Chapter 6
1736 Words
Kael’s POV
I looked at her, confused. What did she mean by that?
“Toss his body off the cliff,” she ordered coldly. I saw James stand up immediately.
“No, you can’t do that! I hate her for being a traitor, but she’s still my sister!” I quickly grabbed her hand, trying to stop her from charging forward. No, she couldn’t risk her life for this.
“She deserves it, James!” Rita shouted. Chaos erupted around us. The knights quickly aimed their swords at us.
“Calm down, James. Put your life first, not others,” I tried to calm him.
He relaxed a little. “But…” He opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head. “She made her choice to betray us.”
He gritted his teeth and took a step back.
“What a show,” Lyra said, making all of us look at her. “You’re all spies and assassins, enemies of queen Thorne. Traitors who have been killing their leaders across the land,” she added.
We all fell silent because she was right. Every one of us had a bounty on our heads. Our deaths meant peace. No one would die once we were gone.
“Kill them all. Except him,” she ordered coldly.
My eyes widened. How did she become so cruel? She’s not the kind of woman I knew. I stood up quickly and tried to approach her, but the knights stopped me.
“You can’t do this, Your Majesty!” She looked at me with a blank expression. “Why not?” I gritted my teeth in frustration. “Please, don’t hurt them!” I begged almost desperately.
The corners of her mouth twitched. “You care for them.” She nodded slowly. “Alright then,” she paused, her gaze turning icy.
“Beg for me.” I froze at her words.
“Beg for my mercy. Ask me to spare their miserable lives,” she said, cold as ice.
She slowly approached me, gripping my chin firmly, forcing me to look at her. “Beg now, Kael. I don’t have all day.”
I shut my eyes tightly. “Please,” I whispered.
“Please what?” she asked, her voice dripping with intimidation.
As I opened my eyes, a tear escaped down my cheek. She’s changed.
“Please have mercy on them. Let them go. Take me, punish me instead,” I begged. She released my chin and smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
She stood up straight, raising her hand.
“End them,” she commanded in a voice colder than ever.
What? I begged her, lowered my pride for her. I grabbed her arm. “You can’t be serious, Lyra.”
She looked at my hand on her arm, then back at me.
“I’m serious,” she said coldly, pulling her arm away from my grip. “I told you, no one can have you but me.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but then closed it again. She grabbed my shoulder tightly. “I told you before, I’ll find you no matter where you go. You can run, but you can’t escape, Kael.”
I shut my eyes in pain. Her grip made me flinch.
“It hurts,” I said, my voice shaking. She let go of me.
“Alright,” she said, her voice calm, “I’ll be fair this time. I’ll listen to you, just this once.”
“But you must follow everything I say, in exchange for their freedom,” she continued. I nodded.
She shook her head, disbelief in her eyes. “It’s hard for you to abandon them, but you did it to me.”
Her words cut deep. I never meant to leave her that night. I was forced to. “Release them, and let’s go,” she said coldly. The knights obeyed her command.
“Don’t take him!” Rita shouted.
I shook my head. “Don’t. This is my decision. Go and leave,” I said, smiling to assure them I would be fine.
She had no choice but to nod in agreement.
“Come on,” I heard Lyra say coldly from behind me.
I took a deep breath and turned to face her. “Okay,” I replied quietly. Without looking back, I followed her. Inside her carriage, it was just the two of us in silence.
She was distant and cold, and it made me feel guilty. She’s really angry with me for leaving her before. I let out a sigh and just stared out the window.
We were approaching the city now. From where we were, I could see the palace. It had been such a long time. I somehow missed this place.
I heard her fake a cough, so I looked at her.
“How are you?” she asked, looking straight into my eyes. I quickly looked away.
“I’m doing great,” I replied tersely. My heart was pounding so loudly I could barely think.
“Aren’t you going to ask about me?” she said again, prompting me to look at her once more. Though her voice was cold, I could hear the softness in it.
“How are you?” I asked her. She smiled, but I could tell it was fake.
