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14.15% The Tyrant's Accidental Consort / Chapter 28: A Looming Shadow

Chapter 28: A Looming Shadow

The sky was dark, with silver stars scattered across as Nesrin read 'The Political Warfare' and Jane gently brushed her hair.

Nesrin had once thought that studying for her medical profession was the hardest thing to do, but learning about politics was much harder for her.

She had just taken her dinner, and it has only been half an hour since she started this book but her eyes were already heavy.

The gates of her room were shut with a loud sound.

Nesrin and Jane both flinched as they turned around to find Alice leaning against the door, her face was pale.

Her eyes met with the curious and worried gazes of the two ladies.

Alice masked her face and cleared her throat before she strode towards the bed and begin her night duties.

"Are you alright...?" Nesrin asked.

"Mn,"

Alice fixed the bed and lit scented candles, there was a slight tremor in her hands as she ignored everything else and tried to focus on her work.

"I wonder what happened..." Nesrin whispered.

"Don't worry about her, your highness," Jane whispered back but didn't tried to keep her voice low, "Alice is too obnoxious for her highness to-"

"I can hear you," Alice glanced at Jane with wide eyes, "and I am not obnoxious!"

"Not only obnoxious," Jane continued as if she had heard nothing, "she is also very, very, unladylike."

"You are calling me unladylike?" Alice scoffed in disbelief, "Ms Jane, crying like a five year old is also very unladylike!"

"Hey-"

"Can you two please-" Nesrin nervously tried to stop them but was quickly interrupted.

"It's been only a week since I came here, and you have cried like ten times-" Alice laughed,

"Five times!" Jane retorted, "Alice, you need to learn how to respect elders!"

"You? Elder?" Alice smirked, "Your height says otherwise."

"Did you just-" Jane's face turned red.

"Alice! Jane!" Nesrin shut her book close, "You both need to respect each other more."

Alice rolled her eyes causing expressions of disbelief to appear upon Jane's face. 

"Alice, you don't seem well tonight. It would be good if you go and rest. I will do the rest of things," Nesrin noticed how the paleness never left her face despite how much she tried to hide her fear with anger.

"I am alright," Alice muttered, "There are many duties I have to do, her highness has lived a life of privilege...it would be bothersome for you to do all the work."

"The audacity!" Jane exclaimed,

"It's fine, you should take some rest, Alice," Nesrin insisted.

"I will finish my duties first!"

Alice was some creature of foreign breed for Jane. Maids are supposed to be docile but how Alice acted was completely different.

She behaved as if Nesrin had done something very wrong to her.

Then Jane raised her eyebrows as she realized something.

"What happened, Alice? You are the one who is always desperate to leave first...you are never this serious about your duties."

Nesrin agreed with the point.

Alice stiffened when she heard Jane.

Jane and Nesrin exchanged glances. It was clear that Alice was trying to avoid leaving the room for some reason.

"Alice, I am worried about your health. You should really just go and rest," Jane tried to hide her smile, "What if you fall sick? Don't worry I will do your work!"

"Stop asking me to rest and relax!" Alice snapped, "I can't just go out when-"

She froze and clasped her mouth.

"Are you...scared of the night?" Jane wondered, today was Alice's first night shift.

"I am not some small kid-"

"You are twelve," Jane stated.

Alice opened her mouth to object but she was cut off by Jane,

"Don't worry, your elder sister Jane will take you to your dorm!" Jane giggled, it was rare for Alice to be this flustered and Jane was enjoying every second of this.

Alice pressed her lips into a thin line and watched Jane coldly.

"You have no idea what you are talking about..." she said mysteriously as she walked towards the fireplace to add more wood.

Her eyes turned deep and distant as the shadows of flames flickered upon her face.

"Today is the thirteenth day of Lunar Month," Alice muttered.

Jane's hand froze while combing Nesrin's hair. She looked at Alice silently for some time, then shook her head.

"That's just a legend,"

Nesrin was clueless as she tried to understand what caused the two maids to have these grim expressions all of sudden.

"I used to think that too..." Alice said, "But tonight I heard a strange voice coming from the north wing of the palace."

Jane was silent.

Nesrin's heart became uneasy at this eerie silence, the only sound that came was from the crackling of wood.

"Ah...what are you two talking about?"

Alice looked at Nesrin with dark eyes.

"There is a legend in this palace-"

"Alice, don't scare her highness," Jane interrupted, "That is just a legend and nothing more!"

"If her highness is not careful, she could become her next victim. She should at least know the legend," Alice smiled mysteriously, "Every year, on the thirteenth day of the lunar month, someone from the palace dies. Their death is always certain and this has been happening for thirteen years...

