Fae Fae’s Brother told everything.

And everyone didn’t like one bit of what they heard. So much so, the Judge himself could not resist punching his own table in his office in reaction to all this.

“INJUSTICE!” The Judge raged with a shaking fist. “The injustice of it all! What she’s been through, all the suffering, coming to such a ridiculous conclusion! The man who did this to Fae Fae, is not human! I don’t care if he is the Crown Prince – he must be punished!”

“Agreed your honour!” Inspector Lee stepped forth to give a supportive bow, filled with equal vigor! “We will drag the monster straight to our courts and give him a good beating! 20, 30 – nay, 100 paddles for his crimes! If granted, his head must roll from the guillotine chopper! Right Martial Kim!?”

Inspector Lee waited for a response.

When he got none, he then turned to Moon Tavern. The moment he looked, he watched as Martial Kim finished whispering to Martial Yellow Sister. They exchanged words between only their ears and lips, before the former ushered the disciple out of the door.

The Inspector was about to intercept her, they need every hands on deck for this upcoming battle. But Martial Kim politely stopped him, closing the door behind him once Martial Yellow Sister left.

The young master of Moon Tavern then responded, “We can’t make the first move, not this directly.”

“What do you mean, Martial Kim!?” Inspector Lee yelped with a throw of his hands, “We have to do something! Fae Fae is a vegetable because of this bastard and you want us to sit on the sideline like gods!? You heard that rat ass of a brother right!? I know you care for Fae Fae as much as we do, willing to ride with us into the man’s place and grab him by the throat!”

“One chance,” Martial Kim raised a finger to emphasize. “We only have once chance. If we make so much as half a mistake, it will all be over. The man is protected by a web of power, plucking one string will only alert more beasts and pests to try and devour us. The amount of influence he has is beyond that of an Imperial Constabulary lead by four honest hearts.”

The Judge was about to interject, to throw in his own heated opinion.

But, given his many years of service to the justice system, he knew better than anyone the consequences of one’s actions – especially amongst law enforcers like himself.

So he plopped in his chair, carrying his forehead in his palms before asking, “Martial Kim is right. We have to stick to the plan and play this cooly, or else this is just going to be chaos on all fronts.... Worse, we don’t have enough solid evidence to put this man in a cell, let alone take his head!”

The Judge both pulled at his wrinkled beard and tapped a hand across his desk as if trying to pray for a miracle to fall on his lap, “Our only victim and witness in this case has been declared dead. I can’t just up and say ‘Oh hey she’s not dead after all, she can testify against the bastard’, my supervisors would have my head if we don’t make this a successful trap! What do we do?”

“Your honour,” Martial Kim bowed, “I have tasked Martial Yellow Sister to seek out surefire evidence to confirm our theory. If we are correct, then there is no escape for this man. However, she needs time.”

“Got it. Say no more.” The Judge waved a hand in understanding. “I’ll try to make up a legitimate reason and use the right channels to invite the culprit to our court house without him knowing the better. I-I am confident we can lure him in without any bodyguards or servants. It will take a month at least!”

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Inspector Lee hopped sooner, like right now or at most tomorrow. After thinking over the pros and cons, weighing his emotions and practical thinking, he gave up over complicating things and nodded along.

Then he clicked his tongue. “Damn. The Fire Monkeys! The group that were sent to off Fae Fae’s Brother committed suicide. No doubt their headquarters will notice their absence eventually. What if they alert the mastermind behind all this? Martial Kim. Since they are from the martial arts world, you got any ideas?”

“Leave that to me!” Martial Kim nodded and patted his heart in response. “I will use Moon Tavern’s social network to keep tabs on their movement, and delay them with misinformation. Just in case, I’ll have some Martial Brothers and Sisters on standby in the Constabulary in case the Fire Monkeys do catch wind and try to eliminate both Palanquin Bearers and the Brother. We can’t risk losing any of them in this battle!”

The Judge took a moment to realized the weight of the situation, “So. This is it then. All or nothing.”

Martial Kim bowed in affirmation, “Our first move must be a checkmate.”

Soon after their meeting that night, the Imperial Constabulary and investigators split up and got to work. The Judge reached out to old friends and mentors, Inspector Lee doubled the security in the Constabulary, and Martial Kim called upon many allies and units in the martial arts world to set up a counter net.

They believed, this was more than enough for their plan to succeed. In the passing weeks and months, the necessary lure and excuses became genuine opportunities and truthful reasons. Not even the smartest man within the Imperial Circle would think anything of it. In fact, this ‘opportunity’ was just too good to pass up.

That was until...the day of the trap.

“Everything will come to an end, my dear.”

Martial Kim would spend the early morning tending to the unconscious Fae Fae. With the help of a female Constable, she received a proper bed bath and a fresh set of clothes. Martial Kim even took the liberty to clean her face and comb her hair neat and tidy, making her look presentable.

Although there was no way for her to testify in the court, she was still part of this fight. Coma or not, she had every right to look grand on the day justice is served in her honour.

“The nightmare you endured will properly come to a conclusion.” Martial Kim cooed.

He took the time to massage Fae Fae’s hands. They were back to normal, no longer swollen. Slender and beautiful just the way they should be. He would rub his thumbs into her palm to help with the blood flow and softly move her arms as part of an in-bed exercise, to make sure her muscles don’t degrade too much while bedridden.

The young master was in deep thought. Half of him prayed she would wake up and tell them the truth, to confirm their theories... The other half believes, it is best she sleeps through this hardship is.

She already went through one hell after another. Putting her through one more may destroy her.

Martial Kim whispered as he patted a hand to Fae Fae’s forehead to console her, “The one who put you through this misery will get what he deserves. He will never harm you again, let alone scorn you for who you are... It’s going to be alright, Fae Fae. We’ll protect you to the end.”

...............................................

Martial Kim truly wished, Fae Fae could speak to him even a little bit. She would benefit.............

“....Fae Fae?”

The victim never responded. From beginning to end, she had never once woke up or even opened her eyes. She had been the same as always but...

Martial Kim noticed something off. Especially with how limp her hand was.

“Fae Fae?”

The young master chanced to touch his fingers to the pulse in her throat and--

“FAE FAE!”