Chapter 42: Chapter 42
Theo’s Palace
Jasmine’s P.O.V.
Rounding the corner, I took the stairs to the third floor. But before that, I looked around to look for any signs of danger before heading to complete my task.
A task that was assigned to me by the Demon King.
I ascended the eerily quiet and way too long stairs with a bated breath. My breathing turned ragged by the last step. I could have used my magical powers but what if that turns it on me? This place looks skeptical and I can smell magic in the air. I can’t take such a big risk. Sweat beads adorned my forehead which I wiped away recklessly with the sleeves of my golden color gown.
But no sooner did I reach the forbidden floor, than my jaw dropped. I was awestruck.
Huge pillars with intricate designs on them, flamboyant chandelier dangling from the ceiling, marble floors, walls adorned with paintings depicting the family tree of the Theo dynasty, and singing the praises of their valor. A snort escaped my lips as I watched all those paintings and headed to the southwest corner.
But before that, I again checked my back for any suspicion or danger and once I found the court safe, I invaded that territory with Zachary’s words lingering in my head.
“You need to look for three magical weapons in the Theo Palace. Those weapons must be hidden in a sacred place, away from everyone’s eyes. It could be anything, a dungeon, a secret door, or a place of the palace which is forbidden to enter. You first need to find out its location where these weapons have been stashed for years and then I will tell you the next move.”
That’s what Zachary had told me. Since then, I had been searching for that room but got nothing. Also, after that embarrassing incident, my in-laws have been giving me a cold shoulder. I just don’t understand the reason behind their anger. They knew I wasn’t completely at fault still they were considering me guilty for everything. And about Theodore, after disrespecting me, he went back to his cold and apathetic self. It’s good though cause this way, I would be able to finish my job with ease.
After researching for weeks, my luck favored me one day as I bumped into Christina who spilled the secret of this palace.
Flashback
After having my breakfast, I was heading to the garden when I saw a group of servants padding to the third floor while carrying a lot of sanitation and cleaning stuff. I immediately ran to them to find out when my gaze landed on Christina who was instructing them.
“Make sure to leave no spot. The floor should be tidied up in less than thirty minutes and then everyone will evacuate the place before the King’s arrival.”
‘What the hell is going on?’
The servants bowed to her and eventually rushed to the staircase.
“Christina?”
I called her softly. Christina jumped after hearing my voice but what confused me was her scared expression.
‘As if she didn’t want me here.’
She slowly darted her eyes around and gulped nervously. I kept analyzing her blanched face when all of a sudden, she grabbed my hands and took me to a corner.
“Listen, Jasmine, now as you’re a part of the royal family, there’s something you must know.” She spoke. I nodded for her to go on.
“The third floor of the palace is strictly forbidden to enter. Only the King or father-in-law has the right to go there. No one is allowed there not even George nor Christian.”
I was perplexed, “But why? What’s on the third floor?”
Christina kept quiet for some time and I could see that she was hesitant to tell me. So, I pulled my victim card.
I grabbed her hands in mine and squeezed them gently, “You also think of me as an outsider like the rest, don’t you?” I spoke in a sorrowful tone which did work.
Christina immediately shook her head in denial and cupped my face in her palms, “No, not at all Jasmine. You’re like a sister to me. Alright, so the thing is there is a secret room upstairs. We call it the Vault of the Golden Warrior. Three magical and most powerful weapons of this universe have been kept in there.”
My eyes turned to the size of saucers as soon as I heard it.
Finally, I got what I was waiting for.
I knew which weapons she was referring to.
“Ragnarok- the Silver Sabre, Venomshark- the Doomsblade, and the Armageddon.”
But still, I played dumb. “Weapons? What are they for?”
Christina inhaled sharply before answering me, “I don’t know much but what Christian had told me is that these three weapons have been passed on for generations and can be used only by their rightful owner. They have the power to destroy the whole universe and that’s why our Great Elijah kept it safe from those demons and then passed this responsibility to his successors. Lord Ernest and now our Theo will be the one to protect them and then use it on Zachary to wipe the existence of Hell.”
She spoke with pride as her green eyes beamed with happiness and hope. I also flashed her a smile to not to make her dubious.
“Wow!! That’s great. So, these servants are going to clean that room?”
“No, Jasmine. These cleaners are only to clean the third floor, staircase, and the other expensive artifacts and antique souvenirs kept there. Only Theodore can enter that room.” She spoke firmly. I nodded and peered at the staircase only to see those servants mopping the steps.
“Now as I have told you, make sure not to go there alright?” Christina asked me softly but her expressions were hard. I nodded and passed her a smile.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
End of Flashback
A sigh escaped my lips.
I am sorry Christina but I can’t renege the promise I made to Zachary. He helped me to fulfill my madness only if I knew that begging for love from Theodore was like barking up the wrong tree. There’s no way he would love me in this life but he has to pay for making me cry.
I curled my fingers in a fist when I recalled his brutal words.
“It’s your reward for pleasuring the King.”
I scoffed, “You shouldn’t have said that to me, Theo. You don’t know to what extent I can go once I make up my mind for something.”
If helping Zachary will make me a subject of Theodore’s rage then let it be.
