Wrongly in Love

18- Double Game

"Master, we have tried-"

"Well, trying is not succeeding, is it?" Arthur blotched red, his whole body shaking with fury. "A hundred and fifty guards sent to capture only two heads- that Chanter and my brother--and my hands are yet to be stained with their blood? I planted three henchmen by that bar to capture the Princess Guinevere- then my foolish brother killed them in a stab of a dagger despite their useless boasts about being 'trained well'. Yet they ended up dead on the floor. After that, now this. Is that what you want? More humiliation? More searching? More ending up on the front page of a worthless magazine instead of achieving our goal to reach the throne? "

One of his men fell from his chair in surprise." Was that the reason why you wanted to marry Lady Guinevere?" he asked nervously, but directly." To avoid your brother from getting in the way?"

Arthur looked surprised at the man's daring." Of course, marrying her wasn't enough," he smirked, his expression once more filled with hatred." I had to make sure Gusion was dead in my hands before the wedding. And I know for a fact that Guinevere was one of the top students in the Magic Academy back then. Before my very own eyes I saw her produce a powerful magic requiem out of nowhere--but I heard that her magic wasn't working its best lately. A pity, " he said with fake disappointment,"That she might be easier to slay if she makes a wrong move."

The man nearest him gasped. "Kill Princess Guinevere, my Lord?"

Arthur turned to him with a wicked smile on his face, "King Leodegrance is already one of my brainless pawns. Because of it, Guinevere can now easily be my most vulnerable target, with her father already allowing me for us to get married when he finds her..."

He grinned. "But before we end our game, let us make daughter watch."

King Leodegrance was supposed to be going through a pile of paperwork. Letters, scrolls, and maps were scattered on his desk. Ever since the escape of Guinevere, he had been applying tighter security measure like added guards and curfew, but the citizen's problems didn't stop there. The fact that villagers have been hearing rumors about attacking kingdoms and the possibility of a battle made Leodegrance pace around the halls all day.

Suddenly he stood up. "I am done with all of these," he announced as he straightened his crown.

Maid Victoria turned from the window she was wiping clean, frowning. "But, your Majesty, there are a lot of petitions coming from our townspeople that you have yet to answer-"

"No, I simply mean I am very exhausted from all the work I have to do. Besides, I have to do a quick errand," the King replied. "I will leave these letters for later."

Before the maid could ask, the king immediately swept out of the room and began to walk quickly. He was so lost in thought that he was walking with no direction at all, going through random paths until he stopped at a dead end.

King Leodegrance looked on with confusion. As he tried to remember the path to the clothing room, a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Lost, your Highness?"

Leodegrance turned and there he saw- Sir Desmond, his most trusted advisor.

The King was filled with joy. Sir Desmond has been his longtime friend, even from when they were children. He had preferred a modest life, staying in the background while the King delivered his speeches. Leodegrance hadn't seen him for several months until now- it seemed as though Desmond appeared out of nowhere.

"Desmond!" The king approached his advisor warmly. "You're here! But why have you come?"

Sir Desmond had dark brown hair, a toothbrush mustache and a fairly long beard. His clothes may be faded, and his hair with a hint of gray, but his expression remained as happy as ever, the man Leodegrance had always known.

"I received your letter for help this morning, thus planning my journey to this castle. I understand the responsibilities and burdens of being a king, so it is natural that you forgot. And since you have trusted me so much that you allowed me access to the castle anytime, entering was no trouble. In case you were wondering, I had been travelling to other kingdoms, searching for trouble to warn you and see if the townspeople's rumors were actually true. I learned everything about Guinevere through the news, you know, " Desmond replied with a wink.

" Oh! I most certainly had forgotten! " Leodegrance chuckled."But as much as I would like to stay and chat in the tearoom, I have an urgent errand to do in the clothing room. Don't worry, it'll be a quick wait- unless you wish to accompany me?"

"Of course. I would like to assist you in any way I can. I am here to help," Sir Desmond responded smilingly.

"I am lucky," Leodegrance smiled as they turned to the corridor leading to the clothing room, "that I could trust my advisor in any way that I can! And anyways, not everything about Guinevere is on the news. I'll explain everything on the way..."

"Arthur? He seemed like a nice lad," Desmond commented as they were getting nearer towards the clothing room.

"No. I see nothing of the kind," Leodegrance whispered. "He claims to express deep love for Guinevere, but I see no truth in his words. He did nothing to rescue Guinevere. He was unaware of the happenings on her travels. I have suspicions... Greater and more terrible than one would think..." He sounded more like he was talking to himself.

Desmond stopped and frowned at Leodegrance." If you don't like him so much, why did you allow him to marry Guinevere?"

Leodegrance looked back and stopped.

"Because I would like to witness the union of two happy souls... To the very end."

Desmond heard the menace in his voice and gasped.

"This is the clothing room?!" Sir Desmond exclaimed, surprised. "You said you had to run an important errand here!"

"More like checking, though. I have something to look in here," the King replied mysteriously.

The clothing room was no bigger than a small office--it was circular and the chests were filled with clothes. Mannequins wore ravishing gowns, and yet this wasn't the thing that Desmond found weird, it was just that the room looked like it hadn't been touched for a century.

"Leodegrance, I don't think there's anything h-" He stopped.

"Keep it a secret, alright?"

Leodegrance smiled. Closing the door behind them, he pulled an inconspicuous lever from the wall. All of a sudden, a part of the wall moved sideways to reveal a gold door- A secret passageway! Desmond thought, looking awed. Unlike the rotting walls, the gold door shone brightly as ever, as though it had not been there for a very long time.

"Now I have to make sure if it's safe," Leodegrance muttered. Looking back at Desmond, he said, "Don't come in with me, okay? Just stay there and stand guard."

"Erm.. Of course." Desmond answered, curious. King Leodegrance then entered the door, leading to a very dark hallway. As he placed a foot on the marble floor, however, the walls automatically lit up with flashing yellow hues. Books and manuscripts floated in midair. But these weren't the ones Leodegrance was looking for. As he arrived at the center of the hall, a big stone case flew up in the air.

Leodegrance caught it, and the case immediately opened--to reveal a beautiful and durable-looking sword made from diamonds and with a Ruby-encrusted hilt.

Leodegrance looked satisfied. Looking from the walls to the sword, he grinned.

"You may lose your magic, Guinevere," he said as he admired the sword.

"But one day you will learn how to slay- and who."

Sorry for those expecting it would be a Gusion&Guinevere chapter but I have to make this to keep the story going😊 anyways, stay tuned for an update!