[ THE PRINCESS IS MISSING ]

His question was sharp and strict, drowning everyone's attention to him. He looked at the faces around him and noticed they did not know who he was talking about, but one person did. Lora got frightened by his question, and she started looking around. Her fear grew when she couldn't see Chesa anywhere.

"Princess! Princess Chesa." She stared calling, getting the attention of the others to the disappearance of the queen's daughter.

"Princess Chesa! Princess." Everyone started calling, searching for the princess around the vicinity, with some even entering the forest to find her. But no one could go to the direction of the still burning fire, caused by Azura.

Abesselom looked around the place as if he was looking for something important, he moved to the burning place but still couldn't find what he was looking for. "What the heck." He mumbled under his breath. He had gotten to the side of the land which had sunk in with Azura's command.

Squatting at the edge, he touched the wet soil and smelled it. "Blood, but it owner is not here." He muttered. He kept looking around, trying to find something to track down the people who took the princess, but nothing seem to be available. " They really covered their trucks well, I wonder who they are." He said to himself.

Walking around for a while, he stopped at a particular place, he could sense something strange, something he hasn't smell from anyone but himself. He was sure he hasn't been to that place since he came, so why was his scent there.

"Who else was with the queen in her carriage?" He asked Lora with a strict voice, looking as if something was wrong.

"It was me and the princess." Lora answered as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Azura smells like mixed flowers, and Lora smells like lavender, but who smalls like clay." He asked himself and walked into the queen's carriage.

Sitting at the opposite side to where he suspected Azura would sit, he closed his eyes and breath in the scent, which felt as if the owner of it was roaming in the carriage. He opened his eyes in fright of what he felt, and his heart started tamping faster in his chest, as if it would jump off his rib cage.

"Why does she smells like me?" He said to himself. He knew himself to be the only one who smiled like clay, but now he finds out that someone else smells like him, even better than him. The only difference between their scents was that, he smells like dry clay, and the other person smells like wet clay. "Could she be related to me?" He thought.

" You need to get the queen to the palace now, and don't let anyone know the princess is missing." He instructed the ladies who were still around their queen, waiting for her to wake up.

" It will take hours to get to the palace, please take her with you, and we'll follow." Lora suggested.

Abesselom signal the ladies to get their queen on her feet and they did. Lucia and Maria let go of Azura when Abesselom asked them to, but before they could ask why or think of what he was about to do, he disappeared from their sight taking Azura and Lora with him, leaving a gust of wind behind.

The rest of the men and the ladies who saw them disappeared looked a really frightened. They were used to seeing their queen and king using supernatural powers, but not people disappearing all of a sadden. With Azura out of the vicinity, the fire she caused died out on it own, and the remaining members of her entourage prepared to leave for the palace.

A gust of wind passed though the entrance of the palace and got through to the Czarina Palace, and stopped only when it was in Azura's room. The maids and guards who saw or felt it stared into the blank space, not knowing what was going on.

Lora felt weak and she almost fell when Abesselom came to a holt in Azura's room. It was her first time being teleported, and that to unaware. She found herself a seat to relax and watch Abesselom place Azura on her bed and covered her with her heavy quilt.

"No one should no the princess is missing, or the queen is here. I'll be back before her entourage gets here." Abesselom instructed.

Before Lora could react or say something to him, he disappeared again from the room but through the windows this time. The gust of wind he left behind sent Lora off the seat to the floor, but she didn't complain because she knew he was off to look for the princess.

_________

Abesselom reappeared in the middle of the forest and met Azura's men ready to leave for the palace. They were shock to see Abesselom standing before them, as if he just wake from a refreshed sleep. They expect him to take a while to get to the palace, but he was back when even horses will take at least four hours on a run to get to the palace.

He started his search again and everyone gave way for him when he gets closer to them. They've heard of only one person who could disappear like that, but never saw him in person, nor do they expect him to be before them.

History has it that, The Great One had seek help from the devil to conker the lands. And the devil had red eyes and could appear and disappear from anywhere and anytime he wants. And it was also said that, he got locked up by The Great One on the other side of the boundaries. So no one expect to see him.

