"What are you doing here at this time?" Tyra asked when Damian entered her chamber without knocking.
She stood up from the bed and went to check outside to be sure no one was around before she closed the door.
"I asked what you were doing here?"
"What I am doing here or why I am here when I should be locked in the dungeon?" Damian asked in anger as he reached for her, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall. Tyra cried out when her back hit the wall, but she had an even bigger problem: she could not breathe.
"It was you, wasn't it?" he hissed, his fingers tightening around her neck.
Tyra gasped for air, struggling to breathe as Damian's grip grew stronger. She shook her head frantically, trying to deny his accusation.
"W-What... are you... talking about?" She struggled to speak as tears poured out from the corners of her eyes as she continued to fight to get his hand away from her neck.
"You told them we left the palace. It wasn't on the records, so no one else was supposed to know."
"No... I swear I didn't tell anyone," she wheezed.
But Damian didn't believe her. He glared at her with a look of pure hatred, and for a moment, Tyra thought that this was the end when his grip grew tighter.
Damian instantly let go of Tyra, and she fell to the floor, gasping for air as she touched her neck.
"You must be out of your mind. You must be crazy!" She cried out as she looked at him from the floor with angry tears in her eyes.
He walked towards her and knelt on one knee in front of her, raising her chin so she could look up at him.
"The only one crazy here is you. And if you want to survive in this palace. Do not try to play me." He warned darkly.
The two exchanged heated glares before he took out a tiny bottle of potion from his pocket and threw it in front of her.
Without another word, he stood up and headed for the door, leaving the room.
However, before he disappeared out of the hallways, Susan was coming from the opposite direction and saw his back.
She had heard he had been questioned earlier today, but no useful information was obtained, so they let him be for now and were going to keep digging. Seeing him now reminded her of his role in all that had happened a few days ago. She disliked him so much and wondered what Tyra saw in him.
As she opened Tyra's door, she was surprised to find Tyra not only sitting on the floor but that everything about her looked different. Her eyes were teary and she looked angry, and her claws were deep into her palms until blood was dripping out of them but she seemed oblivious to it.
As soon as Tyra took note of her, she reached for the bottle of potion and quickly hid it inside her dress before she helped herself up. That also caught Susan's attention.
"What's going on?" Susan demanded with a frown. She could see marks on Tyra's neck that told her she had been choked, and she knew that something terrible had happened. And knowing Damian had just left her chamber, he was Susan's first suspect.
Tyra self-consciously pulled her dress up to hide the marks on her neck and also cleaned the tears in her eyes before turning to give Susan an unwelcoming stare.
"It is rude to enter people's chambers without permission." She said in a hoarse and raspy voice.
"Tell me what happened," Susan said gently.
"Nothing happened," Tyra said in a dismissive tone as she climbed into bed and threw the covers over her head.
Susan watched Tyra with a growing sense of worry. She decided not to ask any questions anymore or raise her suspicion that Damian was the culprit. She simply made a mental note to keep a close eye on Damian.
"Everything is going to be okay," Susan said soothingly. "I'll always be here if you need me," Susan assured her, but Tyra didn't say a word in response until Susan left.
As soon as it was only her in the room, she pushed off the quilt, her eyes filled with anger and her chest heaving up and down.
She had counted on the wrong person.
Yesterday, she had met Damon as soon as he emerged from the queen's chamber.
THE PREVIOUS DAY:
Damon had been livid after he met the queen. And on his way, he had found Tyra. She had her back resting on the wall and her hands folded across her chest as though she were waiting for someone. And as soon as their gazes locked, he could tell he was the one she had been waiting for. This made him puzzled, as he wondered why she was waiting for him when she had gone crazy on him earlier.
"Do you think it is proper for a man of your stature to be meeting with the queen in her private chambers?" Tyra asked, her voice tinged with an emotion he couldn't describe but it certainly wasn't concern.
Damon's face flushed with anger at her words, and he took a step forward, towering over her. "My actions are proper and appropriate. I am only doing my duty for the king and this kingdom."
Tyra let out a short laugh before saying, "I'm sure you'd prefer a quieter place to have this conversation with me." She said and turned around without saying a word, leading him into a room.
He was still angry and especially wary, but he followed her until they got to a private room, and he entered after her, closing the door behind him.
As they stood face-to-face, Tyra's eyes locked with his, and he could sense the urgency in her tone.
"The queen is guilty."
"Do you have proof?"
"I do not need proof for it. After all, you all tried to kill Princess Amber without any proof."
"Princess Amber was on the scene! And you swore it was her who also stabbed you."
"And now I am saying it was the queen. That should be enough for you all."
"You cannot just keep changing your testimony!"
"Everyone knows that the queen has not really been in favour of Princess Amber or Prince Harold. And even though I am her daughter, she doesn't love me either. Don't you think it's normal for her to try to get rid of us and blame Princess Amber for it? She also tried to kill Prince Harold so that Prince Ivan could take over the throne without any competition. That means Prince Ivan is also in on it and deserves to be punished too—"
"YOU CANNOT RECKLESSLY MAKE ACCUSATIONS!"
"You should mind how you talk to me, Sir Damon. You are not my father." She spoke calmly, but her voice oozed anger, stunning him. "You will always be my father's assistant. A beggar that was fortunately redeemed by my grandfather."
Damon's face contorted, taken aback by her harsh words.
"So mind the way you talk to me. For I am a princess."
"Do you—"
"I should give you a piece of advice, Sir Damon," Tyra said, cutting him off.
"Do not give anyone a reason to be suspicious of you and your blind loyalty to the queen. I understand that you cannot help it, but now is the time to free yourself from that commitment and do what is right."
"And what is right?"
"Get rid of the Queen and Prince Ivan. I already gave you the information you need to do that. Find what the queen has been up to outside the palace."
"You... it was you?" Damon asked, confused.
"You must take action before it is too late, Sir Damon. If you keep trying to protect the queen, who knows? A certain unpleasant rumour might suddenly start spreading around the palace and the entire kingdom." She looked thoughtful as she added, "I'm not sure only the queen will be in trouble then."
"What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about?"
"Do you... are you hiding something?"
"Me?" Tyra asked with an innocent look. "I'm not sure what you mean. But maybe we'll understand better when the certain rumour begins to spread?"
Tyra's bluntness and directness caught him off guard. There was something about her that made him uneasy.
But Tyra smiled at Damon. "I understand perfectly well, Sir Damon. But I know that you are up to the task. And when this is over, I promise you that you will have my full support."
She backed up towards the door, looking disgusted as she said, "And do something about the way you smell when you are angry. It's disgusting." She tsked before walking out of the door, leaving a fuming, confused, and uneasy Damon behind.
He had a terrible feeling about it all.
Now in her chamber alone, Tyra remembered the conversation she had had with Damon, and her anger soared even higher.
"Did he think I was joking?" She muttered to herself before she began to laugh crazily.
One thing was however certain, Damon was between the devil and the deep blue sea.
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