Discord

"You—! You can't do this, Princess! Please, I beg of you! I want to live! I WANT TO LIVE!"

The Duchess was screaming at the top of her lungs while the Princess drags her. Upon reaching the edge of the staircase, the Princess let go of the Duchess's hair, and grab her by the collar of her dress.

"You want to live? Have you ever stop and think that my mother would have wanted to live too? Answer me, Duchess.", The Princess knew it was a futile attempt at making the Duchess empathize with the pain that she had been carrying all these years, knowing full well that someone like the Duchess is cold-hearted. The Princess hid it well, the pain, the nightmares, the fury, but just like a jar that's overflowing with water, all her emotions was too much for her small heart thus all was finally released. It was to be expected since not once in her life did she forget.

The injustice her mother had faced.

       The Duchess could only look at the Princess desperate eyes, and she was elated that her plan worked this effectively. She can't hold back her smile anymore, and her lips quivered as she try not to show her true emotion. It was all too perfect.

"I know she would have wanted to live but I only did what I have to do, to survive! You don't know the real world, Princess! It is a far, far cruel place than this small cage you call a 'palace'!", The grip of the Princess tightened on the Duchess's collar, biting her lips she fight the urge to hit the woman in front of her again.

"Survive? You? I fear that this might be the end of you, your Highness.", The Princess let go of the Duchess, and as the Duchess contemplates whether the Princess is finally letting her go or was she about to get hit once again; The Princess with eyes that lost all hope and had given herself to insanity, pushed the Duchess down the steep staircase.

The Duchess fell down the flight of stairs screaming, and even she did not expect that the Princess could go this far. It was a nightmare for the servants who bore witness to everything that happened in this supposed joyous day. Everyone was paralyzed, and the Princess just stood there emotionless, looking at the pathetic figure of the Duchess that rolled down the stairs.

And, she thought to herself, for once, that the Duchess wasn't that scary after all.

     The Duke scouted the area ahead with the Butler but what welcomed them was something, the both of them was not ready for. The cold body of the soldiers who was with the young Prince just moments ago, the splatter of blood everywhere, and the smell of something foul filled their lungs as they navigate through the dark forest with only a lamp on each of their hands.

It was a massacre, and seeing as there was no time for the soldiers to unsheathe their swords or use their guns, the Prince and his soldiers were most likely ambushed by professional mercenaries. They wasted no time, and the slash on the soldiers fatal points was enough for the Duke to know that this was not simply for the sake of looting a fancy carriage that made a wrong turn inside the dark forest which most bandits use as their hideout.

The mercenaries likely planned all of this or someone behind them did. The Duke was not sure of the reason but he can only think that it has something to do with the wedding that's only hours away. They specifically targeted the Prince by the looks of it but under whose order?

It cannot be the Prince's father because he would lose a good deal with the Duke if he decides to just throw away his only son. It was also notable to mention that the young Prince was the next in line for the throne hence it isn't like the greedy King he knows to do this. The young Prince was too much of a prize, and the King clearly cannot afford to lose his only son.

The more reason, that whoever it is, that planned for this horrible thing to happen, was likely an enemy of either the young Prince, or the Duke. It was too vague, and too wide of a scope to guess from, but it was the most reasonable idea. Only an enemy that wants to create discord between the Duke and the King will do this.

"Your Majesty, the carriage tracks lead deeper into the forest. Should we continue pursuing the Prince?", The Butler's worried expression was hidden by the light of the lamp making it hard for the Duke to know what he truly feels because of the darkness that surrounds them.

The Butler sounds like he is only stating the choices that needs to be considered in a neutral tone of voice, like he usually did when going on about his daily business, and now he uses the same tone of voice about whether to pursue and search for the young Prince, but deep inside there was the feeling of worry gnawing at him, making him want to actually convince the Duke to go looking for the young Prince, and saving him if there was even a small chance of him being alive.

The Butler knows it is madness to compromise the safety of the Duke but the young Prince did not deserve such a tragedy to befall him. The Prince was too young to know better, and dying like this would surely make him another restless spirit, forever wandering, and looking for salvation in this dark forest where hope is bleak.

It is a hard decision for the two of them and the Duke, wanted time to consider his options but staying here, his boots soaking in both mud and the blood of men was enough to drive him into thinking that the Prince might've truly met his end within this forest.

It is also suspicious that there's no bird, nor silhouette of any kind of wild animal that one would usually encounter when travelling deep inside the dark forest. It all felt bizarre to stand in the middle of the well-known most dangerous forest in this part of the world yet there's not a single sign of a living being nor ghosts that would drag you deep into the abyss.

It was silent, as if something much more malevolent was at play, something much more sinister that scared even the devil himself.

Hence, the Duke decided that any more than this would be akin to a death wish. The very air they breathe at the moment felt too heavy with the smell of blood still hanging in the air.

"We will continue the search once the sun is up, and our vision much clearer. I will gather an ample amount of soldiers, and you will lead them into this very location.", The Butler immediately understood the Duke's orders. It was a wise decision, and the Duke, like the Butler seems to not have any intention to waste a single second pondering whether the young Prince is dead or alive.

The Duke has his own plan seeing how this manslaughter before him is the work of professionals. The first step is to act on what his instinct is telling him, and that would be to return to the palace and began the investigation from there. Professional mercenaries of this level are hard to find, and much more expensive to compensate. If there is someone who can afford to hire these kind of mercenaries, that person would definitely be someone from the Palace.

And, right now, there is only one person that comes to mind. Someone who has unusual taste for sinister things like this, and someone who clearly shows no remorse in doing the unthinkable just to get what they want.

The Butler and the Duke departed from the gruesome scene that welcomed them inside the dark forest, and proceeded to take the direction towards the entrance of Emerald City.

When the palace came into view, the Duke could not help but feel his blood rising to his head. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and the rage he felt could not be explained by mere words. He wanted to strangle the person behind this tasteless play with his own bare hands but without enough evidences, he would be waltzing in unprepared, and the lion inside the palace that continue to loom over his throne would definitely eat him alive.

The Butler on the other hand was focused on the task given to him. The moment that the Palace came into view, all he could think about was to round up capable soldiers to search for the young Prince, and to ride once again inside the dark forest, searching for a body, a limb or anything of the sort to know whether the young Prince is dead or alive.

It is hard why fate would play a cruel game like this. Tragedy after tragedy.

But, one can only wait until fate would turn away the veil, and reveal what madness it is that's awaiting.