Infatuated By The Princess
In the weaponry, Rafael stood in his usual spot before the table, wiping a knife with a white napkin. He had his focus fixed on the knife, cleaning it slowly and softly. His eyes were a darker shade of silver. They looked more dangerous, more predatory.
Bringing the sharp knife to his face, he examined it before returning it to continue wiping it. He remained focused even as the door creaked open and his two right-handed men walked in.
“Your highness,” they lowered their heads.
He did not reply for a while. Then he dropped the knife on the table and lifted another to start cleaning. He held it gently, like it was a prized possession.
“Speak,” finally, he gave them a go-ahead.
Draven stepped forward. His features hardened as if carved in stone. “Your highness, our mission was successful.”
For the first time since they arrived at the room, Rafael lifted his head. He gave a curt nod, sat on the chair behind him, and leaned against it. “May I hear the report?”
“Yes, your highness.” Draven cocked his head to pass Adam a glance. Adam moved forward with a parchment in his hand and once he got to the prince, he laid it down on the table and took a step back.
“The body was examined before the funeral. The painter did a perfect job painting this part.”
Draven added. “It is as we have speculated, your highness. The third princess’s death is not ordinary.”
“I see.” Rafael took hold of the parchment and brought it before him. His eyes grew darker when his eyes fell on the painting.
“The princess was killed by a stab wound,” Draven revealed.
For a minute after his revelation, everyone became still. The air around them shifted and the Prince’s fingers bunched the parchment tightly. But it wasn’t because of Draven’s revelation, it was because of the discovery he’d just made.
“You are wrong,” he whispered. Examining the painting for a while longer, he thought. A stab would not harm a vampire, especially a stab on the abdomen. It didn’t look like a stab from a silver knife either. It was also strange that the wound was still there even after a while. He examined the painting harder and then he came to a realization.
“She wasn’t pierced by an ordinary knife. Not even a silver knife.”
Draven and Adam passed each other surprised glances. “What do you mean, your highness?” They pondered out loud. They too found it strange and suspicious.
“A witch’s dagger,” he announced. “She was killed by a spell from a witch’s dagger.”
They stood shocked on the floor. Rafael rose from his chair, crossed his arms behind his back, and began to make his way to the window. He let the wind blow over his face as if it might calm him down and bring him peace a little.
“Who could it be? That killed the princess?” Adam wondered from behind.
“Intensify the investigation,” Rafae commanded. “Where is the Prime Minister’s location?”
“Your highness, the prime minister hasn’t left his mansion ever since the death of the second princess. But his servants were seen setting decorations and food ready for his birthday party.
“I see.”
“It’s suspicious that he hasn’t been outside considering that there were rogues at the funeral yesterday,” Draven informed. “We managed to eliminate them without disrupting anything. Your wife was protected.”
“Hmm.” He gave a satisfied nod.
Speaking of his wife. He hadn’t seen her since the day began. The maids had informed that the princess had insisted on having her breakfast in her room.
Suddenly, he became uninterested in the conversation. But just as he was about to turn around and exit the room to search for his wife, a fleet of laughter echoed in his ears. Instantly, he pushed closer to the window and looked below.
He stilled. His brow lifted.
Right outside the pouring snow, his wife’s laughter echoed throughout the courtyard while she chased after her servants with snowballs in her hands. Her hair and clothes were drenched in snow and when she caught one of the servants, she rubbed the snow in her face.
A smile spread across his lips when she afterward jumped up and down in excitement as if she had won a lottery by snowing her servant's face. He stood there in all smiles, hands crossed behind his back as he watched her intently, as if she’d suddenly become a show.
“Your highness, what are you smiling at?” Draven wondered out loud.
“What could be making His Highness smile this hard in the midst of trouble?” Adam added. Both men’s brows were furrowed as they walked closer to the window to see what it was that was making the prince smile so much.
Their brows furrowed even further when they stepped closer to the window and looked below. But their views were cut when Rafael suddenly snapped the curtains closed and swiveled around.
“Who gave you permission to come close to me?” His smile had disappeared like it was never there and it was replaced by his usual frown. He scoffed at his men.
Draven sighed. “Your highness, we already saw it. Unbelievable.”
“I suggest that you both mind your businesses. Now, what were we talking about?”
Both men passed each other a glance. “Did his highness just forget the pressing topic? We were…”
Adam continued but his words fell on deaf ears as Rafael’s rain began to hammer down the roof. Rafael stepped closer to the window, drew it open and looked below only to find the princess still playing with her servants in the pouring rain.
“She is unbelievable.” Had she forgotten that she was only human and might catch a cold and fall sick? She sure did everything but take care of her health.
“So we think…… your highness.”
Adam grunted and slumped on the arm chair when a flash of air brush past them. The prince was gone and so was the cloak that once laid on the arm chair.
“Is his highness so infatuated by the princess. It is unbelievable that someone caught his highness’s eyes,” he complained.
Silence filled the room for a minute. Draven walked to the window, drew the curtains and looked below.
“It is a forbidden temporary infatuation,” he whispered. His face was expressionless and his fingers were curled around the curtain.
“His highness is destined to only be with The Gifted One to save his life. And I will make sure that happens even if it means getting the princess out of his way. His highness must live.”