Leon carefully walked down to the dungeon with two guards behind him. When he got into the prison room, he paused for a moment, then turned to the guards and said "You can stop here. I'll go in alone" he ordered and the guards just obeyed while stepping back to stand at the entrance.
Melina, who had been starved since the previous day till now just lay on the cold hard floor feeling weak and exhausted even though she had done nothing since then. When she heard the prison gate open, out of fear she hurriedly stood up to see who it was. She couldn't be executed this soon, could she? Not until they had real evidence against her, she thought shaking her head.
When the person came into view, she stared at him, feeling a little confused and at the same time, ...relieved.
"Mi...milord?" She called to be sure.
Leon walked to the cell she had been locked in. He looked at her body from head to toe that now looked rough, her red hair being prominent. She was pretty.....but looked starved and weak, somewhere he felt bad for her.
"What is your name?" He asked her.
"Melina. Milord...I swear I did not kill the King. I went to the room to clean it up when I saw blood dripping everywhere. I promise I will never kill anyone, please believe me." She quickly added not wanting to take chances. Leon continued staring at her like a charmed horse. She was indeed pretty, he couldn't deny. He had seen when some of the guards were staring at her that day but thought it to be just the 'men will be men' phrase.
"Melina....." he called. He didn't need anyone to tell him anymore that she was innocent. She looked like she had barely been out of the castle to know how the world was.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable seeing her like this, he stood up from there and told the guards at the entrance to release her back to her duty post. Though they were shocked, they did as they were told.
Soon, news spread about the labelled King's murderer who Prince Leon had set free. The Queen and few elder Chieftains opposed his action but since he was now the highest in command and his decision was final, everyone kept their mouths shut.
Though Prince Leon had released Melina because he was aware she couldn't have been the one, he had also done it to let the King's death die off to the people while he and his right-hand man, Matthew will low-key investigate concerning his father's death. By then, his killer will not be on guard and it would be easier to know who killed him.
Days later...
After King William's death, Melina had tried to keep her profile as low as possible knowing that people still thought she was responsible for the death of the King. Because of the incident, she was cancelled from taking care of any royals quarters or rooms to avoid any other complications.
One night, after she was done cleaning the Castle's main parlour, she went to the pool located in the backyard where she usually secretly rested whenever she was done with her chores. It felt like the coolest and serene place in the entire Castle for her since no one could disturb her from there. However, today was different.
When she sat down on the cold stone that was placed like decoration around the pool of water, she laid her head on the top pavement, trying to think about how her day went when she noticed a shadow on the other side of the pool. The silhouette resembles that of a mature man with a broad chest and perfect hip size. A little confused, she turned around to see who it was and her eyes widened, a surge of heat came to surface her. It was the Prince. His oh so chiselled jaw that made him look almost perfect caught her attention. What was he doing here? She asked herself.
Not wanting anyone to find out she was here as it would be more trouble for her, she immediately bent down her head flat on the floor.
Prince Leon who had come here simply to cool his mind down after all the court duties he had attended to was resting his head on a stone pillar close to the pool when he sensed something moving beside him and swiftly turned his head in the alert. It was close to midnight, what will anyone be doing here? Not satisfied with the answer he was getting, he pulled out a dagger he had kept inside his pocket for a while now and subtly stood up from the stone he had sat on.
As he went in further, he took note of a shadow in the dark that was moving steadily away.
Melina saw the Prince coming in her direction slowly. She didn't need anyone to tell her that he had already noticed her presence, but since she didn't want him to know it was her again, without warning, she stood up from where she had been hiding and ran away from the poolside. Leon saw the person running and quickly wanted to throw the dagger at him before he noticed the red hair. That hair.....
Melina was still running through the Palace corridors when someone pulled her into a corner, covering her mouth. Panicking, she started struggling and fighting the person only to stop when she saw his face. She was in trouble again. Trouble was looking everywhere for her.
"mILoRd...?!" She called him.
"You again." He glared at her with folded arms. "When will you stop acting like a criminal in this castle? What are you planning again?" Leon questioned her looking perplexed. The girl was weird.
"I....I.l was...."
"Speak before I lock you up in the dungeon."
"I went to receive some fresh air. I had a rough day today, milord."
"I see.....And you thought sitting down alone by the pool would be any safe right?"
"...."
"Let me inform you now, Melina if you had no idea before. This is a castle, not your former maid's quarters where only your type could be seen. This is an open square where different people including the wicked ones can come into with their bad intentions" he told with a look of suspicion.
"If you don't take your time and be cautious of yourself, then I doubt you'd survive in here." He said with the same vigour.
Melina quietly and discreetly glared at him while trying not to forget that he was the crowned Prince and had also saved her life before now. Leon who was expecting a 'thank you or acknowledgement from her was disappointed at her reaction for a moment. She looked very stubborn, no wonder Ms Carlos was always on her neck, he thought.
Shaking his head, he was about to leave when he heard the voice that made him stop in his tracks and turn to face her.
"What about you, Prince? Have you forgotten you are the target of many people? Why do you come out in the middle of the night and alone? If you don't take your time and be cautious of yourself too, you might not survive before your reign even starts." She said with all boldness, leaving Leon dumbstruck.