Beautiful Scar

Chapter 28

Scarlet had ordered the carpet to be taken out of her office to be soaked and cleaned in heavy soaps. In hopes that the stains and stench would go away.

Zuber was still around, had helped James lied down on the only available sofa in the office.

James eyes were already closed by the time he let out his system actually. He had collapsed into unconsciousness. And not only that, his body was starting to gain fever, sweats perspiring on his forehead and his breathing ragged.

"Open his shirt button", Scarlet instructed the only Prince there.

He didn't question her and heeded.

But someone else didn't heed her warnings. And he was lying on the sofa, contracting fever from the shock it seemed.

Scarlet moved behind her desk towards the windows, and pushed them ajar, letting a burst of sunrays and the cool breeze entering her office.

She looked on at the sleeping suitor.

His brows furrowed in his sleep.

Must be a bad headache.

****

James didn't remember how it began.

How he fell into the dark abyss, how he became a myth, a legend, a rumor – how he came to be Majes the Assassin.

The Poison Master.

Was it that one time, when he failed to save a live?

Was it that one time when he was learning from his mistake and instead made a discovery? That a level of dosage of some medicine could become poison?

And a stranger, or maybe it was a relative of the deceased patient, who wanted revenge, who felt someone in his family was the caused who drove his relative into sickness in the first place. Eventually this person became his source of his side-income, gradually became a main source of income, wanted for his expertise and discovery, his clientele grew with the demand of varying degree of poisonous concoctions.

And even if eventually he became a well-known physician, his main capital was morbidly coming from his golds pay on the lethal concoction he sold and well, the 'consultation' he gave to his clientele on how to go about feeding it to their target.

He met various people. Some were hired 'cleaners', 'sweepers', 'housekeepers' and some came to seek him themselves for his poisons.

And with that came the impending fear to at least armed himself and equipped with some basic self-defense skills in the event this part of profession reached an expiration. In the event, authorities traced the source of those deaths.

He was very lucky the skills came in handy the first night of the Battle Royale.

But he shouldn't have counted on his lucks too often. Being exposed by the Princess herself almost made his heart jumped out. It was a wonder he didn't collapse.

Oh contrary, it was General Collins and his men that almost succeeded.

Almost -- because he managed to hold out until he reached Scarlet's office.

She was guessing as she observed the sleeping physician on the sofa. She had pulled a chair and sat opposite him.

Zuber had left and now it was only the two of them.

Time to get close and personal with this one.

****

Upon following and reaching further into the Warriors' walls, James could hear himself. And consciously felt himself swallowing his gulp.