MATTHEW STERRN IS A SUSPECT

CHAPTER 37

The silence of Grace's chambers felt heavier than usual. The flickering lights cast restless shadows across the walls, the air thick with something unseen.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers trembling as she stared at them. I controlled Lady Morphine.

She hadn't meant to. It had been instinct, an unconscious command that had forced the woman to rise. But how? And why had it felt so so natural?

Slowly, Grace raised her hand, staring at her palm as if expecting it to move on its own. The thought alone made her stomach churn.

Was she losing control? Or worse was she becoming something else entirely? This isn't me.

A gust of wind rustled through the room, though her windows were closed. Grace stiffened. A soft whisper slithered into the silence, barely audible but distinct.

"You're not ready, but you will be."

Her breath hitched, she turned swiftly, scanning the dimly lit chamber but there was nothing. The whisper had come from inside her.

She swallowed hard, her throat dry. "Who's there?"

There was no answer.

She took a shaky breath and pressed a hand against her chest, trying to still her rapid heartbeat.

"I'm just tired". She whispered

She needed to compose herself. There was no time to dwell on this, not when Queen Jonah would be leaving soon, taking Alagascar's men with her and she still didn't trust Jonah's intentions.

….

Meanwhile, deep in the corridors of the palace, Matthew Sterrn found Queen Jonah standing by an open balcony, her arms crossed as she looked over the moonlit kingdom.

He approached her carefully. "What exactly are you planning, Jonah?"

She didn't turn, but he saw her smirk. "I've already told you, Matthew. I take what's mine."

"You call taking people yours?" His tone was sharp. "Even now, I know you're up to something. What do you want with them?"

Jonah finally turned, her golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Their height is useful."

Matthew's jaw clenched. "That's not an answer."

Jonah took a slow step forward, her gaze unwavering. "Tell me, Matthew, have you noticed how different your King has become?"

His stomach tightened, but he didn't let it show. "What are you getting at?"

Jonah chuckled. "You see it, don't you? He's changing and he doesn't even know what he's becoming."

Matthew's fists tightened. He had seen it, he had seen the way Grace's fingers twitched, how she had commanded Lady Morphine without speaking.

Jonah leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "And yet, you're still so desperate to protect him. What will you do when he's no longer the person you swore loyalty to?"

Matthew held his ground. "He is still King."

Jonah raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

The words clung to him long after she left.

The palace was supposed to be impenetrable. Guards patrolled the halls, stationed at every entrance. Yet, in the night, someone slipped through.

A figure cloaked in black, silent as a shadow moved with practiced precision, evading sight, slipping between the cracks of security and their target was clear. "Grace or rather King Quicke".

The chamber doors barely made a sound as they opened. The intruder stepped inside, one hand resting on a dagger.

Grace stirred in her sleep, her body was so restless and suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She sat up too quickly, her breath uneven, as if something had woken her before the presence even reached her.

The intruder spoke, almost a whisper, thick with urgency. "You are not supposed to exist. You are not the real one."

"What?" She voiced.

Grace barely had time to react before cold steel flashed toward her throat. She threw up her hands to push, but something answered her. A sudden force, raw and invisible burst from her fingers.

The intruder was flung backward, crashing against the far wall.

The chamber shook. The candle flames flared unnaturally before snuffing out.

Grace gasped, staring at her hands, her breath ragged. "What did I just do".

The intruder clutched their throat. Their own dagger was buried deep, blood pooling beneath them. But Grace hadn't killed them, someone else had.

A second shadow stood in the doorway, Grace could barely make out the silhouette before they vanished, slipping into the dark like they had never been there.

The dying intruder let out a final, wheezing breath. Before they went still, their lips moved, shaping words with no voice.

Grace knelt down, grabbing their face, desperate to understand. "What did you say? Who sent you?"

But they didn't respond, only lifeless eyes staring back at her. The silence in the room was unbearable.

Then, from behind her, Matthew's voice cut through. "What the hell happened in here?"

The next morning, the body had been removed. The guards reported an assassination but found no trace of the second intruder.

Grace sat in her chambers, her hands clenched together. "You are not supposed to exist." The words haunted her, while Matthew Sterrn kept pacing the room. "Someone knew about you, Grace. And someone else wanted them dead before they could tell you the truth."

Grace didn't respond, she was lost in her thoughts. Everything seemed to be happening at a fast pace and didn't know where to start from. Her powers couldn't stop the intruder.

With a snap, she commanded Robert to come close, he leaned forward, and whispered to him, words only both of them understood. In a split second, several commanders were spread across the hall.

"Records should be taken immediately, of whom have left the kingdom before now" she paused glancing at Matthew Sterrn.

"Where were you Sterrn, I thought you had left after the men were selected?" Grace asked in a dismissive tone.

Matthew tilted his head, he had known that Grace was speaking from a point of suspicion. "I couldn't leave" He said, "it was already dark, I had to stay behind. I had heard the noise coming from your chambers and I didn't hesitate to come for your rescue, King".

"So how come, I wasn't informed you would be spending the night here?" Grace asked.

Matthew hesitated before reaponding this time. "You ordered to left alone King, and I couldn't afford to fall short of your command".

Grace observed him for while, she noticed the commanders were staring widely at her, she can't start suspecting the man she brought with her consent. "You do not make a decision without my permission, Sterrn" she turned to the commander, "No one leaves, until investigation is carried out".

"Yes, King Quicke" They all responded swiftly.

"Leave" she snapped