On the other side of the palace, in the drawing room, two men sat comfortably as if they owned the place. Richard had made himself comfortable in one of the white plush seats with a glass of wine in his hand while Henry chose to stay in front of the large window with his back facing Richard.
"The view of the ocean is so beautiful here.''
Richard heard Henry and before they could continue speaking, Richard heard sharp footsteps on the floor and in no time, the king who held a displeased look on his face walked in.
The two men who were supposed to bow at him didn't budge from their position and their defiance continued to infuriate him. Henry who had been on front of the window walked to the door and locked it before taking a seat opposite Richard's.
"Hello uncle. Long time." Richard's greetings were not answered verbally. The king's face which had been filled with anger was replaced by a shocked expression but he quickly schooled his expressions. "Yo.. you are supposed to be.._"
"Your poison.. or let's say your snake's venom didn't kill me. But it killed her." He interrupted him his leg that was resting on the other knee was put back on the white floor and he placed one of his arm on the armrest as he continued to stare at the king.
The king turned to look at the other person; Henry but instead of him, it was Barbara who was seated there. She was wearing a maroon gown, the one that she wore before he banished them from here. The shock was no longer hidden and he turned to look at Richard and then to his sister but she was no longer there. It was Henry who sat there with a blank expression.
"You said she was dead." Finally the king found words. His heart was pounding in his chest.
"I did."
"Then why did I see..._" The king could not go on with his words because he was looking at the man that he had never seen before and not his sister. Was he hallucinating!'
"You are not supposed to show up here, or anywhere in this kingdom." Though his words held authority when it came to others, the same couldn't be told about Richard who was merely affected by anything he said.
"My mother was the one banished. Not me." Those calm words that came out of his mouth could not deceive anyone. There was something dark yet intimidating behind those black eyes and the king who could feel that darkness hovering around the room did not give in to fear. He had the crown which made him stronger than this boy.
"Boy, you should know who you are talking to." The king would stand his ground because the power he held was enough to make Richard disappear without a trace and he would make sure that before the night goes down, this boy would be put in his place; six feet beneath this ground that he was stepping on.
Richard who had not responded pushed himself up from the chair before going to stand in front of the king. The smile on his face was a taunting one but that did not dissolve the anger that he had and thirst for revenge kept on increasing by the minute.
"Your impulsive decisions will lead you to the grave faster than you think." The king's words did nothing to him and even after speaking so courageously, there was fear lurking in those grey eyes.
"Whoever said that ageing makes someone wiser must be a fool. Look at you uncle, you are old yet you are spouting nonsense.'' Richard taunted. He could tell that his words brought the old man to an edge which gave him satisfaction.
"I and my friend will be staying here. It's so nice to be home. Oh, and one more thing uncle, don't send your weak guards to kill me. It will be useless."He did not wait for any response from the king and instead, he walked out of the room leaving Henry behind who turned to look at the king and said. "I know that you are smart, but he is smarter."
Richard's leather shoes clicked loudly as he owned every step he took, his predatory eyes were set ahead of him and as usual he could feel gazes on him from the servants but not far away from him, he saw her, she was wearing a pink gown that had silver embroidery around the neck and her chestnut hair was messily tied into a bun. She was in the company of a woman who seemed to be too young to be the king's wife.
Princess Lilith had not seen him until they were a few meters apart but he did not spare her a glance or stop to greet them and instead, he walked past them without even turning to their side. ", Wasn't he the same man who danced with you during your engagement ceremony?" Lady Amara could not hide her curiosity. She had never seen him before but she had to internally admit that that man was really attractive.
"Do you two know each other?" It was another question from lady Amara.
"No."
He had ignored them and Lilith was not the type that would force her way into someone's life.
"He is a handsome man." Lady Amara gave out a sigh and princess Lilith did not respond to her words.