"Finally awake, are you?"
A distinct voice echoes from the Queen of Reilaea's ears as she slowly opens her eyes half way. She finds herself inside a chamber, with her hands tied with chains up from the ceiling. Which is keeping her of falling down.
"This is..."
"Elena!"
The voice of King Athlante who is also in the same situation as Elena together with the others woke her up.
"Athlante... Dina... Francis and Athilia, too...?"
"It seems that your strength hasn't returned yet. If not for the chains, you'd fall on the ground and scarred that beautiful face of yours, my Queen Elena."
Elena turns to the source of the voice where she can see a blurred figure of Castile standing in front of her.
"Castile... You..."
Despite her weakened state, she was able to realize the situation she's currently in as she remembered the final moments before she lost consciousness in the banquet hall.
...
While the banquet hall continues its festivities despite the absence of her son who is supposedly celebrating his day of birth with her. A sudden news came inside the banquet hall, making the people inside the hall feel alarmed for another time.
"Queen Elena, something is happening in the far edge of the eastern district!"
The news made her get up from her seat and went to the nearest window to check up the scenery outside. There she witnessed a black cloud quickly forming around the far eastern district.
After witnessing such strange occurrence, she immediately ordered the available knights to tell the people who are in the streets to quickly settle inside their houses.
"You! Tell the people to settle to their houses real quick! Spread the order to other knights as well!"
"Yes!"
Soon as she stated her orders, she joined the others as they gaze upon the forming black cloud.
"What is that?"
"Is that a work of a monster? Or an adventurer?"
"Could it be a demon? Could it be that they are trying to declare another war?"
At that point, where the black cloud can be seen from afar, seemingly beginning to spiral about. He saw King Ordeus and Edle holding on his shoulder as they flew straight towards the black storm cloud.
As the idea of the people watching the event from the other windows stumble into her thoughts, she quickly tore off her elegant night gown, she took off her brilliant heels and attempts to run haste onto the door to follow Edle and Ordeus.
But before she can get close to the door, a man suddenly speaks:
"I suddenly feel dizzy..."
The adult man suddenly felt dizzy as if he hadn't slept for a whole day and wants to lie down in his bed. Afterwards, he fell down on the floor as he completely lose conciousness.
"Dad...!"
"What?"
"It looks like it's finally taking effect."
"...!"
She then later realized, everyone inside the banquet hall are all falling to the ground one by one. Including King Athlante, Queen Dina, Princess Aura, King Francis, Queen Athilia, Belfiore and Belfione. With Castile, Celestine, Atalante, Pina and Queen Elena herself the only exception.
"From what I can remember, Atalante, Pina and I tried to fight back. But somehow, Celestine did something that knocked Pina down without her or even me and Atalante noticing. After that the same thing happened to me. And that brings me and the others here. However..."
Elena observes and tries to look for Atalante alongside Athlante and his family. But the elder elven princess weren't present. Which brings her the question:
"Atalante... Where is Atalante...?"
"Oh... That disgusting and coward princess..." Celestine suddenly cuts in as she appears behind her Father. "...She managed to get away before I could kill her, thanks to the knight you raised alongside your beloved son."
"Coward, you say?" Pina responds to the princess of Kruule. "You're only saying that because you know that someone who is adept at melee and mid-range combat like you is superior to the likes of my Big sister. If she decided to cast a powerful magic while disregarding the people around her, she could easily take you down with a single atta..."
Out of the blue, a surge of lightning erupt from the top of the chain that handcuffed Pina and quickly goes down to her hands to her whole body, electrocuting her as well as knocking her out.
"A word coming from a weakling like you is not necessary."
"Pina!!"
"How could you...!" Said, Francis angrily.
Athlante's scream in agony echoed throughout the whole chamber. Queen Dina couldn't do anything but close her eyes to avert seeing her hurt daughter as she shed tears. Athilia and both her son and daughter trembled in fear as they watched what happened to Pina after trying to talk back to both Castile and Celestine.
"It's really unfortunate, but that's what will happen to everyone trying to act arrogant."
"You monster... You will not get away with this...!"
"Oh, What's this? You can actually talk?" Castile sneered on the furious King of Meleia who glare daggers at him. "Don't look at me with that hateful eyes. If you cooperated with us from the very beginning, this wouldn't happen to your daughter."
As she just recently woke up, Elena was utterly lost as to what happened during the time she was unconscious. But whatever it is, for Castile to want to cooperate with Athlante. It must be something that he finds useful. And so she nonchalantly asks:
"What do you want, Castile?"
