Chapter 9 A ROYAL CONSPIRACY
“I… I saw him holding the knife. Maybe threatening the king. I was about to approach when he stabbed His Majesty. Then pretended when others came.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Who? Tell us!”
The prisoner hesitated.
“If I speak… I’ll die.”
“You will be protected,” the Queen said firmly. “Name the attacker.”
“I feel ashamed to say it…” the man whispered looking scared.
“Tell us, please,” Athalia urged.
His eyes darted across the room to the king, the queen, Adrian, Athalia, and finally Eric.
He swallowed hard.
Then he pointed.
Everyone turned as their blood ran cold.
“It was… Prince Eric!”
The words had barely left his mouth when an arrow shot through the window and struck him in the throat.
He collapsed as blood pooled beneath him.
Queen Elizabeth screamed and fainted.
Athalia stepped back and her shock stinged with something else.
Adrian’s heart hammered. Emelias heart raced. Athalia and the entire hall stood shocked.
Eric? But why?
Nothing made sense.
Eric stood frozen, terrified and unable to defend what he couldn’t explain.
The chief adviser shouted, “GUARDS! FIND THE ARCHER!”
But the hall outside was empty.
The killer was gone and now the only man who named the attacker lay dead at their feet.
No one could believe it. Questions filled the air like smoke.
Did Eric truly do it? Or is he being framed? Was it for the throne? Why would he say father saved him if he was the mastermind?
The night air was thick with fear.
The arrow that killed the prisoner was still on the floor and dark with blood.
No one spoke for several moments.
Even the guards stood frozen staring at Prince Eric while some were staring at the lifeless man who revealed the truth.
The chief adviser’s voice finally broke the silence.
“Prince Eric!” he thundered. “We need an explanation!”
Eric’s hands shook. He didn’t know how to explain anything.
The only thing he remembered was his father lying lifeless in his arms.
Adrian rushed toward him, impatience and fury tightening his face.
“Did you kill Father, Eric?” Adrian shouted as he stepped forward, ready to strike him.
“I… I don’t remember what happened,” Eric stammered. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he held them back.
“This is the council chambers, Prince Adrian,” the chief advisor snapped. “Control yourself.”
Adrian withdrew angrily.
“Tell me they are wrong, Adrian,” Queen Elizabeth whispered through tears. “Tell me it’s a setup.”
Prince Eric trembled. He couldn’t speak.
A part of him feared the truth might be exactly what they were saying.
"Eric, please say something!" Emelia said as tears filled her eyes.
But he said nothing.
“Prince Eric is hereby confined to his room pending investigation of murder against the King!” the chief advisor declared.
“Seal the palace gates!” he continued. “No one leaves until the archer is found!”
“Yes, your grace!” the guards shouted as they hurried away.
Adrian stood rooted to the spot as he watched his brother being escorted out.
His mind spun.
It happened too fast.
My brother… actually killed Father.
But why would he do it?
He looked at Athalia. She stood near the window with her face pale in the moonlight and her hands trembling.
“Are you okay?” Adrian asked quietly.
Athalia blinked, as if pulled from a trance.
“No… no, I’m fine,” she whispered.
The chief advisor turned to the guards again.
“Double the watch on every tower. No servant, knight, or noble leaves without my permission.”
“Yes, your grace!” they chorused.
When the room emptied, only Adrian and Athalia remained.
“Do you think he did it?” Athalia asked.
“I don’t know what to believe,” Adrian replied.
Outside, the palace corridors were nearly silent.
Lanterns flickered against cold stone walls, and the soft clink of armor echoed in the distance.
Adrian walked beside Athalia, still lost in thought.
“I can’t believe this,” he muttered.
“That your brother killed him?” Athalia whispered.
Adrian turned sharply to her. “What do you mean?”
“Think,” she said softly. “Eric claimed someone wanted him dead but father stepped in. And when an eye witness found him guilty, they silenced the one person who could speak the truth. This isn’t random”
Adrian frowned. “You think my brother wants my throne? But why?”
She lifted her eyes to him. “Sometimes power makes monsters out of people who seem harmless.”
A chill ran through him.
He didn’t like how easily she spoke about murder.
They reached his chamber doors. The guards bowed as he entered.
“I’ll stay with you,” Athalia said suddenly.
Adrian looked surprised. “That’s not necessary.”
“It is,” she said quietly. “You shouldn’t be alone tonight.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “All right.”
Inside, the room glowed dimly from a single candle. The golden curtains swayed with the breeze.
Adrian sat heavily in a chair, running a hand through his hair.
“What if he dies?” he whispered. “What if I lose him?”
Athalia stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Then you must be strong… and lead,” she murmured.
Adrian looked up, confused. “Lead?
“Lead? That’s not what I want.” He spoke
She knelt beside him.
“It’s what destiny demands. You were born to rule, Adrian. You can’t run from it.”
He shook his head. “Not like this. I shouldn’t wish Father dead.”
Athalia’s gaze darkened. “Sometimes blood is the price of power.”
Adrian stood abruptly. “Stop saying things like that!”
She rose too, her expression tightening.
“I’m only speaking the truth.”
“No,” he snapped. “You’re turning this into something it’s not.”
“Then what is it?” she demanded. “Fate? Coincidence? A thief breaking into the palace just to attack your brother and kill your father instead? Open your eyes!”
Adrian walked to the window, staring at the dark courtyard below as Shadows crawled along the palace walls.
“You talk as if you know more than you should,” he said quietly.
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you implying?”
He swallowed hard. “That man…the prisoner…. he looked terrified when he saw you.”
Athalia froze a little.
“You’re accusing me?” she asked with her voice sharp and cold.
“I… I don’t know,” Adrian admitted. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”
Her tone softened instantly.
“I would never harm your family, Adrian. You must believe me.”
He looked at her, torn.
She touched his cheek gently.
“Rest. Tomorrow we’ll find out who is behind all this. I promise.”
But when she leaned in to kiss his forehead, her gaze flicked toward the window and for a moment her calm mask slipped.
Outside, a cloaked figure moved through the shadows of the courtyard.
Athalia’s lips curved into a faint smile before she looked away.
But Princess Athalia wasnt done yet.