Crown Of Chaos

Chapter 13

Could this tour get any more boring?
The Queen has walked me through all the rooms on the first floor, the second, and now we are entering the third.
She took her time showing me all of Solvadon's art and history; she walked me through all 7 of her parlors. By the time we were climbing up the steps to get onto the third floor, she had shown me 30 bedrooms, 15 study rooms, and 4 grand libraries. To be honest, the libraries were the rooms that caught my interest the most.
The libraries were exceptionally large and well kept. There were at least six 10-metre bookshelves in each room, and they were all stuffed with books. Hundreds of them. In every shelf, every corner. It was all just books.
I will definitely be spending most of my time in there.
The Queen then proceeded to show me 8 armoury rooms, the magnificent throne room, 3 sewing rooms, and the list goes on.
Literally.
But there was something different about the castle.
It seemed brighter. Lighter. The candles were lit, and the black curtains were pulled open.
It was as if the castle came back to life.
The servants were scurrying around with small smiles on their faces. They seemed happy.
And when we finally reached the third floor, I couldn't help but notice how more homely and private it looked up here.
There are only a small number of servants who worked here.
As we slowly walked through the corridor, I noticed portraits and paintings of a girl who looked exactly like me.
"This was my Eloise," the Queen spoke as she stopped in front of a large painting on the wall.
I nearly gasped when I stared at her.
She looked exactly like me.
Elosie was sitting on a chair, holding a small teddy in her arms, grinning widely.
Her long red hair was styled in a half-up, half-down; she wore a yellow dress with white ribbons sewed here and there. We practically looked identical.
The only difference between us was our eyes.
She had her father's eyes. Hazel with a hint of green.
My eyes were pale blue.
The Queen laughed softly as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"It must be shocking, right? You guys could be twins," she exclaimed.
I nodded in response. Still shocked over the whole thing.
Maybe we were related?
Nah. I doubt it.
"Eloise was everything to me."
The Queen sighed as she took my hand in hers and walked me along the halls.
"She was so sweet and kind. Her favourite thing to do was draw; she loved drawing and painting."
I turned my head to see a small painting on the wall. It was a Teddy Bear having tea in a garden. The painting looked well drawn but not well enough to be professional.
"Did Eloise paint that?" I asked as I pointed to it.
The Queen smiled. "Yes, she did; talented, isn't she?"
But I didn't get to reply because a servant came rushing over to us.
"Your grace, we need your assistance in preparing for the upcoming event." The goblin spoke as he wiped his glasses on his black pants.
The Queen sighed and sent him away. "Yes, yes, I'll be right there."
She then took my hands in hers.
"I'm sorry, darling, but I have duties to attend to; feel free to look around and ask for assistance when needed." She smiled before walking away, her long skirt sweeping the floor behind her.
Thank goodness.
Now I can finally look for my knife in peace.
Don't me wrong. Then Queen is nice, but I have stuff to do.
I continued my way down the hall. Going in and out of rooms after skimming my eyes in them.
Where could it be?
After searching in 4 living rooms and 3 parlours, I was beginning to feel hopeless.
This place was massive; how could I ever find it?
Even the maids who scurried past me looked at me weirdly.
They were probably wondering why I was snooping around.
I was at the end of the hall now. And there was one last room, which I haven't checked yet.
On the oak door was a golden sign, which read.
"E. II"
Weird.
I quietly rested my ear on the door to see if anyone was inside. Once I confirmed it was empty, I slowly opened it.
The room was large; it looked like some kind of study/armoury. As I walked inside, I noticed there was a large oak desk; behind it was a wall that carried a collection of beautiful swords and katanas.
Across the room was a big table. But this was no ordinary table.
It was a battle display table.
I walked over to it. My fingers sliding across the corners as I tried to get a better look.
My heart nearly dropped at what I saw.
On the table was a small 3D version of the Valorian castle.
Scattered around it were small soilder figures with swords.
What shocked me most was the detail. Every tree, every bush, and every boulder was present.
The royal gardens behind the palace were there too, as were every window and door.
They were soldiers surrounding the palace, soldiers in the gardens, and they were even soilders surrounding the palace walls.
They had planned this. All of it.
The day it happened, no one was aware of the people who had silently snuck into our country.
Our King failed to defend his empire and his people, and as a result, it ended up with my parents getting killed.
I swallowed at the memory of my father lying in a pool of his own blood.
I will avenge for him. I just needed to know who was the man who killed him.
As I peeled my eyes off the table. I turned to face a wall with all my answers.
On the walls were floating shelves with masks on them. They all formed a single triangle.
2 on the bottom, one on the top.
Each mask had its own meaning.
The black masks were titled for soilders.
The silver one was for captains and generals.
And the last one
I staggered back as my hand flew to my mouth.
A shiver of fear ran down my spine as my heart began to beat rapidly.
