Eudora

Chapter4

The next day, the Kingdom went into mourning. No music. No markets. No children running about the place. The Church bells were silent. Not even a squeak was heard from the animal farm; they even knew what had happened.

The Palace elders had wailed all through the night; they now lay drowsily in the Ballroom.

The physicians and nurses hung their heads low. They felt incompetent. It was their duty to try and keep the King alive, but they failed.

A Palace guard killed himself at night; he left behind the words, 'If I cannot protect my King, what is my purpose?'

The maids went about their daily activities with trembling hands.

They knew the slightest tray drop, delayed curtsy or untimely glance would incur the Constable's wrath.

Reiner moved through the Palace, dropping commands no one dared to question.

'Clear the Ballroom. Every stain. Every goblet. Not a single speck of what occurred yesterday.'

Servants hurried at the first letter of his words.

He ordered that the seer be locked up and interrogated personally by him.

Reiner bought the silence of every merchant, ensuring not even a whisper about the King's death was heard. Gold silenced some. Fear shut the rest.

Messengers rode to every outpost, bearing his seal.

'No one enters. No one leaves. '

He ordered an emergency lockdown.

The next decree was even colder.

'Anyone defying my order would be executed immediately.'

The soldiers paused for a heartbeat before responding.

'Yes...Constable.'

It was the first time they had answered him with such unquestioning obedience.

Reiner noticed. He liked it.

Each answer, each salute, each bowed head awakened something that had lain dormant in him. Men who once answered only to Valerius now scrambled before he finished speaking. Servants avoided meeting his eyes. Nobles sought his approval. Even the Palace seemed to breathe at his command.

A few hours later, he lifted the lockdown. Not because danger had passed. He had accomplished what he wanted.

By then, the power that never belonged to him began intoxicating him; it began to feel like his birthright, and the taste of it left him craving more.

Adolphus's worst nightmare had come to play. He knew Reiner had returned to claim the throne, not his. He knew the impending danger Vynn would soon face, adding to the trauma of losing his dad. It broke his heart that the King's passing would soon give birth to war and crisis within the once-peaceful Zuria.

Adolphus had served as the King's adviser; only after Vynn turned eighteen did the King beg him to 'advise the young lad' instead.

Before he passed away, the King weakly told Adolphus, 'If darkness ever falls on this Kingdom, protect my bloodline.'

Tears welled up in his eyes as he recalled long ago, when King Valerius cleared his debt and fed his poor family, lifting them from beggars to Palace officials.

Why? Because he liked the name 'Adolphus'.

He couldn't sit down and watch the nation, the late King Valerius had tried so hard to unite, fall apart.

It was his sole duty to protect the King's bloodline, and that wouldn't be possible if Vynn were still sober.

‐--

It is now noon. At least one or two Palace workers can be seen lurking around the street, making sure everything is in place.

One of them glances inside the gutter while passing an alley behind the Palace. He notices part of a fabric sticking out from under the bridge. He innocently reaches down to pull the fabric when he sees a body. He immediately alerts the other Palace worker with him, and they pull the body out while sending for a physician and a Palace detective.

The Palace workers stare at the body in horror; it's a girl. A beautiful lady in her late teens. Her fair skin was dirtied by the mud. Blood splattered all over her body. A huge cut could be seen across her face, dividing it into two. Her limbs had been mangled. It was gruesome.

Soon, half the street arrived alongside the physician and the detective.

The detective took off his hat and shook his head. 'It was the Velvet Devil.'

He was still on the loose.

Just two weeks before the King's birthday, he went on a killing spree. Day after day, he brutally murdered the daughters of Palace officials. It was either he slit their necks open or strangled them to death; whenever he did, an accessory — a glove or handkerchief went missing.

There was something personal about this case; however, the cut on the deceased's face had a striking resemblance to the one on Fersus's face.

'Was this revenge or was he a fortunate victim?', the detective asked subconsciously as he wrapped the girl's body in white cloth.

The physician replied, 'If you're referring to that count, then yes, it has to be one of them.'

News soon spread around the Kingdom. Another girl had been killed at night.

The whole Kingdom panics. The late King had just been murdered, now a young girl.

Even Reiner is dumbstruck at how to handle the matter.

‐--

Eudora is seen pacing around her room, clearly distressed. She recalled her encounter with Fersus, his cool, collected pulse. Eyes that seemed to steady themselves with each passing moment. The unexpected embrace. His terrified reaction upon hearing Amarantha's name. Instead of sandalwood, the eerie metallic scent that pervaded his surroundings. She inhales slowly and tells herself she's overthinking.

'I'd better go tell Amarantha,' Eudora says, putting on her scarf and dashing out of her home.

On her way to Amarantha's home, she overhears whispers of another young girl murdered. It now dawns on her: Fersus's sudden appearance, his reaction to hearing Amarantha's name and how he quickly leaves her.

'No, it can't be true. No, no, no...not at all,' she cries and runs faster to Amarantha's home.

She bangs hard on the door repeatedly before Amarantha's mom, Heira, opens it.

Eudora falls to her knees, and her tears flow more freely. She has never been received by Heira; it's always Amarantha.

