{The Abandoned Prince}

2. Alone

Ceilie's eyes widened. Lathos could feel her hands shakily tightening around him. She backed away slowly.

A blond, blue-eyed man strolled in, followed closely by a redhead knight. 

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From Ceilie's arms, Lathos could clearly see the blood dripping from the blond man's sword, as well as the trail he left behind him.  His face was flat; you could see no emotions at all, except for a cold burning flame in his pretty jeweled eyes. He quickly scanned the room, and his eyes landed on the cowering Ceilie, who was holding an 'unidentifiable bundle'. He slowly walked over, his every step echoing in the silent nursery. Lathos was too afraid to even make a sound. His instincts were screaming at him to flee. That was not an option though. The door was blocked, and he knew that the man would catch up to him in seconds if he were to make a run for it, thanks to his short legs. He also couldn't abandon Ceilie. So he stayed quiet.

The man walked until he was right in front of Ceilie. He stared at his lover's best friend, before coldly spitting out a few words. "Where is Kielle?" Ceilie's shaking intensified. She could hear her own heart beating in her chest, blood rushing in her ears. 

"I-I don't kn-know.....y-your majesty. She....she w-went missing a f-few months af-after you w-went to t-the frontlines." Ceilie knew she was doomed. The Emperor would never forgive her for letting his beloved go; especially when he was the one who entrusted Kielle to her. The Emperor fell silent. 

He had returned after waging war against another empire, only to find his Empress had gone missing. It felt like she abandoned him, disappeared without even saying goodbye. The royal had become bitter, and extremely angry. He came here to Sapphire Palace, but even her maids and best friend, did not know where she went. How useless of them. 

Lathos peeked from the blankets, watching as the mysterious man's mouth crept up, and up, until it became a twisted and mocking smirk, eyes gleaming with a cold light. 

"So that's how it is....my Empress...."

"You leave me with no other choice." he muttered.

With that, in a flash, his sword swept across Ceilie's neck, slitting her throat. 

"You are no longer needed. I have hoped that you wouldn't be as useless as the maids outside, but it seems I have overestimated you. Do not blame me for your own faults."

Ceilie raised a hand to clench at her neck, desperately trying to stop the flowing blood. Grasping at her throat, she coughed and gasped in pain. However, her other hand was still delicately holding Lathos, never letting go.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

It was no use. The blood couldn't be stopped. Ceilie's eyes became faintly moist, showing some glistening tears. 

No, it was not because she was about to die.

It was because she knew that once she did, she would be leaving her little star to the hands of the coldblooded Emperor, Claude de Alger Obelia.

She was sorry. Very sorry.

Ceilie's face grew paler by the second, her hands becoming shakier. She no longer had the energy to stand up straight, and her vision was getting blurrier by the second. She instinctively knew she was dying of blood loss. 

"My deepest apologies, little star. It seems I'll be leaving a little early...be good for me, alright?"

Ceilie's figure slowly collapsed as she murmured sorrowful words to Lathos. She no longer attempted to stop the blood. She knew she couldn't be saved. But she still wanted to show Lathos how much she loved him, how sorry she was, even in her last moments. She wanted to stop time and just cherish the feeling of holding the little bundle of warmth.