Chapter 216 (2)

“I’ve found it.” Kasser placed the notes which he came in holding and unfolded them right on the table. And with the tip of his finger, he pointed to one of the pages which had already faded yellow with time. “Here.”

Eugene saw that it was a word that he was pointing at. But as the word was written in cursive and with its ink smudged all over the paper, it took Eugene some time before she could read out the word.

“Abu…?”

“I had ordered the librarians to run through the old parchments in the castle and this is what they have brought to me just now. These are the personal notes of the late king, the third king of the kingdom to be more exact.

“It’s like a diary?”

“Close enough.”

Eugene, who seemed puzzled for a while, came to realize what the word ‘Abu’ written on the late king’s diary had implied. She looked up at him with her eyes wide in amazement.

“Which means that the owner of the Turtle Hwansu was…?”

“There’s no doubt about it. It was the late king who had first moved from the Holy City to the kingdom’s present capital.”

“Ah….so there’s no wonder as to why it took shelter in the Holy City. The place must mean so much to it.”

When they were told by Aldrit about the things he had been told by Hwansu, had made them all wonder what would become of a king’s Hwansu after the king passed. Kasser knew nothing of it as he had never raised those kinds of questions before. Moreover, he also had no idea as to what had happened to the late king’s Hwansu before.

[It was only after the king’s funeral that I realized his Hwansu had already disappeared.]

Kasser told Eugene as he traced back his dim memory of that day. But at the same time, a doubt had flashed across her mind which she could not quite comprehend.

[I am not surprised as you must have been in a deep sorrow with no mind to care about Hwansu as it was your father who had passed. But is it possible that not a single person in the kingdom cared to look after it?]

[There are controversial views about Hwansu in people’s eyes. Although they serve their kings with their loyalty, they do not officially represent the kingdom nor the king because without the king’s ability to take control of them, they are more or less as frightening as a lark.]

[Which only gives another reason as to why we need to keep a close eye on them. Because without their king around, they could wildly ride on around our world like horses without rein.]

[If only there were any precedents for it. But what every Hwansu did after their king’s passing was only to go into hiding in silence. And most of all, it is only the king who can find his own Hwansu.]

Kasser made an additional remark by telling her that he would conduct further investigations regarding the matter when Eugene told him that she wished to find out about who the Turtle Hwansoo had once belonged to.

[But don’t get your hope too high. Hwasu’s names are scarce to be found on the official records.]

Eugene was overwhelmed with all sadness when she imagined the whole journey of Hwansu who couldn’t get over with the king’s death, to travel back all the way to the Holy City where it has plenty of good memories with its master.

However, she couldn’t help but let out a small laughter when her eyes followed further along the arrow mark connected to the word ‘Abu’ and found there to be a word written as ‘troublemaker’.

“The late king’s Hwansu must have given him quite a suffering as he had recorded so.” Eugene said.

“Like what Abu does to me now.”

“But Abu didn’t do anything. And I bet that you wouldn’t find another Hwansu who’s as well-behaved as Abu is now.” She defended Abu.

“It puts on that innocent mask of his only in your presence.” Kasser’s almost serious attempt to defame Abu had made her laugh yet again.

She stared into Kasser as there was a hint of excitement showing on his face. But the new discovery about Hwansu’s owner couldn’t be the reason behind that look as he never had much interest in the late king’s Hwansu in the first place.

‘I think…he is expecting for something. Ah!’

Eugene then smiled sweetly as she told Kasser.

“Thank you so much for not forgetting about your promise on the investigation and for telling me right after you’ve found out about it. I was really curious to be honest.”

Kasser’s face was now looking much more satisfied as she silently gazed at him. She almost had to bite into her lips to hold back her laughter.

This man before her had thrown aside all the work he was busy from and came running at her as soon as he found out further about Hwansu, in the excitement to deliver the news to her in person. And he was now looking at her like a child who wanted to be showered with all the praises and compliments he could get.

‘He has no idea how adorable he looks to me right now.’

She had to further remind herself that he was indeed a king of their kingdom, otherwise she almost voiced her improper remarks to him without her knowing.