Lies Beneath The Truth

Chapter 23: Behind the scene

"Brother!" A ghostly voice suddenly occupied the room. "What lies art thee spouting in my absence?"

There was a silence, but not long as mumbles took over. Was this a performance? The person who was acknowledged the King took charge. "Who is speaking?"

"Thou shalt not forget the son of King Xavier the second!" replied the ghostly voice. Celia's hair rose. Hugh had told her he had killed him. Did Laurence come back to life or had Hugh lied to her? She started looking around for the source. "Why doth thee hath unto lie, dearest brother? I am the Crown Prince."

"You are dead." Celia stated firmly. "Leave!"

An eerily laughter was then heard, filling everyone in the room with sudden fear.

"Father, what's that voice?" The girl who loved to read novels asked her father timidly. She had read of dead person roaming if they had unfinished business left. Did the prince not want his handsome brother to rule?

"Nothing ya should worry about." He assured when he himself was starting to doubt. The mother edged closer to him. He took her hand in his and felt her relax slightly.

"What if I am not dead in the first place? What if I am?" The ghostly voice replied. "My place has been forcefully taken from me in the accidental fire. Isn't it right I take it back?"

"Tell the truth, Fake Queen." It continued in a commanding tone. "Why had thee cover the truth from everyone?"

Again, different muttering arose from different part of the hall. Was this happening for real? Were they really being haunted by a ghost, the previous king's son at that? What exactly was it talking about? What was the ghost trying to tell?

"Do not worry, everyone. I will find the person disturbing this ball," Celia told the guests, trying to appear calm as she asked the nearest guard to investigate the source. The guard gave a wary looked at Lysander before taking off to complete his task. He wasn't wrong. Her son had appeared out of nowhere in Laura's room looking miserable, as if he had finally thought it through. He must understand that he needed to do this. While some things were suspicious, she allowed him in the main hall along with Laura. And strangely enough, she had been more obedient to her since his appearance. The princess, ironically, had helped her achieved her goal to marry off Lysander to her, to officially gain the title of the king. Celia was not going to allow anyone to stop his crowning ceremony, let alone some ghost.

"Why is he telling me not to betray him, mother?" Lysander said suddenly, catching her off guard. "Did I not simply take this place because he perished in the fire...along with father?"

Celia cursed inwardly. How dare her son played trick with her. She looked at Laura, but she was keeping quiet. There was a hint of smile, as if she were enjoying the show. Did she plan this too? How cunning could she get? Celia kept her voice from shaking as she said, "Dear son, how can you take the words of a ghost seriously? He is just trying to stir suspicion."

A man voice then emerged from the crowd of guests. "What suspicion is it trying to stir, your majesty? Are you really trying to hide something from us?"

His shouting triggered the trains of questions from the others. "What of the fire? What exactly happened?"

"And where are our husbands?" The ladies' voices, too, rose. "They had been missing for the exactly the same period as the fire!"

Celia shook as the crowd became frenzy. Then, her voice dropped. "How can I be a fake queen? You had all seen me held burial for my husband. And also for all yours husbands who perished in the fire!"

Her answer stunned everyone. There indeed was a grief period for the perished. The anger turned towards the ghost. "How dare you hide and accused our queen, you coward?" the first man shouted.