"So what did you mean by saying Janeus is tied up in so many issues?"
Quân pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and asked Ron in a voice dripping with curiosity. He had only just caught wind of the missing persons report regarding Janeus and the various factions holding themselves responsible.
Ron nodded, gathering the initial stack of documents before slipping them into his coat pocket.
"The disappearances are real, but a kidnapping? Not a chance. And honestly, you shouldn't trust more than thirty percent of what's written in this ridiculous dossier."
Ron spoke as he gazed at the shifting scenery outside. They weren't in Jinlus Village anymore—they were seated inside the carriage of a roaring train.
Indeed, they were aboard a iron behemoth—a hallmark of the steam power era—a sophisticated machine hurtling from Jinlus Village toward the coastal metropolis of Pegasus.
Ron glanced across the surrounding passengers, weighing whether certain details ought to be shared before finally laying them out for Quân.
"There are two fundamental rules regarding royal family members you need to grasp to understand the broader picture.
First, they are strictly forbidden from revealing their true identities to the public before reaching eighteen. Whether attending academy or traveling abroad, they cannot flaunt their status; the goal is to preserve 'fairness' when they build their network and power base in the wider world.
Second, within noble ranks from Marquis and above, should an arranged couple decide to dissolve their betrothal, a member of the royal family must personally act as the official witness.
In this instance, Janeus was supposed to be en route to the Jijixten estate—a Marquis house—to witness the annulment of an engagement with the very noble who perished in that recent upside-down hanging massacre."
Quân stared back blankly upon hearing this. He understood how love could be controlled by money and influence, but still...
Even breaking off an engagement gets treated like a formal court trial, as if love were just a business contract. Wait, actually, that makes total sense. Arranged betrothals in movies are usually set from childhood while two families mingle; keep dry straw near a fire long enough and it's bound to catch.
People love talking about fate and destiny, but if you actually know psychological manipulation tactics, any average guy could turn into a total fuckboy surrounded by a full-blown harem.
Quân mused internally, smacking his lips in mild disappointment since he didn't know a single one of those psychological tricks. Wait, was Ron ever planning to teach him?
Quân drifted into thought—not about the narrative Ron was spinning, but about a fantasy world where he could finally fulfill his own grand ambitions.
"Keep your head in the game, Quân."
Ron spoke with stern discipline. For a fifteen-year-old boy to address someone two years his elder like that was somewhat disrespectful, but Quân had little choice in the matter.
With a heavy sigh, he began to analyze the situation properly.
Unfolding the map Ron had handed him, Quân stared at the paper version. Unluckily for him, map-reading wasn't his strong suit—having grown up in the peak internet era, deciphering dense clusters of intersecting lines felt like pure torture.
Quân narrowed his eyes, zeroing in on the stark 'X' Ron had marked where Janeus had mysteriously vanished.
Based on that, he laid out three distinct possibilities. Since Ron asserted that Janeus wasn't truly missing, the breakdown went as follows:
Scenario 1: Janeus fled on her own. This was less probable. Why would a pampered princess who couldn't even put on her own clothes without servants suddenly run away? Unless she faced a severe power struggle or a personal identity crisis.
Scenario 2: Janeus was swept into an anomaly or targeted by specialized magic. This sounded far more plausible if someone wanted to frame or eliminate her, especially considering she had previously attended an evaluation exam in another city.
Scenario 3: The entire thing is a staged hoax. The royal court or high-ranking authorities fabricated the incident to extract political leverage. Politics was a total blur to him, but that didn't make him a complete idiot. As a somewhat model citizen, he put plenty of faith in those political experts on TokTik... Wait, totally getting off track...
Sifting through the three hypotheses, Quân set aside the trickiest one—Scenario 3—to focus his efforts on Scenarios 1 and 2, attempting to pinpoint the most logical location.
He couldn't recall the exact name of the hotel where Janeus had vanished, so he mentally labeled it Hotel J.
Studying the map, Quân deduced five potential areas she might head toward under Scenario 1. As for Scenario 2, it remained an unpredictable wild card, though he jotted down his best guesses regardless.
Quân scribbled his entire line of reasoning onto a piece of paper and passed it over. Ron skimmed the notes and gave a satisfied nod before stepping in to refine the viable arguments.
Suddenly, the carriage lights flickered violently overhead.
"What's going on?"
"Is there a problem with the engine?"
Unease rippled through the passengers as chatter broke out. Quân started to push himself up, but Ron caught his arm, pulling him back down with a firm sign to stay put.
BANG!!!