The Royal Mark-Chapter 189: A Coward

Drake entered the room where Arla was recuperating, only to find Rylie and Baahu already by her side. Concern showed on his face, he turned to Arla and inquired about her well-being.

"How are you feeling?" Drake inquired.

"I feel great! As good as new," Arla responded, a bright smile gracing her face. However, her excitement waned as she noticed Drake’s somber expression. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Picking up on the shift in mood, Arla asked, "What’s wrong?"

"I decided to talk to my brother," Drake replied to Arla before redirecting his attention to Baahu. "Gather everyone at the castle’s entrance. I am certain my brother will storm back to Zemaria once I finish talking to him."

Without waiting for Baahu’s response, Prince Drake swiftly made his way to Prince Andrius, who was engaged in conversation with Elandir. "I need to talk to you, brother."

"I shall see you both later," Elandir bid farewell, but Drake halted him with a request. "Please stay; you shall be my witness. I need you to inform Elsa about this when she wakes up," Prince Drake stated.

"You sound serious, brother. What is it?" Prince Andrius inquired, his anticipation evident. Drake, typically known for his jolly demeanor, is now showing an uncharacteristic seriousness, making him eager to hear what he has to say.

"Elsa received the necklace from Milda. Apparently, Hera had given it to her before she ran away. Thus, the necklace remained in Milda’s possession from that day until it eventually found its way to Elsa," Drake disclosed.

"What? You’ve known about this all along! Why have you chosen to inform me only now?" Prince Andrius exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief.

Back then, Prince Andrius harbored suspicions that Milda might have been involved in some wrongdoing against Hera, though lacking concrete evidence. He is very much aware that Milda has despised Hera ever since they were young. Despite Hera’s disappearance, the uneasy gut feeling persisted. Now, it seemed Milda was repeating the same pattern of mistreatment, this time targeting Hera’s innocent daughter.

"I was a coward, brother. I apologize," Drake admitted, bowing his head and shoulders. The revelation was humiliating, but the gravity of the information, sourced from Hera, outweighed his personal discomfort.

"There’s more. I didn’t pay much attention to it before, but recalling the necklace brought memories of Mother..." Drake paused, his heart heavy with emotion. Despite the lack of attention and love from Queen Irina, Drake held a deep affection for her, a sentiment not reciprocated as with Andrius and Milda.

"Don’t hesitate, Drake. Whether it’s our mother or father, if they’ve done wrong, I won’t hesitate to take the necessary action. The well-being of Zemaria’s citizens comes first, and you know that," Andrius reassured, noticing Drake’s hesitation.

"One time, I was by myself by the river, hiding from everyone. I saw Mother’s lady-in-waiting meeting someone draped in a black cloak in secret. They exchanged bags of coins and another bag. The contents of which remained elusive to my eyes as they were concealed in a pouch. My curiosity got the better of me, leading me to trail her. Eventually, she handed the pouch to Mother.

I witnessed this secret exchange three times, and who knows how many more instances occurred beyond my gaze. However, the final encounter took place after Elsa’s Luna ceremony. Initially, I hesitated to share this information, planning to carry it to my grave because, after all, it involved our mother.

Yet, what if she’s involved in Elsa’s predicament or the demon attack during Hera’s escape? What if everything is interconnected? If such is the case, I won’t be able to forgive either her or myself. I remained silent, and as a consequence, many lives were lost, including Archmage Nadezhda," Drake confessed.

Andrius clenched his teeth and tightened his fists as he absorbed Drake’s revelations about the suspicious activities of Princess Milda and Queen Irina.

"Wolfsbane..." Andrius whispered, a realization dawning on him, prompting a smirk from Elandir, who overheard.

"Did you say something?" Drake paused in his narrative and inquired.

"That’s enough, Drake. I’ve heard enough. What we need now is evidence," Andrius declared, turning to Elandir. "Thank you for your hospitality. Regrettably, I won’t be able to bid a proper farewell to the king and queen. Please send my regards.

As you’ve heard, we have an urgent matter demanding resolution. Regarding our niece, we’ll return for her. Bringing her back to Zemaria isn’t advisable at the moment, as you suggested earlier. I believe Drake agrees with my decision, don’t you, Drake?"

