AKIRA'S POV
The palace was vast, with numerous complex corridors, halls, and chambers. The corridors were made of stone walls adorned with torches and sconces, which were lit when night fell and darkness filled everywhere. The walking halls within the palace were wide open, with tapestries, paintings, and statues lining the walls.
The guards rotated every shift at exactly eight in the morning and night to ensure continuous coverage and prevent fatigue.
The king's guard were called the Golden Cavalry and were all stationed around the king, including his bedroom. Their names were whispered everywhere, as I had heard they were brutally trained with the sole reason of protecting the king. Widely recognized with a golden armor.
The king's mother's chamber, located in the west wing, was also heavily guarded with guards called the Silver Lions, always wearing silver armor, which you would be able to recognize them.
The total number of guards stationed everywhere in this huge palace was half the size of my Nation's entire military. If there were such numbers in the palace, then what about outside the palace?
I took a deep breath as I wondered how I would ever be able to escape from here as it seemed like an impossible dream. Standing on the tall building of the annex castle within the palace, I watched as the security at the palace gate tightened, checking every carriage and box that was leaving the palace, and I was sure they were doing this because of me.
"What are you doing?" Myra's voice suddenly jerked me out of my thoughts.
As I turned around and saw her smiling face, I also flashed her a smile, but the thought of her transforming and changing just like their king made the smile quickly disappear.
"Are you also scared of me?" She asked with puppy eyes, and I felt really bad right now because she looked just like an innocent soul.
Why exactly was I having this thought? Did their king look like a monster when I first saw him? Of course, her monstrous form was hidden behind this innocent face.
"You should stay clear away from me as from now on," I stated in anger and turned around, leaving.
I could hear her small sniffle as I walked, which made me stop in my tracks as I suddenly got hit by guilt. Turning around and walked closer to her, giving her my handkerchief to wipe away her tears. Immediately, she saw me, her crying face filled with happiness, which I didn't return.
"I can't transform yet," she said, and I didn't really know if they should feel relieved or not, but all what I knew was that she would let me be like them at a certain stage.
I bent down to her level and stared into her blue eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about this? I thought we were friends," I asked as she slowly lowered her gaze in guilt.
"I am sorry," that was the only thing I could hear her mutter.
Looking at her, she might not have been actually as bad as it seemed as if she didn't actually not want to tell me, but she had been instructed not to. Myra was born in this nation, and this meant she would know everything about it unless she didn't want to talk about it, but I would make her do so.
I gently took her hand into mine, slowly caressing it, and flashed her a small smile, conveying that everything was fine.
"Should we continue our discussion in my chamber?" I asked, to which she accepted, and we both headed into my chamber.
The guards stationed to follow me everywhere also walked along with us as we headed in. As we entered, I locked the door behind us and pulled her to the bed with my hand placed on hers.
"Myra, I am really interested in this nation's history. Would you mind telling me about it?"
A huge smile filled her face and she began to delve into the nation's history. But all she was saying didn't seem to have anything to do with me, and as I couldn't hold it any longer, I decided to ask questions instead.
"How exactly was this palace created? You can't even find anywhere to hide or just secretly leave the palace and enjoy yourself and return back without anyone knowing?" I posed, and she looked at me with her brown eyes arched.
"What is it? Is there any place like that?" I queried, not understanding why she was like that.
"Do you want to run away again?" she suddenly asked me, and I felt at a loss for words as I couldn't understand how she was able to read my intention.
I let out a loud laugh which filled the room. "Why would I do that when everything is tight? I was just asking you so that you could know more about this palace."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course. Why would I even think of running away again when I and the king are now on good terms?"
"That's true because if you are not, then you would have already been nailed together right now."
Wait... did she just say nailed? But I thought he said hunting or something.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, and she looked around the room before leaning in and whispering.
"I heard the elders requested for you to be punished and nailed, but Alpha flared up and told them they must not touch you. Many people are not happy that he is siding with you."
What Myra shared with me made a cold shiver run down my spine as I realized there were some people who were also after me.
"I can't stay here any longer. I need to leave as fast as possible," I thought.
As I wanted to ask Myra another question, a knock came through. I stood up from the bed and headed to the door, opening it to meet a girl with golden armor, which meant she was one of the king's guards.
"I am here to deliver news for you," she said, and I wondered what news she was here to deliver. "On the nineteenth day of the month of Iyar, King Edward of Astraa abdicated from the throne and proclaimed Princess Beverly of Astraa as the new Queen."
The guard's announcement shattered my entire world, making me freeze on my tracks, my breath caught up in my throat as the words sank in like heavy stones. The room around me seemed to become blurry, making me feel numb and disconnected from reality.
Because now, I realized that I had no home to go back to again…