Unexplored Glamour

Chapter 11: Realized

Prince Khyl sighed to concede that his brothers were right; their sister might have fallen asleep. He was about to leave when he felt cold air under the door. His instincts tell him that there is something wrong inside. So he knocks on the door again.

Prince Jerome said, "Eldest brother, I told you she had fallen."

Prince Jerome was cut off when he felt the cold air under the door.

"Did you feel that?" Prince Khyl asks in concern.

"Why is it cold underneath the doo?" Prince Joseph was cut off.

The three princes looked at each other, and then they kept calling and calling for their sister while banging and knocking on the door. Their voices can be heard in the hallways as the knocks on the door become stronger and louder.

When Prince Khyl had enough knocking, he tried to open the door. He was shocked, as the door was not locked. He then looked at his brother, and they got the same reaction too.

Prince Jerome said in a low, worried voice, "Open the door, Eldest Brother."

Prince Khyl then opened the door. They got inside, and horror could be seen in their faces. They were shocked and troubled when the inside of the room was revealed to them.

Meanwhile, in the chamber room of the King and Queen,

King Albert shouted and said, "Why did you let our daughter go outside the castle, Anne? Why!"

The voice of the king can be heard outside their chamber room. The maidservants who were cleaning peacefully in the hallway suddenly heard an argument that could be heard from the chamber room. They were terrified, and so they left the hallway without finishing the cleaning work.

King Albert couldn't hold his anger any longer. He has so much on his mind that it has become full. The monsters that were actively attacking the villages, the lack of supplies in the kingdom, and his problems became bigger when he got the news that their trading merchants had been attacked by the bandits. His problems became even bigger and bigger when he got the news that the princess was the one who led the trading merchant group, and he got the news that the Ventura Dynasty was the one who attacked their trading guild. He was frustrated, and madness began to spread in his head.

Queen Anne was trying to explain and said, "I was just trying to," while her tears started to fall.

King Albert cut off Queen Anne's explanation and said, "Trying to kill our own daughter? You do know how dangerous the outside world is for our daughter to be in."

"I know Albert; I know how dangerous it is for our daughter to go outside, but she needs it for her to experience how the world works," Queen Anne explains.

"She needs it? For her to experience? Then tell me, what did she experience?" King Albert said angrily.

Queen Anne replied, "It was my fault. I was at fault in the first place for not giving her the protection she needed on her way to the other nations. I was so overly confident of the Trading Guilds merchants." Queen Anne explains

"Why can't you just tell me about it? Why can't you just inform me? Why did you just secretly do it without me knowing?" King Albert said seriously.

"Because you are too busy with your so-called 'Monster Subjugation Plans', Albert. You were too busy to even talk to your own daughter once; you only talked to her when you were in a meeting or you were asking something about her. You are putting so much time into your work as a ruler and a king that you didn't even visit your own daughter when she was resting in her bedroom. You were the first one to know about the incident; you didn't even give her a visit."

After King Albert heard all of her statements, he sat down on their chamber bed, breathed heavily, and then looked up.

"Am I really that irresponsible father, Anne?" King Albert said in a low voice.

Queen Anne replied, "No, no, Albert, you are not." She then sat down in their chamber bed near King Albert.

King Albert spoke while looking up from nothingness. "Is it wrong to care about our people? Is it wrong to protect our people? Is it wrong to serve for the good of our people?" King Albert said in dismay.

Queen Anne took his hands, held them, and said, "No, Albert, there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. I know you are doing these things for the good of our people and for the kingdom."

King Albert looked at their hands, then looked at Queen Anne and said, "Then, was it wrong to keep her from going outside the castle?" the king said in a saddened voice.

Queen Anne replied and said, "I understand you are doing this for her safety." She sighed and added, "But you should know when to hold back," she said in a calm voice.

"I just want her to understand that all of this is for her own good," King Albert said with a sad expression.

"Then talk to her, explain to her, make her understand what you want to convey, and you should also listen to what she has to say," Queen Anne said calmly.

"But why? Why can't she just understand her situation all by herself?" King Albert said in confusion.

Queen Anne replied, "Because she did not experience being in a serious situation such as the incident that happened to her." She then added, "The incident only made her go outside eagerly because of your unsentimental behavior. Remember when you almost kicked your son Jerome from our family because of his lack of intelligence about swordsmanship, but you exempted him after knowing he could do magic? Albert, you don't even know what they like in their future or what they will be."

"I." King Albert was lost for words.

King Albert has been a fine king since he took the crown given to him by his father. All the people of the Jourglan Kingdom respect him, as they have always heard and cared for him. But what they don't know is that he only talks soberly with his family once in a while because of his great love for his people.