"Oh. It is rather simple." He replies to Elena as he approaches her. "I want the Kings and Queens' death. Everyone with the royal blood. I want them dead. That's not all. I want to bring back the late King and Queen of Kruule to life then kill them again."
"Bring back the King of Kruule to life...?"
Elena's eyes narrowed down after that statement. It baffles her how ridiculous the words Castile is spouting.
"How can you possibly do such a thing? You can't possibly bring the dead back to life."
"I see. So Edel haven't told you. Perhaps he did not trust you at all just like my wife."
"What?!"
"There's no need to be so agitated. Let me tell you a story, Elena."
...
Castile's past is of a peaceful life. Both his Father and Mother are knights serving the King and Queen of Kruule. Back in the day, his Father is known for his great knowledge in battle, kindness and strength. There is no monster raid that hasn't been a success with his involvement. The same thing goes for Castile's Mother. But more than that, her beauty that is above others, is what makes her popular throughout the entire country. One could say that her beauty could top Queen Elena if they were in the same generation.
Everyone's eyes are always on them. Especially Castile's Mother. No man would avert their gaze from the knight, not even the King of Kruule.
"At a young age, I could tell their eyes looking at my Mother aren't the look of admiration. But lust. Then one day, an unnoticed attack of monsters struck the Kingdom, they even managed to enter the royal castle."
No one knows how the trolls, hobgoblins, and orcs managed to enter the royal castle, but due to that sudden attack, Castile's parents stood back to keep the monsters away from Castile, the King and his Queen and Princess.
"Mother, Father! We have to help them!"
"Don't worry about them, they're both capable knights. Once I get you all to a safe place, I will call my soldiers and save them."
Castile who is being carried by the King left his family behind. But before that, a monster still managed to hurt the King which led to him being unable to act to organize his men to rescue Castile's Mother and Father in time.
...
"Because of the wound he got from the monster's surprise attack, he wasn't able to take action to save my Mother and Father. As a result, they found Father's lifeless body full of wound as he was seemingly stabbed by a sword many times in the same place they stood to protect us. However, apart from my dead Father, my Mother went missing. At first, we thought she was captured by a monster and was brought to their nest. But a mob of monsters that is only at a level of a mere Gold rank Adventurers shouldn't be hard to deal with for her, let alone being killed just like Father. Something is definitely wrong here. Don't you think so, Elena?"
The others remained silent, while Elena did not answered Castile. But in her mind, she agrees to what he's saying. There's no way monsters of that caliber should be able to capture his Mother who is quite powerful. Let alone be able to sneak in right towards the castle, and even to kill his Father. Something definitely happened.
"Those monsters must have some kind of involvement with humans, am I right? Elena? Am I right, everyone?" Castile uttered.
"...!"
"Well, as it turns out, a knight, one of the King's soldiers secretly opened a gate that connects to a monsters' nest. Because of that, the mob of monsters were able to get in without being noticed."
"What?"
"One of his men brought the mob of monsters into the royal castle?"
"For what reason?"
Everyone listening to Castile was surprised to hear his words. They want to know what the purpose of the knight was to bring a monsters in the royal castle. And so Castile answers with:
"Lust." Castile replied to everyone. "Mother is genius, powerful, kind and beautiful. They couldn't take their eyes off of her. They cannot go spend the entire day without seeing her and talking about her. They are too obsessed with her. That obession led them into doing horrendous things. And even the King gladly joined them."
...
Apart from the fact that a monster hurt the King of Kruule, it seems that everything, including the attack of monsters was a plan made by the King and his men to kill Castile's Father while capturing her Mother at the same time.
From what Castile learned when he was trying to figure out what really happened back then, the stabs and other wounds that his Father received which killed him was not from the monster's weapons, but the swords of the King's men who were thought to be fending off the monsters trying to get into the Kingdom during the time of the sneak attack inside the royal castle. Which is not true.
While they were thought to be outside the Kingdom fighting the monsters for the sake of the Kingdom, they all actually went to where Castile's Father and Mother was. There they executed their plan to kill his Father by endlessly stabbing and slicing him, even after he lose his life. At the same time, they managed to capture by casting a powerful sleeping magic.
...
"After making her unconscious, Mother was brought to this chamber. And in the same position as you are, Elena, they did everything they can do to humiliate her."
Castile refers to the chains that was used to shackle Elena's hands.