“Suffering all this year because you left me,” she said.
Huh? She chuckled when she saw my reaction. “Just kidding.”
It wasn’t funny. How could she joke about that? I just stared at her, unsure of what to say. In the end, I stayed silent because guilt was overwhelming me.
“Look at me, Kael,” she demanded.
I didn’t look at her. I felt like even glancing at her face would be a grave mistake. “Do you hate me?” she asked.
I glanced at her. “Do I even have the right to be angry?” I asked in return.
She shook her head and smirked. “No, you don’t.”
Just as I thought. I grew serious. “Why are you looking for me? You want revenge? Go ahead,” I said flatly, with no emotion.
Her smile widened. “That’s easy for you to say,” she said, shaking her head. She straightened up and looked outside.
“I don’t do revenge. I simply want to see you.” See me, huh?
“If you think I’m responsible for your mother’s death, you’re wrong. I didn’t even know Mira and Elda were assassins,” I said honestly.
She grimaced. “Sure,” she said, clearly not convinced.
What I’m saying is true. But if you don’t believe me, you’re free to imprison me.”
She glanced at me. “Imprison you? Of course. You’ll never leave the palace.”
My brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I know you know exactly what I’m talking about,” she said coldly.
“No, I don’t,” I firmly denied.
“I see.”
That was all she said, and then she fell silent. “We’ve arrived, Your Majesty,” the chauffeur announced.
Arrived where? We hadn’t reached the palace yet.
“Let’s go out,” she said, stepping down first. I looked outside and saw that we were in the city. What are we doing here?
The door of the carriage opened, and I saw her extend her hand in front of me. Should I take her hand? Nope.
I forced a smile and stepped aside without accepting her to help her..
Instead of getting offended, she smirked. “You’ve certainly changed,” she murmured.I didn’t say anything. Just slipped it on.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we started walking.
“You’ll find out later,” she replied shortly. I groaned, wishing she’d just answer my question.
She stopped walking when we reached a door. She glanced at me and smirked. “Shall we go inside?”
Did I even have a choice?
I nodded. “Let’s go.”
She chuckled. “You’re quite feisty, aren’t you?” I just forced a smile.
She opened the door and pulled me inside.
As soon as we entered, a woman greeted us with a bright smile.
“Your Majesty, you came!” she said happily. Lyra only gave a nod in response. How rude.
Her gaze shifted to me. “So, who is this beautiful boy beside you?” she asked, looking at me with curiosity. Lyra looked at me and then grinned. “He’s my groom,” she said. What? Has she lost her mind?
I looked at her incredulously. Does she have any idea how absurd that sounds? The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “Really?”
I pinched Lyra’s side. She winced, though I could tell she was just pretending.
I shook my head firmly. “No, I’m not. I’m not her groom.”
The woman’s expression turned confused. “Did you kidnap him or something, Your Majesty?” she asked, her tone a mix of accusation and curiosity.
I almost laughed at the absurdity of her question.
“No, why would I kidnap him?” Lyra replied, sounding amused.
“He looks like he doesn’t even know why he’s here,” the woman said, her observation spot-on.
“He really doesn’t,” Lyra replied with a smug grin. I shot her a glare.
The woman gasped, clearly taken aback.
“That’s so unlike you, Your Majesty. Does your anyone know about this?” she asked, moving past the accusation with ease.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” she answered dismissively.
Why are we even here? I wondered.
“They will be just as shocked as I am,” the woman commented with a laugh.
“Yes, Auntie, they will,” Lyra said casually.
Auntie? So, she’s her mother’s sister? That explained their familiarity.
“Please show him the suits,” Lyra instructed, turning to the woman.
I stared at her, completely bewildered.
“Hold on. What suits?” I asked, my confusion growing by the second.
She raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable.
“We’re getting married today,” she said, her eyes locking onto mine with unsettling certainty.
What is wrong with this woman?
“No, we’re not.”
She gave me a challenging look. “Yes, we are.”
- Writer
