The attendants were dismissed for the day.
Some days they had free time amongst themselves, some days they don't---but what was constant was their cue to go into their rooms.
A new attendant was assigned to carry a hand bell and roam around the palace to announce their curfew.
The attendants scurried to their rooms--- even Maya and Elion --- and bolted their door close.
Click.
The doorknob was locked.
Click.
The barrel was bolted.
Click.
The chain was fastened.
There were three locks inside each attendant's rooms, it was said to protect them from intruders from the outside---or maybe from intruders from the inside too.
The palace was free of royal attendants, asleep from a busy day.
And as if time had stopped, the palace was tranquil.
The hallway was abandoned this late in the evening.
But a young man, a royal attendant, did not lock his doors. He braved himself and sneaked outside---undetected--- to Princess Alyssa's garden.
The young man was carrying an empty weaved basket with a scissor on his hand.
The Princess' garden glimmered under the moonlight, illuminating the flowers.
The young man began to pluck flowers with excitement---it started with one, two, three red roses. But blinded with love, he began to fill up his basket with various flowers. He ignored the splinters on both of his hand, a few wounds won't kill him.
One cannot blame the young attendant you see, the lady he was courting loves flowers. And the flowers blooming from the Princess' garden were known to be the most beautiful in the Kingdom.
A smile creeped into the young man's face, imagining the lady's delight upon receiving his gift. He cannot wait for the morning to come.
One would assume that security would be tight during the night, but there were no guards in the corridors--- it had always been every night. But a very few guards were posted on selected areas.
Only the royals and the cured were awake this time of the night, they were free to roam round the palace.
King Garrett was on a night stroll, admiring his castle--- one of the nights where the Queen was not at his side.
King Garrett's steps echoed on the floor.
But sucked deep within his loving thoughts, the royal attendant sniggered as he filled his basket with more flowers.
King Garrett saw the royal attendant on plain sight. He was angered by the royal attendant's brutal extraction.
The attendant had no right.
Garrett was the King, everything in the palace belonged to him--- even the flowers belonged to him.
King Garrett loomed behind the royal attendant, infuriated.
"Mine." King Garrett declared. "Those are mine."
Even with heavy steps, the royal attendant did not notice the King.
King Garrett was about to reach for the royal attendant's neck when a force pushed him afar.
Ziloh rushed outside the Princess' room.
A gush of wind behind the royal attendant did not stop him from his mission to pick up flowers.
"No," Ziloh pushed King Garrett away the Princess' hallway. "That is Alyssa's property."
Ziloh felt Garrett's sinister presence even when he was inside Alyssa's room. Ziloh did care about the attendant, nor did he saved the young man, Ziloh did not want Garrett to get closer to Alyssa--- especially during the night when hunger was at its peak.
Garrett was an infant in the royal world, and his hunger would be uncontrollable.
"I'm the King, everything in the palace belongs to me."
"Nothing belongs to you." Ziloh snickered. "Not even your soul belongs to you. To state the obvious, Kathy owns you."
Ziloh made sure they were away from Alyssa's room—far enough not to alarm her.
Garrett plunged Ziloh on the wall. "Don't." Garrett grabbed Ziloh's head in one hand. "Disrespect. Her. Call. Her. Queen." Garrett crushed Ziloh on the wall with every word. "Monster."
The wall cracked behind Ziloh from the impact.
Blood pooled out of Ziloh's forehead; he could taste the metallic tang on his mouth. "Monster." Ziloh laughed. "Look who's talking, you were already a monster even before you were tuned. A human killing another as his profession. Your kind cannot hide from me, even your Queen cannot hide you from me."
Ziloh no longer had a dagger made from his own blood and bone, but he was confident that he could still kill this man if he wanted to. But he might be punished for killing Kathy's new toy, so he buried his desire.
Feeling Garrett's grip lose a little---Ziloh was fast---he was on Garret's behind in a flash, tearing a flesh on Garrett's chest.
"I doubt the Queen ordered you to hurt me." Ziloh smirked. "She won't be happy if she found out."
Garrett launched himself to Ziloh, but Ziloh was already a few meters away.
Garrett did not feel any pain as chunks of his flesh dumped on the floor.
"Calm down, I'm not your enemy." For now. Ziloh's hand was smeared with blood. "You know that. You just can't stand someone stronger than you." Ziloh smirked.
Garrett launched to Ziloh, but Ziloh was a few meters away from him again.
"Arrrrggggh." Garrett wanted to beat the monster in front of him to death.
Garrett punched him on the cheek, but his fist swashed in the air.
"I'm warning you Garrett, the next time you attack me, I won't be as forgiving." Ziloh was engulfed by the shadows, suddenly gone.
Frustrated, Garrett punched the wall multiple times. He walked back the hallway, with a hole on his chest.
There was a thud behind Garret as a royal attendant stood frozen. The basket the attendant was carrying was released from his grasp, flowers scattered on the floor.
"King," The attendant rushed to him, assessing the wound. "what happened? Who attacked you?"
King Garrett saw the basket of flowers. "Mine." He grabbed the attendant's neck and drew him closer. "Those are mine."
"My King…" The attendant hanged in the air. "…won't…steal…again…please…"
"Die."
Garrett gnawed through the attendant's head and tore through his brain.
"Help! Ahhhhh! Help!" The attendant screamed.
Garrett covered the attendant's mouth to stifle his scream. He ate him, right there at the hallway where anyone could see him in the open.
Nobody was around to aid the helpless young man.
