Chapter 36: Lost because of a needle

Niro put his hand on his head at the moment he gained consciousness. He sat up straight but could not open his eyes yet out of dizziness. The scenes from the garden all came into his head and remembered that he passed out in front of the people inside.

"That was embarrassing..."

"Indeed it was."

He removed his hands from covering his face and turned to the voice, "Ah!" he exclaimed as he saw Sherin all of the sudden by the side of the bed he was in. "Sherin." he called out, it will be bad for his heart if her partner always startles him.

Sherin was leaning on a chair with her arms crossed and her feet were up on Niro's bed, looking down and deep in her thoughts. Niro noticed that she was in a bad mood and the room was full of gloom. "Uh, w-were you here for a long time?" he asked, breaking the silence.

'Why are you stuttering, Niro?' he asked himself and closed his eyes tight and looked away slowly in shame.

"I brought you here after we saw you on the ground." Sherin said.

Caliber was going to help her carry Niro but he could not leave Charles in there for some reason.

"I apologize for the trouble, all of a sudden I was having a headache and became dizzy. I was fine when we were in Antares." he stated and was perplexed by why he felt that way, "I am not sick." he added.

"You are not sick." Sherin claimed and she raised his lowered gaze to meet his eyes.

From the crossed arms, she grabbed the pocket that was tied to her belt and separated her arms from each other. She threw it to him, surprised, he caught it with his natural reflexes.

Curious as to what Sherin threw, he removed the tie and opened it. Inside the small bag was a needle. "Why are you giving me a needle? How is this a get-well-soon gift?" he asked and Sherin glared at him.

"Should I make you swallow that get-well-soon gift?"

"I am kidding, forgive me."

Sherin dropped her gaze to the needle in his palm, "That needle is the reason why you lost your consciousness." she stated and Niro pinched it and put the needle close to his face to observe it.

"I had it cleaned after checking, so you would not see anything right now." Sherin said as she saw Niro looking at the needle, all confused.

"You have been drugged without noticing."

Niro let out a laugh after hearing what she said, "There is no way I would be drugged without me noticing. My eyes are faster than the changing of your moods." he said. 'Or, well, maybe you change mood faster.' he added inside his mind.

Sherin closed his eyes with a little bit of frustration, then pointed at the needle he was holding, "Someone threw a needle to your body, with the tip of the needle filled with a dose of tranquilizer solution." she stated and Niro went silent.

"Alec was the one who did it, did he not?" Niro asked. They both remembered the fight that happened. "But when? How come I had not noticed?" he lowered his gaze to the needle in confusion. He could have sworn he had not seen it.

Blocking, Dodging, the two of them were too fast. When was the time that Alec put the needle? Sherin and Niro both raised their heads as they finally had an idea. It was before Sherin laughed at Niro, saying that he had gotten old.

"When I turned around." Niro said.

"You did not turn around, he twisted you." Sherin pointed out and Niro wanted to roll his eyes, 'It is the same anyways.' he said in his mind, a bit bitter of remembering his loss.

Turns out they both have the thoughts, Alec twisted Niro and kicked him. While kicking him he already got a needle and flicked it towards Niro. That was where the male Canopus aide started to not feel well.

"It was a good thing that it did not fully go inside your body. You could have died." Sherin said with a serious expression.

That was one that has been on her mind, did Alec give him a needle considering that it would not go through the clothes, or did he really want to kill Niro? 'Either of the two is possible.' she thought.

Alec is not stupid enough to kill the aide of another kingdom's prince, with all people knowing that he was the one who Niro last fought with. He is smart so he in probability, considered that it would not go through.

But Sherin could feel the monster inside him. He was holding back. So it was also likely that he would not care even if the needle killed Niro.

It takes a monster to know another monster.

Niro looked around, realizing that he had not seen another figure anywhere around the room, "Where is His Highness? He did not come with you?" he asked.

"He stayed." Sherin muttered. "For some reason that I do not know, he looked like he did not want to leave that place." she added and caused her to think again. Many mysteries came her way today, it was confusing yet she wants to figure it all out.

Niro avoided any eye contact, 'Well, of course he would stay. His Highness Charles is in there...' he wanted to say it, but he knows that his prince would kill him if he did.

Sherin knows that Niro has the answers to any of her questions, but where is the fun in that?

She would like to know it by herself. It is a challenge that she would like to take on.

Niro could not help but to stare at her, he squinted his eyes as he cannot understand what kind of expression she has on his face. Sherin looked back at him, startling him.

Sherin smiled sweetly at him and the man started to feel a bit of sweat running down his forehead. 'What kind of smile is that...'

Sherin that was leaning on the chair, sat up straight without breaking her gaze with Niro. Without her eyes moving away, she put her hand on his thigh but bit by bit it was starting to be squeezed. "I will find out everything, soon."

The grip was hurting Niro but he hid it with an awkward smile, "O-oh, I believe you will, ha..ha..."

Sherin sat back down and shut her eyes tight. 'Servant...'

~~~~~~~~~~

"Niro!" Caliber exclaimed and rushed to where he was. "What happened to him?" he asked and turned to Sherin who was bending down on one knee to check Niro.

She put a finger near the holes of his nose and he was breathing just fine. She put her hand on his forehead and used the back of her hand to touch his cheeks. "He does not seem to be sick." Sherin said to the prince.

Caliber furrowed his brows, "Then what caused him to be in this state?"

"I am not sure, I will investigate this matter. For now, I shall take him to his room." she said and was about to carry Niro.

Sherin might be a knight, but she is still a woman. "I will help you. Go get the other arm." the prince said.

They helped Niro up, with both of his arms around their necks. Sherin giggled, "I can already imagine Niro's reaction once he finds out that you were troubled to bring him to his room." she said and Caliber smiled.

After a few steps, something he did not like was caught from the corner of his eyes. Chance looked really worried over Alec after taking pity for Niro. Even from afar he could hear Chance asking 'Were you also hurt? Why did you even fight?' and so on.

The Canopus Prince was contemplating whether he should stay or help Niro. He was having a hard time making a decision but while he was staring at them, Sherin was also staring at the prince.

She was curious about why he was hesitating, but she wants to bring Niro to the palace as soon as possible. "Your Highness." she called out.

Caliber looked at his aide, "You do not have to worry, I can bring him back by myself." Sherin said, noticing that he really wanted to stay.

The prince smiled, a bit feeling bad for not being able to help them. But a part of him really wants to stay. "Thank you, Sherin." he said with a sincere tone.

Sherin just sighed and smiled. She grabbed Niro's other arm and also put it around her neck. She carried him in a piggyback. "Which one of us is the girl here?" she said in a low voice in which only she can hear. She shook her head before running outside to put him in the horse.

Caliber stared at the two before approaching them.

Chance was going to put his hand on Alec's face to check if there is something wrong but Caliber grabbed it and put it on his.

Startled, Chance stared at him wondering why he suddenly put his hand on his face, "Caliber, are you okay?"

"No." Caliber immediately answered. "No, I am not."