13 — King Aiden’s Return

Yuden stood in his bedroom, after a long day and night. He hadn't slept for three days in a row already.

The investigation with the rebels took a little longer than he expected. He made sure to keep one alive to get information on the mastermind behind it yet even that person ignored who his master was.

Yuden walked near his bed and took a seat, recalling what happened last night.

On his way back home, Emera called him to help her bring Zahra back to the palace.

Zayn should have been the one to do so, but he refused to acknowledge Zahra as his daughter and refused to go retrieve her from the palace. Her escape had left a negative impression on Zayn.

Emera urged him to quickly make his way to the police station. Yuden followed her instructions and arrived at the station with Emera, who threatened Aziel to tell the truth if he wanted to live.

Yuden resorted to violence until Aziel surrendered and promised to reveal the truth to Zahra.

Emera was confident that Zahra would arrive later than them. They waited in a cabin arranged by the inspector officer in charge of the case.

Emera turned out to be right as Zahra arrived with her friends 30 minutes later.

Suddenly, a memory flashed through Yuden's mind: Zahra holding hands with that man.

"It seems the princess has a boyfriend," he chuckled.

He felt his blood boiling yet he didn't know how to express his anger.

Break a few things or perhaps kill a few people? He could kill anyone he wanted. With or without reasons.

However, he refrained from doing so.

Unless they were an utter nuisance to his eyes, he tolerated them. After all, he needed to be careful since there were eyes always glued to him.

The noise of a vase falling caught Yuden's guard. He quickly stood up, pulling out the gun inside his night table and with careful steps, he opened the door, pointing the gun in front of him.

"Y-Your Highness!" An old man spoke, flinching as he saw the gun pointed at him.

"Charles? Aren't you supposed to be with His Majesty?" Yuden raised his eyebrow.

"His Majesty wants to meet you. He asked you to go meet him at the main palace," the grey-haired bowed.

Yuden nodded and led the way, followed by the butler.

Once arrived, Charles knocked at the door.

Upon hearing a faint, "Come in," Charles opened the door for Yuden to enter the room.

A middle-aged man stood in front of him. He was just as tall as Yuden, with ocean-blue eyes and ash-colored hair.

Yuden placed his left hand behind him and his right hand on his chest, and he bowed.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. You have returned?" the ash blond-haired young man bowed, greeting the king.

"I see you have grown wary in the past few weeks of my absence," King Aiden said, his gaze falling on the gun in Yuden's left hand. He then walked near his couch to take a seat. "Why did you reach out to me urgently? You didn't even care about arranging a proper meeting. Is that a form of disrespect?"

"A few people were preparing for rebellion. I needed to discuss that matter with you as soon as possible," Yuden said as he rose from his greeting and turned to face the king.

"Is that so?" Aiden asked.

Yuden gulped and took a few steps, walking in front of Aiden, trying to keep eye contact with the king.

"They worked for money. They all came from the lower class and struggled to make a living. They blamed the royal family for it," Yuden paused, then continued, "However, someone was sponsoring them. Someone was willing to give them a large sum of money in exchange for assassinating me, the crown prince."

The king chuckled softly.

"Prince Yuden, you may have become the crown prince, but you still lack experience compared to me, the king of Yurania. I saw the news where you announced that that lowly girl is your potential queen. Yurania does not want a queen like that. A queen who cannot even dress properly, let alone one with improper manners of speech!" Aiden exclaimed as he frustratingly brushed his hair back.

"Queen Dowager Emera was the one who came up with that idea," Yuden said.

"She is still the heir of Averlyon in the Queen Dowager's will. As you know, although King Zayn is the king of Averlyon, Queen Dowager Emera possesses more power as in their kingdom authority is passed down only once the one in power passes away. Plus, she seems to favour Princess Zahra," Yuden explained.

"Are you a robot, analyzing people as if they were machines?" Aiden, surprised, scoffed.

"I wish I could understand people as well as I understand politics," Yuden mumbled.

"What did you say?" Aiden asked, not hearing Yuden clearly.

"I was saying, it's all politics, Your Majesty. My guess would be she doesn't want to put her family in danger in a foreign country," Yuden added.

