Chapter 202 - Debate about the Child

Anlesa and Lavender continued the walk without any issue. Syrus was really determined to find any spy, whether that be one from the side of those hunting him or one that could’ve been sent to watch Alba. Either would have been a great catch, but unfortunately, neither decided to show up.

Lavender went back inside the house while Syrus went back into the city as the sky darkened. It was a good option to do more individual work.

[Is it really worth the effort to explore Alba’s issue?] (Syrus)

[Why do you say that...] Luna was concerned about Syrus’s words. Luna didn’t want to abandon the child who clearly had been someone’s prey for years.

[Oh, I think we definitely should, but we hadn’t spoken about it, so bringing it up now.] (Syrus)

[There had to be a better way to start this discussion than...] (Luna)

[Probably.] (Syrus)

The trio’s quick talk about the matter led to the following points: One, saving the kid was objectively the right thing to do and it didn’t negatively impact their other objectives. Two, by looking into his poisoning, which required looking into the government, they could track the people who were ordering attacks on them. As if someone was all too happy to poison a child, they could easily be the person, or friends of a person, who would order assassinations.

“Is there anyone within the parliament with a poison attribute?” Anlesa asked the only person she thought would know the information and be easily accessible. Havier. The butler went to grab the information. He could recall some of the members’ attributes, but it would be proper to provide a full list instead of partial information.

While they were waiting, Anlesa discussed within their self about the possibilities.

[The options are that someone is hiding their Attribute, or there is a subordinate doing the act.] (Luna)

[The latter seems more likely.] (Eva)

[True, but there is still the chance normal poison was used.] (Syrus)

Lavender’s hypothesis was something they trusted, but the woman in question was also unsure. Anlesa still didn’t exactly know what Lavender’s Attribute was, and Lavender had never checked the body of someone for poison. Usually, she was just able to tell by the smell of poison in the body once the wounds were exposed. She didn’t have Anlesa's ability and knowledge of exploring the human body. However, with that hypothesis and Anlesa's observations, they were pretty confident that it was poison.

Havier returned, and Anlesa was provided a list of the entire parliament's attributes, as it wasn’t exactly hidden information.

[Wow... there are a lot of people with two Attributes.] (Eva) 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[I wonder if that ever went into determining positions in parliament.] (Luna)

[That would be kind of stupid.] (Syrus)

[I don’t believe it is...] (Eva)

The majority of the members had two Attributes. Now, the chance that it was actually one of them poisoning Alba was low since that would be so much more obvious, and the chance of being caught in the act was staggeringly high.

Abe Esther, the man they were now sure Alba’s father had two Attributes, Water and Wind. The current Prime Minister of the country.

[What about the motive?] (Luna)

[Lot of benefits to poisoning the prime minister’s kid.] (Syrus)

[Does he have any other children?] (Eva)

[Good question... I hadn’t thought about it until you brought it up, but that wouldn’t be surprising... He would’ve been around forty years ago when he had Alba.] (Luna)

[Nearly old enough to be his grandfather.] (Syrus)

[I believe he wasn’t the Prime Minister for a period, would that be one of the moments?] (Luna)

[Possibly... looks like we need a deep dive into the parliament.] (Eva)

[Still, what does one get for poisoning his kid?] (Syrus)

[Potentially a puppet? Threaten the kid to sway him to do this bidding.] (Luna)

[That’s...!] (Eva)

[It’s possible, but is Abe a person to do that?] Syrus frowned. [Ergh... talking about the motives of people you have never met is an absolute pain.]

[We can always ask Havier or Lord Hall about the type of person Abe is.] Luna replied, [But I do understand where you are going with your point. After such long-term poisoning, can a father who is being threatened stay in that state forever? Breaking down and doing anything rash is possible, but there are plenty of people who will hold out until they can strike back.]

[True, but is a second-hand account really the best then?] (Syrus)

[Getting a first-hand account could be risky.] Luna rebutted. [The less they know about what we want, the better.]

[That is a tight rope to walk.] (Syrus)

[It could be hard and difficult in its own way, but we need to minimise risk for everyone.] (Luna)

While they were speaking, Eva began to stroll through her own thoughts.

Eva remembered the boy's eyes when they first met. Angry, judgemental, distrustful.

Then there were his actions and words when they began to heal him and told him the truth, that there was something wrong with him.

[He needs to be helped... and the problem might be worse than we imagine.] (Eva)

[How so?] (Syrus)

[What he has said... and we need to trust his words.] Eva thought the idea of the boy not being able to trust any adult around him was painful. Luna sympathised, as while living a different experience, she understood the pain of being around uncaring adults who had plans for her. [From what he understands… no one has believed him. I mean. No one has told him that he is sick. ‘They always said there was nothing wrong with me.’ Those words are the most disgusting things that could be said to Alba. He is sick!] Eva didn’t notice as her words became heated. [You don’t need Syrus's or Luna’s skill to determine that! He looks absolutely awful! They lied to the boy! Over and over and over again!]

[And…] Eva felt tears drip down her face. [For what…?]

[What… why would they do that to such a boy… that when someone finally told him he was sick and tried to help him… that he believed us… even though we were nothing but a stranger.] (Eva)

Syrus and Luna understood what Eva was saying, and it was something they all thought of when they first met the boy and heard his story. The boy was purposely tortured for years. That was the kindest way they all saw the situation.

Eva tried. Tried so hard to think of a reason why, a reason that would at least justify the action.

But every time she found a corner case that could maybe be the reason, there would be at least an alternate solution for the thought process. In her mind, there was a better way for every possible path than torturing a child for over a decade.

If someone wanted the boy dead, then that could’ve easily happened.

The BEST case was that it was some kind of disease that was incurable, and to try lessening the impact, they turned a blind eye and just told the boy everything was okay. But at that point, a child was still being gaslit for his entire life.

[We… will find a way to cure that body, Lilly.] (Luna)

They all understood the people they needed to track down for that goal, and it aligned a little with their other goals.

Syrus and Luna waited for Eva to calm down, and the trio decided that at some point soon, they needed to visit Alba, as Rose at least one more time.