Isabel looked at the ceiling of the small room, still wondering how this ended up like this. She thought that after getting out of that hellhole, she would finally be able to breathe fresh air. But why did her heart feel so empty?
The mark on her hand was gone, and just thinking about this brought tears to her eyes. She didn't want to believe that something had happened to Rax. She tried to convince herself that nothing could happen to her Rax; he was the bravest dragon she had ever met in her life, her mighty king of dragons.
But her mind contradicted her thoughts. The mark could only be gone when... She couldn't complete the thought and started sobbing once again. "Rax, how could you leave me here? I don't want a freedom where you are not with me."
As Isabel murmured while sobbing, she heard the rumbling of a wall and instantly looked at the source of the noise. She looked in disbelief as the wall in front of her shifted completely, revealing an old man with a long beard. As the old man stepped into the room, Isabel instantly recognized him.
"Grandpa Lysander!" she shouted and instantly walked to him, relief washing over her as she found comfort in his arms. She knew he would never harm her. He was the greatest support next to her father in the palace.
Grandpa Lysander was also her father's mentor and the most loyal person. She could trust him even with her eyes closed.
Isabel hugged Grandmaster Lysander and cried miserably; she had not seen a familiar face in so long.
Grandmaster Lysander was shocked when he saw the little princess crying so hard and instantly comforted her. "Princess, it is alright, stop crying. I am here. The king is also here; he sent me to meet you."
Isabel looked at him while hiccupping. "Father is here? Why didn't he come to see me then?" she said with tears in her eyes.
Grandmaster hesitated but decided to be truthful because he had to find out about the situation. He carefully said, "Princess, you have to calm down first and listen to me."
Isabel nodded her head like a small child.
Grandmaster Lysander continued, "Princess, we found you in the forest of Grimroot Hollow, the place of the Keepers, unconscious alongside your dragon, and he was breathing his last moments." Grandmaster Lysander looked at the pale face of the princess, and worry crept into his already aging face, but he still continued, "The mighty Pyraxor, the last of the Emberstorm clan, is no more."
Isabel looked like she had lost her soul and the sky had fallen upon her. "How could it be? No... No, Grandpa, you must be mistaken. How could he die? Grandpa, he can't leave me here."
She shook her head, her already fragile condition becoming even worse.
The Grandmaster looked at the pitiful condition of the princess, but it was the truth. The entire kingdom was in shock and grieving over this.
But there was more important news he had to tell the princess, and he opened his mouth but closed it again, even his throat feeling choked while uttering these words. Still, he said with difficulty, "Princess," and Isabel looked at him with her teary face.
"You are the suspect in killing your own dragon."
Isabel widened her eyes and instantly fell to her knees. The Grandmaster instantly tried to catch her but failed.
She shouted, "Grandpa Lysander, how could it be me? I loved Pyraxor more than my life. He was my life, my breath, and my heart. How could I kill him? That's sheer nonsense."
Grandmaster Lysander instantly cradled the crying princess. "I believe you, and the king also believes you, but all the evidence points to you."
"The poison found in the dragon is the poison you created before departing from Valareath."
Isabel looked at the Grandmaster. "That poison? But how could it be? Grandpa, Pyraxor was attacked by the Keepers of Dark Monsters. They attacked him with deadly poison and dark magic. How could it be my poison? And that poison, I left it in the kingdom..." But suddenly, she stopped talking and started laughing.
"Haha, she is really something... I never thought she would use it against me," Isabel murmured while laughing like a madwoman. Now everything was clear in her mind; all the pieces fit perfectly. She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her eyes. "She is really pathetic. They have not left me any room to survive, even after coming out of that hellhole."
Grandmaster Lysander looked at the maddening laugh of the princess, and his face showed remorse, but he could not understand what was happening. He again said, "Princess," trying to get her attention.
Isabel looked at the Grandmaster and said, "Grandpa, where do you think I have been all these years?"
Grandmaster Lysander looked confused and said, "In a different kingdom, seeking more guidance and practice."
Isabel laughed with a sneer and said in a mocking, small voice while keeping her pale face closer to the Grandmaster, "She has fed you all lies, Grandpa. She is really something."
"Whom are you talking about, princess? And what lies?"
"Oh, Grandpa, do you know Pyraxor and I were held captive until now in a dungeon in that same forsaken forest, Grimroot Hollow."
Grandmaster Lysander widened his eyes in horror and looked at her with disbelief. "How could it be? But we got the letters..."
"Ah, Grandpa, letters? I have not seen any living thing until now. You are the first living person I've seen."
And with a sneer on her lips, she said, "And do you know who held me captive?"
"It's the kingdom's beloved and respected, who could not see an ant crushed, the most admirable figure of the Valareath kingdom," Isabel paused and looked deeply into the eyes of the Grandmaster, trying to see if he would believe her words or try to support her. Finally, she dropped the name, and all the color drained from the Grandmaster's face.
"Queen Marie."