Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Sara took a deep breath once she was alone in the bathroom cabinet, trying to calm her heart and mind. After living her life in total solitude, she couldn’t imagine that there would be a time when she would wish to be left alone so bad the way she does now, even for few minutes.

Sara wanted to sit down for a moment, regain her composure and think about her next move but she didn’t want her dress to be dirtied by any chance, she still had to walk out of there looking as good as before and find her way out as soon as possible before anyone from her sister’s party sees her.

Sara was truly shaken by the encounter, for she had touched something very kind and pure in her sister even if things went sour shortly after, she still kept the first impression she had about Nara, a beautiful kind soul that does not hesitate to help others, she smiled warmly, allowing herself to feel happy for a second for finally meeting her sister, her family.

The moment was short lived though as Sara quickly remembered what happened after, she frowned, trying to point out what could have possibly gone wrong, was it the Ren family? Or was it her engagement to Duke Salvatore? Sara didn’t really know, she never heard about the Rens, and she doubted the royal family had any problems with the Salvatores for Eren never mentioned such a thing, he always told that their relationship was rather good, not the closest but not unstable.

She focused her train of thoughts on Nara, she was smiling most of the time, but suddenly her kind looks turned into suspicious glares.

Not so suddenly though, Sara thought.

The corner of Nara’s lips twitched as her eyes slightly narrowed when she first mentioned that she was a Ren, her friends exchanged a look among themselves, that must have been the turning point, did the princess and her friends know all the Ren’s? it was very unlikely if they truly lived in the north which was the furthest region in their kingdom.

Was the Ren’s family an enemy to the throne then? Sara wondered, but again it was very unlikely because if that was the case then Eren wouldn’t have told her to pretend to be one, her friend wouldn’t be putting her in such high risk, would he?

Taking a deep breath, Sara walked out of the cabinet to the sinks were few ladies were, the place was still dark and the candles were barely delivering any light which was weird compared to how big the flames burned.

Washing her hand with an indifferent attitude, Sara acted very normal, the women spared her a jealous look after assessing her dress and her jewelries, and of course her silver hair, not that she blamed them, there was no one else in the whole ball nor in her small acquaintances’ list with similar hair color.

“They say it is a demon attack.”, Sara heard the faint whisper but pretended she didn’t, her heart picked u it pace though, Demon? In the royal castle? She shivered, feeling more alarmed now and remembering the feeling she got when darkness took over, the same she felt in the holy tower before the demonic gate killed Patrick, a frightening atmosphere and the additional malicious presence.

“Yes, and the royal family is trying to hide it from us.” The other woman said, also in a whisper, they were not standing anywhere near her but she was somehow able to hear their whispers.

“Such a great start for the new king.”

“Tell me about it.” The first voice scoffed “At least in king Edard’s era, such a thing never happened.”

It took Sara all her resolution not to go to the ladies and shower them with questions, even though she was desperate for answers she knew those gossiping women were probably not the best source of information, they just looked like the people who would talk to talk, not to mention, she wasn’t in a situation where she could investigate and question anyone.

She knew she had to leave or at least find Eren before her sister or one of the ladies with her finds her, before her lie gets exposed and she finds herself meeting her father’s destiny, she wished she could stay and look for him but with all the guards and the guests she knew she didn’t have a chance, it was better to live this day and come look for him in another day, then get herself killed for a hopeless attempt.

The carriage, Sara sat her mind on her destination, all she needed was to reach the carriage and just wait for Eren there since she couldn’t go look for him, with that in mind, she fixed her loosed strands and straightened her dress and her posture before walking out of the bathroom.

Sara strolled the golden corridors with a straight face, keeping a dignified but low-key act, they barely had anyone in them except for few guests, guards and maids that offered her their help which she gently refused, the rest of the guests were gathered in the big halls, no longer screaming and running everywhere but fear was evident in their faces, the whole ball was brought to a halt because of the sudden darkness, and the whole situation only proved the women’s gossips.

It was a demon’s attack.

Sara wondered if it was the same demon which was tracking her? not that she had any reason to think it was him, just an intuition, giving her an additional reason to get out of that place.

The moon was the only source of light in those corridors but for some reason she was able to see, not perfectly but she was able to distinguish the shapes around her, more accurately, the paintings on the walls.

Sara stood in front of one particular painting, not able to move away not to divert her eyes, and for a second, she forgot about her urgent quest to leave the castle and stared at the huge painting, it was effortlessly as big as her bed with five figures in it.

Two were sitting on fancy chairs, one of them she recognized instantly and tears filled her eyes, she had missed the short dark brown hair and beard, the hard brown eyes, the few barely visible wrinkles, the strong jaw and the large well built frame, even as a painting her father radiated with power and authority, she hardly swallowed a sob, for she had missed him so much, and even though her mind was temporarily diverted in the last days by Eren’s company, she never forgot about her father, she was angry with him, worried and nonunderstanding, but she never forgot nor hated him.