If I don’t help Zachary then he might use my sister against me. After all, he is a demon. But I am doing everything for my benefit. Once I get my hands on these weapons and Theo comes to know about my betrayal, I would threaten him to love me and give me equal rights. Forget about Diana and give me the respect I deserve. And if he doesn’t then no one can save his darned kingdom.
Brushing away those thoughts, I lifted my head and trotted straight to that secret door.
“Wow!!”
It was a huge mahogany door that reached up to the ceiling with beautiful designs carved on it. The royal symbol was sculpted on the golden handle and it was coated with glitters.
But the door wasn’t locked.
That’s weird.
“How come it isn’t locked? There isn’t a latch nor a lock? Is it sealed by magical powers but why I can’t feel them?”
I was going out of my mind. There wasn’t a single lock on the door. Christina told me that it can be only opened by Theodore.
‘The question is how?’
I was drowned in an ocean of thoughts when suddenly I heard footsteps. Every cell of my body jarred in dread.
“Did I get caught?“, I murmured and immediately dashed to hide behind one of those huge pillars when my left wrist was taken in a painful grasp.
“Yes, you did.”
That voice.
“George?”
Jasmine looked over her shoulders only to see the youngest prince of the Theo Dynasty smirking at her. She yanked his hands and turned around.
“What are you doing here?“, Jasmine questioned George who had a mocking smirk plastered on his handsome face.
He let out a snort before replying to her, “Shouldn’t I be asking you the same, peasant? No one is allowed here and if they do, they are liable for punishment.”
He spoke in a menacing tone and wiggled his brows at her. But to his surprise, Jasmine flashed him a smile and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Well, that makes us equal then. Forget about me, you should enlighten me about your visit to this forbidden arena, Prince George.”
Her words ticked George as his expressions within a flash turned dark.
“I was just passing by.“, He spoke with clenched teeth and averted his gaze from her.
Jasmine cocked her left brow, “Really? It doesn’t look that way to me. Because if I remember right, only my husband has the right to come here so who do you think you are to trespass this property?“, she retorted back. Her words were enough to make George blow his top.
Taking a predatory step in her direction, he clenched his jaw and seethed, “Your husband is my brother who doesn’t give two flying fucks about you. Moreover, I am not answerable to you. This is my house while you are just a home wrecker, fucking obsessed who-”
*Slap*
His face was immediately turned to the right as Jasmine slapped him hard. George stilled on his spot as he never expected her to hit him. He slowly tilted his neck back to her and shot her a murderous look. But Jasmine kept her face stern and her posture rigid.
“You better keep your tongue intact or I wouldn’t mind pulling it off your damn mouth. Didn’t you learn how to respect your elders in Plagminton or your education is only for show, douchebag?“, she snarled. George turned red in anger. Gripping her neck, he pulled her harshly towards himself making her fragile figure bump on his chest.
“You have no idea what you’ve done? You don’t know little vixen; I can snap your neck in two and bury your body in that same damn room where you were trying to sneak in.”
He grinned as Jasmine’s face lost color. Pulling her closer to his face, he glared at her scared hazel hues.
“You are up to something, aren’t you?”
A cold shiver ran down her spine. But she can’t show him her fear or else she’ll be doomed. So, she glared back at him and replied with the same intensity, “So are you. You wouldn’t have climbed twenty stairs just to say hello to me.”
Her words left him tongue-tied. George gulped and Jasmine could tell by the crease formed on his forehead that he definitely had a different purpose to be here.
She pried his long fingers that were wrapped around her neck and pushed him back. George stumbled backward and shot her a death glare.
“Yes, I am. So what? Do you think my brother would believe you over me? If I tell my family that you were sneaking around our family’s treasure, do you know what will happen to you, witch? My brother would not only kick you out of this royal family but you would be burnt at stake for treachery.”
George gritted. He tried to find any traces of fear in her eyes but Jasmine simply gave him a vacuous stare.
“Go ahead. Who’s stopping you? But what’s your opinion about this?” She spoke.
George looked at her in confusion but the ground slipped beneath his feet when Jasmine took out a paper roll from behind. Her lips curved in a lopsided smile as she waived that roll in the air.
“Why have you made a list of all the portals that have been closed by father-in-law and even penned down different ways to open them?”
She spoke in a sarcastic tone while staring at George whose face turned white as a sheet.
He was dumbfounded as to how Jasmine got a hold of that list. Rather than he knew she had very cautiously removed it from the pocket of his pants when he was busy strangling her.
Jasmine then sashayed towards George; her sagacious eyes trained on his blanched face. George immediately leaped on her to take that roll but she ducked him and hit him on his head.
“YOU WENCH!!”
*SMACK*
“BEGGAR”
*SMACK*
“FILTHY LOW LIFE!!”
*SMACK*
*SMACK*
*SMACK*
Jasmine kept hitting him while he continued showering profanities at her. George started chasing her but before he could catch her, she would smack him on his head making him groan in pain.
The empty corridor soon got filled with her giggles. Jasmine didn’t even realize that she was laughing wholeheartedly after so long and the reason behind it was the one who hated her to his core.
“Keep going, I am loving it”, Jasmine snickered like a child and again raise her hand to hit him but her laughter died down when a thunderous growl boomed in the corridor, freezing both of them to death.
“WHAT THE HELL YOU BOTH ARE DOING HERE??”