"Does anyone of you have something that belongs to the people who attacked you?" Abesselom asked, his voice like a command to the ears.

The man started shaking their heads one after the other as his dark eyes went round to see from their faces if they were telling him the truth. No one seem to have anything which he could get a clue from, which leaves him with no choice than to go on the search with Chesa's scent.

"Take your time in getting to the palace. Your princesses needs to be there before you do, if not you'll be doomed." Abesselom said to the men and started walking to the carriages.

Some of the men wanted to join him in the search for the princess, especially the vice commander of the knights. But before they could make their wishes know to him, he disappeared from their sight, leaving the men thinking as to what he was up to.

__________ The Great palace.

Marcus sat in his throne-like seat behind his desk in his study room. He kept smiling as he sipped on the wine in his hand, looking relaxed as if good news just came his way. His aids and personal knight stood before him with smiles on their faces as well.

"Are you sure she didn't see the princess being taken?" He asked the men before him, with a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"No Your Majesty, I personally took the princess and handed her to the men. Her Majesty collapsed right after the men left, I doubt she even know the princess is gone." Lion, Marcus's personal knight replied.

The smirk on Marcus's face widened, and his happiness was emerse. He had been making this plan for a while now, but now it successful. "Azura will finally be mine." He muttered and galloped the remaining wine in the glass.

Lady Pearler entered the study after knocking on the door just once, which gave her the opportunity to see the excitement on the faces of her husband and his men. Marcus excused his men before getting up to hold his wife. "You came at the right time." He said with a smile.

"You look really happy. Is there anything I should know?" Lady Pearler asked.

Marcus grab her waist and drag her close to himself. "A lot, but not now." He sniff her crimson hair which looked and smelled like she just took a bath. Pearler felt happy to see how her husband was behaving around her, knowing she never felt this wanted and needed by Marcus.

They has been married for years, but sex between them was just because they were married and nothing more. Seeing him act this way around her made her feel like he was in need of her, maybe he wanted her now. She felt her checks heating up when Marcus's lips touched her earlobe, and his hand tracing down her back.

"Do you need me?" She asked calmly.

"I've always needed you?" Marcus replied with a hoarse voice, his eyes as if he was drunk just by smelling her spicy scent.

Pearler got excited and didn't resist when Marcus held the hem of her dress and lifted it. He held her butt firmly as he kissed her neck down to her nape, leaving love bites on every spot he kissed. "I love you, I love you so much." He mumbled through kisses.

It was Pearler's first time to hear those words from Marcus, and her heart could tell the sincerity in his words. "I love you too, I always have." She replied. She felt like a teenage who finally got her crash to love her. Encircling her hands around his neck, she kissed Marcus back with renewed vigor.

With one hand, Marcus lifted Pearler and made her sit on his desk as he cleared it with his other hand. He held the lace at the back of her dress and in no time, he untangled it and pushed the dress off her shoulders. He placed kisses on her chest as he lowered her dress till her breast had no cover.

He stepped back to appreciate the fer skin before him and held Pearler's breasts in a playful manner, which made her blush. "You are beautiful." He whispered into her ears and she smiled. He placed himself between her legs and made her encircle her hands around his neck, and he carried her to his bedroom though a secret door from his study.

Pearler was flushed when Marcus placed her on his bed like something fragile which could break if care is not taken. This was not her first time being brought to this room, but it was never as gentle as this. She lay on the bed anticipating Marcus's next move.

She stared at his body seductively watching him undress himself completely, and then undress her as well. She felt like melting when Marcus placed soft feather-like kisses on every part of her body, before entering her like he was purring hot tea into a tiny cap.

"Ahhh..." Pearler moan as she felt him in her fully. She swinged her waist to match his pace as he thrust into her, continuously, his moves unrushed.

"Mmmmm.....You are so good Azura." He moan with a husky voice and drunk-like eyes.

"What? All this for Azura?" Tears rolled down Pearler's eyes as she thought of the name Azura. She wished she could just get up and leave, but she lay still until Marcus was done.