Currently, William was in his study. The man sat in his chair with a face that looked sleep-deprived and tired. It had been three days since the tragic incident, and William still couldn't let go of the fact that the Queen, his beloved mother, was now gone.
William's chest ached every time he thought about that day. At that time, he had been watching the fireworks on the balcony of his room, admiring how beautiful they looked and suddenly started thinking of the woman who had black hair with her pretty face.
Would the fireworks be even more beautiful if he watched them with her?
William felt his chest thump and his face grow hot at the thought.
However, in an instant, everything changed when a maid came into his room and told him the bad news.
He was just stunned when he saw his mother's body that had turned pale and lifeless.
His eyes looked blank; he had not expected that the woman who always looked at him with a gaze full of warmth was now gone.
The feeling of sadness enveloped him even more when he heard some people crying, but William knew that he shouldn't do what they did.
He didn't want to show his weakness in front of anyone, especially royalty.
However, the longer he stared at his mother's body, the greater the anger and annoyance that entered his heart. He couldn't accept the fact that his mother had been killed by a vampire.
His grief turned to burning rage, and he was determined to find the hideous creature responsible for killing his mother.
William's gaze suddenly sharpened when someone knocked on the door of his room. After confirming who it was, William immediately allowed the visitor to enter. It was Nicholas, his sword-fighting teacher and the chief knight of the palace.
A man who looked to be in his late 30s entered by walking up to William with a body that looked straight and dignified.
The man wearing a white doublet, paid his respects to William.
"How is it going?" asked William looking intently at the man who was actually his teacher who taught him how to sword.
"We are still looking for them, Your Highness," said Nicholas with a tired face, while lowering his head slightly.
"Still?" William's tone sounded cold, his eyes fixed on the man who was several years older than him with a sharp gaze.
"It's been three days and you guys are still looking for him? What exactly have you been doing all this time, damn it!"
The man who was standing in an upright manner gulped when he heard that. He knew that this was truly embarrassing and lowered their pride as palace knights.
However, what else could he do? His men had tried hard, but they still couldn't find the creature that killed their Queen.
"We will try very hard," said the man, bowing his head.
"I don't need your attempts at trying, I need results!" William barked, his eyes narrowing in anger. "I don't care what it takes, that loathsome creature better be in front of me today, or else!"
"If necessary, mobilize all available knights to search for that creature!" he continued.
"But… Your Highness…" interrupted Nicholas when he heard William's order.
As the man said, not all soldiers were tasked with finding the loathsome creature that killed the Queen. Only a few were assigned, while others strengthened the palace for fear that royal members were being targeted to be killed.
"Sir Nicholas," William barked, his voice dripping with anger. "Do I need to repeat myself, or is my command not clear enough for you?"
Before the man could answer William, the door to the study suddenly opened again.
William's head immediately stared intently at the door, usually he did let people who were sometimes rude when they entered his room like this.
However, at this time William was emotional and so angry. He had even clearly told the two guards in front of his study door not to let anyone in unless asked to.
However, the door of the room had just opened without being knocked first.
Did they think that he was a joke?
A young woman dressed in maid clothes rushed into the room, her face looking panicked and sweat-soaked. Before she could say anything, the door guard stormed in after her.
"I told you that no one is allowed to enter without permission!" said the door guard who came in to take the woman.
However, the maid rebelled when she wanted to be taken away like that.
"Your Highness! I have something to tell you! This is really important!" said the woman who sounded very frustrated. The woman then tried desperately to struggle against the hands of the knights who were trying to drag her out.
"I am Lady Christine's servant!" shouted the maid when William had absolutely no intention of listening to her.
Hearing Christine's name being called, William finally ordered the knights guarding the door to stop.
At first, he wasn't in the mood to talk to the maid whose name he didn't even know. However, as soon as she mentioned Christine's name, the maid immediately caught his attention.
Within the palace, only one woman was called Christine and that was the woman he had been looking for before.
Sensing that the door guard was no longer trying to drag her out, Nora immediately released herself and knelt in front of William.
"Your Highness, I apologize for my impoliteness. After this, I will accept the appropriate punishment," Nora said, bowing her head in respect. Her tone shook as she spoke.
Before him stood the Crown Prince, and Nora knew that her actions had been truly impudent.
However, even though she knew all too well, she still had something important to tell William.
"Speak up and get to the point!" William barked, his piercing blue eyes fixated on the trembling maid before him.
"That…" Nora looked a little embarrassed when she realized the man's penetrating gaze.
Her face suddenly felt hot when she could see the prince's handsome face, which she had only seen from afar.
She hastily shook her head, realizing that this was not the time to admire the prince.
"It's been three days since Lady Christine has eaten anything," Nora finally revealed the important matter she had to share with William.
During those three days Christine was just in her room, trying to rack her brain to think about what she should do in the future because she really didn't know what to do anymore.
She didn't even think about going outside to get some fresh air because she was completely focused on thinking about what to do.
However, it turns out that without Christine realizing it, Nora, the young woman who had been Christine's maid for the past few days, noticed what she was doing.
Nora always brought food to Christine's room, but because Christine didn't eat any of it, Nora thought that Christine was still grieving over the Queen's death.
She had heard that Christine had cried at the Queen's death, and forced himself to attend the Queen's funeral.
That was why Nora had deduced that it seemed Christine was still grieving over the Queen's death and didn't want to eat her food.
"It seems that Lady Christine is still grieving over Her Majesty the Queen's death, Your Highness. I'm worried that Lady Christine will end up getting sick," Nora said, sharing her concern.
Christine was an important guest of William and she was responsible for her well-being. However, no matter what Nora did, Christine seemed unwilling to eat anything.
So the only thing Nora could do was report it to William.
"What?!" William's eyes opened wide when he heard this news.
"Did she… become that close to the Queen?" wondered William. He had heard that the Queen and Christine had spent time together before, but could they have been that close?
Regardless of the truth, William felt something strange in his heart at that moment. That woman… was so devastated by the loss of his mother that she couldn't even bring herself to touch her food?