The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 215 - 213
"I have always taken your words seriously. You asked me to marry your daughter, the Princess and I agreed. I married her. You told me to take care of her, and I will. After all, she will be the next Queen of the Kingdom and I will be the King standing beside her."
"Never!" The Queen said in shock. "Do you think he will let you off after this?"
Duke Felix knew who that ’he’ the Queen was referring to. His hold on her jaws tightened as his nails dug into her skin. His eyes narrowed. "He will never come. He will never show his face here. Do you know why?" Duke Felix’s eyes shone dangerously as a laugh left his mouth, "Because he is dead."
The Queen’s body stiffened as she heard what Duke Felix said. But her mind felt dizzy as though she could not understand what was being said. She could hear his voice ringing in her ears, as her heart and mind was in denial of what she had just heard.
"How is that possible? No, it cannot be... " The Queen muttered as her eyes widened. "YOU PLANNED ALL THIS... IT’S YOU..."
Duke Felix nodded his head as his hand relaxed and took a step back. His eyes narrowed as he looked straight into the Queen’s eyes, not afraid at all. "You thought your plan was perfect. Take revenge on the former King and take the throne that you had always dreamed of. But you had missed something. When you came to me, you knew I wanted to marry a Princess. Why didn’t you think that I had such hope? Wasn’t it obvious? Only by marrying a Princess can I claim the throne." Duke Felix spoke in a mocking tone, sneering at the Queen’s foolishness.
"But I guess you were so preoccupied with your own thoughts that you did not even stop to think logically." Duke Felix laughed as he tilted his head. "You thought you were leading the plan but the reality was something else. You were getting played instead."
The Queen was in shock. She could not believe the words she was listening to. How could she be so stupid? Was she really this blind to not know what the man was thinking?
’I brought him into my house? I was the one who welcomed this devil?’ The Queen thought as regret set in, ’I need to get him away from Macy. She is my only hope!’
"Macy.... I want to meet her..." The Queen said in a desperate tone. She now understood what kind of situation she was in. She did not have any authority to call for her own daughter.
The Queen did not have much hope to think that her son was still alive at this point in time. An image flashed in front of her eyes as her mind went blank.
The Queen thought back on the bloodied clothes the Duke had on a few hours before. Whose blood was it? Was it the King’s blood or that of her young child?
The Queen felt depressed as she blinked her eyes nervously. "Macy, let me meet her.."
Duke Felix did not reply as he turned around. He did not even look at her as he walked out as if he did not hear anything.
"I WANT TO MEET HER... I WANT TO.....I NEED TO TALK..."
"She will not meet you." Duke Felix’s voice came, but the Queen could not see the man anywhere from where she was standing. She could imagine he was already on the verge of walking out. "She knows what you have done. She knows that you have killed your own husband and son for the throne. And she is also aware that you tried to kill her too. But do not worry. I will take care of her just like I promised you. After all, I have a clear understanding of the situation. My wife cannot die. At least, until I sit on the throne as King."
"NO.... PLEASE.... LET ME MEET HER... PLEASE!!"
Loud cries came from the prison but no one went in to check on the situation. The Queen was desperate as she tried her best to pull her hands down from the cuffs. But the chains were making her stay in place. Even if she wanted to, she could not do anything. But the silence did not last long.
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
"HELP ME..."
"SOMEONE....ANYONE..."
"IT’S BURNING.... HAAAAAAHHHHH !!!!!!"
The Queen could feel her body burning. But it was not her whole body... just her face. Especially where the Duke had touched. It felt like her jaws were burning. The Queen struggled as her eyes widened as she started to feel breathless.
"This this....No... NOOOO...!!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
The Queen shouted at the top of her lungs as she could feel her body losing strength. The Queen knew what was happening to her. The symptoms were all too familiar to her. She was poisoned. A deadly poison that would make her die in suffering.
"Why.... Why would he do this to me?" The Queen murmured, unresigned to her fate. Her eyes were tinted red as tears rolled down her cheeks, making her a mess. She did not know the reason why Duke Felix allowed her to go through so much. Was it not better to let her die directly? Or what was the hidden motive?
The Queen could not think further as her body started losing its senses. She could no longer feel her muscles as the fear started setting in. The Queen tried her best to move around. But no matter what, nothing was helping her. Her body was covered in sweat as her eyes blurred. She did not know how long it had been, but her breathing became faster. She could feel her body losing strength, and before she knew it her eyes started to close.
’No, I cannot close my eyes! I have to let Macy know the truth behind Duke Felix. I have to make sure my daughter is safe.’ The Queen thought as she tried with all of her might but no matter what, she could not fight back. Her eyes were losing their focus and her eyelids turned heavy before she closed her eyes. The Queen did not know if this was retribution for what she had done, but maybe she might be able to find peace in heaven if she ever made it there.
’I hope to at least see Arlo there....’
—---
"Prince Arlo?" Nia asked as she poured water into his glass. She could see that the young Prince was lost somewhere as if he was reliving the past.
Prince Arlo came back to reality as he looked at everyone around. "Yes, where were we?" Prince Arlo asked as he took the glass and took a few sips of water. "Yes, the flower."
Prince Arlo kept the glass down. He did not know why his heart hurt but there was an uncomfortable feeling. Was it because he was retelling the story and he remembered the pain and suffering he had to go through so vividly?
"It was through a letter that I knew it was a poisonous flower. It got me thinking, why would Duke Felux lie to me? Because I know, no matter how much sister Eleanor wanted a poisonous flower, brother Edwin will never let her touch it. But Duke Felix’s words were the complete opposite of it. And I knew then that something was not right. Even when you came back and I tried to meet you to let you know, I was stopped."
Prince Arlo looked down at the table as she swallowed hard. "My mother said that I was not allowed to meet you. Who knows what you would tell me and corrupt my mind. But I knew that you are not that kind of a person. I told her that but Duke Felix sided with Mother and I was powerless."
Prince Arlo looked up at the Princess as if he was really affected by what had happened in the past and he wanted to rectify his mistake now.
Princess Eleanor held Prince Arlo’s hand as if she was giving him strength. Her hold on his hand tightened as she asked in a small voice, "Didn’t you ever think of telling..."
"I tried a few times, but the answer was the same." Prince Arlo said in a small voice. "It was either I was thinking too much or my brain was imagining things. Even on the day that you left for the Roulux Empire, I had tried telling my mother that Duke Felix was not the right person for sister Macy, but I was locked in a room because I was questioning her choice and I was too jealous to see my sister’s happiness. I think that was when it all started. I was put into strict training. And the condition of my legs worsened as time passed."
"Didn’t they teach you swordsmanship?" Doctor Raul asked. The condition could improve with proper strength training.
"Duke Felix had asked the tutor to only let me learn history and politics. I was basically locked in the library and I couldn’t go out." Prince Arlo said in a dull voice. "I felt unwanted and sad. But now that I think about it, was Duke Felix blocking my path to recovery? Did he make my condition get worse by pushing through his plan?"
There was silence in the room. Everyone knew the answer to this question but no one said it out loud.
