(Chapter Starts)
Kairo sat still on his bed, frozen. His mind was spinning after hearing about Sirius' past. The truth Elsa had just told him shook him deeply. His older brother—the one who always said he'd protect them—had done something terrible.
Before Kairo could gather his thoughts, the door slowly creaked open.
"So, talking about the old days?" Sirius said with a teasing tone, but there was something hard to read in his eyes.
Elsa turned sharply toward him. "Kairo, don't listen to him."
Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his light brown hair. "I don't care if you don't want to talk to me, sister. But why drag Kairo into this?"
Kairo looked at Sirius, his eyes full of disappointment. Without saying a word, he walked past him and left the room.
Sirius let out a dry chuckle. "Why do you always push him away, Elsa?"
Elsa clenched her fists. "I only told him the truth. Something you still refuse to accept."
Sirius' smirk faded just a little before he turned and walked away.
---
Later That Night…
Kairo lay on his bed, staring at his phone. He scrolled through news articles. One headline after another slammed him—people were questioning his position, calling for his exile.
"The whole country is turning against me," he thought bitterly.
With a frustrated sigh, he turned off his phone and stared up at the ceiling. Sirius' words echoed in his head again and again.
"I want to protect you."
"I will do anything to protect you."
But protect us from who?
---
Meanwhile…
Sirius leaned against a wall, looking at Elsa with a serious expression.
"Tell me, sister… why do you hate me so much?" he asked quietly.
Elsa scoffed, her eyes filled with anger. "What are you even trying to do? You say you want to protect us, but those children… what had they ever done to us?"
Sirius flinched, clenching his fists. "I… I don't know." His voice cracked just a bit. "But they would have hurt you. I had no choice."
Elsa's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "No choice? Who tied your hands, Sirius?! Who's controlling you?" She grabbed him by the collar, shaking him. "TELL ME!"
Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes, but he quickly turned away. "I can't," he whispered.
Elsa's chest tightened. "Then why? Why did you do it?"
Sirius laughed bitterly. "I knew you'd never forgive me for what I've done."
Elsa trembled with anger, her fists clenched.
Sirius didn't say anything more. He walked out of the room and stopped at a window, looking outside.
A huge crowd had gathered in front of the royal mansion. Hundreds of people stood there with torches and banners, yelling out in protest.
His phone rang. He answered without checking who was calling.
"Sirius, government officials are on their way. They want to talk about your brother's adoption. Be ready."
Sirius gave a small smirk. "I figured that would happen."
He looked at the time. 3 AM.
"If there are already hundreds now… there'll be thousands by morning."
---
The Next Morning…
The mansion was full of tension. Everyone stood in the main hall, watching the angry crowd outside.
Eldric crossed his arms. "By my estimate, there are at least 8,000 people out there."
Kairo came down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. He yawned, then gave his team a sleepy smile. "Good morning, everyone."
Before anyone could reply, a convoy of five black cars drove through the gates.
Luca's expression turned serious. "Kairo, you should hide."
Eldric shook his head. "No need. These are government officials. They won't try anything here."
Sirius walked in casually with his hands in his pockets. "Smart guess, Eldric."
He looked at Kairo. "One of the officials here today is your old friend, Darius. Don't do anything reckless."
Kairo stayed calm. "You don't need to worry about me."
The doorbell rang.
Sirius opened the door with a polite smile, welcoming the officials inside.
They greeted Kairo and the others politely. Then, one man stepped forward—someone Kairo recognized right away.
Darius.
He held out his hand, a cold smirk on his face.
"It's an honor to meet you, Kairo."
Kairo shook his hand firmly, his eyes steady. "I'm honored as well."
Sirius led everyone into the meeting hall.
"Luca," he said, "go call Elsa."
Luca hurried upstairs and knocked on Elsa's door. "Elsa, come quickly. The officials are here."
Elsa groaned. "I don't want to see them."
Luca hesitated. "Darius is here."
Elsa's eyes shot open. Darius… the man who had hurt Kairo's eye.
She quickly sat up.
"Darius…" she whispered, her mind spinning.
Then a memory flashed in her head.
"Darius… Father had a friend named Darius."
Her eyes went wide.
It can't be…
Without saying another word, she rushed to the meeting hall.
As she entered, everyone turned to look at her.
Darius smiled. "Nice to meet you, Princess. You've grown up a lot."
Elsa's stomach twisted, but she forced herself to nod politely. "Thank you."
She sat down next to Kairo.
For a few moments, the room was quiet.
Then Darius leaned back in his chair, eyes locked on Kairo.
With a smirk, he said—
"Shall we begin… traitor?"
---
(Chapter Ends)