Once Damian stepped away from the Queen and left the hall after receiving instructions from her, both Damon and Ivan looked at her curiously, wondering what news Damian had come to deliver.
The queen's lips curved in a smirk as she faced them all.
"Prince Harold is leaving the palace with his bride," she announced to the members of the assembly who were still talking amongst themselves and everywhere became silent.
Harvey, who was standing amongst the others, looked at the queen with interest when he heard that. Did that mean Alicia was awake now?
"What do you mean they are leaving the palace?" Damon asked with a frown.
"You heard me. If we are going to do something about him, we have to do it now while he is away, or else we might all die before the end..."
"What are you trying to say?" One of the aristocrats cut in.
Seeing that there was no way she could outrightly suggest that they try to harm Prince Harold, she smiled.
"I'm saying we have to figure out a way to take care of this problem now."
"What if they are running away? What if his wife has confessed to him and he is taking her away from the palace so she wouldn't be punished?" Ivan asked, not wanting to lose his opportunity to get back at both Harold and his disrespectful wife.
"Do you think Prince Harold is the sort of person who would run away like that?" Harvey, who usually preferred to be silent during assemblies, asked from behind the crowd. As the youngest of the noble lords, he always tried to maintain himself during assemblies. He preferred to observe and leave the others to deliberate on things. One thing he had noticed so far was that he and his father were always on the same page. So whenever there was an issue, he trusted his father to speak on their behalf.
"If that is the case, isn't it better for you? Doesn't that mean that he is also leaving the kingdom, and you don't have to worry about him becoming king?" Another of the aristocrats asked, and Ivan glared at both men. It seemed like their level of disrespect was growing by the day.
"Are they leaving with any guards or servants?" Damon asked before Ivan could say anything, and the Queen shook her head.
"I don't know that much, but we will find out soon," the queen said, and the aristocrats began to murmur amongst themselves.
"I don't think there is anything we can do. I think the best thing to do is to come up with ways to appease him. We must not do anything to annoy him any further," another aristocrat said, and Ivan scowled at him distastefully.
"You prefer to be a coward under his mercy than to stand up against him and..."
"I didn't see you standing up against him yesterday. I remember seeing you run away the moment he got close to the Queen," the man said, and Ivan's eyes glared with anger, while the Queen also turned to look at Ivan with disapproval when she heard that.
"I am not going to be a part of this gathering if it is going to involve any plot against Prince Harold. I'm only here so we can find ways to appease him," one of the aristocrats said, and the others agreed with him.
The last thing they wanted was a repeat of yesterday's event. Most of them had come with their families, and they didn't want to make any decisions that would endanger them and their families.
"So we are going to do nothing?" The Queen asked in disbelief as she looked at Damon.
"Are we going to starve to death and die of thirst just because you all are scared to confront Prince Harold?" The Queen asked angrily as she looked at all their faces, but no one was saying anything.
They needed to eat! But the idiot servants were too scared to make something for them to eat. They hadn't even found a single soul in the kitchen!
"We don't even know where he is going or how long he will be away. We don't know what plans he has for us. Are we going to wait until he kills us all?" The Queen asked hysterically.
"So what do you suggest we do? Let's hear your suggestions," one of the aristocrats said, and they all looked at the Queen, who also looked back at them, not knowing what to say.
"Let's put our heads together..."
"Let's capture Prince Harold and his wife so they don't run away," Ivan cut in before his mother could finish speaking.
"What is stopping you from doing that? He is your brother, after all. Go with your guards and do as you please," Sir Gregory said, jerking his head to the door for Ivan to do so.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" Ivan bellowed at him. "If you all were useful, Prince Harold wouldn't have dared challenge us like this!"
"Challenge?" Harvey asked with a scoff, "Princess Amber was almost executed without proper investigation."
"Because she killed someone! And even if she didn't kill Beth, she stabbed a princess. That is enough to have her killed." Ivan said in annoyance as he frowned at Harvey's disrespect.
Harvey was about to retort when his father interrupted, "Since we are not making any progress with the meeting, I will be returning to my chamber. I'd prefer to reserve what little energy I have left," Sir Richard said and gave Harvey a pointed look for him to also leave. Sir Richard was about to take the first step when the door was pushed open and three fully armed guards marched inside with one leading them and the other two behind him on each of his sides.
They didn't need to announce who they were. They were the king's special guards.
There was suddenly silence in the entire room as most of their gazes went to the door, expecting Harold to come in any minute, while the other half were expecting the King to have woken up. However, it was none of them because the leader began to speak in a loud and clear voice.
"On Prince Harold's orders..." he started.
"If anyone leaves the palace before he returns, every one of you will pay the price."
As soon as he said that, they all began to murmur amongst themselves. What sort of joke was that?
"THEREFORE..." He started to speak in a loud voice again, silencing the murmurs.
"You all have to make sure no one escapes."
The murmurs grew louder again. What sort of trouble was this that had befallen them?
"LASTLY..."
Silence again.
"Prince Harold hopes you are all enjoying your meeting," he concluded with a polite bow before he turned around and stormed out of the room with the other two behind him.
Sir Richard didn't wait for the complaints to start. Just as he had planned earlier, he walked away from the place just as their voices grew louder and Harvey followed, but not after glaring at Ivan, who scoffed in disbelief.
"Do you think they're running away?" Sir Richard asked Harvey as they walked down the hallway.
Sir Richard was somewhat grateful that Harvey was on Prince Harold's side, if for nothing else but the fact that he had been able to get food and water, which they had given to Benedicta and had tiny portions of it themselves.
"Prince Harold would not do that until he proves that Princess Amber is innocent," Harvey said confidently.
"If you believed so much in her innocence, what was the reason for the show you put up while she was being tortured?" Sir Richard asked when he remembered how Harvey had behaved.
Harvey cleared his throat, remembering how he had succeeded in doing nothing for them. If Prince Harold hadn't been there at the right time, they would have died. Because he wasn't sure Lance would have kept up with the plan.
"Excuse me, father. I should go and find out where they're going and how long they will be away," Harvey said and quickly hurried away from there before his father could say anything.
As he hurried down the hall, he met Susan, Alvin, and Paulina heading for the front of the palace. Alvin was carrying Paulina in a bridal style, and the girl's face looked like it was going to blow up from how red it was, while she kept pleading for him to put her down, but Alvin paid her no mind.
"Is Princess Amber awake now?" Harvey asked once he caught up with them, and Susan glanced at him and gave him a nod.
"How is she feeling? Does she remember now?" Harvey asked curiously, and Susan shook her head sadly.
"I'm not sure," Susan said quietly, not quite over the sadness of seeing the usually lively princess Amber in the manner she had seen her.
"Where are they going to?" Harvey asked Alvin, who was yet to say anything, as he walked beside him.
"Away from the palace."
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