Chapter 31: Chapter 29

“Oh darling, there is an adage which says thus ‘He who laughs last, must surely laugh best’”

Marina

My throat felt so dry, like I had fallen asleep in the middle of a desert with my mouth wide open.

I tried to cough but it only came out as an airy huff with little effort.

“She’s awake, get her a glass of water” I heard an unfamiliar voice say. The sound of feet shuffling after her instructions could be heard loud and clear.

I tried to open my eyes but I was way too tired. It was another strenuous activity on its own. I could not even lift myself up.

The feeling of being drained washed all over me with a little mix of a tingly sensation flowing through my belly.

Still in my position, cold hand tilted my head upwards and pressed a glass to my lips. The water was chilling as I drank but it was as satisfying.

It appeared that was all I needed, as I fell asleep afterwards.

Later on…

The first thing I noticed was the steady beating of my heart. I opened my eyes and found myself in an unfamiliar dark room. The surprise caused me to spring up to a sitting position and I winced from the pain that shot through my palms and a throbbing headache.

There was someone at the edge of the room. A tall masculine silhouette with his back to me turned as soon as he heard my shuffling.

It was the King. His aura and aroma were eminent.

Seeing him made the last series of events before I fell asleep crash into my memory. The ball, the warning about the Prince of Rekal, the journey to my room, the attack and battle, me killing an eyeless man and the King coming to my room.

I looked down at my hands and saw they had both been wrapped in bandages. Now I registered how sore my body felt.

There was no imagining how I looked.

The King walked towards the bed where I was sitting with my legs still underneath a light shawl that had been used to cover me.

“You’re awake. Granj had assumed we give you a week to even open your eyes” he said, pulling out a chair that was arranged underneath a side table and setting it just a few feet away from me. He sat and rested both elbows on his thighs, then locked his fingers together.

Making steady eye contact with me during the process.

“Granj?” I asked, my throat felt like I had swallowed thorns.

Even in the shadows of the room, I could see his face register that I may not know whom he was talking about. “The healer who attended to you. The castle’s chief healer”

I let out a little ‘oh’ and said nothing else. Looked outside the windows and saw it was very late outside. Probably midnight.

Then I tried to take in my surroundings. The room was far larger than mine and had a lot more furniture decor. There also looked to be a shelf where the King had been before he noticed me. A shelf of books.

“You’re in Xialara’s room. If that is what you’re wondering” he said, apparently reading my thoughts.

But the name Xialara struck a little bell in my head. “Our lady?” I asked.

“Yes. She was the one who requested we bring you here”

“She’s alive?” Only after I asked that question, did I hear how stupid it sounded. Of course she would be alive, she’s an immortal. Just like the King.

I did not know why I had expected the King to have also killed her alongside the rest of his family. Now that I think of it, she was in Famur. There was no way he could have killed her.

“Sorry… I meant to ask, she’s here?” He did not appear like he was buying my change of words but he answered anyway.

“Yes. She was invited for the ball”

Oh… the ball. That’s true. He would have invited her.

“Is the event over?”

The King looked a bit confused, like I had not just asked him about the same event he had invited his sister to. The same event he scolded me for dancing with the Prince.

“What event?”

“The ball. Is it over?”

I did not know what was funny but for the first time, I heard the King laugh. Maybe the word ‘over’ had a different meaning to Royals and wealthy men. Maybe things were never over with them.

In another aspect, this is also the longest conversation I had had with him when you minus the warnings at the ball.

“I guess you really lost track of everything. The ball was three nights ago”

At first I thought I had heard ‘three hours ago’ but when he did not give any indications that he was joking or testing my memory. I realized he meant what he said.

Three nights ago?

“Excuse me?” My throat was suddenly dryer than earlier.

“You’ve been out for three nights. You were more shaken than you think”

I had no clue what to say next. I only stared at my body and noticed I was in a different clothing from that night. A dark blue nightgown that I am convinced belonged to the King’s sister as well. The material was too lush for anything that could be given to me.

“Hilra and Quala did your outfit changes. If you’re worried if I was present, I was not. But it’s not like my presence changes anything”

Hopefully, he did not mean that last part and he was only underestimating the body consciousness of a female.

My mind wandered to my family and Jeneva. If the attack was a bit more severe, I may have been dead.

Maybe it was time I wrote my will. The activities of this palace made sure you did not even have a long life, talk more an eternal one.

Maybe the Royals were not even immortal, maybe we just died too early.

“Are you okay enough to answer some questions?” King Xanthanius’s voice disrupted my thoughts from the list of things I wanted in my will.

“I guess so”

With a nod, he proceeded “can you recall what happened on the night of the ball? From the moment you got to your room”

“I went back with a glass of wine and decided to take a bath…”

“That means you were the only person in your room up until the attack. No one followed you?” He was probably suggesting that the glass had been from an escort.

