The Golden Throne

Chapter 23: The grand escape

Hilbert opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling of his bedchamber. Yellow rays of sunlight entered his room from a nearby window. He sat up and looked outside of it. The sun was still up; but it was close to the horizon, indicating that it was almost sundown- or sunrise. Hilbert couldn't tell. In fact, he couldn't tell what day it was. That was usually the case after waking up from an afternoon nap. He reached for his Xtransceiver and looked at the time.

6p.m.

Hilbert got up from his bed and yawned. He was still in his temporary bedchamber in the palace. It has only been a few hours since his battle with Red. After the battle, he and Hilda had a delicious, refreshing drink of Errion Mambo Juice. Hilbert was impressed that Hilda knew what was good in town. He wanted to talk to Red after that, but when they got back to the palace, the young man was still being hounded by numerous reporters. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

Hilbert felt his tummy rumble. Hungry... he mumbled like a zombie. He wanted to visit Hilda and Ripley and see whether they were up for dinner in the city tonight and hopefully, but he wasn't counting on it; he could get Red to come along too. Hilbert exited his room and headed to the elevator that lead to the palace's lively ground floor. 

The moment the elevator doors opened at the ground floor, Hilbert was hit with a chaotic scene. People, mostly reporters, were darting left and right, all with worried faces. Some even moved in groups, as if looking for something, while others were arguing amongst themselves. Troops of armed guards were panning out through the palace hallways. Hilbert stared at the scene in bafflement. He quickly approached the nearest guard.

"What's happened?" Hilbert asked.

"It's Red! He's gone missing!" the guard said in alarm.

"Eh...?" Hilbert couldn't believe his ears. How can that happen to a guy like him? Hilbert thought. "Wasn't he with the reporters all this while?"

The guard gulped. "He was. But he excused himself to the restroom during an interview session. When he did not return after an hour, we knew something was up. A team of guards checked the restroom he went to- and he wasn't there! Not even a single trace. It's as if... he vanished," the guard mumbled worriedly.

"That's really strange," Hilbert pursed his lips.

Suddenly, the guard received a message in his walkie-talkie. "Yes... I see... alright sir I'll be there right away," the guard spoke back into his device. "I have to go now, Master Hilbert. Would you please help us find him? The Emperor is worried. He wants to have dinner with Red tonight."

So much for inviting Red to dinner, Hilbert thought to himself. "Okay, I'll help," he nodded. "Where do I start?"

"Try searching the corridor near the library. There haven't been many guards searching there the past ten minutes," the guard said before finally departing.

Alright, so the corridor near the library is this way, Hilbert told himself as he was walking in the palace. He looked around him. Even the maids and butlers were on the lookout for Red. Weird... Hilbert mumbled. How on earth could you go missing, Red?

He reached the corridor he was assigned to. It was a long stretch with many big windows all the way to the end. After a few minutes of walking through the corridor, Hilbert stopped and looked out a window. It offered a gorgeous view of the Odaran grasslands and forests, far beyond Errion City. He took this moment to appreciate this beautiful country.

From the corner of his eye, he could see a group of guards walking towards his direction. But he ignored them and focused on the pretty scenery. Suddenly, somebody bumped into Hilbert's shoulder and tripped and fell. He wore a grey sweater with a hoodie that concealed his face. "Woah! Careful there, pal," Hilbert said. "C'mon let me help you up."