"The legend says that in the thirteenth year, a massacre would occur in the palace and everything would be stained with blood."

Nesrin reminded herself that this is just a legend, but her heart wouldn't stop racing fast.

Alice turned her eyes back towards the flames in front of her.

"It started when the grand emperor took Lady Anna as his twelfth consort. She was from a small kingdom, but it is said that she had an angelic beauty. Back then, this palace used to be the harem and there were many wives of the emperor that resided here.

"One of his many wives became jealous of Lady Anna, so she decided to frame her for poisoning the grand emperor. The jealous wife had the status of queen while Lady Anna was merely an imperial consort, she had no chance against the queen.

Nesrin glanced at her cold numb hands in disbelief, why did this story made her feel like this?

Alice sighed heavily and continued.

"The queen didn't wait for a trial and declared a punishment for Lady Anna on her own. Lady Anna was whipped with hundred lashes until her breaths left her.

"This scared the queen because no matter how high her status was within the harem, she could not murder someone and get away with it. The grand emperor was a fire monarch.

"Fearing the consequences of her actions, the queen secretly hid the body of Lady Anna behind one of the secret walls of the northern wing. The night when lady Anna died was the thirteenth of the Lunar month.

Nesrin patted the cold sweat that covered her with a handkerchief. Her fingers trembled, she could not understand what was happening with her body but for some reason, her heart was beating too fast, so fast that a panic was rising inside her.

"One month later," Alice continued, "The queen fell sick and died, one by one, everyone who was involved in the murder of Lady Anna died in exact same way..."

Lightning rumbled in the skies, a stormy wind invaded the room and swept the flames off all the candles.

The three ladies screamed at the sudden sound, Jane hugged Nesrin tightly and Alice collapsed on the floor from her chair.

The only light that came was from the fireplace.

A long eerie silence settled inside the room.

"I-It is...it is said that Lady Anna visits her victims at the time of night, while wearing a blood stained white gown," Alice finished, "She knocks on the door...one should never answer her..."

There was a loud impatient rapping on the door that made all of them scream again.

Jane had hugged Nesrin to the point that it became harder to breath, she glanced at Nesrin with teary eyes.

The rapping continued, making Nesrin's heart beat faster and faster.

She freed herself from Jane and stood up,

"It could be something important..."

"D-don't go," Alice whispered.

Nesrin swallowed hard and walked towards the gates, the rapping sound stopped and Nesrin hesitated for a while before pulling the gates open.

There was a maid who looked familiar.

She nervously glanced inside the room before curtsying.

"Ms Jane and Ms Alice are late for the maid evaluation, kindly give them permission to come. Lady Croff is furious," she said.

Nesrin looked at the two maids inside, they heard the message for them and hesitatingly walked towards the gates. Jane looked at Nesrin with worry,

"Keep your gates locked...don't open them, no matter what," Jane sniffled as she bid farewell to Nesrin.

Alice walked outside without saying anything, but she glanced once at Nesrin before she left.

Nesrin took in a deep breath to calm her nerves as she shut the gates close. 

She had only walked a few steps, when her head spun all of sudden. The cold numbness she had felt earlier in her hands had now claimed her completely.

The guards were just outside the door, if she simply went out then they would help her but Nesrin could take even one step before her body collapsed on the ground.

Her vision turned blurred, the darkness was clouding her when the gate of her chamber opened and she saw a shadow enter.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Alancaster Alancaster

~Trivia~

Jane:

Age: 16

Height: 153 cm

Alice

Age: 15

Height: 150 cm

Enchanting The Cruel Prince

New Book Out! A tale of forbidden love, and courtly intrigues~

Chapter 29: For Greater Good

The guards bowed together as Myrtle stopped in front of Nesrin's bedchamber.

"Your highness," 

"I am here to see her majesty," she smiled sweetly.

The guards exchanged nervous glances and one of them spoke,

"Pardon us, your highness. But this is time for Princess Johanna to sleep, I am afraid you-"

"Do you-" Myrtle's smile dropped as she raised an eyebrow, "-think I need your permission?"

"I request her highness to-"

"The knights that speak too much lose their tongues, don't make me wait any longer," Myrtle narrowed her eyes.

The guard hesitated but then apologized and let her enter the room.

Myrtle smirked as she pushed the gates open and walked inside casually, her eyes glanced at Nesrin, who had fainted on the floor, before looking around the room.

She tapped the wall in a few places before stopping besides a giant vase. Myrtle pressed the wall with little strength, and opened the wall panel.

It was something that was only created in the bed chambers of the imperial family members. These wall panels led to secret tunnels and safe houses.

