Lauren and Vivian went out of the boutique only to see the lifeless body of Lord Merriweather hanging at a building's window across from where they stood. It was the town's main street and the horrendous scene caused a commotion.
Everyone was dumbfounded. The parents hurriedly pulled their children somewhere else. The ladies who were having their usual morning stroll were stopped in their tracks.
"How gruesome!" Vivian was fazed at the sight.
"Indeed it is," Lauren replied as her gaze flew to the Merriweather's carriage that just stopped in front of the building where the lord was hung.
Lady Merriweather went out and started weeping. The curious ones stayed to watch while the others hurriedly left the street, cannot stomach the sight of a lifeless body that was obviously murdered without remorse.
"Who do you think did this?" Vivian whispered to Lauren.
Lauren shrugged. "The court is full of lies and rivalry. Anyone can be a suspect. We don't know what other affairs the lord was involved with."
"Mr. Peterson is a nice man. I pity him."
The carriage of inspection officers arrived shortly. Lauren's eyes narrowed at the sight of Sean Devitt. She had yet to settle the score between them. She hated how he managed to catch her last time.
"Do you think they can solve this before your wedding? This would surely spark controversy," Vivian said.
"If Sean Devitt would be lucky, then he could solve it. Lord Merriweather is a member of the court. He is powerful. The person behind this must be someone more powerful and considering he doesn't fear to show what he has done in public, he must have made sure to leave no traces."
Vivian nodded. "Then he must be someone who also works for the court."
"That is possible."
They went back inside the boutique. Preoccupied with the morning's center of gossip, the modiste did not ask Lauren more personal questions and just proceeded with her request.
Lauren did not take much time in picking a dress. After taking her measurements for adjustments, they decided to leave the boutique and proceed to their other plans for the day.
However, the arrival of the defense ministry's carriage outside caught Lauren's attention. Lord Merriweather's body had been taken down and the scene was currently under the inspection of Sean Devitt.
"Is that Lord Everston?" Vivian asked upon seeing the back of the man who went out of the carriage. "The inspection officers are usually the ones to retrieve dead bodies and inspect the crime scenes. I didn't expect the head of the defense ministry to directly involve himself in this." Vivian's eyes narrowed at Lauren. "Maybe he is trying to impress the King because he is to marry you?"
"That is unlikely. Lord Everston is not good at leaving good impressions. Besides, he doesn't need to impress the King. His accomplishments have already impressed His Majesty."
Lauren knew her father was hungry for power and connections. That was the exact reason why she thought marrying a powerful man could help with her plans.
"Could there be something big behind this? Just two months ago, Lord Dauncey was murdered and his body was showed off in public, which is the same thing that happened to Lord Merriweather."
"Anything is possible, Vivian. The court is dirtier than you think. You shouldn't be surprised when an influential man who works for the crown suddenly dies. The closer you are to the throne, the more enemies you get."
Lauren's lips formed a thin line when Alec dropped his gaze at her when he turned around. They were in broad daylight, yet she could clearly see how dark his gaze was.
She knew it was how he looked at everyone, but she couldn't bring herself to find any comfort in it. Even with the absence of words, he was still domineering and intimidating, which made her wonder if she really made the right decision in choosing him.
"Should we get going? We still need a new pair of shoes for you," said Vivian.
Lauren nodded and was about to walk when she saw what was coming.
An arrow was shot toward her. Not a normal arrow but a blazing one. She watched it approach her direction without blinking.
But before she could move, a dagger flew from nowhere and when it hit the arrow, the arrow turned to ashes.
Lauren looked at where the dagger came from and knew who shot it.
Vincent smiled smugly. He was in his carriage when he saw the princess and decided to stop by. Just when he went out, he saw the approaching arrow and was fast enough to shoot his dagger to stop it.
Lauren looked around to see where the arrow possibly came from. But with all the corners around, she couldn't pinpoint a certain direction.
"Oh my, that was close!" Vivian blurted out.
"Pretty close, indeed," said Vincent who was walking towards them. "I can say you were lucky I stopped by, your highness."
Sean Devitt, who witnessed what happened, crossed the street to see if everything was alright with the princess. Even though he wasn't exactly fond of Lauren, he was a dutiful public officer who wanted nothing but a safe town for the people.
"Is everything fine, your highness?" he asked.
"Did you come over to see if I'm still alive, Officer Devitt?"
Sean was used to the princess being sarcastic and rebellious, but he wasn't up for a petty argument with her.
"I suggest you go back to the palace while we investigate your case, Princess Lauren. Whoever was behind this incident, the person must have wanted you dead. It surely wasn't just an empty threat."
Lauren smiled. "Thank you for the concern, Officer Devitt. But you don't need to do anything with this one. I see your hands are already full with Lord Merriweather's case. I dare not impose on you with such a trivial matter. I have been dealing with death threats these days. It is nothing new."
"This should be investigated thoroughly, princess," Vincent interrupted. "Who knows what those people will do the next time? Don't you fear for your life?" His brow raised, a small smirk was on his face.
"I will investigate it," came another voice.
Lauren turned to Alec. She didn't notice when he had crossed the street.
"Leave this case to me, Officer Devitt," he said coldly.