The Prince's Trust

Pet

This is a lot shorter than my previous chapter but I'm pretty proud of it so hope you enjoy ❤️

Dec's PoV

"I swear to god I didn't know what they were planning! I thought they were just looking for storage space! I was too afraid to ask questions! We never even talked past that one meeting!"

I glared down from my throne at the man on his knees with no patience left in my body.

"Do you know how many people were in your Inn when it blew up Mr McCarthy?"

"N-no your highness m-most people were out—"

"20 people. 2 children. 4 of those are reported to be your own staff. That's 22 innocent lives lost and you know what makes me sick?"

The man trembled on the spot and shook his head quickly, his shirt was drenched in sweat and hands fidgeted beneath their shackles.

"What makes me sick is that on the day of the blast you and your wife were no where to be seen, in facts by the sounds of it you were heading out of town when the troops stopped you. Look into my eyes when you lie and tell me that's a coincidence." I growled, my hands scratching the wooden throne harshly as I leaned forward.

"O-okay so they told me to leave that day a-and myself and my wife treated ourselves to a trip out! I swear your majesty i would have warned everyone if I had known! I would have come straight to you, your grace, at the first sign of trouble!"

I sat back in my seat and let out a slow laugh, "Of course. And a handful of masked men asking to leave their cargo in your basement wasn't.... troublesome to you?"

"A foolish mistake, sire."

"Deadly." I corrected, my eyes narrowing as I studied his person. He seemed so plain, so unassuming, most of what he said could be taken for the truth. There was nothing incriminating in his actions.

I waited in a painful silence as my eyes studied the line of men and women brought before me, until my head tilted with at a curious tug towards a middle-aged woman anxiously knelt amongst her peers.

My sharp gaze burrowed its way Into her senses until she looked up to me, "What's your name?"

"M-Megan Your Majesty. M-Megan McCarthy." 

"This man is Your husband?"

"Yes, Sir." She bowed her head and the two exchanged a nervous glance.

"Tell me, how well does your Inn pay?"

"Uh.... w-we've struggled your highness, since the restrictions set within the capital, travellers rarely grace our steps."

"So I assume it's harder to afford the niceties that life has to offer."

"Your majesty we are a humble family with very little to spare besides the food the lord places on our table."

Out of the corner of my eye I watched a young girl scoff and shake her bowed head. My focus turned back on the older woman, "Your bracelet. It looks expensive."

The woman suddenly went all flustered and looked away, tugging her sleeve over the jewellery. I rolled my eyes, thought so. She went to speak but I held up my hand to silence her I turned to Johnathan who stood silently beside me like a good soldier and asked, "The young girl on the right, bring her to me will you?"