Next to him was a woman who looked like an older, wiser version of Nara, with the same kind of angelic beauty and an extra touch of grace, her smile was the saddest though as it never reached her ears, her eyes were clouded unlike her daughter’s who was standing behind the chairs, with the same smile she saw earlier before something went wrong, and her brothers were on each side of hers, one who had similar features, red hair and blue eyes, and the other…

“Excuse me, My lady, I don’t think you should be here.” A strong voice said from behind her and Sara looked back with widened eyes, for she was looking at none other than the man in the painting.

He also had dark brown hair, large frame and a powerful presence, if fact he was a splitting image of her father and for a second, she thought she was looking at King Edard if it wasn’t for the bright blue eyes that stared at her with intensity.

“Your Majesty.” Sara said with a respectful bow, this time she was careful enough not to let anything show on her face, the warmth she felt earlier towards her sister wasn’t there for the man standing in front of her was definitely lacking that angelic aura around him, and even though his eyes didn’t hold any malignity beside the visible annoyance and suspicion, Sara didn’t let her guards down around him, for he was the person who caused her father’s disappearance.

“I am very sorry, Your Majesty, I was on my way back to the gathering room and stopped for a second to look at the royal painting.”, Sara smiled sweetly and looked back at the painting, not knowing that that particular gesture of hers made Henry more suspicious, he nodded at her, but inside he was already studying the girl, she was avoiding eye contact and providing him with excuses he didn’t ask for, the typical behavior of a bad liar.

Henry tried to recognize the girl to make sure he wouldn’t be offending any big house if he questioned her, he was the king but with the demon’s attack, he knew that his reputation have been rolled in the mud, a conflict with a big house was the last thing he needed, however, he was sure he never saw the girl before.

Henry wasn’t acquainted with many noble ladies as he never had enough time, not to mention the fact that he hated their shallow minds and desperate gestures to get his attention, for he and his siblings were raised by a very strong and capable woman, he had much more points to look for in a girl beside her beauty and background, at first he thought that the girl was but another one of those annoying stupid damsels, trying her luck with him, something he had been suffering all night before the attack, but she wasn’t.

The girl didn’t look like the rare exception, the gem among the stones, she didn’t look particularly strong or smart, just plain innocent and, behind that calm smile, frightened, Henry was a very good judge of character and he knew the girl wasn’t a bad person even though she was obviously lying about something, not to mention the feeling he had while looking at her closely in the moon light.

A familiarity, Henry thought, it was not her gorgeous gown or her striking beauty, not even her weird hair that looked like threads of silver, not her eyes that resembled the sight of the clear sky from under the water, not the expensive diamonds which she over shined, it was, something weird, like the affection one could have toward a kid or even a pet, a weaker being that awoke the desire in one to protect them.

“It is a beautiful painting indeed, and you are more than welcome to come and see it any time you want, just not now as it is really not safe. Thus, I am afraid I have to ask you to go to the gathering hall so we can protect you and everyone else. My guard will escort you.” Henry said gently but urgently, he was in a hurry as the holy council was on its way, however, he couldn’t help himself from sparing a minute or two to insure the girl’s safety, all while asking one of his guards to investigate her, the girl was suspicious but not threatening nor evil, he knew that much unless she was a great actress, something he didn’t have time to investigate just yet, not that he was going to let it go, as he sent a discreet look at his guard.

“Here you are, the council are already…” both Henry and Sara were interrupted by a feminine voice right when Sara was wondering how to get herself out of that situation, the woman stopped talking for a second, her eyes focused on the silver haired girl, and if Sara wasn’t scared before, she was now as she stared back at the queen.

“I am sorry mother; I was just helping the lady to find her way.” Henry looked and spoke at his mother with utter respect as she walked gracefully at them until she was in front of her son, she offered him the kindest and most loving smile.

“Right, I forgot to ask your name, My lady.” Henry turned back to Sara who paled a little, smiling at him, she readied herself to tell a different lie from before, a name she remembered from the taxes registers she did, but the queen spoke first.

“This is young Lady Dargent, Henry. Now please go ahead and I will come after you, I will take the young lady to the hall myself.” Sara looked up to the queen, confused as her son nodded, seemingly believing her.

“Nice to meet you, my lady, I hope we meet again in the future.” With that Henry nodded and excused himself, leaving Sara with the queen and her guards, the girl was almost shaking under the queen’s intense gaze, her smile wavering and her fear obvious in her eyes.

“I am sorry. Your Grace, but you have made a mistake, my name is actually…”.

“Don’t you dare lie to me for I know exactly who you are, Sara.”