The Killers

Holly's body stiffened. Kill. Felix would kill The King like how he killed his father.

That word rang in her head. Her hands suddenly went cold, and Felix noticed it. He sighed like he knew Holly's reaction would be like this.

Holly wasn't the only one who went pale at Felix's decision. But everyone in the room was tense, except for Astragus, who was still calm with his evil face.

"You killed your father?" Holly involuntarily murmured. Her eyes were wide, and her heart was beating very fast. Could Felix be more terrifying than she thought?

Felix let go of Holly's hand. He turned his head deliberately, didn't want to see Holly and made the woman even more scared.

"Enough for today. We will discuss it later." With that, everyone came out neatly. Their faces were still pale, and neither dared to say a word.

Meanwhile, Holly was still sat stiffly. She wondered why Felix was so willing to kill his own father for the throne? Even though Holly hated her father for making her life miserable, she had no intention of killing him. But why did Felix do that?

Gilbert approached Holly and held out her hand. "Your Majesty, let me escort you."

With trembling hands, Holly accepted Gilbert's hand. She glanced at Felix, who was still standing behind her. Holly wondered what Felix thought. Why was he just silent?

Staying here with him made Holly shivered. Even though it was only yesterday that she felt comfortable with Felix and felt at ease with him. But now Holly has to accept the fact that Felix was ​​the murderer of his own family.

Gilbert and Holly left the hall without a word. Likewise, Felix who did not intend to say goodbye.

Gilbert ushered Holly back to her room. He knew how scared Holly was because her hand was so cold.

"That wasn't like what you think, Your Majesty." Gilbert finally spoke after they reached Holly's room.

"What do you mean?"

"Everything His Majesty did, only for his people and this kingdom."

Before Holly could ask further, Gilbert had already retreated and left her room. What really happened?

Every time she hears about a murder, Holly's memory flashes back to what happened five years ago. She rubbed her arm, took a deep breath to erase the bad memory. But she couldn't.

***

Five years ago, it was a starry night. Holly was invited to the royal banquet with her father and brother. This was not the first time she had been invited. Several times before, the Crown Prince had personally asked Holly.

But there was something special this time. The King would present the second prince in front of nobles and government officials.

It was very rare, considering the second prince's whereabouts were always hidden. The King insisted that hiding the second prince was a strategy to protect the royal lineage. If anything happened to the Crown Prince, the second prince was still safe, and his existence would save the royal successor.

Actually, it sounded very illogical to Holly. "They should have hidden the crown prince so he wouldn't be killed. They are more concerned with the second prince's life," Holly said as they were on their way to the palace.

Her brother chuckled and then patted her head. "Don't say that to the King," he said.

Holly was lucky her father was in a different carriage. Otherwise, Duke Reloux would have snapped at her. Arthur was not like his father, he preferred to play around and tease his sister than scold her. He also agreed with what Holly said, and they weren't the only ones who thought that King's decision sounded stupid.

Their horse carriage stopped in front of the palace. Arthur got down first, giving Holly his hand to help her down. Their father followed. With a stern and fierce face, Duke Reloux told them not to linger.

The palace was already filled with nobles who came from all over. As the most influential duke, Reloux was highly respected in Grisia. They were the second strongest family after the royal family.

Arthur was still with Holly until they reached the hall. Some women started pulling him away. Duke Reloux had to accompany his daughter. As her debuted ceremony passed last year, Holly had to find a potential husband, Duke Reloux will look for a man who deserves to be his son-in-law in this event.

Holly was beautiful. Whenever she came to a banquet event, she would be the centre of attention. Her beauty even attracted the attention of men from other kingdoms. But, Duke Reloux was the problem and the reason why she was still single.

That wouldn't be easy with his high qualification over these men. He would not give up his daughter to a random man.

"Reloux, I thought you wouldn't come because of the riots in the central area." King Francis came to greet him with a bottle of wine in his hand. The smell of alcohol was so strong that Holly had to hold her breath.

"Your Majesty, how could I not fulfil your invitation." Duke Reloux saluted the King.

Francis Helbert, King Grisia, who can only play women and got drunk. He was known as a stupid king. But it doesn't matter to Reloux because a stupid King was better than a cruel King.

A red-haired man appeared behind King Francis, the Crown Prince. His blue eyes gazed kindly at Holly. He shook her hand and then kissed it politely. "Glad you came, Miss Reloux."

Holly blushed. If many girls were lulled by the Crown Prince's good looks, Holly was captivated by his gentle attitude. But Holly had to admit that the Crown Prince was handsome. At least he was ranked second as the most chased man by women.

The one who took the first place was none other than Arthur. His blonde hair and green eyes drive a lot of women crazy, plus he would be the next Duke for the central area of ​​Grisia.

Unfortunately, Holly could not linger with the Crown Prince. Her father wanted to discuss political issues with the royal family. Holly sighed. As a woman, she was always sidelined in such affairs. A banquet for a woman was a place where they could find a partner and show off their status. But for men, it's always about politics and business.

Holly looked for Arthur and found out he was overwhelmed by many women surrounding him. Holly laughed. She didn't want to save his brother. It was time for Arthur to find a wife.

Holly pulled over to the balcony. The sound of music and the crowd inside made her dizzy. She wanted to get some fresh air.

The balcony was separated by an unlocked door, so inside noise would not be very audible. Holly stepped outside but stopped right away when she felt the cold air hit her skin.

At the same time, Holly realized someone else was on the balcony. A burly man with black hair and red eyes. This was the first time Holly had seen anyone with bloodshot eyes.

That man smiled at her, but Holly couldn't feel a friendly welcome from him.

"I can go if you want to be alone," said that man.

Holly didn't want to be rude. Both would be rude to tell the man to go, or she go by herself. Holly had no choice but to stay there. Moreover, that balcony was pretty spacious for the two of them.

Holly only smiled slightly to greet that man. There was no wind and it was summer, but suddenly the air felt so cold. It seemed like going to the balcony was a bad idea.

"You didn't like the party, Miss Reloux?"

Holly looked up in surprise. "You know me?"

"Who doesn't know you?"

Even though that man seemed nice to her, Holly couldn't help but get goosebumps to see it. There was something wrong with him.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. Someday you will get used to it," said the man.

[He knows I'm scared?] Holly moved back. Her instincts told her to be careful with this guy.

"Aaaakh!!!!"

Holly jumped when she heard a very loud scream inside the hall. Another scream followed and people started running in fright.

Holly came right in. It was hard to walk because several people bumped into her. "He's a killer!" shouted one of the women running towards Holly.

Anxiety attracted Holly. She was afraid that something terrible would happen to her father or Arthur. She didn't care who she pushed anymore. Holly slipped through the crowd of people running around.

Holly froze as she made her way to the centre of the hall. Her eyes widened, and her face paled. Arthur, who was standing beside her, swiftly took her hand. They were both petrified by what their eyes saw.

The crown prince lay with his neck torn and covered in blood. The King fell to his knees beside him, too shocked to say anything.

In front of them, Duke Reloux stood stiffly with a knife in his hand.