Yours Truly

Chapter 9

Sooo hello yes, this is the author of the story Lucifer and basically this is my first a/n.  I just want to thank all those people who are currently supporting my book right now. Like above hundred reads and 50 votes may be less but it means so much to me. You guys are the best. Keep reading and voting and please do comment, I would love to hear something from my readers. It makes me happy :)
Chapter 9 is out, dedicated to 01_Sharu and cyumss like thanks guys 🙂❤️😘
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That yowl of anguish shattered the sphere of fantasy that was created around them.

The shatter was harsh.

So harsh that the moon seemed to feel despondent and hid behind the clouds while suddenly the stars dimmed and looked away, as if saddened by the cry. Jenavive was the first one to get up as she immediately ran down the stairs while Matthew followed her. Worry and anxiety looming over them like ghosts haunting an abandoned home.

She met a junior guard running towards her — breathless, as if he had been searching for them for quite a while. His thin lips quivering in fear or probably in worry? She couldn't put a finger on it.

"Princess, the... The King... He... He..." He panted, struggling with words. The Princess began to grow pale. While Matthew ran his hand through his hair in impatience and frustration.

"What happened to father...?"

"Shot.... Arrow... He had been..." He couldn't form his sentence properly but both of them got the idea. Jenavive's eyes widened while her pupil dilated further, leaving her brown irises exposed. Matthew could already see the tempest of emotions swirling in her eyes. Fear, anxiety, worry and ... Pain.

"Where is he now?" Matthew enquired in his firm, impassive tone. His commanding tone made a chill run down the guard's spine. The way he reacted to his tone, Matthew assumed that he was still under training.

"His... Chamber-"

Before he complete his sentence, Jenavive rushed past the guard and headed to the corridors that seemed like a labyrinth to the Prince who tried to follow her.

Her speed was notable faster, even while wearing a dress. Matthew thought.

Or maybe it was the worry for her father that enhanced her speed?

Matthew soon found himself standing in front of the enormous door of the King's chamber, heavily breathing. They weren't the only ones in the room. All the guests that were staying in the Royal Palace stood around in the majestic room.

So many people yet the silence was louder than anyone else in the room. They saw Jenavive enter and slowly moved away from the bed. A doctor of short height standing beside the King's bed came in view, while Dante was lying on the bed unconscious. A pale white bandage wrapped around his neck. His bright face had lost colour, his breathing was shallow. The Princess fought back her tears and knelt before her father.

"... How did this happen?" The Princess asked, monotonously, but Matthew heard the slight crack in her tone.

"The guests were out in the orchard where the dinner was held...." The King of Revengard, the western ally of Cyrail spoke up. "We all were merry-making and passing goblets of wine to one another until the King stood up for a break... He was on his way until an arrow swished past him, leaving a gash on his neck." He reported slowly, waiting for the Princess to react. He thought she might burst into tears just like any other young maiden.

But she wasn't any other young maiden.

She was the future Queen of Cyrail.

It wasn't sorrow she felt, the sadness she felt for her father was suppressed with anger. Anger that surged within her body like magma ready to erupt from a dormant volcano.

She was a dormant volcano.

She stood up with her fist balled so tight that her knuckles turned white. "Will he be O.K?" She enquired the doctor.

"Within a week or two, it is a good thing that the arrow did not touch his major jugular vein, otherwise he wouldn't have survived."

She nodded.

"Well I guess he needs some rest, lords are kindly requested to leave the room until he regains he consciousness."

They all left the room and entered the main hall of the room. The Princess had reached there before them, pacing around impatiently.

"What's the matter, dear lady?" A young man with a tan complexion asked.  He recently had gotten on the throne of the Youlavia after his father retired.

"Who is responsible for this?" She gritted her teeth, before anyone could say anything she yelled.

"Ronald!"

Her commanding voice made everyone freeze. While Matthew stood there, awestruck.

The old guard immediately entered, his head hanging, presumably in shame.

"Where were you when this happen? Were you not on duty?"

"Princess I was there, vigilant and alert as always. The castle grounds are fortified heavily, yet I failed..." He stated in a weak voice, he couldn't look up into her eyes.

Jenavive felt the urge to hug him and say it's okay, we all make mistakes. He was like a second father to her.

But she had to keep the tough act.

"Find them. Whoever they are. Blood shed, whether of a king or a commoner will not be tolerated by us." She spoke out sternly, the words came out harsher than they should.

"Yes, Princess." He bowed before dismissing himself. No one dared to utter a word.

She was a lioness.

Matthew had never seen a lady with such a powerful aura. No one present in the room ever had. In those days women were known for their submissive nature and daintiness.

She was graceful but wasn't a weak woman.

"What if it was done by someone who was within the castle grounds?" Sebastian questioned which made them all gasp in fear. While Jenavive tried to stay calm.

She felt everything else other than internal calmness.

"Treachery with the allies has a serious penalty, everyone in this room is aware. Unless you do not break the pact, you are bound with the rules of the treaty."

Matthew ran a hand through his hair as a habit done out of anxiety. He looked around in the room.

Where was Joseph?