Inside the tower, Drayce hurriedly climbed the long winding stairs towards the top floor of the tower where he knew her bedchamber was. While crossing the other floors of the tower, he could see everything was dead silent, and although there was simple furniture on each floor, the other floors seemed barely touched. It was as if no one lived inside this tower.
It did not take him long to reach the top. He used his powers to cross that distance in even less than half of the time that was required for any normal human to climb that tower.
Standing at the end of the staircase, he looked around the huge circular corridor. It only took him a glance to recognize which of the rooms was the Third Princess's bedchamber. The decorated door looked more attractive than the other doors in that corridor.
Even without that, there was no way he would mistake where the Third Princess was as the unknown force of energy pulling him towards her was leading towards that room.
However, her presence this time was weaker than what he felt the previous time when he met her in the marketplace, and this made him frown.
Drayce hurried towards the room and opened the door without knocking. As expected, the door was not locked, and he found himself inside a large yet elegantly decorated room with everything kept in its place, but the owner of the room was nowhere to be found. The bed in the center of the room was empty.
Just then, Dusk, who was sitting on the window sill, called out to him to get his attention. Drayce noticed that the wooden meal boxes he had ordered Dusk to bring for the Third Princess were kept as they were, piled untouched on the place where Dusk had landed.
Dusk screeched again before turning his head at the wardrobe inside the room, and Drayce followed his line of sight. The weak force of familiar energy he had sensed was coming out from that wooden wardrobe, which had its netted door partially opened.
When he opened the door of the wardrobe, he saw a tiny body with long red-brown hair curled into a ball, as if its owner was trying to make herself even smaller to fit herself on the corner of the wardrobe that had her dresses hung into it. The dresses were partially covering her but were unable to hide her completely.
Drayce kneeled and pushed the dresses to the side to look at her face that was covered with the veil on the lower half. Her hair was a mess, and her arms and knees were covered in dirt as if she had fallen on the ground somewhere. Her eyes were closed with traces of dried tears left around them, and her forehead was creased as if she's having a nightmare.
Her frightened appearance tugged the strings of his heart, and it angered him to see her in such a pitiful condition.
Drayce checked her pulse, and not only was it weak, but her wrist was also cold to touch as if her skin was laced with ice. Without hesitation, Drayce lifted the unconscious girl in his arms and stepped out of her room to bring Seren out.
There was no use in keeping her inside her room as no physician would be able to enter the tower to check on her, and neither could anyone be by her side to take care of her.
Soon, Drayce reached the tower entrance, where he was greeted by the sight of everyone crowding around the door, waiting for Drayce to return with Seren with a mix of expectant and worried gazes.
The moment they saw Drayce carrying the unconscious Seren, King Armen, Cian, Sir Berolt and Lord Eudes gave out a collective gasp at the sight. "Seren!"
King Armen reached out a trembling hand towards her. "What is wrong with my daughter?"
"Get out of my way!"
The moment Drayce stepped out of the door, he didn't even stop to let the approaching King Armen and Cian touch Seren. He marched towards the open gate without paying heed to the two.
"King Drayce!" Cian yelled as he followed him along with King Armen and Lord Eudes. "What—"
"Drayce Ivanov! What are you doing? What is wrong with her? Let go of my daughter at once!"
Drayce stopped but did not turn his head to look at the men making a commotion behind him. Before anyone could say a word, he spoke, "The Father who failed to protect his daughter has no right to question me."
King Armen froze, finding himself speechless and unable to react.
Cian took Drayce's abrupt pause as a chance to stand in front of him and block his way.
Drayce remained unaffected as he calmly looked at the Prince of Abetha. "Would you like me to take her back inside the tower?"
"My sister is not a trophy that you can take with you just because you managed to get her out of the tower," Cian countered.
"Once I take responsibility to save someone, I do it till I make sure they are fine," Drayce said coldly. "It would be better if Prince Cian steps aside and not delay the treatment for her."
"We are her family! We—"
King Armen found himself walking towards his son and signaling him to stop speaking. He studied the pale face of his unconscious daughter before lifting his gaze to meet those red eyes that looked dark and dangerous at this moment.
King Armen's voice was calm as he said, "Just one request, King Drayce."
"Father!" Cian exclaimed, seeing his father agreeing for Drayce to take Seren with him.
"Let me talk," King Armen said to his son, effectively silencing him.
Drayce stared down at King Armen, waiting for him to talk.
"Do not attempt to take that veil out of her face. It's a humble request of one father."
Seeing Drayce nodding lightly to his request, King Armen stepped aside and he signaled his son to do the same.