. You're both so considerate." She blurted out but she felt embarrassed the next second.

"I often hear that we look alike but no one had never told me that me and my son are considerate." King Lawrence chuckled and noticed her nervous expression.

"You were so composed and firm yesterday. What has gotten into you today?" He asked her with a teasing smile only to make her more embarrassed.

"I'm not sure, Your Majesty. Maybe because I rushed here like crazy." She replied but kept her mouth shut right away. She always said the wrong things without much thought!

"Why don't you try calling me 'Father'? That might help you to be more at ease." The King suggested which made her blinked in surprise.

"Pardon me?" She shook her head, realizing that she heard him clear. "I mean why so sudden?"

King Lawrence was always amused by her words and behaviour. He didn't expect her to have this version in her. It was so different from her another version that he met yesterday! It even made him wondered what more would be hidden inside her!

"Does that mean you don't want to call me that?" He mused yet his purpose was to only see her awkward side a bit longer.

"No, Your Majesty." She shook her head again. "No. I mean, Father. I'm okay with it." Her awkwardness made her finds it hard to eat the food, so she keeps on drinking water.

"Relax. I only want to have a simple lunch together. There's no need to feel uncomfortable." The King chuckled but his voice was warm which calm her nerves a bit. "Then tell me. What is your family's opinion on my son?" He asked.

"They accept him. At first, my father didn't want me to be far away from them. But Felix managed to win over him somehow." She frankly responded like she always did.

"I know your mother and your grandfather but not your father. Is he also a soldier?" The King's plan today was to get to know more about her family. One's family describe more than half of that person's life.

"Yes. He is a Major General."

The King remained quiet for a while before he asked her the next question. "Then how were you raised? Your mother is one of the most successful businesswomen while your father is a high ranking army officer. Were you raised under a strict discipline to follow your father footsteps or as an heiress who will succeed your mother?"

King Lawrence still asked her though he bet that it would be the former. If not, then why would she be a soldier? He only wanted to confirm so that he would have an idea of how she grew up. Like they often said, the childhood of a person was the pillar of their life.

"I was raised to be the successor and heiress of TR Group but I decided to choose my current career when I was 19. You might also hear about my broken engagement. That was also a part of business." Yelena said to the King. She wanted to come clean about everything right from the start so that there won't be any useless misunderstandings or problems in the future.

The King raised a brow at the unexpected response. He indeed heard about the broken engagement but he didn't expect her to say that to him. At the same time, it made him curious about what caused her to change her path.

"Why did you decided to change your career from the future leader of TR Group to the army?" For a split second, he even thought that if she chose the business world 6 years ago, then her relationship with his son would surely be more easier!

The Captain maintained her silence for a while until she finally answered, "I want to find out the truth behind my brother's death."