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"...." The room was silent as the servants awaited the Prince's command. They gulped nervously. The 2nd Prince tapped his finger on the arm of his chair, the sound bringing more nervousness to the servants.
"Explain to me how you manage to lose the Black Jade, and this strange woman, from nowhere, has it? If I didn't know any better I would say," he paused, his gaze hardening over the entire group of servants. The room turned cold. "One of you gave it to her." He finished. One of the servants fell to the ground, kneeling.
"M-My lord!!! We dare not to betray-"
A loud thud was heard as the servant toppled over. From a glance the room saw the blood leaking from the servant's head, their eyes open widely from shock. The expression etched onto the now lifeless skin. The servant was dead.
There was no question that the 2nd Prince had done this. He was the only one with such tremendous power in the room who could kill without moving. The rest of the servants and guards in the room began to tremble uncontrollably in their spots.
Soon, the 2nd Prince let out another sigh. Raising his hand lazily, he signaled the guards.
"Men, bring me, Lady Lily." He said. They immediately bowed Before scampering away in a frenzy. Less than a minute later, Lady Lily was brought into the room.
She was a pale woman with a nice slim figure. Lady Lily was one of the many Prince's concubines, known for beautiful features and elegant style. Although she was not one of the most famous amongst concubines, her natural beauty was envied by many women across the nation and adored by many men. She walked towards the 2nd Prince, bowing curtly with a small, silly smile on her face. The Prince quickly signaled her to stand before pulling her into his embrace; she sat on his lap and leaned on his shoulder affectionately. She traced small designs on his arms as she smiled intently.
"What is it that you require of me, my prince?" She spoke slowly, her soft voice echoing through the quiet room. His arm holding her waist tightly. Using his other hand he carefully lifted her chin so she was staring directly at him, her big and round eyes carefully fluttering. She glanced away shyly.
"Tell me, my love, what should I do with these useless people?" He asked her with a loving tone. She glanced at the servants before returning to his gaze, a soft smile still on her lips. She covered her face with her signature pink bamboo fan.
"my prince, how can you trust me to make such an important decision? I am just a lowly concubine." She spoke. Her words were true but implied with such a sneering tone. The room went quiet as The 2nd prince did not respond. Lady Lily rested her fan on her legs, scanning the room entirely before taking a deep breath.
"Although I am simply a concubine, it would be extremely disrespectful to reject the 2nd prince's request, therefore I shall do as you ask." She said. The room was silent once more as she finished speaking. The servants and guards trembled even harder than before. Their fate in the hands of the 2nd Prince's concubine.
Lady Lily let out an obvious hum. her voice shaking the core of the guards and servants. Her hand which was tracing shapes on the prince's chest paused as she turned towards the servants. A vicious look shimmered in her eyes her mouth remained in a soft smile. However the servants and guards knew the undertone behind it. The small hope of living instantly diminished once seeing the look of calculated intent on her face.
"Well my Prince, there is no need to keep useless people around...is there?" She spoke.
***
Bella and I slept peacefully in the Inn. Although the beds were not as soft as the ones in the palace, it was much better than the bed back home or any other bed for that matter. Just as I was waking up, I heard a knock on the door.
"miss? Are you awake?" Bella asks from the other side of the door. I yawned before stretching slightly. I rubbed my eyes.
" yes Bella, come in," I responded.
The door opened and closed. I looked up to see Bella carrying a tray of food. She placed it down if you're coming towards me and bowing politely.
"Good morning Miss, I have prepared your breakfast. We are scheduled to stay here for a couple of hours and leave later in the evening, we should be arriving at the new Manor later today during the night." She explained I nodded tiredly.
"Would you like to get ready before eating?" She asked. I nodded once more.
Bella helped me to freshen up and change to a new set of clothes before handing me the tray of food.
We discussed a little bit more of the plans before Bella left me to continue eating my food.
After I returned to the Inn last night, Bella made sure to not ask any questions. It was probably for the best anyway, I didn't know how I would tell her what happened. Just thinking about it... I felt my face flush. Quickly I pressed the back of my palms against my face, in an attempt to calm myself down.
"Last night… We, The 4th Prince and I…" I mumbled to myself. My heartbeat sped up. The memories quickly caught up to me, I gulped before quickly shaking my head.
'What was I thinking?! Crying in front of him like that...I'm such an Idiot!' I thought to myself. My mind replaying the scenes as though I was in some sort of movie.
"You...need to rest well, okay?" His words replayed in my head. My head felt fuzzy the more I thought about it. I bit my lip while glancing down at my hands. I sighed in realization as I knew what these types of feelings meant. The euphoria gave me knowing he might have felt the same.
"I really have outdone myself now… having feelings for a character in a show," I spoke bitterly, yet there was a small smile on my face. I knew my anxiety would not let me ignore this.
I try to focus on my breathing in an attempt to ignore the intrusive thoughts that flooded my head. My hands trembling gently. I let out a shaky sigh and pressed my hand to the temple of my head. It Didn't seem like the panicked rush would end soon. I decided to use my accelerated mental state to my advantage. I needed to find out who killed the 3rd Prince.
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(Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed.)