Chapter 11 A treasure and a secret
Conrad was trying to spare me, I could feel it.
"I'll find out who's behind these attacks and I'll put an end to it all. Don't worry about anything, my love. I'll be home soon."
His promise makes me sigh with relief.
"Don't be long," I ask.
"I won't be, my love."
We say goodbye and I end the call. I notice that almost everyone was paying attention to our conversation, but they quickly try to hide it. I smile slightly at everyone's attitude.
"We can go," I say with a calm smile on my face and everyone starts to move.
Selena comes in the car with me, while six more cars provide security for the vehicle. I rest my head on the seat and allow myself to sleep.
"We're here, Maya," I hear Selena's voice.
I open my eyes and look at the image through the car window. We were near the gardens, which were immense and well-kept. There were perfectly aligned fruit trees and shrubs lining the stone path that led to the castle entrance.
And what about the castle itself? It was an immense structure, made of greyish stones with an ivory-white roof. It looked like I was looking at a beautiful painting.
When I realize it, a security guard opens the car door. I get out with a smile, marveling at everything.
"I thought you'd like to see the garden, so I asked them to drop us off here," Selena says, watching me attentively with a smile.
"You were right," I reply with a grateful look, starting to walk through the garden.
I stop as soon as I realize Selena is standing there, just watching me.
"Aren't you coming?" I ask, looking at her confused.
"I have some personal matters to attend to, but I'll be back in a few hours," she assures me with a smile. "Be careful on the path; sometimes wolves come in here to try and steal something," she warns, already leaving. I stare at her, confused, without a chance to clarify my doubts. There were so many guards around the castle, how could they still be trying to steal something? I continue on my way, extremely impressed by the perfection of the place.
Everything seemed meticulously calculated, and it seemed like a sin for any tree to let a leaf fall. A little further ahead I see a person kneeling in the middle of the garden, digging a hole with their hands. It was a man, hidden by a bush.
I remember Selena's words and become alert. I approach just a little, enough to hear what the man was murmuring.
"Dig, dig, until you find treasure." The man seemed to be singing a song.
I stare at him confused, since the song seemed childish. I get closer, looking at him curiously.
"Excuse me." I say to get his attention.
The man turns around quickly, falling to the ground with his hand on his chest.
"You scared Dom." He speaks, glaring at me angrily.
But his gaze changes quickly, as if the anger had never been there.
"Your hair looks like dirt!" he shouts with a wide smile, pointing at me and then at the dirt.
I look at the place I was digging, and the dirt was, in fact, red. I meet his excited gaze.
"Dom is looking for treasure in the red earth, but there's nothing here. Do you have any treasure?" He looks at me expectantly.
It was hard to say why, but my affection for him appeared almost immediately. I give him a gentle smile and crouch down to his height.
"I don't have anything, but we can look together," I suggest, and again his face is filled with a huge smile.
"Dom liked the idea, Dom liked the idea!" he says, clapping his hands and standing up.
Like a 5-year-old boy, he shakes the dust off his clothes and looks at me full of expectation. His face showed advanced age, with the deceptive age of wolves, it was impossible to know for sure. But much of his hair was already white.
Dom starts running fast, towards the castle. Soon two caretakers appear and when Dom notices their presence, he turns around and starts running away from them.
"Dom doesn't want to, Dom doesn't want to!" he shouts as he runs.
I stop following him to observe the scene. The two caregivers easily reach him and try to convince him to go home.
"Strawberry, Strawberry!" Dom shouts at me. "Don't let them take me!" he pleads in distress.
It was obvious that the caregivers were just doing their job, but that didn't negate the fact that Dom didn't want it.
"Wait," I ask, making the caregivers look at me with a confused expression.
"I'll take Dom to his room, then we can plan a big treasure hunt! What do you think, Dom?" I try to sound enthusiastic.
Dom's eyes widen, filled with happiness and anticipation.
"That's a great idea!" He skips over to me. "I like fun things, things with lights or noises. What kind of treasures do you like?" he asks excitedly, so fast that I have to strain to understand what he's said.
"I think I like colorful things too," I reply, making him smile.
I carefully close the bedroom door and look at Dom's caretakers. They both stare at me with curiosity and doubt. They certainly didn't know who I was.
"Dom is the former king of the kingdoms?" I ask.
They exchange glances, unsure if they should really answer me. Their hesitation had already answered all my questions.
"Dominique the Greatest, son of the great Dean, father of the magnificent King Conrad."
I simply nod, leaving. The whole kingdom believed King Dominique was traveling, enjoying a well-deserved rest after centuries as king of the kingdoms. But in truth, he was here. Digging holes and searching for treasures underground. What could have happened to him?
I bump into something and almost fall. I feel two firm hands coming to my waist, preventing my fall. I look up and see a man. Light hair and a friendly face, staring intently at me.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," I explained, embarrassed.
"It's good that I was here," the man said with a smile, making me look at him in surprise.
A violent growl cut through the air, startling us. I looked in the direction of the noise and saw Conrad. He was staring at the scene with hatred, and that made me push the man away as quickly as possible. But Conrad's expression didn't improve; in fact, he continued staring at the poor man, as if he were about to kill him.