He couldn't let his father know about his unfounded thoughts. Even Yuden believed they were pointless to dwell on.

Aiden attentively listened to his son's thoughts, nodding his head. He couldn't deny that Yuden was right.

After all, Aiden was the one who taught Yuden about politics and how to not show any sign of weakness in front of an enemy.

"However, she already let the whole world know about the first princess being found. How is that of any help?" Aiden remarked.

Yuden shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no clue why she did so. Perhaps I should ask her."

"No, you shouldn't show too much interest in her affairs. She is a wise woman and we shouldn't underestimate her. If we want the Averlyon kingdom, we need to maintain distance yet stay friendly with the royal family," Aiden stood up, turning his steps towards the door.

"It has been a long day for you. You should get some rest." Aiden laid back on the couch.

Yuden closed the door behind him, stepping outside of the king's bedroom.

He walked back to his palace and walked into his bedchamber.

He flopped on his bed. He closed his eyes, however he couldn't sleep. He sat up, opening his wardrobe where there was a box with medicines.

He took one of the light green pills and swallowed it.

"Let's take one, in case something urgent comes up," he mumbled, going back to bed.

***

Upon hearing a loud slam, Yuden was abruptly awakened from his slumber.

Hastily rising from his bed, he picked up the gun on his night table then he made his way out of his room and proceeded towards the source of the disruptive noise.

As he continued down the corridor on his right, the persistent noise grew louder, accompanied by muffled groans. The unsettling sound echoed through the dimly lit hallway, adding an eerie atmosphere to the scene. He approached cautiously, his senses on high alert, trying to discern the source of the disturbance. He held his gun in his right hand while one finger was poised on the trigger.

He frowned, stopping in front of a majestically carved door.

"That's Gloria's bedroom…" He thought.

Yuden discreetly concealed his firearm at the back of his waist and calmly knocked on the door.

"Gloria? Are you up?" He questioned, waiting for an answer.

No response was heard from the other side. The loud sounds had disappeared as well. Only a slamming bluster was heard.

"Glo—" Yuden proceeded to speak however he was interrupted by Gloria who rushed to open the door.

"What were those—" Yuden gazed at his elder sister and quickly turned around.

Gloria was not dressed appropriately as she stood in her nightgown, with dishevelled hair and smeared lipstick.

A dark-haired man, reclining on the bed, inquired, "Gloria, who is at the door?"

Gloria, her voice trembling, replied, "It is... His Highness, the Crown Prince.

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I heard some weird—" Yuden paused and continued. "I'm really sorry. It was improper of me to come here and knock at your door late at night."

Feeling regretful and realizing the impropriety of his behaviour, he swiftly left the corridor and returned to his bedchambers without seeking a response from the other party.

Yuden, feeling a sense of incredulity and an increase in his level of caution, sighed as he settled back onto his bed.

Yuden paused for a second, recalling the man who questioned who it was.

"Did Duke Claude come to stay in my palace?" Yuden wondered. "It is rather surprising that he did not make the effort to visit me personally?" he scoffed. "Maybe he came back tonight. I haven't heard of his return at all."

Yuden sighed and walked out of his bedroom. He couldn't sleep after everything that happened tonight.

The return of his father, King Aiden, and his sister Gloria's husband, Duke Claude Killian of Wesealf, only added more tension to his initial concerns.

Despite the exhaustion from the recent eventful days and nights, Yuden found himself unable to rest or feel the slightest hint of fatigue.

Despite taking the sleeping pill, he was only able to rest for a few hours before being disturbed by the earlier sounds.

Yuden gazed through the crystal windows of his opulent palace, observing the faint light of dawn on the horizon. As daybreak approached, he contemplated the imminent rise of the sun, acknowledging that his slumber would once again go unfinished.

After choosing to prioritize his time wisely, Yuden proceeded to his study.

Upon entering the room, he found his desk cluttered with various papers and documents requiring his attention. With a wry smile, he remarked, "A crown prince's work is never done," before settling into his chair.

Sorting through the papers, his focus was caught by one particular document, prompting him to exclaim, 'This is!..'"