Chapter 454: Chapter 454

A few days back and in the dungeon:

Brian rushed back the same way as he had come. But, within the span of those few seconds, his state of mind had changed. Heck, he had even started questioning his knowledge base. If any other Fae ’heard’ these thoughts, they would think Brian crazy. This was for the simple reason that he was the most learned person in the whole land! Despite this, Brian had never witnessed any human nor even read of one doing that ever!

’How was Roman...? I definitely felt Roman there! But he wasn’t!’

Brain knew of the truth, but he could not for any life, even listen to himself on this.

In a way, it was best for Brian, not to have witnessed what happened after he rushed out of there.

Not far from there, Murray still sat crossed-legged, eyes closed. He had been given an out and Murray intended to explore it in every way. He lacked information on how to help his ward, and for that, Murray was ready to give his all in order to get anything. At the back of his mind, he was also counting on the old stick of a Fae to help him reach his Mistress.

’Milady, just a little more! I’ll get us out of here!’

It was interesting that Murray was not even worried about being a living sacrifice for the coronation. His safety was beside the point, if he could get Shelby out of there unharmed, especially, with the addition of the child that he was already beating himself over, for missing the glaring clues.

He sensed a light barrier. It was so faint and fragile that Murray knew it would only take a little more effort before he could reach Currey through their mind-link.

’Just a little more...

A surge of interference hit him like a tidal wave, shattering the fragile connection before it could fully form. Murray’s breath caught. His body stiffened.

Murray’s eyes snapped open, widening as a sharp gasp escaped his lips. For a fleeting second, his mind wavered between uncertainty. Was this an ally or an enemy?

Then, in the next heartbeat, realization crashed into him. His pupils dilated. A shiver of disbelief rippled through him.

Murray had not fully grasped onto this before the unthinkable happened.

The head guard tried to shake off the feeling of oppression to no avail. When he was finally able to raise his head from his bowed position, he saw the female that they had underestimated, stretch out her arm, as if reaching for something that only she could see. Her eyes were still fogged over and looked all white and glowing.

She said this one single name. For a moment, the head guard was confused. He had all but forgotten that the other guards that he had come with were still moaning or unconscious.

It did not take long because a brief light shone. The piercing light split through the darkness of the dungeon, casting unnatural shadows along the damp stone walls. It wasn’t torch. Neither was it the feeble glow of moonbeams sneaking through cracks. No, this light was alive, shifting and crackling as if a rift had been torn into reality itself.

And then, without warning, a Fae was hurled through it.

He hit the ground hard, landing in a heap at the woman’s feet, but she did not even flinch. The impact sent a pulse through the large cell ... a ripple of something ancient, something unnatural.

The head guard, still almost flat on his face and a few paces away, felt his breath hitch. A sharp chill ran down his spine, and before he could stop himself, a scream ripped from his throat.

He didn’t know why he screamed. Not exactly. But deep in his bones, he felt it. It was an overwhelming certainty that if that power had turned in his direction, he would not be breathing.

His powerful body trembled. His instincts screamed at him to run. But he was locked in place, his gaze frozen on the figure at the woman’s feet. He knew the man well. After all, he was the one who had made sure that he was detained in a different cell from his mistress.

And then... the light vanished.

Murray getting his bearings, shouted in ecstasy. It was a short moment before comprehension dawned on him. Shelby was different! Something was different about her, but he sensed no malice from her.

It was something else that he could not pinpoint. Even he, who was her designated guardian, knew that he could not harm her in that moment. Murray was unsure of what had happened, but he was glad. Murray was only sure about one single thing: This power was on par with what happened to Ian, when Shelby was in danger. The source seemed to be similar, yet different.

Shelby’s eyes run over him, indifferently. After confirming that Murray was okay, something twisted in her. She turned her eyes sharply at the guard, who was trembling so badly and then, her eyes dimmed suddenly. Shelby’s strength zapped and she stumbled back.

Murray and Shelby’s new friend quickly reached for her, so she did not hurt herself. Murray looked at the second man strangely but knew it was not the time to do anything. They helped Shelby to sit down. Murray took a good look, and finally saw the head guard trembling. For some reason, this made him smile. He had a lot of questions, but he also knew that, it was not the time.

"What happened?" Shelby asked, as she got her bearings back.

"AAHHHHH!!!! I’m sorry!" The head guard shouted, thinking that there was to be something directed at him,

"He gotta be trippin’! Why he da head o’ security, if he such a wussy?!"

It was also at this time, that Murray felt the thing barrier break.

Without paying attention to the rest, he asked, "Milady, are you going to be okay? I am trying to reach out to Currey to..."

Shelby nodded, without letting him finish.

"Do what you have to do."

Murray took another look at the Fae who was close to Shelby. Sensing no malice, he closed his eyes and used all of his concentration to reach out to his brother. This time, it was as easy as could be.

The head guard stumbled out of the Prince Simon’s chambers. He had been given a bunch of last-minute instructions to work with regarding the human, as they had started to call Shelby. The few people who were on board with Prince Simon, also called her queen.

Shelby had been moved from the dungeon into one of the larger rooms on the same floor and wing of Prince Simon. This was only after the head guard had confirmed that she had eaten their meal and therefore was somehow bound.

The guard strode into the room with the weight of authority, his presence casting an imposing shadow over the threshold. All who met him bowed deeply, as well as the people in Shelby’s room, who had been helping her get ready for the occasion. Those who caught a glimpse of him before the doors shut could only pity the human inside.

Little did they know.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his entire demeanor crumbled. The predator became prey.

As was the usual, custom, all the people in the room bowed when they saw the head guard, so like the people outside, they did not notice the strangeness of his actions.

All of them scrambled out, but one stopped at the doorway,

"She has yet to have her meal... We-"

After this, none of them lingered.

The head guard’s spine, once rigid with dominance, curved. His legs, once firm with purpose, buckled beneath him. He did not merely bow, he collapsed, falling flat on his face in absolute submission.

"Milady! Do you have any instructions for me?"

Shelby did not say anything. However, the guard crawled on his stomach and reached for the tray of food, wolfing it down even when no one had asked. Never once had Shelby given this guard any instructions, but he had the fear of the unknown instilled in him from that ordeal.

He had taken it upon himself to let Prince Simon know that everything was okay, when it was not. Shelby had never once demanded anything of him. But the more she disregarded him, the more he felt that he had to do more to protect her and remain in her good graces. It was true that he chose to serve the royal family, but something told him that he would live to regret it, if he mishandled this strange human!

Like him, the one guard, who had survived the ordeal in the dungeon, was posted in front of Shelby’s room. The other two had been dealt with secretly.

If anyone had witnessed the scene of the head guard and the human, they would have been stunned into silence. The contrast was staggering. Outside, he was a storm, a force that commanded fear. Here, in the room, he was nothing more than a trembling offering before something far greater than himself.

But there was no one to see. No one to whisper in shock. No one to spread tales of how the mighty had fallen... except the human who was only missing her husband and did not have time for such trivialities.

’Thank you for your grace, Milady! I will be escorting you to the coronation hall in a little while....’

This got Shelby’s attention, and she finally turned to look at the Fae who was almost flat on the floor.

She had no ounce of pity for the Fae,

"Mmmm..... You may leave."

"Huh! Ah, yes, Milady! I’ll be back in a little while to escort you. Please let me know if you desire anything in the interim."

The guard squirmed at Shelby’s intense gaze. He had never been able to look her in the eye, but he could feel that piercing gaze that felt like it could reach into his soul!

"Don’t ask things that you cannot fulfil..."

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