“None. The glass was mine. I heard a sound initially but brushed it off. After I had showered and dressed up was when I saw him.”

“And what happened next?” He was keenly paying attention.

“He began dragging me towards the balcony. I think he wanted to kidnap me but he kept saying something about the truth coming.”

A look of familiarity marked his face “How did you get in possession of the sword?”

“I was struggling and the shard of glass I had stabbed him with did nothing to stop him. I went for the weapon as it was nearby and used it on him”

“The sword was not swapped? You are sure he did not get to the weapon first?”

“No. I was the only one who came in contact with the weapon, asides when he was stabbed. But there was something else…”

He quieted down and listened patiently.

“The man had no eyes”

That was not what he had been expecting to hear. “The man in your room?” Sounding confused.

“Yes. He was eyeless. Just skin where his eyes should be”

The King thought for a moment, like he wanted to be sure of his reply to me. “I think the man had eyes. We took his body out of your room”

“That’s impossible. I could swear he did not have eyes. Just like the queen at the tower”

“Wait…” he started and propped himself to sit erect. “I have a lot of questions and you would answer them one at a time. Understand?”

“Yes”

“Are you referring to the woman at the tower? The one I took you to?”

“Yes”

Further confusion on his part. “But she had eyes”

“At the beginning and the end”

He stayed silent again and I could hear the gears in his head turning “Was it during the hex?”

“The hex?” I had my suspicions but sincerely doubted “I had a charm on”

“She broke through it. Was it during the hex she lost her eyes?”

If that was what had happened then yes, it was “Yes”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“You ordered me to not speak to her”

“No. Not then. After we left, why didn’t you tell me you saw something?”

“I did not understand it and no one asked” up until now, I still had a confidence in the charm.

“I did not ask because I had assumed the hex was to get you close enough for her to touch you, which I cut through. Did anything else happen?”

The memories of the chill I felt came back and goosebumps rose on my skin. “She told me to not resist her and let her in. She also wanted me to ask her a question”

“A question?”

“Yes. I was wondering what she was and she wanted me to ask it out loud so she could answer”

“Did you?”

“No. You ordered me to not speak to her”

He almost looked proud of me “That was a sensible thing to do. You said she had no eyes then?”

“Just skin where her eyes should be. The same with the man who had attacked me”

King Xanthanius did not look pleased at what he was discovering. Another silent moment passed between us and I could feel myself getting weary once again.

“May I ask a question?” Since we were into truths now.

He was obviously surprised at my request “I’m doing the asking here but you have just one question. Go ahead”

Just one… not fair but alright.

“Why did you take me to the tower?”

“She requested to see you” and that was the only answer I got. It was obvious he had been holding back more.

“Requested to see me? Why?”

“You had one question and you have used it. I also do not know why. She did give a reason which was flimsy in my opinion”

“What was her reason?” I pressed further.

“One question and as I said, it was flimsy. She definitely had a bigger reason which she deliberately avoided divulging”

“Could we ask her?” Or better still, could I ask her?

“No. She’s gone”

“Gone to where?”

I watched him stand to his feet. Telling me that he would be taking his leave soon and this conversation was almost over.

“I also do not know. Just for your information as you had been unconscious, the castle was also attacked that night. What I cannot piece together is why you were specifically targeted. This information about missing eyes might be a clue but it is also a dead end. For the meantime, get some rest and try not to think about it so you could recover quickly. We might need to ask you some more details when you are healthy”

“Would I be updated on the information found? At least now that I am somewhat linked?”

“I do not know if that would be necessary but I would think about it. Last question. Why did you call her the queen at the tower?”

Oh… perhaps I was not supposed to say that out loud.

“I heard she is your mother”

His brows scrunched together in disbelief “Do you not know how your queen looked?” His arms crossed over his chest.

When I did not answer, he continued. “Who did you hear it from?”

“I had never seen her before, she was not really one to come out of the castle and I guess it was one of the stories from the Eclaris pub?” Giving a response to his two questions.

I think it was the same for everyone else. The queen was as good as a ghost. We had only heard of her but not seen her. According to another story, she withdrew herself from public eyes ever since the death of her son.

The one who stood before me now.

“The what pub?” He seemed more interested in the conversation.

“Eclaris pub. Most rumors or tales that spread through the country originate from there”

“And you know this pub how?”

“I used to be on dish washing duty sometimes. If I was early enough” Eclaris pub was definitely a coarse place to be. The men were drunk off their high horses. There were a million and one answers to any questions you had, all you needed to do was ask the right people and ask the right questions.

But asides that, they had a good pay for dishwashing and server errands. If you could overlook the men who would try groping you at intervals.

“Very well” he said and headed for the exit, I followed his movements till his hand was on the door “And no, she is not my mother” then he left me alone as the door shut gently behind him.

She was probably in a dungeon below the castle then. If the rumors had an atom of truth in them.