My throat felt like it was closing in on me as I stared at the mask in shock.
Gold and silver.
The mask was gold with swirly streaks of silver. The candles in the room seemed to set the mask on fire. The flickering flames reflected off the gold, making the mask look beautiful and grand.
I staggered backwards as I held onto the table behind me for support.
Labelled underneath the mask was a single word.
King.
Suddenly the door swung open, and I whipped my head around only to see the man himself.
King Edward.
The fear that was in me had fled.
It has dissolved into nothing but hate and anger.
I could feel it in my veins as I straightened my posture and faced him with a glare on my face.
He knew me.
From the moment he first laid eyes on me in the study room, he knew I was the daughter of the man he killed.
Which explains why he asked that ridiculous question.
Edward's eyes widened at the sight of me before his expression quickly fell into an evil smirk.
"You remember me now, don't you?" He spoke.
His voice sent chills down my spine. His words seemed harmless, but I knew they were poison.
"Unfortunately, I do."
Edward walked towards me.
His black shoes echoing against the hard wooden floor.
He wore an outfit of black and a very dark green. His brown and silver hair was slicked back with gel. Only a small brown strand rested on his forehead.
"Yes." He muttered "how unfortunate."
His presence made me feel sick.
He then pulled my knife out of his pocket and I had to fight the urge to pounce on him and snatch it back.
"Looking for this?" He taunted as he threw my knife up and down repeatedly in his hand.
His smile has now twisted into a wicked grin.
He loved this.
He loved the angry look on my face.
Because both he and I knew that I was powerless. There was nothing I could do in this moment.
I swallowed the huge lump that had formed in my throat.
"Yes," I replied.
Edward scoffed before turning his desk. He practically dumped my knife into it.
The loud clang echoed in the room. It makes my head feel fuzzy.
There was silence for a bit as Edward sat at his desk.
He sighed loudly as he opened a drawer, pulled out a cigar, and lit it. It wasn't long before the disgusting stench of tobacco filled the room.
I tried not to gag as my nostrils flared and I took in the chemical scent.
I have always despised cigars.
"Your father seemed like a great man." Edward implied.
He inhaled his cigar before blowing out its smoke.
"He seemed very respectable indeed."
A wave of anger crashed over me as he spoke about my father.
He had no right.
"It was such a shame for him to end up dying for a defenceless coward."
He then picked up my knife and twirled the hilt with his fingers.
"But I can't help but admit how satisfying it was when I plunged my sword into his body." He said as he dug its blade into his desk.
"Of course breaking his ribs felt even better," he cackled.
I was shaking with anger now.
I felt mortified.
How dare he speak about my father's death that way?
"You will pay for what you did to him." I whispered.
My voice came out quiet and scratchy. But I had meant it.
I meant every bit of it.
Edward just laughed as he pulled my knife out of his desk and strided towards me.
"What can you do?" He scoffed.
"You are only a child."
It was my turn to smile now.
"Yet your plans to rule Valoria have failed because of one."
Thwack.
Edward slapped me so hard I fell against the side of the wall.
My head banging hard on the smooth stone.
My ears began to ring in my head, and my racing heart only made matters worse.
I couldn't breathe.
Edward grabbed my hair in his hand and yanked me to my feet before closing his cold, icy fingers around my throat.
I felt frozen all over as he gazed down upon me.
His eyes were widened in anger and disgust.
He took his cigar out of his mouth and blew its smoke in my face, causing me to choke in his grasp.
"How dare you mention that boy to me?" He sneered as he gripped my throat harder, nails beginning to dig into my skin.
His hazel eyes seemed blinded with nothing but hate.
He was nothing but a psycho. A savage.
"Don't you understand? That boy ruined everything for me.
My plans, my future, my glory. He took it all away from me."
His face was beginning to grow red as he pressed harder onto my throat.
I was beginning to see stars now. If he squeezes anymore tighter, I'll surely pass out.
I raised my trembling hands to his and desperately tried to peel them off.
I refuse to beg for mercy.
I will not do such a thing, especially after he talked about my father like that.
Once Edward saw my useless attempt, he threw his head back and began to roar with laughter.
"You're a strong little thing, aren't you? Most people will be begging me for their lives at this point."
With all the strength I had left in me. I opened my mouth to speak.
"I would rather die than ask for your stupid mercy," I rasped.
My lungs felt like they were on fire. If I didn't get any air soon
Finally, Edward released me, and I dropped to the floor. My back slowly sliding down the wall as I coughed and wheezed.
My head was swimming. The room felt like it was tilting.
My lips felt numb, and my eyes were watery from the lack of air.
Edward then chucked my knife at me.
"You say you will make me pay for what I did to your father, huh?" He said it icily.
"Tomorrow at 5am, meet me on the training grounds." He spoke as he walked towards the door.
"My opponent needs to be worthy of fighting me."
And that was the last thing I heard before I passed out.