Blood pooled from the attendant's lump body--- the scattered flowers stained with blood.
Garrett collected the flowers into the basket and carried it. He grabbed his prey's ankle and dragged the dead attendant on the hallway, leaving a trail of blood. He stopped at Princess Alyssa's garden and dug a small hole to bury the basket of flowers. Satisfied with his work, he dragged his prey on the ankle again and walked towards the Queen's chamber.
Fortunate for the other attendants, Garrett did not encounter anyone on his way to the Queen. But unfortunate for Garrett, he had no one else to eat.
Only a few guards loyal to the throne had the honor to be on night duty and protect the Queen.
The guard standing on the Queen's doorway saluted to the King, but he stiffened in fear. He saw the body the King was dragging, with blood trailing behind.
"The Queen is resting," The guard's voice cracked. "pppleaasee, come back tomorrow."
The night was still young for the royals.
The door suddenly opened. "Garrett." The Queen greeted. "Come in."
Garrett dragged the body into the Queen's room and dropped it on the floor.
They sat at the round table. Garret made the chair look small.
Queen Kathy regarded the carcass on the floor. "I told you not to eat the attendants, I need them for my daughter's birthday. Barn is already complaining about the lack of personnel. "Queen Kathy shook her head due to the King's appetite. "Go have frozen foods at the kitchen."
"They're better served warm."
If King Garrett were to be honest, he intended to follow the Queen's advice about his eating habits, but this attendant's behavior made him break the Queen's advice.
"In here, foods are served in a plate." Queen Kathy exhaled." Follow the rule next time."
"Ziloh was in the Princess' room." Garrett clutched into his chest instinctively. "I caught him rush out of her room."
Noticing the wound, Queen Kathy tore off his shirt. "That needs to be stitched." Queen Kathy traced the hole on his chest." Go to Dr. Natalie."
One of Garrett's lungs was missing, Ziloh pulled it out of him. But it does not matter, really, Garrett only needed his brains intact to live.
"He was in the Princess' room." Garrett repeated.
"Leave Ziloh to me. He may be mischievous, but he can never betray me."
"Let me kill him."
"No, I need him." Queen Kathy tapped her hand on the table. "I told you who to look out for, the head of each houses, one of them, or maybe more, is after my throne. We need to find out who before they make a move."
She may have lost her composure into thinking someone harmed her daughter, thus killing the previous king. But on her right senses, she chose Garrett to be at her side as a warning to the one who wanted to hurt the main family--- her family.
Queen Kathy was no fool, she knew the previous King could not do this alone, someone more powerful was behind this, and Queen Kathy would do anything to defend her and her daughter's position.
"Let's kill them all then."
"No, that's not how it works. Dead royals would not be gone unnoticed, not even for me." Queen Kathy pressed her palm onto King Garrett's chest. "Now, clean yourself."
Queen Kathy called for the guard to clean up the mess Garrett made.
But it was Barn who arrived and had to clean up for the King. Barn cannot control himself---even in front of the royal couple--- and ate the remaining flesh of brains on the floor.
The mess was cleaned by the most trusted attendants of the Queen, sworn to serve her loyally. No one dared to go against her, no rumors spread regarding the Queen and King, all were praises and adoration.
Dr. Natalie was also called in the Queen's room to tend for the King's wound. Losing a lung might have been better for Garrett, he felt lighter, an obstruction gone from his chest.
The King and Queen then changed their clothes for the night.
"Come, we're late for the party." Queen Kathy said as she clasped her earrings.
***
The moon was at its highest in the sky as it shone through the glass windows.
There was only a long dining table in the room, it was glossy black with a symbol of a green phoenix with six tails at the center. A chandelier was hanging on the ceiling, making the food more appetizing.
Exquisite food was displayed at the table, human brains at its finest.
All the royals arrived at the same time, taking their designated seat.
"Hmmm," Cliff inhaled the food in front of him. "My favorite."
Kiva was salivating at his father's side.
All the royals were present, except for Alyssa and Ziloh--- the two royals never attended a night party. One was never invited, never knew such gathering was happening. The other knew the gathering, but never had a reason to attend.
The royals were silent as they waited for the Queen's words.
"I won't keep you from your dinner." Queen Kathy waved her hand. "You may eat." She announced.
The royals attacked their food with passion.
It was their real food for the day, animal brains were not enough to satisfy them.
No, they refuse to be called as zombies. They had their thoughts and memories intact contrary to their counterpart.
And inside the palace, foods were served in a plate, eaten with spoon and forks--- they were not savages.
Garrett's plate was a little more special than the other royals, he was served with a severed head. He wanted to be the one to dig through the brain.
If Maya and Elion were in the room, they would have recognized the head King Garret was eating.
Something was special with the night servants; they were few but all of them were cured--- Barn was among them.
At the inception of the Kingdom, laws were formed, rules were followed. And there were rules made specifically for the royals and the cured to follow--- secrecy. Confidentiality amongst the royals and the cured was implemented, but there was an exception to the rule, the Princess who was not turned yet was kept within the shadows. But she too would be welcomed to their world three weeks from now.
And Queen Kathy cannot wait for that day to come.
After the meal, instruments were played by the cured as music surrounded the room.
The balcony was opened.
The royals enjoyed the ambiance.
With high spirits, King Garrett offered his hand to ask Queen Alyssa to dance under the moonlight.
And they danced the whole night as the royals surrounded them with admiration.
They cheered for another day where time and plague cannot hurt them.
They celebrated another day of their eternity---the curse of mortality, broken.