Chapter 152: 152

The morning after Sandra’s death felt even heavier than the night before. The palace halls were filled with low voices, slow footsteps, and quiet crying. Keegan did not sleep. He stood at the window until sunrise, his hands shaking, his face pale from grief.

Rosa entered the room holding their baby. “Keegan. You need to eat something,” she said softly.

“I do not want food,” he answered without turning around. “I want answers.”

He picked up his boots and walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Rosa asked.

“To the healer. I want the full report. I want every detail about how she died.”

Rosa nodded. “Then I will go with you.”

They left the room together. Guards stepped aside as Keegan walked through the hallway. No one dared stop him. His face made it clear he wanted nothing but the truth.

They reached the healer’s chamber. The healer, a thin elderly woman with tired eyes, bowed quickly. “My prince. I have been expecting you.”

“Give me the full autopsy report,” Keegan said. “I want everything you found.”

The healer picked up a folder and handed it to him. “There were no signs of struggle,” she explained. “Her heartbeat stopped peacefully. There was no poison in her blood. She took her own life.”

Keegan clenched his jaw. “She left no note?”

“No, my prince. Nothing at all.”

“Did anyone see her leave her room?”

“No one reported it.”

Keegan looked at Rosa. His eyes were full of confusion and pain. “Nothing makes sense. Sandra was not stable, but she always talked. She always explained herself. She would have said something.”

Rosa placed her hand on his arm. “We will look deeper.”

Keegan faced the healer again. “Tell me everything she said or did in her last days.”

The healer took a breath. “She asked for company several times. She wanted someone to talk to. But the guards told me she was ignored because some felt she did not deserve their time.”

Keegan felt his stomach twist. “Ignored? They ignored her while she begged for someone to listen?”

The healer nodded. “Some guards thought she was pretending. Some thought she wanted attention. Others said they were too busy.”

Keegan slammed his hand onto the table. “She was alone. Again. She died alone because no one cared.”

Rosa stepped closer. “Keegan. Please breathe.”

But Keegan did not calm down. He turned sharply to the door. “I want the names of every guard who ignored her.”

The healer nodded. “I will send the list.”

Keegan and Rosa walked out. The moment they stepped into the hallway, Kevin appeared with two guards behind him. He folded his arms and forced a sad expression.

“Keegan. I heard you were in the healer’s chamber. Are you all right?” Kevin asked.

“No,” Keegan answered bluntly. “I am not all right.”

Kevin nodded slowly. “I understand. But you must accept the truth. She was hurting. She made a choice.”

Keegan glared at him. “Do not tell me what she felt.”

Kevin raised his hands as if calming him. “I am only trying to support you.”

“You have never supported me,” Keegan said. “And you never supported her.”

Kevin’s fake sadness slipped for a moment. Irritation flashed in his eyes, but he quickly covered it with a calm voice. “Searching too deeply will only cause more pain. You should rest.”

Keegan stepped forward. “You want this to end quickly. Why?”

Kevin smiled tightly. “Because the pack is unstable. We cannot look weak. We cannot keep digging up the past.”

Keegan said nothing more. He walked past Kevin without looking back. Rosa followed him, holding the baby tight.

When they returned to their room, Keegan sat on the floor and opened the healer’s report. Rosa sat beside him.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“Anything that tells me she did not do this on her own,” he answered.

Rosa looked at him with worry. “Keegan. You have not slept. You are shaking. You need to rest too.”

“I cannot rest,” he said quietly. “Not until I know everything.”

Rosa did not argue. She knew grief was guiding him now. She placed the baby on the small mattress and took out another stack of papers. “I went to the guards near her room earlier. I wrote down everything they said.”

Keegan looked at her with surprise. “You did that?”

“Yes,” Rosa said. “You cannot do everything alone.”

Keegan read the notes quickly. “They never checked on her. They heard her pacing at night. They heard her cry. And none of them went inside.”

Rosa nodded. “They said they were angry with her because of the past.”

Keegan covered his face. “She cried for help and no one came. She must have felt like she had no one left.”

Rosa touched his shoulder gently. “You loved her. She knew that.”

Keegan shook his head. “But I was not there when she needed me most.”

Rosa knelt beside him. “We cannot change the past. But we can discover the truth.”

Just then, a knock sounded on the door. Princess Yara, the late king’s sister, stood outside. Her face was angry.

“I heard you are pushing for more investigation,” she said. “This is dangerous.”

Keegan frowned. “Dangerous for who?”

“For the kingdom,” Yara snapped. “A royal suicide is already damaging. If you keep asking questions, people will think something is wrong inside the palace.”

“Something is wrong inside the palace,” Keegan said sharply.

Yara’s voice rose. “Stop this. You will destroy our reputation.”

Rosa stepped in front of Keegan. “His mother died. He has the right to know why.”

Yara glared at both of them. “The council decided she will be cremated with royal respect. That should be enough for you.”

“It is not enough,” Keegan said. “I will not stop.”

Yara shook her head. “You are making a mistake.” She turned and stormed away.

Keegan watched her leave, his anger building. “Everyone wants me to stay quiet. Why? What are they hiding?”

Rosa leaned down and picked up a crumpled paper near the bed. “Keegan. Look.”

He took it from her. “What is this?”

“It fell from under the bed,” Rosa said. “I think it is from a journal.”

Keegan unfolded the torn piece carefully. The handwriting was Sandra’s. The ink was smudged, but some words were clear.

The paper read:

Someone came to my door again. I am afraid. I do not feel safe. If anything happens—

The rest of the page was ripped off.

Keegan’s breath stopped for a moment. His hands trembled as he stared at the torn message.

“She was afraid,” he whispered. “Someone came to her door. Someone frightened her.”

Rosa covered her mouth. “Keegan. This changes everything.”

Keegan stood up slowly, gripping the torn journal page in his hand.

“I knew it,” he said. “She did not die because she wanted to die. Something else happened.”

He looked toward the hallway with a cold, and determined stare.