"Those who were destined to die had no right to interfere with the affairs of those fated to live."
A girl cursed to be reborn strikes an unlikely deal with the ambitious heir of Valorieve in order to fulfill her only wish. However, this strictly-b...
"My most sincere apologies, but the King is unable to see you at this time."
Felix was not surprised, for it was just as Minho predicted would happen. The royal butler would not let him meet the King.
They were standing before the doors to the King's chambers, a group of Valorieve's knights with him in their midst. Their goal was simple—ascertain the state of the bedridden King.
"I came here with the authority of His Excellency, the Count of Valorieve," Felix announced with scorn in his deep voice. "You would stand in my way?"
The old butler only bowed, his words coming out smooth, "I am afraid those are the orders of His Highness, the Crown Prince, Lord Valorieve."
Felix wanted to roll his eyes. Of course the Crown Prince had a hand in this. But there was no need for worry. He was prepared.
"Let me meet His Highness, then."
"That would be difficult, Lord Valorieve. His Highness is presently away on business."
What?
This was not what his intelligence had reported. The Crown Prince should have been in the castle, managing affairs in his father's incapacitation. Unease settled deep into Felix's heart. Something felt awfully wrong. He would have to report this back to Minho as soon as possible.
Why would the Prince leave the castle so suddenly?
Still, Felix was careful not to show his surprise as he reached into his embellished overcoat, sighing, "You leave me no choice, then."
He pulled out a small scroll of golden paper which his father had signed and given to him before his departure from Valorieve. With a flourish, he revealed the few sentences of elegant scripture and the elaborate stamp that were contained in the scroll.
"I carry with me the Lion Permit, personally signed by His Excellency," he declared, turning the paper from side to side for all to witness before raising his brows at the stubborn butler. "You know what this means, I presume? You must grant the carrier of this permit audience with His Majesty as per the sacred agreement signed between our fiefdoms at the founding of this kingdom."
"Lord Valorieve...must you employ such drastic measures?" the butler scowled, failing to hide his displeasure, and Felix shrugged. "I would not need to had you granted my simple request to see His Majesty."
A hissing chorus rose around them as the royal guards unsheathed their swords and pointed them in his direction. Their sudden hostility was met with the like from Felix's own knights, who drew their swords unflinchingly, tightening their formation like a protective barrier.
The young Lord wanted to scoff. "You would draw your swords against a count's son?"
"I must ask you to please leave, Lord Valorieve," the butler said, grim-faced and defiant.
Oh, but Felix could not do that.
This was the final play of their plan, and Minho had given him the honor of revealing the truth about the bedridden King to the entirety of the kingdom. He was not one to cower in the face of a butler and a few royal guards.
"And with what authority do you dismiss the Lion Permit? Do you insinuate that the House of Rowonne would disregard an agreement that has stood for four centuries?" warnings disguised as questions. Felix was prepared to fight his way through if the need arose.
There was a beat of silence, and he tucked the permit back into his overcoat. It seemed that he would have to fight his way through, indeed.
The butler glanced at the royal guards, the wordless exchange like a cue for them to close in as he turned away.
The chaos that ensued was a blur.
Felix's sword was drawn like a flash of lightning as he lunged forward, his knights following. Steel screeched against steel, shouts rising in the air while they fought, brilliant blue in a swarm of red.
Felix weaved his way through them with ease, his blade swinging unceasingly in a show of deadly skill. He slashed and jabbed and kicked, and his knights fought in pace with him, clearing the path and shielding him like an impenetrable wall.
With little difficulty, they reached the doors to the King's chambers and rammed them open as more royal guards joined the fray. Felix ran through the grandiose rooms, heading straight for the bedroom where the supposed bedridden King was resting in disregard for the guards chasing him.
"Halt!" he heard someone shout, but he cared not to oblige, pushing the door to the intended room open and striding in.
It felt as though the room had not seen life in many, many months. The air was stiff and old, permeated by the smell of dust and age. Layers of the former coated the marbled floor and the antique furniture, a clear sign that no one had used this place in a long time.
In the center of the room the bed was sprawled, wide, extravagant, and utterly empty.
A laugh bubbled up Felix's chest as he spun around to face the stunned crowd that had spilled in after him. His blue cape billowed around him triumphantly when he shouted, "Where is your king?"
No soul could answer him, for they were all standing witness to a harrowing, inexplicable truth. The King was nowhere to be found.
A truth that would be hidden no longer.
Felix sheathed his blade, his work complete, when a figure materialized out of the dark corners of the room. Their voice was like the scratch of nails on stone. "What a shocking discovery. You all must be proud."
His grip flew to the hilt of his sword immediately, and Felix demanded with a growl, "Reveal yourself!"
His instincts never failed him. There should have been no one in the King's rooms, so who was this suspicious person?
"It is unfortunate," they drawled, stepping out of the shadows so calmly as though there was nothing odd about their presence. A terrible chill trailed down Felix's spine, and he unsheathed his sword with sudden urgency.
The figure that had emerged was draped in a red cloak the dark shade of blood, their ancient hands exhibiting those cryptic circular markings he had seen only once before.
"For this discovery will stay here with your corpses."
It was a single heartbeat of total stillness, and the cloaked figure lunged with inhuman speed, aiming straight for a discomposed Felix.
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