In case the palace is ever invaded, these secret panels served as a protection for the imperial family.

The secret tunnels led to a place outside the palace, using them, anyone can leave the palace without being seen, if they knew the secret lever.

In the same manner, anyone can enter the palace as well.

The panel opened to reveal a man clad in dark clothes, and wearing a black mask that covered his mouth. Only his dark eyes were visible.

Myrtle pointed at Nesrin.

"She is the one,"

The man followed her instructions and walked towards Nesrin, and picked her in his arms.

"All you need to do is keep her hidden with you for one month," Myrtle said, "I will make sure she can not return after that."

Myrtle watched him as he silently went back towards the tunnel, she had noticed that he was a man with tough skin.

If she had hired anyone else, they would be licking her boots but he had a stubborn personality.

He hated being ordered around.

And she hated people like him, those that did not know their position in society.

"Remember," Myrtle stopped him, "I have my eyes around you, if you dare cross any boundaries with her highness... everyone you care for will end."

The man paused for a second as he glanced back at Myrtle with his hard gaze, he nodded slightly before proceeding inside the secret tunnel.

Myrtle watched him disappear in the shadows before closing the wall panel.

There was a relief in her heart, and the smile didn't leave her as she went back to her chamber.

When the sun arises, Princess Lillian would have no rival and she would finally be able to claim what is hers, Izekiel.

Myrtle knew that the reason why Lillian never made a move on Izekiel was because she was shy and timid, unlike Nesrin who had clung to Izekiel since their marriage and even caused him to be badly injured.

She had known how cold hearted and cruel her brother was, Nesrin was only with him now because she was unaware of the truth.

Once she finds out about it, Myrtle knows that Nesrin too will leave Izekiel.

Myrtle had known Lillian since childhood, and had seen how unconditionally Lillian loved Izekiel despite his darkness.

There was only one person that deserved Izekiel, and that was Lillian.

Her feet paused when she reached her room. She turned to look back.

What if the man breaks his promise?

~~~

The long tunnel was lit up by dim lanterns with each step the man took, he wanted to leave the palace soon and so his pace was quick.

His eyes were looking straight ahead but often they would glance down at the princess in his arms.

The rumors were true.

Princess Johanna had an exceptional beauty, the soft peaceful look of hers was enough to tempt any men or even women.

He was hired to hide her with him for one month, it was both for protecting her as well as keeping a watch on her.

As he saw her calm sleeping face, he realized that protecting a woman like her would be an honor. He was not rich, but he knew he could provide for her enough to live comfortably.

This simple job that he was given would provide him with the riches he had always desired. He will finally have the means with which he can get his sick parents cured, and give a better life to his siblings.

However, protecting Johanna was not something he could do.

His gaze darkened.

They reached a chamber, where the man gently laid Johanna down on the floor.

There was only thing that mattered to him more than his family, or money, and that was justice.

He had lost people close to him because of the practitioners of dark magic. It was a forbidden magic that brought calamity upon both, the practitioner as well as others.

The dark magic consumed a person's soul until there was nothing but a mindless shell remaining. 

Anyone who used dark magic could be punished by death.

However, such law was useless if the emperor himself indulged in something so sinful.

It was hard for him to believe it, when he was first told about his majesty's relation to dark magic but the one that told him about this was a saint.

And saints never lie.

Eliminating the emperor was for the greater good, he could not be allowed to sit in such a high position when he uses such lethal means of magic.

But he was told that Izekiel can not be killed if Johanna is near him.

The man despised himself for what he was about to do.

Johanna's eyes slowly opened, making him freeze but he couldn't hesitate. There was not much time, he wanted to do his job while she was still under the influence of the drug.

Otherwise, it would be too painful for her.

Johanna's drowsy eyes flickered with fear and worry, as she whispered,

"Who are...?"

She tried to get up when he pulled her back firmly by closing his hands around her throat.

A rugged gasp escaped Johanna as she feebly tried to push his hands away. She tried to fight but he was too strong, and there was little to no strength in her.

"p-please..." her voice broke.

The man's hand hesitated but this had to be done. She can not be allowed to live.

Her face had started to turn red, her painful eyes pleaded him to stop as he tightened his grip more. 

'one life to save many...'

He told himself as Johanna's eyes lined up with tears, as a choked sob escaped her.

'one life to save many...'

He repeated, as the light started to fade away from her eyes, as her body lost the strength to fight.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Alancaster Alancaster

Have some thought? Feel free to comment!

Thans for reading ^^

Enchanting The Cruel Prince

New Book Out! A tale of forbidden love, and courtly intrigues~

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