It was noon the following day when Marlena finally caught wind of King Cassius's whereabouts. She barged into the library where the latter was sitting at a table with maps strewn all around him and dumped the package she had brought right next to him.
The king shot up to his feet at the same time as guards rushed in, seemingly having appeared from out of thin air.
"We are never truly alone in this castle, are we?" Marlena smirked, motioning to the guards flanking her, waiting for the king's command to slice off her head.
He waved them off and frowned at the foul-smelling 'gift'. It was wrapped in a sheet, and from the obvious bloodstains, he didn't need to open it to know there was a dead animal inside.
"Think through your actions carefully, Marlena. Threatening the king has never ended well for anyone."
Despite the warning in his tone, she refused to cower. "Neither has threatening the crown princess, yet here we are."
