Forbidden Love✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 20

King Adun and Queen Laila’s finally return to the castle after a two-day trip to the neighboring kingdom of King Daniel and Queen Mallory. As their royal carriage rolls to a stop at the grand entrance, the castle staff scurries forward to welcome them. Both monarchs step down gracefully from the carriage, exchanging brief glances of relief to be home.

As they settle, they hear the steady beat of a horse approaching in the distance. Turning toward the castle gates, they see Prince Pond riding up, his expression eager and slightly nervous. Queen Laila smiles warmly upon recognizing him.

"Oh, Pond, what brings you here?" she asks, genuinely curious.

Prince Pond dismounts and gives a respectful bow. "I wanted to see Santa," he explains, trying to contain the excitement in his voice. "I was hoping he’d be here."

Queen Laila’s smile widens. "How thoughtful of you, Pond. Please, come inside," she says, gesturing for him to join them in the castle.

Once inside, Queen Laila turns to one of the maids, Namtan. "Could you fetch Prince Santa for us, please?" she requests gently.

Namtan nods and hurries off to find Santa. However, after a few minutes, she returns, looking somewhat troubled. Bowing her head respectfully, she says, "Your Highnesses, I couldn’t find Prince Santa in his room. Princess Becky isn’t there either."

King Adun and Queen Laila exchange concerned glances, their expressions darkening with worry.

"Where could they have gone?" Queen Laila murmurs, a touch of unease in her voice.

Immediately, King Adun calls for all available guards. "Search the grounds and the surrounding areas. We must find Prince Santa and Princess Becky at once." His voice carries an undeniable edge of authority and worry.

Pond’s expression shifts from anticipation to worry. "I’ll help look for them too," he offers, already preparing to check other parts of the castle.

The castle falls into a state of focused urgency as guards, along with Pond, disperse throughout the castle grounds, searching every corner. After a time, Hong, approaches the king and queen, bowing deeply before delivering his report.

"We haven’t found them, Your Majesty," Hong says, his face reflecting the concern etched in the king and queen’s expressions.

Queen Laila’s brow furrows, her voice barely a whisper as she says, "Where could they be?"

Just then, another guard, Nut, steps forward, visibly anxious. "Your Highness, we also noticed that Est and William are missing from their posts."

King Adun’s jaw tightens. "What? Weren’t they supposed to be guarding the castle?" he demands, anger and worry lacing his words.

Nay, another guard, nods solemnly. "Yes, Your Majesty, they were assigned to guard duty."

Before they can speculate further, Tad steps forward, his expression hesitant yet determined. "Your Highness," he begins, bowing slightly, "I have something to tell you."

King Adun fixes Tad with a piercing gaze. "Speak, Tad. What do you know?"

Taking a deep breath, Tad reveals what he has recently discovered. "I’ve come to understand that Prince Santa and Princess Becky have been sneaking out of the castle. I believe they’ve been leaving through the backyard… with the help of Est and William."

The revelation causes both King Adun and Queen Laila to widen their eyes in shock. Queen Laila’s voice trembles slightly with disbelief. "Why would they do that?" she whispers, clearly hurt by the notion of her children defying the rules.