I know

I dedicate this to Angelic Gamer; thank you, for giving the book its first Golden Ticket.

"Is it heavy?" King Drey asked Chard, who shook his head. "Then why are you frowning?" Chard now wanted to cry. He was frustrated by King's ways of doing things. The King said he was bringing the box to Lady Kira and now he hadn't given her the box.

"Did you complete the task I assigned to you, this morning?" Drey inquired, his gaze fixed on Chard's face, which looked disappointed.

Chard quickly nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. I verified with the seamstress and discovered it came from the merchants."

"Merchant?" They have started again," Drey concluded. Nodding his head they headed to the King's study, Chard followed the King quickly to the study.

Chard placed the box on the chair and handed the scroll he had placed on the bookshelf earlier to the King. Softly gulping, Chard made his way to the door. As he reached the door, he was suddenly stopped by the king's commanding voice,

"Richard?" He turned quickly. "Don't mention this to Kira." The warning in King's tone was enough for him to convince him to remain silent. Chard nodded in agreement and gave a respectful bow before leaving the room.

As Chard walked out of the room his heart felt heavy with worry. "Oh, I'm so.. sorry!" he apologize realizing he had bumped into the maids without noticing.

"Always so distracted," the maids muttered, Chard heard the maids cursing him under their breath.

Drey who had previously been unbothered watched Chard's departing figure. He let out a deep sigh.

At the entrance of the castle, Nila made her way toward her carriage. "Thank you, Mrs. Young." She heard Kira say, and turning she saw Trina waving goodbye.

"It was a pleasure meeting with you Lady Kira and Lady Trina. I shall take my leave now," Nila said as she gave a bow and stepped inside her carriage.

"Take good care of yourself," Kira called out as the coachman closed the carriage door.

"I will, thank you, Milady," Nila replied with a nod.

Both Kira and Trina stood and watched until the carriage rode out of the castle's premises. After the carriage had disappeared from view, they turned and headed inside.

The head maid of the castles approached, carrying a tray with two glasses of water. "Lady Kira, did you find the colors you preferred?" she asked, having heard that this lady was particular about the color of her garments.

"Yes, King Drey was Kind enough to offer his assistance in selecting the colors I wanted," Kira replied. The maid's mouth dropped open in amazement before she said,

"It appears our King is not only a supreme ruler but also one who is not a color-blind King," the elderly maid said, her expression reflecting annoyance as she gaze at Kira.

Kira chuckled at the elderly woman's sarcastic comments. "It was just a coincidence, Elder Leah. He just happen to walk into the room when I was having trouble making a decision."

"Of course, you would call it a coincidence!" Elder Leah exclaimed up at Kira. By now Kira had grown accustomed to the elder woman's mistreating her.

Huffing, Kira returned the glass to the tray after just taking a sniff. " In that case, I should apologize to Elder Leah for my lack of color- awareness," she said bowing deeply in the direction of the elderly woman. Walking past her towards the parlor room, Kira left the group of maids who had gathered for gossip staring after her.

Elder Leah scanned her surroundings, and the group of maids quickly dispersed. She was taken aback that the young girl had dared to answer her back. Her hands clenched into a fist in response.

Kira and Trina made their way into the parlor, she heaved a sigh of relief. The gossip would stir again and Kira would hear the new fashion of what happened the next day. She has hoped her stay at the castle to be peaceful, but now things were taking a different turn.

"I must praise you for standing up for yourself, Kira." Trina hugged her from behind and let her take a seat. "I can only tell you have learned from the best."

"I couldn't agree more," Kira whispered with a sense of pride. "I was fortunate enough to have been taught by the best." Trina's expression was one of eagerness nothing less than the maids gathered for the gossip.

Back in the study, Drey finished reading the scroll, Richard had provided him with before proceeding to the dungeon. When he reached the doors the soldiers quickly approached, with the first one saying,

"Your Highness," the first soldier announced, "they are here."

Drey stepped forward, deep inside the dungeon. Despite the bone-chilling coldness, his nerves settled in this familiar environment, "only two have been found?" he inquired.

"Yes, your Highness," they said and immediately went down to their knees. They know there was no negotiation when it comes to a failed mission.

"Where were the others?" He asked now the other two men tied on the ground.

"We don't know King Drey," the two merchants lied through their teeth. Drey knew they will answer that way, he wasn't so surprised.

He signaled his soldiers to stand. Dropping his royal robe to their hands he dismissed them.

Drey rolled his black shirt up to his arms. And walked towards the merchants.

"Please forgive us, King Drey," they both said in unison, "we swear to our wives and children we didn't know anything our merchant's partners were up to."

"I know," Drey gave them a cut answer and they heaved a sigh of relief only to be smashed with the truth, "but you are here in Rivea to build a black market," Drey said as he completed folding his shirt.

The two merchants wide their eyes nobody knew about this, but this King...

Drey wore a sardonic smile and they shivered, they have never met him but the supremacy of King Drey Winger Ron Regan was never new to their years.

After five minutes Drey walked away satisfied seeing blood dripping from his fingers, their blood.

"Clean the place, he told the two soldiers at the door.