ARTHUR
“ARTHUR…it’s your turn. Get some rest.”
Vice Captain Eric returned from his break just as the sky was growing dark.
“Thank you,” I said, yet I couldn’t bring myself to pry my hand away from the princesses’.
Princess Pride still won’t wake up…
She hadn’t moved a muscle. It was like time had stopped for her. Seeing her in such a state, I could hardly breathe. I probably looked pretty bad myself.
Vice Captain Eric set a hand on my shoulder. Then Tiara put her other hand on top of mine, saying, “I’ll tell Big Brother you left for your break.”
Shoot. I was making her worry.
“Right.”
I slowly stood and slid my hand away from Princess Pride’s, but the separation left my heart aching. Not being able to feel her body heat made the possibility of losing her all too real. Chills ran up and down my spine. My fingertips were cold, my senses numbing. I squeezed my fist, as though trying to hold on to her lingering warmth.
Even now that I was standing up, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I just stared down at her until Vice Captain Eric grabbed my shoulder. I know I need to rest if I want my body to function when it matters most, but right now, I desperately want to be—
An urgent knock broke the tension in the room, and Stale’s voice came from the other side of the door. When Jack let him in, a beat of relief hit me—then quickly evaporated. Princess Pride was still asleep, just like the last time Stale had seen her.
Stale hurried into the room, making a beeline for Her Highness’s bedside. His face was even more tense than mine, and I wondered if he and the others hadn’t made any progress after all. He never tore his eyes from Pride’s face as the doctor updated him on her condition, but there wasn’t much to say.
Tiara pursed her lips in concern, but when Stale noticed, he stroked her head. “Thanks for staying with Elder Sister all this time, but it’s time for you to get some rest.”
The younger princess’s eyes welled with tears at his gentle tone. They fell free as she rubbed her eyes, so Stale asked her maid to take her to her room.
“It’ll be all right,” he told her with one last strong hug, like a true big brother.
I was relieved once Tiara finally left to get some sleep. She’d dozed off at my side, but tiny, restless naps weren’t enough. Unlike me, she wasn’t used to putting her body through that much strain.
Prince Cedric had followed in on Stale’s heels, and now he glanced between the door and Princess Pride. His face twisted with pain, he faced King Lance, King Yohan, Prince Leon, and me. “I promise I’ll be back,” he said, then hurried out of the room. His eyes never left Princess Pride until he was out the door.
“Captain Arthur, thank you for watching over her,” Stale said. “I’m sorry I took so long.”
After apologizing to me, Stale spoke with the others. Prince Leon thanked him for granting permission for a special visit. Stale expressed his own gratitude toward King Lance and King Yohan for Prince Cedric’s help. Apparently, he’d forgotten to thank the prince directly.
Stale briefly chatted with the maids and the doctor before turning back to me. I gulped at the look on his face. He clearly had something he wanted to say, but he addressed the other imperial knights first. “Could I borrow Captain Arthur for a bit?”
The other knights agreed, telling him it just so happened to be time for our shift change.
“Good,” he murmured, shooting me a look.
I followed him out, leaving behind the bedridden crown princess.
We walked down the hall and descended the stairs until we reached Stale’s bedroom. Even I had never set foot inside this place in all these years. The only chambers I guarded were Pride’s, and Stale and Tiara always came to her room. Their worlds truly revolved around her.
Stale ordered the guards and knights following us to wait outside so we could be alone. I felt guilty at being the only knight granted permission to join him, but before I could say anything, Stale gestured for me to hurry inside.
The smell of books and paper hit me before I even got a good look at the space. It was like being in a library. Shelves packed full of books lined the walls, and a tall stack of tomes perched on the edge of his desk. There were even more bookshelves here than in Princess Pride’s room, though Stale kept his decorations uniform in color. All of his shelves and drawers that weren’t for clothes were locked. That didn’t surprise me, knowing Stale.
I instantly recognized a few items on his desk and the top shelves as gifts from Princesses Pride and Tiara.
“Sit down,” he said. “I’ve got something important to discuss.”
He sat on the sofa opposite me, but his words made me uneasy. It seemed like he was holding back his anger, or perhaps some other emotion I couldn’t identify. His efforts to calm himself, and maybe me as well, plainly strained his face.
I took a seat on a plush sofa too, sinking into the cushions. Restless and unsure, I leaned forward and planted both feet firmly on the ground. Stale did the same, pressing his hands to his lips as he hung his head. He clearly didn’t know where to start, so I sat quietly and waited.
At length, he declared, “I’ll get straight to the point.”
I braced myself as Stale met my eyes.
“We’ve determined that what happened to Elder Sister was a crime and not an accident. We also identified the man involved.”
My jaw dropped and my eyes bulged as questions flooded my head, but it took me some time to scrounge up the words. “Who is it?!”
Stale pressed a finger to his lips, warning me to hush up and keep this absolutely secret. I snapped my mouth shut. He brought his folded hands back to his lips, muffling himself.
“The Rajah Empire. It’s Prince Adam.”
Rajah. I knew the name all too well. They were the ones who tried to invade the United Hanazuo Kingdom. They’d claimed Copelandii had acted without their knowledge and formed a peace treaty with Freesia to ensure Hanazuo’s safety. It was…
“You’ll die with hatred for your foolish ruler who ever thought to make an enemy of the Rajah Empire!”
Memories of the defensive war flashed through my mind. An enemy general had said those words to me.
My blood boiled. Rajah was our enemy. I struggled to breathe, my mouth twisting into a scowl before I could stop it. Moments ago, it seemed like my heart had stopped dead, but now it pounded in my ears. My fingers trembled, and I fought the urge to howl with rage. As my vision turned red, I realized I needed to get a hold of myself.
“We convinced him to stay at the castle for three more days,” Stale went on. “He doesn’t seem to know we suspect him…but none of us know how he did it either.”