Chapter 88: Chapter 88
“That’s my dagger.” I pointed out.
“Where did you get that?” Ivan asked.
“I found it under my pillow tonight.” I gulped, staring at the weapon as if hypnotized.
“How did it get there? And what did you mean by ‘she found me’?” Isaiah eyed the blade suspiciously.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my torso, breathing deeply to try and push back the panic attack that was working its way out.
“All I know is that dagger should be in the royal armory, but it’s not, and it wasn’t there when we went to Agni either.”
“Wait, how do you know about that?” Ivan’s bewilderment was clear on his features.
“Well, remember when I told you about my impromptu visit to the armory that day you were busy with your family?”
I paused, waiting until they both nodded, then continued. “I felt like someone was watching me the whole time I was there, so I looked around, and when I got to the display case, my dagger was missing, and whoever was there with me ran away.”
“Lilith, why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Ivan’s voice was reprimanding.
“I didn’t want you to worry,” I whispered. “And when nothing happened, I forgot about it. Until now.”
“How do you know it was her?” He pondered.
“Who else would steal a royal dagger from the castle, a dagger that belongs to a supposedly dead queen, and plant it under my pillow?”
Silence engulfed the room once again as we all stared at the blade.
“What is that?” Isaiah asked as he reached for it.
I stepped forward, trying to see what he was seeing, when he pulled something off the hilt. As he unfolded it, I almost face-palmed myself for not noticing the note duct-taped to the edge of the hilt.
After going over the note a few times, Isaiah handed it over to me.
“Well, that answers the question of who took the dagger.”
As Ivan leaned in to read the words over my shoulder, my eyes scanned over the paper, and my blood froze in my veins.
“Condemned to death, yet she still breathes. A threat to our peace that must be defeated. Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kira asked again. We were heading towards the cafeteria, the cold breeze of the early morning shaking the drowsiness out of our bones. “You know you can tell me anything. I’m sure whatever it is, we can work it out.”
“Thank you, Kira, I really appreciate it.” I smiled sincerely at my best friend.
Her blue hair was a tangled mess on her head, and her scarf and coat covered her entirely, but I could still see the concern in her blue eyes, and I didn’t know if I should be grateful to have such great friends or even more guilty for lying to them and putting their lives in danger.
“I’m just tired and overwhelmed. With the trials and the extra tutoring lessons, I barely get any sleep anymore. You don’t have to worry about me, I’ll bounce back.”
The chatter of the cafeteria was loud enough to drown the paranoid thoughts in my head, and I silently thanked Rose for insisting we get our breakfast here instead of the house as usual.
Our table was already filled, Jasper and Kieran making a mess as usual, and Ivan and Gianna whispering amongst themselves.
A pang of jealousy struck my heart at the sight of them, and my mood darkened even further. I knew I had no right to feel this way, but no matter how many times I tried to convince myself of that, it never seemed to work.
“Good morning, everyone.” Rose beamed as she sat down next to Jasper. How she could be so chipper so early in the morning remained a mystery to me.
“Oh, joy.” Gianna sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
“Good morning, everyone except her.” Kira rolled her eyes. Taking off her thick scarf, she sat down and grabbed a pancake off her twin’s plate. “What is she doing here?” Her tone was less than friendly.
“Would you two cut it out?” Ivan said. “It’s too early for your bickering.”
“Agreed.” Kieran nodded. “Let’s just have a nice breakfast before we have to go back out there and brave the elements, all right?”
“Fine.” Kira shrugged. “I can be a bigger person.”
Gianna was about to say something, no doubt a snooty comeback, but was silenced by Ivan’s glare.
Rose and Kieran volunteered to go and get us more food from the buffet, claiming that the stack of pancakes on the table was not enough for all of us.
From the corner of my eye, I could see them grabbing two trays and stacking a bit of everything on our plates, and I absentmindedly wondered if we would be able to finish all of that.
“Hey, Lilith.” Jasper’s voice brought my attention back to the table. “Are you alright? You look a bit pale.” Huh, he was definitely Kira’s twin if their observation skills were anything to go by.
“I’m fine, just a bit tired.”
“Are you not getting enough sleep, too?” He nodded knowingly. “I haven’t been sleeping properly since the attack. Every time I close my eyes, I wonder if tonight’s going to be the night they strike again.”
“I wonder what they’re waiting for,” Gianna asked.
“Are the royals any closer to figuring out who the traitor is?” I asked Jasper, trying my best to avoid looking at the couple to my right.
“Not yet.” He shook his head.
“Behold,” Kieran said in a deep voice as he and Rose came to a stop at our table. “The most delicious breakfast you have ever had.”
Rose giggled at his antics as she started unloading the plates on our table. Pancakes, waffles, crepes, milkshakes, fruit salads, and coffees were only a small portion of what they brought back.
“Wow.” Jasper’s smile was so wide I feared his face was about to split into two.
“Don’t you guys think this is a bit too much?” Ivan eyed the food, a hint of a smile on his lips.
“Really?” Baek looked at Rose. “We were about to go back for more.”