Bab 6: 6: The evil one is here
~Laith~
"Saint or sinner, I got you," the words echoed in my mind like a broken record.
The voice sounded distant yet familiar however I was unable to pinpoint who it was that spoke those words to me. Something felt amiss in my mind.
'Is it the news of Prince Caelan's engagement?'
I tried to find the point where everything started going wrong. To try and find the missing pieces of what transpired the previous day.
The last thing I recall was walking away from the engagement scene and to the holy house. From there everything was blurry. My gut sent me warning signs like I was missing an important piece of information.
After rummaging through my mind for hours and coming short of what I forgot I decided to let it go. 'If it was important I would remember it,' I thought.
It was a new dawn, one which brought far heavier clouds for me to bear than the previous one. So far the second prince's interest in Princess Zakishi was more like a myth. However, he proposed to her and now they are engaged to be wed.
"Prince Caelan and Princess Zakishi look so good together," Rhon, my servant entered the room with a commentary. One which further aided to ruin my mood. "I can't wait for the royal wedding, can you?" he turned his attention over to me.
I resisted the urge to yawn. The hype about their engagement was uncalled for. "It's just an engagement. Nothing is set in stone yet," I let out trying not to sound bitter but failing miserably.
"They are engaged. In the eyes of the ton of society and the king, they are as good as wed. Nothing can break them apart now," Rhon claimed.
I rolled my eyes at his confidence. There were a lot of things that could break the second prince's engagement. One of them being me, as the holy Incirion of the kingdom I had the power to call off any alliance I saw fit. The second thing is a scandal, a great scandal was more than capable of breaking apart any relationship.
Princess Zakishi wasn't in good books with most of the royal family. Many of them would go to great lengths to see to it that she doesn't become Prince Caelan's bride.
"You should get ready, the king wishes to celebrate this news with a breakfast party by the garden," Rhon arranged my attire for the day. The thought of having breakfast with the second prince at the same table made my insides tie into knots. Not certain I have the energy to face him and his fiancee. "Will you wear the fox eye jewelry today or the white pearls?"
My eyes trailed to the options Rhon presented to me. I felt a pang in my heart. The fox eye jewelry piece was a gift from the second prince. A forbidden token of whatever was blooming between us. One he dared not put a label on. While the pearls were a reminder of the first time he dared to cross the limits of friendship with me.
I had worn the pearls to his coronation when the crown prince was deposed by the king. It was the first time I felt what it meant to have a lingering hand gently caress my bare skin.
My breath hitched at the memory. "Neither of the two suits me," I expressed withholding the tears forming in my eyes.
The second prince toyed with me and then proposed to another for marriage. He didn't deserve my tears.
I forced myself to get up from the bed and get ready. Deciding it best to put Prince Caelan behind me. It was the only way for me to remain with my sanity in the palace. Otherwise, I feared I might lose my mind pining over someone who isn't mine to own.
Rhon assisted me with my bath. I closed my eyes and let the cold water cleanse my body and calm my mind.
"As the Incirion, it is your destiny to annihilate the Evil one and his followers and cleanse this nation," a distant echo sounded. "How do you plan to do that with a tainted heart?" a voice asked in my head. I opened my eyes and glanced at the pool of water to find it black as night.
"Arghhh," I screamed and jumped out of the pool in shock.
"Incirion, are you alright?" Rhon came to my side. Holding my trembling hands with a worried look in his eyes. My eyes cast down at the water to find it in its natural color.
However, I did not feel like setting foot in it once more. My heart throbbed faster pounding at the walls of my chest. Fear ran its thy hands down my spine as it warned me of the danger around.
Something evil had come my way and I had no recollection of it. The voice in my head was the same as the one I heard before waking up. It can't be a coincidence.
"Get me dressed," I ordered pushing past Rhon to enter my sleeping chambers.
"Saint or sinner, I got you," the words replayed in my head. Leaving one question of worry in my head. "Who are you?"
"I'm Rhon," my silly servant replied. I sighed.
Adorned in a white silk robe with a golden belt strapped around my waist. Refusing to wear any jewelry, Rhon insisted on arranging golden circlets on my hair. It was a simple yet glamorous look that earned a nod of approval from me.
"Where is the Saint?" I inquired.
"By the garden, she got up early to oversee that everything goes well," I sensed nervousness in his voice.
"Is something the matter?" I asked taking on a serious tone.
Rhon hesitated for a moment but then responded, "The Evil One is here. Somehow he made it past the barrier around the kingdom and the palace. The Saint is worried over his arrival."
My heart caught in my throat. A cold lingering touch on my skin caused me to shiver. For unknown reasons, I had a feeling I'd had a run-in with the Evil One.
'Could it be his voice that echoes in my head?'
Hadiah
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