Chapter 119 Chapter 119: That woman must die tonight
~ Kingdom of Grok~
Annalise sat in the small, dark room at the Count’s estate, staring at the single candle burning on the wooden table in front of her.
The flame swayed and danced, casting strange figures on the walls.
She'd been sitting here for over two hours now, waiting for news. To hear that her plan had finally worked.
That princess Bella was finally dead.
A smile played across Annalise's lips as she imagined it. The Queen's body lying torn and used in the forest. Maybe by wild animals. And then used by the bandits she assigned the job to.
It didn't matter how it happened. All that mattered was that the woman was gone forever.
Because the King belonged to Annalise. He always had. He'd just been confused, tricked by the princess witch's spell.
But once she was dead, Liam would finally see the truth. He would finally see that Annalise was the one who truly loved him. The one who deserved to be his Queen.
She touched her bandaged cheek gently, wincing at the pain that still lingered there. Her mother had done this to her.
Scarred her face so she can manipulate the king with it. It's painful now, but it is worth it.
But it was worth it. Everything was worth it if it meant having Liam.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in," Annalise called out, sitting up straighter in her chair.
The door opened quickly and Annabelle slipped inside, closing it behind her. Her face was flushed red like she'd been running fast, and she was breathing hard.
"Well?" Annalise demanded immediately, her voice sharp with impatience. "Is it done? Did they send word? Tell me she's dead."
Annabelle's face fell. She looked down at the floor, unable to meet Annalise's eyes. Her hands twisted nervously in front of her.
"My lady, I..." Annabelle's voice shook. "I received a signal from them while waiting like you instructed."
"And?" Annalise's voice rose with excitement. She stood up from her chair quickly. "What did they say? Tell me they finished the job! Tell me that woman is finally gone!"
"The item..." Annabelle's voice was barely a whisper now. "The item escaped, my lady."
For a long moment, Annalise didn't move. Didn't speak. Didn't even breathe. She just stood there, frozen, staring at Annabelle like she hadn't heard correctly.
"What did you say?" Annalise whispered in a cold tone.
"The item escaped, my lady," Annabelle repeated, her whole body trembling now with fear. "The signal from the woods said she got away from them. She ran into the forest and they lost her. They're searching for her now but."
"WHAT?!"
Annalise's scream was so loud that Annabelle jumped back against the door in terror.
"How?!" Annalise shrieked, her face turning bright red with rage. "HOW did she escape?! I paid them a FORTUNE! More gold than they'd ever seen in their pathetic lives! I gave them SPECIFIC instructions! Drug her! Tie her up! Take her deep into the woods and KILL her! How could she POSSIBLY escape?!"
Her voice got louder with each word until she was screaming at the top of her lungs.
"I don't know, my lady!" Annabelle stammered, pressing herself against the door like she wanted to melt through it and disappear. "The signal just said…"
"I don't CARE what the signal said!"
Annalise grabbed the candle from the table and hurled it across the room with all her strength.
It hit the wall and went out, wax splattering everywhere. The room plunged into darkness except for the pale moonlight coming through the small window.
But Annalise didn't care about the darkness. She was too angry to care about anything except the rage burning through her veins.
"Those incompetent FOOLS!" she screamed, pacing back and forth like a caged wild animal. Her hands clenched into fists so tight her fingernails dug into her palms, drawing blood. "I should have KNOWN better than to hire common bandits! Stupid, worthless peasants who can't do ANYTHING right!"
She grabbed a wooden chair and lifted it over her head, then smashed it against the floor. It broke into pieces.
Annabelle let out a small cry of fear but didn't dare move from her spot by the door.
"All that gold!" Annalise continued screaming, kicking the broken pieces of chair across the room. "All that planning! All that waiting! And for WHAT?! For nothing! For NOTHING!"
She picked up the small table and flipped it over, sending it crashing into the wall. Then she grabbed the water pitcher and threw it. It shattered against the doorframe right next to Annabelle's head, making the maid shriek.
"My lady, please!" Annabelle begged, tears streaming down her face now. "Please calm down! Someone will hear! The Count household might hear you…"
"Let them hear!" Annalise snarled, spinning to face her maid. "Let EVERYONE hear! I don't CARE anymore!"
But even as she screamed those words, Annalise knew they weren't true. She did care.
She had to be careful. If anyone discovered what she'd done, if anyone learned she'd hired bandits to murder the Queen…
No. She couldn't think about that. She had to fix this. She had to make sure the Queen died tonight, before anyone discovered what had happened.
Annalise took several deep breaths, trying to force herself to calm down. Her chest heaved up and down. Her hands shook with rage.
"Send another signal," she ordered Annabelle, her voice hard. "Right now. Go back to the signaling spot and send the message."
"What... what should I tell them, my lady?" Annabelle questioned nervously.
Annalise's eyes narrowed. "Tell them this; If they don't bring me the Queen's dead body before sunrise, I will have every single one of them killed. And not just them,their wives, their children, their parents, their brothers and sisters. Everyone they've ever loved. I'll hunt down their entire families and make them suffer."
Annabelle's face went white as snow. "My lady, surely you don't mean…"
"I mean EXACTLY what I said!" Annalise hissed. "They know where I come from. They know my mother was a Duchess. They know I have connections, people who will do what I ask for the right price. So tell them…if they value their families' lives, they will find that woman and kill her TONIGHT. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lady," Annabelle whispered, her voice shaking.
"Then GO!" Annalise shouted. "Go NOW! Send the message immediately!"