Mystery Hunt (Complete - Under Major Editing)

20. King Benjamin

"I swear I did not even see that paper!" James is fuming with anger when he gets to know what Noah had implied. If it wasn't for Dylan, he would have confronted him in front of everyone.

"I know you didn't do anything. That's why I am chill around you. Maybe Noah just saw something else. And he was already skeptical about you so...." Dylan trails off as they are climbing the stairs of the Castle of Nale. The staircase was beautifully crafted, the intricate designs, with oak wood and steep. When you reach the top of the staircase, you would either take a left or a right turn.

"This looks empty," Clive says touching the empty walls.

"The marks here suggest they had portraits," David says examining.

"Maybe the robbers?" Dylan says. He is still immersed in the craftsmanship of the staircase, especially the handrails.

"Someone is drooling over wood!" Clive jokes and everyone turn to Dylan. Dylan runs behind Clive to beat him up and the others let the kids have their fun.

"I don't think it's the robbers. They would have also taken the portraits down at the hall too." James states. William nods at his suggestion. A sudden shriek comes from the right side of the staircase and everyone rushes towards the noise. Particularly James because the shriek sounded like Dylan.

"Are you okay?" William comes into the room as soon as they take the right turn. He is worried sick about Clive and Dylan but they are just rolling in laughter.

"We were running....and then I pushed Dylan on the bed...and it broke!" Clive tries to control but bursts into laughter. Everyone take a sigh of relief as Dylan was chuckling too. James helps him to get up.

"Gosh! I thought something happened to you." He says holding his arm to help him get up.

There it goes! James said something and there goes Dylan's heart!

"I am okay," Dylan replies.

"Guys! Look!" David points at a huge portrait of the King and the Queen in front of the bed. "This seems to be....."

"The master bedroom." Noah completes his sentence. He was the one who rushes towards the portrait and starts examining it.

"While Noah looks at the painting, let's look around the room, shall we?" Logan gathers everyone.

The room was rather simple but gave a majestic feeling. The fabrics, the curtain, and the bedsheets were all of the royal purple. The woodwork, other paintings, and some sculptures suggest that the King and Queen were big admirers of art. Some of the paintings were really old and of some of the greatest artists.

"Bingo!" David exclaims. He holds up a tattered book in front of everyone. The pages were falling but David catches them on time.

"Seems like King Benjamin's diary. We have hit the jackpot!" Everyone becomes a bit excited. It was their first solid clue and showed that it wasn't a lost cause after all.

"It isn't a lost cause after all," Dylan says a little louder, specifically for Noah to hear. But Noah was busy examining the painting. He was so engrossed in it that he couldn't hear William calling him.

"Babe...." William snakes his arms around his waist, "What's your obsession with paintings, huh?" he presses a small kiss on the nape of his neck. Noah turns to give him a small peck on his lips and says,

"I miss you." He smiles widely indicating he needed William.

"What? Here? Like right now?" William got a sudden rush of adrenaline in his blood.

"No. Wait for tonight." Noah winks at him and goes to talk with the others. William had already started daydreaming about his night.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"There isn't anything regarding the queen," Logan asks surprisingly. The room belongs to both Benjamin and Leila but it seems like all her stuff was gone, except the painting.

"Maybe destroyed?" Noah suggests.

"Then only why of the queen?" James challenges.

Noah ignores him and goes ahead to search a bit more. Dylan just pats his back and assures him to not think of it much.

Today's day was very fruitful. They first discovered the King's room and then his journal. Tonight was going to be a long night. When they reach back to James's palace, they all disperse back to their rooms, deciding to rest the next day. Logan suggested that they try to study Benjamin's journal for the next few days.

"Candles huh? Romantic?" William says as he closes their room door. Their bed was decorated with rose petals, with Noah sitting with a rose in his mouth himself. William slowly climbs his bed and takes the rose in his hand.

"Yes," Noah says seductively, dimming the lights.

Well let's say, there wasn't just one bed that broke that day!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Noah jolts open his eyes when he hears William taking in light snores. It indicated that he was fast asleep. He gets up quietly and dresses up. He grabs the keys to the Castle and tip-toes out of the room, closing the door without any noise. He goes out of the palace in the dark night thinking no one was awake or following him.

But he fails to notice a faint shadow that trails his steps.

As Noah reaches the inside of the Castle, he goes straight up to King Benjamin's room. Slowly closing the door behind him, he turns on the flashlight of his phone, pointing at the portrait.

"Now, where could it be?" he murmurs as he tries to move the painting here and there. He had seen it in many movies which depicted how moving an object at a certain angle may open up secret doors or passageways. He was trying out his luck. He was so engrossed that he fails to notice someone standing behind him.

"Did you find anything?"

The voice made Noah jump.