She could hear the man's movements. As she released Ida from her hug, she turned to the man. Despite Sierra's warning, he decided to take a leap of faith.
Sierra was about to pull him back but she was too late, he had already leaped out of the window. Ida rushed to the window too, shocked by what was happening.
Both of them watched in horror as the man yelled and fell flat onto the ground below. Sierra winced as she saw the blood pool around the man's body. She was quite certain he was dead.
Ida widened her eyes in shock as she stumbled backward. The loud thud of the man falling to his demise coupled with his screaming woke everyone up.
Guards who were on patrol quickly found the body and began to crowd around. Sierra could see the lights in each room is turned on.
"This is bad..." Sierra whispered as she made her way towards the door of her room.
By the time she had gotten down the stairs, she could hear whispers coming from some of the princesses' rooms.
"Do not open your windows or look out!" she yelled, down the corridor, hoping to shield them from the horrors of what lay beyond.
"What is with all this ruckus! I need my beauty sleep for crying out loud!" Princess Agnes exclaimed as she came out of her room with a night robe on.
Sierra glanced over to her but did not keep eye contact for long. Her hands were already curled into fists. She knew Princess Agnes was potentially one of the people who were behind this.
But she could not confront her here without sufficient evidence.
"There's been an attack," Sierra said firmly. Her comment was met with gasps.
When Agnes saw that Sierra, she looked stunned for a few moments. Her eyes widened a little and she looked as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself from doing so.
Princess Cassandra, accompanied by two of her maids, joined everyone in the corridor. Her expression did not change when she saw Sierra, but something about her seemed off.
Guards who were in charge of patrolling the Celestial Lodge came up to check on the princesses. Amongst them was their captain.
"My name is Captain Gillard, is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?"
Everyone was confused by what was happening. They were bombarding him with questions. He was trying to keep everyone calm when Sierra waded through them to get to him.
"Captain Gillard, the man you found leaped out of my window. His companion is currently incapacitated in my room." Sierra explained calmly.
"Please lead the way at once, Your Highness," Captain Gillard responded at once.
He was surprised by how calm Sierra seemed to be. She did not look like a princess who was shaken. When the others heard what Sierra said, all of them backed away from her in fear.
They began conversing amongst themselves, theorizing what might have happened. Why was there a man in Sierra's room? And why was there more than one? Why did the man leap from her window?
Sierra could hear what they were saying. She could see the look in their eyes. She knew what they were thinking but she could not care less.
Remembering Ida was still in the room, Sierra quickly rushed back up while showing the captain the way. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the man was still unconscious.
Ida, who was still visibly shaken was still on the floor. Sierra quickly went up to her to check on her.
"Ida? Ida. Talk to me," Sierra said as she gently patted her face to get her attention.
"Princess? Princess Sierra! Is the man... is he,..," her voice was shaking.
"Don't focus on that now. Are you alright? Can you stand?" she asked calmly as she held onto Ida's hands.
Captain Gillard and the two guards with him were shocked by the sight they saw. The man was slumped against the wall, which now had a huge indent. It would have taken great force for that to have happened.
They were curious to know, what happened? Captain Gillard had his guards bring the unconscious man out of the room. Then, he turned his attention to Sierra.
As far as he was concerned, she was the only person who knew what happened.
"Can I trouble you to come with me, Your Highness? I will need your help to understand what happened here. I understand it is most incon..."
"That's fine with me. I'll get changed and come with you at once," Sierra replied without hesitation.
Gillard was stunned by her willingness to cooperate. He was expecting her to be shaken by the incident. Yet she was calm and collected.
"Would you mind waiting downstairs?" Sierra asked.
"Not at all, Your Highness," the captain saluted to Sierra before taking his leave.
"Let...let me help you, princess," Ida said as she went to Sierra's closet to get her some appropriate clothing.
Once Sierra got dressed, she went downstairs with Ida trailing behind her. All the princesses were awake now, demanding answers to what had just happened.
The body had been removed but the pool of blood on the ground still remained, leading them to question what had happened.
"Are our lives in danger?"
"Who died?"
"What is going on?"
Everyone had questions, all of them wanted answers. Captain Gillard tried his best to satisfy them. But with the investigation still ongoing, there was nothing much he could say.
Sierra quickly saw Myra. She went over to her.
"Are you alright, Sierra? I heard-"
She was pressed for time, so she had no choice but to cut Myra short," I'm alright. I'll explain when I get back. But for now, I need your help Myra. Could you take care of Ida for me? She's still shaken by what happened and I need to go with the captain to explain what transpired."
She could sense the severity of the situation from Sierra's voice. As much as she wanted her questions to be answered, Myra held her tongue. She simply nodded as her maid, Reila, came forward to help Ida.
"Princess, I should go with you! I..." Sierra stopped her from speaking.
She leaned in close and whispered so that only a few of them could hear, "Don't say anything to anyone just yet, Ida. And don't you worry about me. I'll be alright. I will return soon."
"May I know where you're leading me to?" she asked as she was led out of the compound of the lodge.
"To the investigation room, Your Highness. My apologies... it's standard procedure." Captain Gillard explained.
Sierra nodded silently, trudging along the path as they walked. In the opposite direction, someone was coming towards them.
It was King Alistair.