"Yes, it would be wiser for Elsa to remain here until she awakens. The expertise of her healer surpasses that of others," Drake added, prompting another smirk from Elandir.

Andrius departed with a heavy heart, harboring an inner hope that neither their sister nor their mother were entangled in any wrongdoing. However, should they be involved, he perfectly knows his responsibilities as Zemaria’s Crown Prince and its future King.

As they made their way out, they encountered Elsa’s mages near the castle’s entrance. "Arla, have you fully recovered?" inquired Prince Andrius.

"Yes, Your Highness, one hundred percent," Arla promptly affirmed.

"Excellent. Summon everyone. We are departing for Zemaria immediately," Andrius declared, mounting the horse that Baahu had prepared in advance.

"Your Highness, what about the princess? Are we bringing her back? Should I stay?" Rylie was perplexed by the abrupt shift in circumstances. Despite Prince Andrius appearing upset, she steeled herself and voiced her concerns.

Ever since their arrival in Qiryn, no one had caught sight of their princess except for Prince Drake. As Princess Elsa’s assigned healer, Rylie couldn’t shake off her worry.

Prince Andrius caught up in the momentum of his departing horse, didn’t hear her inquiry. Prince Drake, however, stepped in to respond, "We’ll return for her, Rylie. And you’re not staying. You’re coming with us; she has all the assistance she needs here. Your skill is much more helpful to us."

With a nod, Rylie joined the others, and the group soon departed from An’owyn Castle, making their way toward the port of Qiryn.

Elandir watched the humans leave from the castle ground and murmured, "Finally, it’s quiet again."

"Are you saying that my brothers and my mages are loud?"

Elandir jolted hearing Hera’s voice right in his ear.

He turned around and placed both hands on his waist, "Aren’t they? And who are you calling your mages? They are no longer yours, they are already been assigned to Elsa."

"I know... I’m glad that they were. Seeing them again brings back memories. And Drake looks like he finally mustered his courage to confess to Arla, huh?" Hera said.

"Well, you’re not the only one who got mature you know. Two years is long enough for them to learn a thing or two. Learning to be honest with yourself, especially your heart is a special kind of learning," Elandir replied.

"How about you, Prince Elandir? When are you going to be honest with your heart?" Hera teased.

Elandir frowned, utterly not understanding what Hera was saying, "I’m lost, what are you talking about?"

Hera pointed her lips to the direction behind Elandir and then said, "Not what, but who. She’s the one I am talking about," Hera said before adding. "Looks like your night is gonna be long. Goodnight my friend, enjoy!" Hera walked away laughing.

When Elandir turned around to see what was Hera talking about. He saw Marina walking on her two legs and waving at him. His jaw dropped at what she was wearing.

He looked at her from head to toe and then back up. ’Hera definitely helped her dress up! That woman is getting on my nerves!’

Marina is wearing a white spaghetti strap mini dress with a ruffled skirt, something that can only be found in Novus Mundus.

He would not be surprised if those two had bonded together since Hera often goes to the lake where the mermaids usually hang out exchanging knowledge with the other creatures living in Qiryn or sometimes just to simply pass the time and mingle with others.

"What on earth are you doing here in the castle?!" Elandir yelled at Marina but she dismissed his tone of voice and smiled widely.

"Well, you are not in the cabin where we usually meet and I figured that you are too busy to go there because of the humans so I decided to go here," Marina replied.

"You should not have come here and should just wait for me there," Elandir said.

"But I miss you! Look! Princess Hera helped me with my dress, what do you think?" Marian then turned around but one of her feet toppled on the gravel making her fall to the ground... Almost.

Elandir quickly caught her and carried her bride-style while saying, "You clumsy girl. When are you going to learn? Do you want your smooth white legs to get wounded again?" Elandir scolded angrily.

Marina pouted and shook her head, "Thank you for catching me. You can put me down now. I just go back to the lake where the others are partying since you don’t want me here."

"Who said, you are going back there? There are a lot of perverts feasting their eyes on your friends there right now. I am taking you to my room," Elandir said with a serious tone.

Marina’s eyes widened and she grinned as she wrapped both her arms around Elandir’s neck.