"Your Highness!" Glain shouted, panting as he rushed through the hallway.
Guards gathered around, desperately trying to stop the strange man from entering the royal palace, but it was in vain. This man was like a savage beast whose leash had been loosened.
"You can’t enter!"
"I need to see His Highness!"
"Have you seen the time?! You can’t enter!"
Glain glared at the men surrounding him.
I should have used a magic spell to enter the palace!
He regretted his decision. His mind had gone blank—he needed only one thing: to meet the grand duke as soon as possible and deliver his message.
"What is the ruckus?" Cynthia stepped out of her bedchamber, looking around.
"It seems there’s an intruder, Your Highness," one of the guards stationed by her bedroom entrance said.
Cynthia tilted her head, wondering who it might be.
Could it be... Duke Dorian? Or Duke Ramsel? Did an assassin get caught?
As these thoughts crossed her mind, she noticed a familiar figure standing behind the crowd of guards. Wanting to verify his identity, Cynthia moved through the crowd as the guards parted, bowing to the princess.
"We apologize for the trouble, Your Highness. We’ll handle him right away," one guard said, barely managing to hide the sweat he tried to wipe away discreetly.
"Glain?"
"Your Highness! I need to meet the grand duke immediately!"
Seeing the urgency in his expression, Cynthia decided to keep her questions to herself.
With a nod, she gestured for him to follow her.
"The rest of you may return to your duties."
With a final bow, the guards returned to their respective posts.
Glain remained silent as they made their way to Lucian’s room, and Cynthia chose not to ask any questions. She knew very well that no one considered her a part of Selvarys. Matters related to that country were obviously not meant for her.
"His Highness is here. I’m not sure if he’ll allow you inside, but..." Cynthia paused. "I shall take my leave."
Just as she turned to go, Glain spoke urgently.
"You should hear it too!"
Cynthia turned, her brows furrowed in confusion.
This man’s behavior was strange. It wasn’t uncommon for messengers to enter their masters’ rooms with the help of magic, so why hadn’t he done that? Surely, he’d done so in the past countless times. He also insisted she hear the news, which made no sense.
The grand duke’s knights always hated me. So why does Glain want me to be present when he needs to tell the grand duke something urgent?
"I’ll knock."
Raising his hand, Glain knocked on the door lightly, making sure not to startle his master.
After a moment, the door slowly creaked open.
"Glain?" Lucian spoke in a hoarse voice, clearly having just woken up.
"We have some urgent news to deliver. May we come inside?"
Lucian glanced at Cynthia, noticing Glain wasn’t alone. Unwillingly, he nodded, not wanting to create a scene in the hallway. He stepped aside, allowing them in, and turned on the lights.
"What is going on?" Lucian crossed his arms, looking at Cynthia, wondering if she had brought Glain to his room at this late hour.
"Your Highness... the princess..." Glain hesitated, his lips trembling.
"Princess?" Lucian narrowed his eyes. The only person he could think of was Princess Cynthia, who was standing right beside his subordinate.
"I did nothing," Cynthia said, as if she had read his mind.
"I didn’t say anything."
"I apologize for interrupting, Your Highness; however, there is... trouble in Selvarys, and it isn’t related to the grand duchess."
"I’m listening. Why are you... hesitating so much? Did demons attack the mansion? Or another part of Erion? Or does the king..." Lucian paused, shaking his head. "Just speak."
"The princess... is no more."
Lucian’s arms dropped to his side, shocked upon hearing the news. Cynthia’s eyes widened, the words echoing in her mind. She was imagining a demon attack, but not this.
"What?" Cynthia grabbed Glain by the shoulders, looking into his eyes. "Repeat yourself."
She was certain that she had heard it wrong. It was impossible. Princess Arisia wasn’t supposed to die this year! Even if she had imagined her death countless times, even if she had kept reminding herself of the princess’s early passing, she was unsure as to how to react.
"The princess... had passed away," Glain repeated, his words coming out more firmly than the first. Affirming it the first time was hard, however, as he repeated, the weight of his words seemed to have doubled.
"It can’t be," Cynthia whispered, letting go of the man before. She shifted her gaze towards Lucian who did not show an ounce of expression on his face. It was blank— not even a frown of concern.
"You may leave. We will return shortly."
"When?.. We need to prepare for the... funeral."
"Before dawn breaks in," Lucian replied.
"I shall take my leave."
Glain bowed to the couple before exiting the room.
Once the door shut, Cynthia turned to face Lucian completely, her gaze locked on his face. Lucian did not look up at her, his gaze fixed on the ground.
"Your Highness," she broke the silence that had fallen into the room.
"You should leave and prepare yourself to leave too. Ah, no. Why would you? Your brother just got married. You should stay back with him. I will... take care of the funeral. It... shouldn’t be something too complicated."
Hearing Lucian speak nonsense, Cynthia’s heart sank for a moment. She did want to hurt him, but he had to suffer the pain she felt. But... the loss of a family member was one she could never forget despite the years that had passed.
"You... take a seat," Cynthia gently placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him on the bed to sit down. Lucians’s body moved as if there was no soul inside it, guided merely by Cynthia’s movement.
"Are you.. alright?.."
"Why do you ask?"
"I mean... your sister..."
"She isn’t... my sister. She is my half-sister," Lucian corrected, finally looking at Cynthia.