Chapter 11

Now that the King's neck was visible because she had pushed it, Leon saw the knife that had been stuck to the King's throat that was now oozing out blood. His eyes widened as he quickly covered his nose with his hands.

"Who are you and what did you do?" Leon asked her looking at her with suspicion. Without waiting for an answer, he ran to the bed to see what had happened and stopped when he saw the pool of blood on the bed. He reached for his father's neck to see that his father's neck had been sliced to the other side where the knife used was now stuck in his throat.

"Father? Father? Father!?" He called while shaking his father's lifeless body.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" He screamed at Melina loud enough for the people in the quarters to hear when she realized she was in big trouble and quickly ran to meet him.

"No milord...let me explain. I came to clean up the room only to see...." She had barely finished her statement when the door banged open again with groups of servants and Chieftains and more running up to meet them, curious to know what had caused the Prince to shout so loud.

When a large group of people had finally entered the room including the princesses and Queen, the whole castle went silent as some people opened their mouth wide in shock and confusion seeing the knife and blood stuck in the King's neck.....

The King had been murdered.....

.

"Aaaah!!! Stop please! Someone listen to me, I did nothing I swear! Please....stop!" Melina screamed and struggled as two guards dragged her to the dungeon. No one wanted to hear her own side of the story as there was no evidence to even back up that she was the one since from record, she was the only person who had entered the room that day apart from the Prince.

Though the King had been terribly sick and at the point of death where everyone was aware he would die very soon, it was never taken politely if anyone decided to end his life before his time. It was an insult to royalty since the King is not a common person.

"Please...please I promise I will never even think of such a thing I don't even know who the King is before now, I have never seen him before so why would I try to kill him?" Melina tried to reason with the guards who had drawn her into the dungeon prison.

"Tell that on your execution day!" One of the guards replied with a stern look. The other guard gave her a weird look she couldn't understand but could tell it was a look of dissapointment...still she tried to root for herself. She couldn't die for no reason!, She thought.

"Please..." She tried to continue but the guards had already taken off from the place. Oh lord....when she had simply just tried to avoid trouble, she got into a deeper one she knew even nothing about. And now, she had no one to talk to or explain herself to. Even if she did, they barely listened and just looked for faults. God please, she beg in her mind.

.

"Leon!" A lady shouted from the entrance of the main parlour, causing Leon and his right hand man, Matthew who was inside the living room to turn to her direction. The serious expression on Leon's face suddenly turned to a gentle smile when he saw who it was.

"Jordyn, how are you? Your father didn't tell me you were coming today." He said looking a bit surprised.

"Oh, why wouldn't I have come? Do you have any idea how worried and sad I was when I heard what happened? I mean how could anyone even do such to our King? A maid for that matter!" She replied feeling a bit angry about the news she heard.

"Okay, thanks for coming anyways. What about your mother, how is she?"

"We are all fine. Oh my God, Lee...you've grown even handsomer in the couple of days I didn't see you, my condolences to your family." Jordyn said smiling. Leon couldn't even discern if she was happy or sad and for what reason?

"Good morning, milady if you could excuse us, we have a serious discussion in here." Matthew said with a straight face not ready to fake any smile with this woman here as he could tell she only came here to woo Leon again while there was a pressing matter at hand. Jordyn just stared at him with annoyance written all over her face and gave a quick smile to Leon before leaving the main parlour to look for other family members.

After she left, Leon sighed looking frustrated and sat down. "This is just messed-up. I don't even know what to do" he spat with his hand on his head and Matthew slowly rubbed his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Don't worry, I know you can do it. You'd cope."

"What do we do to the girl now?" Leon asked him and Matthew immediately shaked his head to disagree. "No, my Prince. Only you makes that decision. No one has the right to make it for you not even your right hand man, they can only suggest and you give it final." Matthew told him and he replied "so what is your suggestion?"

Matthew went back to stand in his position before saying "I think it's best to hear from the girl first. In my opinion, she doesn't look like the type who would kill someone, considering she had grown up in this palace since she was young unless she was being trained by a traitor. By the way, it's her first time in the castle itself so why would she carry out such a hideous act?" He explained and waited a while before he continued "I really think there is more to this. Maybe you should try and find out more from her. Why she would want to kill the King and whatever we need as evidence." He said and Leon only seemed to get more frustrated. This wasn't going to be easy,he thought.

Noticing his pressured look, Matthew tried to reason with him.

"Leon we don't want to kill any innocent person, do we? Considering this is going to be the beginning of your rule." Leon now sat up to look at Matthew, thinking for a while.

"If she is executed with no solid evidence and later found to be innocent, i bet you won't be able to forgive yourself" he concluded and Leon finally nodded.

"Okay, I'd go to the dungeon tomorrow." Leon said and continued his court duties.