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Jordan and Vee both woke up early the next day to start working on their mission - to find the next clue which would lead them to solving the mystery concerning their family members' disappearance.

Although they do not completely hope for it, since they had taken on their task, they have both come to agree on the possibilities of their respective fathers' and Vee's brother being alive. 

While the last clue lead them to the O'Ghallchobhair Castle, they have yet to find out what significance the place has, for them to locate the next clue. They set out to check every corner of the castle, Vee exploring the right wing while Jordan went to the left. Both came back with an observation that most of the rooms had the same painting as the one which led them to Ireland - the mysterious map.

"I took pictures of the paintings," Jordan told Vee as he showed his mobile phone's gallery. 

"Oh," Vee bit her lip as she realized that she noticed the same thing. She had also taken pictures of the random places where she found the map paintings.

They projected the images on a plain wall and perused each one while they ate sandwiches. Jordan started studying the projection from the left, with the first picture he took. As he went on with his gallery, he noticed a small detail.

"There seems to be a drawing of a man," he said, pointing at one of the many miniature men figures in the painting. "This one in particular, looks like he's moving."

Vee watched as Jordan flipped through the photos and continued pointing at the peculiar figure, which seemed to move to a different spot per shot. She quickly projected the photos she had taken as well and noticed the same detail. The last painting showed the figure stop at the spot which showed the museum.

The two decided to visit the museum, and at once saw a room which had the same painting. Knowing where the figure stopped from the last shot, they were able to locate it in a few seconds. This time, the spot where the figure should have been showed a knight without a helmet.

"That could be the knight," Vee used her lips to point at the knight statue next to the door which leads to the Women's Restroom. As she roamed her eyes, though, she found another one close to the Men's Restroom. "I wonder if all statues could have their helmets removed?" 

Jordan decided to check the first knight's helmet and see if there was a hinge which would allow it to move. The one next to the Women's Restroom did not budge. He tried the other statue and got the same result. Looking around for other statues, he came to the area leading to the second floor and found a bust sculpture of a knight. Without really hoping for a positive result, he yanked the helmet away and was almost taken aback when it opened. "Venera!" He called out.

Vee shot dagger looks at Jordan when she heard him shout her name, totally forgetting that she was right behind him. She peeped inside the hollow space revealed by the helmet and watched as Jordan took a small box out of it. The space seemed to be a vault  that kept the tiny box.

"It's too easy to find the box if the helmet were a vault," Jordan commented. He twisted and turned the box and noticed several lines which seemed like hinges. "This box is the vault."

The box was made of light wood, measuring around four-by-three-by-two inches. One side had a mountain painting, while the opposite had a tallow tree drawing. As Jordan tilted it on one side, he felt and heard something move from the inside, confirming his hunch that the box was meant to keep something safe. He tried to open it by the hinges but it did not budge a bit.

"A puzzle box," he chuckled, amused by the efforts of whoever prepared all the clues in the castle. "And the only thing I see as sort of instructions is this - " He showed Vee the tiny engraving on the tallow tree branch's drawing. "Four-Sun, Fourteen Moves."

For the next few hours, Jordan and Vee took turns trying to figure out how to open the box. They browsed the internet for ideas and celebrated each move that successfully unraveled the inside of the box little by little.

"I think I can see a tube inside," Vee told Jordan as she peeped through the crevice which showed the inside of the box. "Kinda looks like a tiny dildo, if you ask me."

Jordan almost spewed the coffee he was drinking when he heard Vee's comment. He was used to hearing his fellow soldiers talk about stuff related to sex, but not from someone like Vee. He could feel his cheeks burn like a teenager as he glanced at Vee who was busy shining a led flashlight into the puzzle box. He almost jumped when she turned to him and caught his eyes.

"What?" Vee blinked. "You don't know what a dildo looks like?" She asked, looking suspicious, and went back to poking the box to guess the next move when she got no reaction from Jordan. "Guy introduced me to such stuff for 'security purposes' he said..."

Jordan was not sure if he wanted to listen to what Vee was mumbling, but he distinctly heard Guy's name being mentioned and he felt a weird lurch in his stomach. He was not ready to hear who "introduced" sex toys to Vee. He cleared his throat and wrenched the puzzle box out of Vee's hands.

"Let me work on the rest," he said, pertaining to the last few moves left to solve the puzzle box and finally open it. "By the way, your phone's been ringing non-stop, in case you haven't noticed." 

An excited grin lit Vee's face up, and she settled in one corner of the room to answer her phone. Jordan looked away as he heard her say "well hello there, sweetie..." He tried diverting his attention to the puzzle box which he had unknowingly squeezed in the palms of his hands.

There were only three moves left to fully reveal the inside of the box, and as he carefully tried each hinge, he was finally able to get the cover off and saw what was kept in the box. He glanced at Vee and was about to ask her to take a look, but she saw her still giggling into her phone, deep in conversation. Trying not to roll his eyes in annoyance, he continued on his own.

