"I'm yet to be officially crowned, Duke."
Eve replied calmly, averting her eyes away from the Duke.
The Duke slightly bowed his head in reply and headed up to the seat facing Evelina , seating himself with poise.
"What brings you here, Avalina?"
The Duke asked, as though he found her visit rather bothersome.
Eve let out a sigh,
"Why can't a daughter visit her father before her wedding?"
The Duke went silent to this.
He never expects his kids to visit him out of the blue, without any prior notice. At a point where the birthday banquets were a reasonable excuse for family time and even a meal outside of that seemed to be a waste. With his own parents giving him a cold shoulder,he felt it was only natural to do the same with his own children.
"The Coronation Ceremony is in a month." Eve continued, her eyes lightly shut as she sipped on her cup of tea, "I am expected to receive a letter regarding my mandatory presence soon."
Even as she said these, Evelina was unsure about the occurings of the Imperial Palace in her absence. Her first few priorities included an immediate attendance with the King. She had to make a deal as soon as possible to be free of the hectic pressure, but her wish to return home hindered the possibility of an immediate attendance.
"The latest would be the day after tomorrow." Eve thought to herself.
Though it gives her time to prepare thoroughly for it, she had an unsettling feel of how she was given permission to leave the palace in the first place, amongst all the hustle of a wedding preparation.
"Did the cold prince beg for it or did the heartless King warm up to me?" Evelina pondered as she savoured the fresh mint tea.
"Your chambers have been left untouched." The Duke spoke up, breaking her chain of thoughts, "You may rest there for the time being."
Saying so, the Duke respectfully took his leave.
"Still a heartlessly cold father."
Eve mumbled under her breath.
…
Back at the Imperial palace, the hustle was far from subsiding.
While the Crown Princess was yet unconscious, the King who hurried over to the Ivory Palace heard about her wish through the Crown Prince, Azure.
The King immediately agreed to it and discharged a heavily guarded troupe to assist Evelina.
But the main matter was yet to be discussed.
"I need the entire schedule of the Crown Princess as of the day of the incident and any other important occurings." The King ordered, then turned to the Crown Prince and added, "Round up the attendees of the Crown Princess."
The palace was swept up clean.
Maids, butlers, chefs and even the stable men were all rounded up. Trembling in both fear and the chilly breeze flowing in the garden, they all knelt on their knees in the damp grass and soggy soil.
Azure encircled the crowd , giving them cold glares and scanning each and every face. He then stood in front of them and beckoned,
"Headmaid!"
No sooner, the arrogant maid, Liana, who left a bitter taste on Eve's judgement and enjoyed showing Avalina down , stood up, shivering from head to toe. She held her pride near and dear to her and felt like she didn't deserve such treatment. First the cowardly Princess manned up against her and now this. She was furious but had to hold her calm, for she was a noble.
"Headmaid Liana Todren at your service, Your Highness." Liana bowed in courtesy.
"Where were you at the time of the incident?"
Azure asked immediately.
"I-I-uh" Liliana stuttered while the crowd couldn't stay calm.
"Why are we facing this treatment?"
An errand boy spoke up, interrupting Liliana abruptly. Arrogance enticed in every word and manner, the twenty-year old son of a Baron felt it was unfair to receive such treatment without any proper procedures. It was evident how he looked down on even the Crown Prince himself, just because he was hardly thirteen.
Azure scoffed at this.
He then sent a sarcastic smile at the boy and answered,
"Because all of you have served your master well."
Chills ran down each and every one's spine.
"You served her so well," Azure continued,"That his Imperial Majesty ordered me to chop off all of your sorry heads."
To this they went white in fear.
Azure brought back his cold glare, turned to the crowd and asked, "Any further questions?"
No one dared to even meet his gaze, let alone let out a whisper of resistance.
"Good." Azure smirked and continued,
"So, where was I?"
…
The otherwise silent and peaceful corridor of the Ivory Palace had a chilly and unsettling air in it.
A man in his mid-forties, dressed in a casual attire of a white shirt and dark trousers, paced down the corridor. His long red hair was loosely tied up with a white lace and made into a surprisingly neat bun. His chiselled face had a neat beard on it, which brought a soft highlight to his sharp features.
"How far is the Crown Princess?"
The King of the Empire Solbrillar, Shaun Contreas asked.
"She has safely reached the Riverton walls, Your Highness." A man in his late thirties replied to the King in a calm voice. He had a frail build, while his skin was a few shades lighter than that of the King's wheatish complexion. His green eyes and silver grey hair were quite a beauty to gawk at. He wore a red suit, with a white shirt and a gold ribbon fastened around his collar. The ribbon indicated that he was of the highest order of the Imperial worker, which would be granted for he was the secretary of the ruler of the Empire.
"Eclis," The Emperor spoke , facing his secretary, "Not even a strand of her hair is to be touched. You understand?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Eclis bowed courteously, "The Imperial Knights have already been discharged for Her Highnesses safety."
"But the Imperial Knights can not be absent from the Imperial Palace itself." The King pondered."Make sure to recruit more knights, with the Crown Princess in mind." Shaun ordered.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
Eclis nodded in reply.
The long corridor started from the entrance and led straight to the spacious reception room which was elegantly designed in red and gold and had two flights of marble stairs on either side, leading to the first floor of the palace. The corridor itself was broad enough for twenty men to line up freely. The two rooms lining the corridor were a meeting room and a tea room, both of which were lined by two different kinds of gardens.
The King had just entered the empty reception when frantic pleas filled the corridor.
Azure confidently headed to the reception room. Following him were a handful of maids and butlers, their hands tied up and dragged along by the imperial Knights. Their pleas went on still, every word claimed that their owner was framed.
"Greetings to the blazing Sun of the Empire."
Azure bowed in courtesy.
The King bowed back and acknowledged him.
"Did they reveal about their masters?"
"They have been laced with dark magic, Imperial father."
Azure replied, "If they attempt to reveal their master's secrets, they will lose their life."
"Hm." Shaun thought for a moment and asked, "In your opinion, what is to be done?"
"There is this person I have heard of," Azure started,
"The youngest master of the magic tower. I believe he can have a safe solution for this form of magic."
"Hmn." The King nodded, "You can take the lead of the investigation then. I shall send you reinforcements, if and when required."
"Thank you, Imperial Father."
Azure bowed respectfully and asked,
"What do you wish for those who are found guilty?"
His words were clearly directed at the palace workers whose pleas rose further on hearing this. Irritated by the noise, the King sent a sharp glare at the crowd. His blue eyes lit up to a bright shade of neon blue and immediately sent a laced spell towards the crowd.
No sooner, the pleas stopped. But, what stood in the place of the palace workers could no longer be called 'Living'. Statues of stone took the place of those frantic workers, their desperate actions carved in stone.
"Take care of them." Shaun ordered the Knights while he blinked his eyes back to normal. Turning to the Crown Prince he spoke, " The spell will wear off soon but next time, you are to deal with these things yourself."
"Understood, Imperial Father."
Azure bowed in compliance.
Just as he was about to leave the room, a young butler rushed in and apologised,
"Pardon me for my intrusion, Your Highnesses." The eighteen year old butler named Nathan spoke. With a build rather fit for a butler, he had a slim physique which was unsettling for the position of a knight. His brown hair had a faint golden hue in it when exposed to light. His eyes were a shade of pink, which were supposed to give him a soft look but were rather fierce due to his sharp features.
"The Imperial Knights have sent a word, Your Highness."
Nathan continued;
"The Delta team was ambushed."
…