Seeing Eudora weeping, Heira helps her inside, and they both weep bitterly. After a while, they both calm down. Heira proceeds to make tea for them.

'Do not fret too much, child. I have informed the local police about it; they've even started a search party for her. She will be found in no time,' Heira says, wiping her tears while patting Eudora's back.

'Wasn't Amarantha the one found dead in the drainage this morning?'

'Not at all, dear, it's the seer's daughter, Helena, that was killed,' replied Heira.

'Ohhhh, good grief,' Eudora shouts as she lets out a cry of relief. She is glad Amarantha wasn't killed, but the question remains: where is she?

---

Adolphus visits the royal clinic where Queen Ophelia and Vynn are being treated. He speaks to the doctor, who confirms Vynn's healthier state, but the Queen is not so certain. He walked in on Vynn staring blankly outside the window. His broad shoulders hung low, and his silver hair was messier than ever. Those ever-shining emerald green eyes, now dimmed by grief.

It broke his heart seeing Vynn like this. The little boy he once taught to ride a horse, to defend himself and to be courageous; now broken and overwhelmed.

'Vynn,' Adolphus called, but no response.

He called again and again, still nothing.

He approached Vynn and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. Immediately, those shoulders gave way to tears; Vynn knelt and wept at Adolphus's feet.

Adolphus was moved to tears, but he had to be strong to encourage Vynn. He let the young Prince cry until he was satisfied. Vynn stood up, wiped his tears and said with boldness, 'I know what you have come for, and I am ready for it. '

Adolphus looked deep into Vynn's eyes and hugged him. It wasn't a hug to comfort him. It was to prepare him for battle.

---

During the investigation, the detective notices the deceased's hands holding something tightly. It was quite difficult to pry her hands open, but when they did, they found a piece of black coat fur tightly balled up within her palms.

It immediately clicks to the detective that the deceased likely struggled with the perpetrator and, in the process, tore out a part of the coat.

The detective hands the piece to Jaber, the treasurer, to see if he could find out anything about the owner of this coat.

Jaber states clearly that the owner is someone wealthy, as the texture is quite luxurious.

Jaber finds it odd, however. The coat has a similar scent to the one Eudora brought home earlier. The one belonging to the Count. He seeks permission from the detectives to call in a suspect, Fersus, for a little questioning.

Fersus arrives with a coat, still black, but with no sign of it tearing. No sign of patching whatsoever.

Folding his arms, Fersus asked mockingly, 'Is it to stare at my fur coat that you have summoned me here for or something better?'

Jaber's mind troubles him. It would be difficult to pin it on him without solid proof.

Feeling inadequate, he tells Fersus to leave.

On his way out of the Palace, Eudora caught sight of him and stalked him up until he left the Palace gates. She was determined to confront him regarding her doubts, but she didn't know how to begin.

Fersus suddenly stopped. Not wanting to be seen, she hid behind a stall and continued watching him, expecting something mysterious to happen. Nothing of that such occured. He simply stopped to drop a tip for the old beggar.

Eudora's heart warmed to see this side of him. After that, he helped a little girl cross the street. She found herself slowly admiring him again.

Fersus, however, noticed Eudora stalking him. He didn't want to make it obvious, so he disappeared into the crowd and waited for her close to her house.

She couldn't find him, so she went back home feeling unfulfilled.

Eudora had just approached a bend leading to her street when a pair of firm arms locked around her waist, pulling her in. This strange sense of comfort engulfed her when the sandalwood scent reached her nose. She tried to break free; her mind questioned whether she could actually trust this man. Fersus spun her around and let his arms wander to her waist. He stared deeply into her eyes, 'Looking for me, Princess?'

Eudora wouldn't dare reciprocate the eye contact. She fixed her eyes on her shoes, allowing him to admire her beautiful lashes and soft pink lips. The desire to completely claim those lips burned even brighter now. He inched closer to her face, saying, You must be cold, Princess. Come with me, and I'll brew some tea for you.'

It was either he cast a spell on her, or she wasn't just in control of her body anymore. Her feet moved before she could think of refusing his offer.

Fersus' estate is nestled at the far end of the Palace walls. The black walls with ivy that crept over weathered pillars created a soft yet unwelcoming impression.

Fersus took Eudora to study. Unlike the manor, his study was filled with ancient books, maps and curious artifacts collected from distant kingdoms. A large mahogany desk sat beside a stained-glass mirror. Strange mechanical devices ticked softly next to dried herbs, rare gemstones and a map with places she had never heard before. Beside these was a small box left halfway open. Eudora quickly searched inside the box and saw nothing but ash and a hairpin. Something about the hairpin felt familiar to her, but she didn't have enough time to think it through as Fersus walked in with teacups. She thought he would be annoyed at her snooping through his stuff; instead, he had a pleased look on his face.

She drank her tea and insisted that Fersus allow her to return on her own. He pretended to consent, but when Eudora had gone a long way ahead, Fersus set out and stalked her until she got home.

Going back into his estate, Fersus pulls out a large frame at the back of his manor to reveal a room lined with hairpins, gloves and scarves. He picks up a silver hairpin from the floor and mutters, 'Not now, Princess'.