DUSK.
I couldn't bear the stench and the imaginations filling my head.
I staggered and found my way back to the kitchen.
The maid had been looking for me with a cold drink on a tray. She saw me looking terrified and came closer.
"My lady, are you okay? Why do you look so...?" She asked, but I looked back, and she followed my gaze.
"We should tell the men." I said, and she seemed to spot the drops of blood.
Some other maids, seeing me looking so rattled out, joined the other maid, and they followed the trail. The next thing I heard was a scream as they all came rushing back. The other maids gathered around them.
"What? What did you see? What was that?" They asked, and the first maid, who was trembling, held up a hand.
"He... the dead warrior. I think he was killed in there. There's a large pool of blood in the abandoned store room." She said, and horrified gasps went round the kitchen.
"He was killed in the abandoned store room! Oh my God!" A maid exclaimed, and the maids continued to echo her statement.
"Keep it low. It's not..." I was saying but was interrupted by a voice.
"A person was killed here?" The voice asked, and I turned to stare into Rafael's eyes.
The very man Lucius had tried to keep this a secret from. He walked into the large kitchen, and the maids stared at him with wide eyes.
"Alpha Rafael. That's quite extreme." I said, linking my arm through his and leading him out.
"They were talking about a person, no?" He asked, and I laughed even though I was sweating rivers inside.
"Our maids can be very funny. They're all animal lovers. There's this lamb that all of them loved. Even I loved it, but unfortunately, that lamb was killed for food. They were horrified to learn that the lamb had been killed in the kitchen, not outside with the royal butchers. I lied and was surprised at myself for being able to tell such a smooth lie.
He looked at me and tilted his head.
"A lamb?" He asked, and I smiled.
"Those cute little beings that are as peaceful as doves" I said, and he looked away.
"I know all about lambs. If you ask me, I'll say your maids are being dramatic." He said, and I laughed.
"I thought you needed some rest." I said, and he stopped.
"I had a question I needed to ask you. So I followed your scent here." He said, and I looked up at him.
"And what's that Alpha?" I asked, and he stared at me for a while before speaking.
"I need the truth. Do you think Lucius is capable of handling the throne?" He asked, and I was thrown off guard by his question.
This was why not only enemies weren't to be trusted. Allies, too, weren't to be trusted.
"Lucius has been trained from a very young age to take the throne. He's more than ready; this is what he has been doing years before his father, The Alpha, died, and he's doing a good job of it." I said based on what Ethan had told me about the dead Alpha only seeing Lucius as a tool to build the best pack in the kingdom and outside the kingdom's boundaries.
"So he's capable?" He asked with a raised brow.
"He is." I said, and he smiled and gave a little bow before walking away. I watched him as he walked away. Then he stopped.
"Any maid who can sing me to sleep? I'm quite worn out." He said without turning to face me.
"You can expect a maid in your room in a few minutes." I said and watched him go.
He smelled like trouble, and I needed to keep away from the palace at least until Lucius was able to deal with things properly.
On my way to get a cleaning maid, I ran into Athena.
"It's so nice to run into you. Can you do me a favour?" I asked.
~
I had gone to find Lucius after asking Athena to sing Alpha Rafael to sleep, and he was with his men at the training grounds.
I told him everything Alpha Rafael said, and he explained who he was to me.
A man waiting to strike the kingdom at any slight perception of weakness, but also a man useful in getting information about other strong kingdoms.
I asked about the man Lucius had gone after, and he explained how the man was a prime suspect.
~
The next day, Alpha Rafael insisted on watching me draw before leaving for his kingdom, and I had to paint a beautiful garden for him. He was deeply impressed and asked to take the painting. I consented and asked for the canvas to be replaced before escorting him out of the gardens and into his carriage.
I and Lucius waved at him after the usual parting words.
"Thank you for pretending to be my Luna." He said with a smile, and I nodded.
"It's okay. He did seem suspicious. How's the case going?" I asked, and he sighed.
"He keeps pleading innocent. I'll go see him now." He said, and I nodded, and he left.
I went back to the garden only to find my bottle of red ink empty.
I looked around and spotted a patch of red underneath a tree.
To me, it seemed someone like Ariadne had mixed my paint with water and poured it underneath the tree.
I went to the tree, bent down, touched the red liquid on the grass, and looked at it.
"This doesn't look like paint." I said to myself, and just then, a drop of the red liquid dropped on my hand. I looked up, and another dropped on my face. I closed my eyes quickly, and when I reopened them...
I saw a dead body spread across the tree branches, looking at me.