A small paper weight was carefully hidden in the puzzle box without any note or other clues. It was the shape of a nuclear missile, and Jordan could not help but chuckle a bit when he remembered how Vee described it as a dildo.

He tried putting the paper weight up against the light to see if there were any secret letters, but found none. It looked like a plain paper weight of no importance. 

"You know very well that it's a clue," Frank's words cut through the line as soon as Jordan called him a few minutes after failing to come up with deductions. "Dude, what's wrong with you?" 

Vee's constant laughter totally distracted Jordan and it did not escape Frank's ears. He has been talking about what the clue could mean and all he heard from Jordan were grunts and hisses. 

"She's not naked, is she?" Frank asked, trying to make his voice louder to break Jordan's thought bubble. "You fapping while watching her and while talking to me? Dude, that is so gross. You better get that -"

"Shut up, Frank." Jordan hissed yet again. "I seriously would cut your throat the moment I see you."

"Welcome back, Jordy," Frank laughed. "I actually thought you died right there. Seriously, what's wrong with you? The puzzle box and paper weight are dead giveaways of your next clue and you can't even analyze it." He stopped himself from laughing as Jordan's frustrated sighs answered him. He had an idea what could be bothering his friend, but he refused to interfere just yet. "Puzzle boxes are popular in Japan, and the nuclear missile paper weight tells you about Nagasaki. Nuke bombing. Put two and two, it seems you're going to Nagasaki, Japan next."

Even after Jordan finished talking to Frank, Vee has not yet put down her phone and was still enjoying her conversation with Guy and Lenka. He finally got a confirmation that she was talking to the two when he was asked to wave at the camera earlier and he saw them on the screen. He felt weird as he saw Guy's meaningful stare, and excused himself out of the room.

*****

That evening, after taking a warm bath, Vee decided to explore more of the castle without the need to look for a clue. She was already told by Jordan that the puzzle box meant they had to go to Nagasaki, and he was intent on doing so the soonest. They decided to stay at the castle while waiting for flight booking confirmation and arranging accommodation in the city.

Their respective companies also had to be updated of their whereabouts since the news of them being attacked in the Gallaghers' own castle already reached the media. Through connections, Jordan and Vee managed to quiet down the reports and only allowed the story of attempted robbery to circulate. Their official statement declared that they were safe and still on vacation.

The chilly night air made Vee shiver a little bit and she wrapped her night gown tighter around her body as she continued climbing a flight of stairs she discovered behind yet again another secret passage in the castle's left wing. Unlike the other passages she had seen so far, what she found had wall openings for windows and did not have any torches for lighting. While it was already dark, she could still see her way with the help of the peaceful moonlight bathing the stairs and walls. 

After some fifty winding steps, she came to an old door without any knobs and pushed against it to see if it would open. It creaked a bit but she had no difficulty pushing it to open wider. Upon reaching the other side, her mouth formed a perfect 'o' as her eyes fell on a view of a hanging garden.

Her nose was filled with sweet scents of roses, orchids, and jasmines, and her ears were entertained by soft flutters of butterfly wings as she saw the colorful insects fly around momentarily before settling to sleep again.

"Hey,"

Jordan's baritone voice almost surprised Vee, but the tinge of softness in his tone instantly calmed her down.

"Hey," she replied, smiling tentatively as she tried to make out his face from the dark surroundings. Her eyes finally adjusted and she saw Jordan's face silhouetted against the sky. She found him leaning against the railing, the moonlight making him look broodingly handsome. The thought made her heart skip a beat.

"Why are you still up?" Jordan asked. He watched Vee approach, as he sipped wine and placed the emptied glass on a rock table beside him.

Vee bit her lip as she tried to come up with reasons, wondering why she was suddenly feeling giddy that she found him at a place she did not even know existed.

"Just..." she shrugged, unable to even tell the truth that she only wanted to explore the castle. She shivered again when a soft wind blew, and she fixed some of her hair which got to her face. A feeling of being watched overwhelmed her, and she cast a glance at Jordan to see if he was looking. When their eyes met, she felt like she was hypnotized to not look away.

"Lovely..." Vee blinked a few times when she heard Jordan whisper in her ears. She felt heat creep from her ears where Jordan's warm breath fanned against, and the closeness of his lips to her skin made her want to lean in. Unsure how they suddenly came too close to each other, Vee tried to resist her wanting to embrace Jordan. 

"Venera," Jordan breathed her name so softly and painstakingly slow as she found herself enveloped in his strong arms, his heart beating hard against her chest.

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So........... Heeheehee... What do you think would happen next?

I will do my best to update in the next two weeks - hopefully I won't catch any illness again which would force me to stay in bed and just sleep...

Until next time, friends!!!

^_^