False Hopes

.

Ramin and Gregg rode behind the General with tired faces. The only time they had stopped to rest was when they had stepped into Regalon as it was nighttime. In the morning, they resumed their journey

They stopped meters away from the palace gates as Alan's keen eyes accessed the palace

Seeing him not taking any action, Ramin decided to ask "General, what now?"

Alan couldn't answer as he hadn't gotten an answer to Ramin's question. He had left Atlank in haste to see her that he didn't even device a plan on how he was going to meet with her or what he was going to say when he does see her

They stood outside for a few more minutes and could see carriages going in and out of the palace

"Let's go" Alan said, hiding the slight panic in his voice. He kicked the horse at its side and they approached the gates

"Halt!" yelled the guards by the tall gates and the four horses came to a stop "Identify yourselves"

"General Alan Tate of the royal family of Atlank. Here to see the third princess"

Leila's lips curved downwards when those words left his lips, but she tried to keep her composure

"We have no words of the princess receiving any visitors. Do turn around and leave" said the guard in an arrogant tone

"How dare you talk to the General in such manner?" scowled Ramin, not happy with how the guard had responded. They had rode tiredly to Regalon to see the princess and now was getting turned away?

"We do not know your General, please leave the palace gates" the guard stood his ground "This is your last warning, we might have to do something drastic if you do not comply"

"General, I think we should leave for sometime. They do not look like they're going to let us in" Gregg said quietly and Alan nodded. They were going to leave...for now

"Excuse me, Mr!" Ramin stepped forward "We just wanted to know, carriages seem to be going in and out of the palace frequently. Is something wrong?"

"We are at the moment, grieving the death of our Crown Prince. They come in to relay their condolences to the King" the guard answered, this time politely

Death of the Crown Prince?

Alan stared at the palace, a hint of worry lacing in his eyes

"I hope you're doing fine, Orchid" he said to himself. Not wanting to pry anymore, they left

"General, how are we going to get in? Security seems tight. They're going to be on high alert, especially now that they lost their prince"

"We'll have to wait until the wake of the Crown Prince. That's the only choice we have" Alan answered

{A/N} -[Wake: A period after a person's death before the body is buried]

.

"What a tragic thing that happened" tsked King Gabriel as he stared at the words written in the letter

"What does the letter say, father?" Neera asked, trying to take a peek at the written note

"Regalon lost their Crown Prince. They have invited us to his wake in two days" the King shook his head before handing the letter to the servants

"What?!" Neera yelled in utter shock "H-how did that happen?"

"I'm so sorry, dear. I guess you two were not meant to be" Greta said with a pat on her hand

"How can you say that?" Neera took away her hand and stood up "You promised me I was going to get together with the Crown Prince"

"Neera, dear. Calm down, your father is sitting right here" Neera stomped her feet and stormed out of the living room "Let me talk to her.." Greta excused herself

Hearing the sound of her bedroom door open, Neera said "You didn't keep your words"

"Dear, death was upon the Crown Prince. Would you prefer to get together with him and afterwards become a widow. Staying under the same roof as Orchid after trying so hard to get her away from you?"

"B-but...he-"

"I know you harbor feelings for the Crown Prince, you have to let it go. You'll find someone better" Greta soothed

"I don't want an arranged marriage" Neera said sadly, after all it was what she was going to get

"Sooner or later, your wedding will be arranged...you're getting old, child. The Crown Prince is not the only man in the world. You'll get your prince charming soon enough"

With a brush on her hair, Greta left the room

Neera sighed sadly, she really had liked the Crown Prince. He caught her eyes the moment he stepped foot into the hall on her birthday

But now, he was dead...having a dance with her and instilling false hopes in her heart

.

The next two days were pretty busy for the servants at the Palace as the place was being decorated for the wake of the dead prince

The palace was gloomy as their King was no longer in his amused state. Not attending any of the court meetings neither attending to the needs of the people

He was at a loss

"People from across the four kingdoms are going to be at the wake. It would be trouble to see the King like this. Regalon can't let their guard down even after the death of the Prince" Minister Roo said to Ciaran as they stood on the hallway, watching the servants "Your Highness, you know after the death of the Crown Prince... you're next in line..." Roo shushed when he saw Ciaran's glare. He was sure he hadn't said anything wrong

It was not in his place but he thought it was best if Ciaran were to be the next ruler

Minister Roo excused himself when Grae joined in the hallway, clutching the railing

"You look upset" Grae said in a low tone, also watching the decorations taking place

"My face has always been this way" Ciaran retorted calmly

"You don't have to make excuses, I've known you for long. Even though the Crown Prince always got on your nerves... you're also at a loss"

"I want to know what happened" Ciaran said with a sigh "A demon murdering a royal, that was unheard before. What gave them so much courage to crawl out of their shabby holes?"

"The need to create havoc?" Grae shrugged "The attack weeks ago...and now, this. Do you think, it might have something to do with her?" Grae's line of sight moved over to where Orchid stood with her handmaiden "What do you think she is?"

"I'm yet to figure that out" Ciaran stated, his smoldering eyes fixated on Orchid and as if feeling his stare, she whipped her head up to face him. And immediately their eyes met, she looked away

"The guests are starting to come in" Grae noted

"Keep a watchful eye. A lot of people are going to be in our midst. Don't let anyone slip out of your sight" Ciaran said to Grae before walking away