“I have a n,” I said as soon as Kieran opened the door for me.


    “ra, you need to go back to bed. How can you be walking in the hallway during ck out and you don’t expect things to lurk around and attack you?”


    “If the person wanted to attack, then the person would have done that since. Maybe the person is nning something more horrible. Something that could actually take me out this time without no trace back. Like a clean attack.”


    “How can you be sure of that? And you are beginning to sound really paranoid.”


    “Are you going to hear me out or not?” I folded my arms.


    He exhaled and paved a way through the door as I entered,  “Alright spill.”


    “Well, since I got back to my room, I have not had a moment of peace. I have been thinking about everything. Whoever is doing this is definitely here in the pce right?”


    “Perhaps,” his tone wasn’t what I had expected but I didn’t relent in what I wanted to say.


    “If it’s Ryan that is actually doing all of this, then, he would not do it on his own. Like he would send someone.”


    “Where are you driving at this?” he rxed on the bed but I still kept pacing around not minding what he might think of me.


    “Well, after what happened thest time, he would not just send in any one to spy. That wouldn’t be a smart move. We would notice easily.”


    “Okay, now I see where you are going with this. So you think that your little Alpha boyfriend would prefer to send someone to the pce instead.”


    “Yes, and since you said not everyone gets ess into the pce then maybe, this supposed spy might be guised as a guard or a maid, you know. Someone who would have a reason to work at the pce. Who would be avable during the day to push me down the stairs or to drop that note by the door.”


    I watched Kieran for response before I would continue but he said nothing only looking out into the nothingness on his in wall. He might not have his words at the moment, but I knew that whatever I was saying somehow made sense to him. And all I needed to do was to push further.


    “Look, I know that everyone must pass through your screening process and so you know every guard and maid working in this pce, but what if somehow this person bypassed the process? Ever thought of that?”


    He rose from the bed as if I had finally struck a nerve, “You might be right,” he said. And those were the exact words that I needed to hear.


    “Oh yes,” I felt the flutter in my stomach with my cheek rising in a wide grin as I had been drawn a step closer to where my answersid.


    “So what do you suggest?”


    “I wasing to that,” I smiled, “You have to organize a review, like a roll call of all the guards and the maids that work in the pce. We need to make ount of all of them and whoever doesn’t fit just right then that’s the culprit or at least our suspect. We need to start from somewhere.”


    I rubbed my hands together generating heat in the midst of the cold night air.


    “I’m grateful that we are finally getting a hang of this. Maybe we can even start tonight. Yes, that would be perfect. The person would not even see iting.”


    Kieran walked closer to me and ced his hands on my shoulders.


    “I know that this can be scary. I mean going through shits that you can’t wrap your head around. And trust me, we are going to figure it all out. But right now, everyone is fast asleep and I think you should get some rest yourself. Then tomorrow, we can look at this again. With a better view and perhaps we would be able to see loopholes before we can even make the list.”


    “And what if while we sleep, the person strikes again? And this time, you aren’t there to catch me or save me?”


    “Hey, you are overworking yourself on this. Calm down, while you are here working your head the person might probably be fast asleep right now. Resting his or her brain. You should rest yours too.”


    “I still feel like this is the right time to act. That way, we can make use of the fact that we are steps ahead. The person won’t see using.”


    He exhaled forcefully looking directly into my eyes and I didn’t look away.


    “I promise you, as early as possible in the morning, we begin. All I need from you now is to have a good night rest. We would figure this out.”


    I took a deep breath as I stared into his eyes, he was right, I really did needed to sleep. Maybe everything would turn out to be a nightmare like some past memory.


    “Alright,” I agreed.


    “And my offer still stands,” he giggled.


    “And what is that?”


    “You can spend the night here in my chambers,” he winked.


    “Oh God Kieran,” I rolled my eyes, “I’ll pass on this one.”


    The next morning there was a knock on the door, Kieran had decided to have an early morning breakfast. I was all up and ready for the day, if everything went as nned, then we would finally narrow our search and get whoever was behind this. I hated the thrills from the anticipation. The fact that it gave me hope was exhausting and if it doesn’t work as I had nned then I would go back to the way that it all started. Tarnished hopes with a much angry culprit. Thest thing I wanted was to anger my anonymous admirer who wanted me dead.


    “Seriously, Kieran,” I said as I got to the diner.


    “Something for the morning, to take your mind off everything that has been happeningtely.”Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    “Mmm… if I didn’t know you well, I would say that these are all your doings to just lure me to you,” I smirked.


    “You wish,” he still had the smile across his lips, “well, I have made arrangements for the list,” he announced.


    “You did what?” I nearly yelled but then a maid walked in and dropped more bowls on the table, it was now like a feast. Ast meal, perhaps.


    “What? I thought that was what you wanted.”


    “I know,” I said realising my tone, “It’s just that I thought that you would do this yourself or better still, let me do it.”


    “And what is wrong if my subordinate do it?”


    “Can you not see Kieran? Or you still think that this is just a prank. What if this so called trusted subordinate of yours is actually part of this? How can you even make such a decision? This is supposed to be discrete. Whoever is doing this might have gotten a head start by now and probably nning something next, oh fuck this! You just don’t see it do you?” I mmed my hands against the table.


    “Where are you going to?” He asked.


    At a point like that, food did not add up to the list of the things that I needed at that moment. Something was wrong I could feel it and Kieran’s nonchnt behaviour only made me feel worse.


    “I’m going back to my room at least I feel a lot safer there.”


    “Come on, don’t be like that. This is not just any subordinate, it’s Alex my beta. Maybe you can finally get to meet him…”


    “I’m out of here,” I said as I walked out of the diner while the guards and the maids watch me disrespect their king. The happenings that had been going on in the Pce with Kieran being solely involved made him feel closer. He always provided  a solution to everything when there was none and a shoulder to lean on when it all seemed adamant. This made me see him more like a friend, although I couldn’t consider him that in his presence because his arrogance wouldn’t allow a space and time for that.


    The door of my room shook vigorously in its hinges as I closed it behind me.


    “Kieran was never discrete. He always likes to do it his way,” I scoffed. There was knock on the door and then I stormed down to it, “who the fuck is that?!” I asked rhetorically opening it to the least expected sight. Indeed Kieran always had his ways.