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“You are all he has left now,” he told me. “Speak from the heart. Join in this pain and remember your sister for who she was when she was with you two.”
These words made me tremble again and I felt another onslaught of tears coming on. I blinked heavily keeping them at bay. He leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. There was so much love and tenderness in that kiss, I felt as if I were enveloped in an aura of warmth. I was still overpowered by the pain, but I found solace in knowing that I had people who cared deeply about me. In this knowledge, I knew I would find the courage to face the empty days that lay ahead of me, one step at a time, with the memory of my sister guiding me through the darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Adrian
As I entered the king’s study the following morning, I was taken aback by the sight that met my eyes. King Theodore, whom I had always known to be composed and dignified, looked weary and worn. The weight of grief and sorrow seemed to have aged him, and I could see the toll it had taken on him.
His usually impeccable appearance was slightly disheveled, his clothing lacking the usual regal splendor. His silver hair, normally meticulously styled, appeared ruffled, as if he had been running his hands through it in frustration. The lines on his forehead were deeper, evidence of the burdens he carried as the father of one dead child.
The king’s eyes, once filled with authority and resolve, now held a weariness that tugged at my heart. I could see the pain and sadness reflected in his gaze, the weight of loss heavy upon his soul. As I approached, he looked up from his desk, and I saw a flash of sadness in his eyes before he quickly masked it with his usual composure.
“Adrian,” he greeted me, his voice tinged with a mixture of fatigue and determination.
“Your Highness,” I replied respectfully, trying my best to offer a reassuring presence despite the somber atmosphere. “You called for me?”
“Indeed,” he nodded with a heavy sigh. “I’ve spoken with Zalkind, and he tells me that he is almost absolutely certain that Cassandra fell down the stairs.”
Mentioning his daughter’s name immediately made his composure waver, and a hint of vulnerability seeped through. I could see the pain in his eyes. He didn’t even try to mask it now.
“He told me the same thing yesterday,” I nodded.
He paused for a moment, then he continued. “In light of everything that has happened before this… do you think it is possible that this was nothing more than a tragic accident?”
I wanted to be given a moment to think about it, to find the right words to form my response, but he wouldn’t have it.
“Don’t think about it,” he warned. “I want an honest answer. One does not need to think long for an honest answer.”
“It is possible,” I said, obliging him. “But it is also possible that someone might have masked it as an accident and that maybe, in the dark, someone could have mistaken her for Lilith.”
This idea petrified me, that I could have woken up in the middle of the night to find Lilith dead at the bottom of the stairs.
“Those were my thoughts as well,” he mused. “That someone wanted to prevent this marriage at all costs, even daring to enter my castle and do something so horrible.”
I nodded solemnly, offering him a sympathetic gaze. “Only, I doubt anyone would pass through the guards.”
“There are more than enough of them scattered throughout the premises,” he agreed. “Not a mouse could have passed unseen.”
“Then, someone inside the castle?” I wondered.
“Could be,” he replied. “I see no other explanation.”
He looked at me in a way that somehow made me want to prove my loyalty to him. “With all due respect, Your Highness, I know that I am the last addition to the staff inside the castle and if you believe that I am—”
He waved his hand dismissively, frowning. “I have no time nor will for such ridiculous talks. We’ve discussed this already. If Jericho trusts you, so do I.” He was referring to my boss by his first name, something not many were given the privilege to do. This proved that the king and my boss were very close.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” I nodded, grateful that I did not need to explain myself or my presence here.
Something told me, if Luke was here, he would demand that of me. But he was not the one who made the rules here. He was just the man who would marry the woman I loved. Nothing more, nothing less. The thought made my nostrils flare up, so I tried to calm myself down.
“I don’t know anymore,” he said helplessly, raking his fingers through his hair. “I believed that we managed to make the castle a safe place, but I see now that we failed. I failed.”
“You didn’t fail, Your Highness,” I said, but the moment I did that, our gazes locked, and I knew that he didn’t need empty words of comfort. The guilt of losing his daughter would be something he would carry with him for the rest of his life.
“I cannot allow that to happen to Lilith,” he told me. “Not after the witch has warned us that she would be the target. That is why I believe that Cassandra might have been mistaken for her last night and pushed down the stairs. It is of course something we cannot prove. And I don’t intend on keeping Lilith here long enough to find out if there will be another such… accident.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what he was aiming at, so I allowed him to continue, while listening intently to him.
