Intruder

With his horse running at full pace, it only took Drayce a handful of minutes before the huge iron gates of the royal palace came into his sight. From a distance, he could see the gate was closed, and instead of just the ordinary royal guards he remembered from five days ago, armed soldiers were busy guarding it as well. It was not difficult to guess that something happened inside the palace, and the people needed the military to be mobilized to keep order.

The sudden anxiousness he felt two nights ago was taking over his mind again. Now, he understood the reason. 

It had something to do with her, the purple-eyed princess.

Seeing his fast-approaching figure, the leader of the soldiers was alarmed. "Halt! Who goes there?!"

Drayce didn't have time to deal with the guards and let them know who he was so they could permit him to enter the palace. He was sure, with the disguise he was in, none of them would believe that he was a king.