Chapter 5: A Sad News

Click!

The door groaned and opened, the wood screamed and a cool breeze visited the room. Stein got up on his feet. Marcus swiftly pulled Lydia back in.

“Identify yourselves!” Stein said. 

The two figures moved into the house. Their boots tapped on the groaning wooden floor. One of them closed the door and said,

“My lord, you really are a bad boy…”

Stein's eyes widened, “...lord? Wait…are you…Olivia?!”

She was still at the door when she pulled her hood off her head. She bowed. 

“Sorry to have scared you guys.”

Stein scoffed, “I wasn't scared at all…”

Olivia pointed at the siblings. As a matter of fact, scared wasn't even the right word to describe them. Lydia was gripping onto her brother. She hid her face against his shoulders. Marcus’ fingers hung frozen in the air. 

Not a hug, not a move. 

His eyes were fixed on the second cloaked figure. His eyelids pulled back and were glossed. A tear that spoke of a scream that wasn't heard fell to the ground. 

His mouth lay open and only the –Ngh, Ngh, Ngh– came out. 

Stein looked at the figure in front of him. She looked straight ahead, refusing to turn. His eyes fell on her frame. The cloack followed her figure. From her feet which were planted gracefully on the ground. Her frame proved robustly slim and tender, figuring as an eight that tightened as it slowly approached her chest. 

Stein's eyes caught a faint gleam on a pendant. He reached for it. 

A white rose? 

“Rose–”

Marcus stood up in haste, “Sir, what are you doing?!”

Stein looked between the two of them. A tickle pressed against his fingers.  

STAB

His eyes widened. Quickly he retracted his hand and held his finger tightly. It was perforated and blood gushed out of it. Stein crouched on the floor. From the cloak's hem a sharp pin returned in slowly.

Olivia sighed. 

“What a fuss over such a little injury.”

Stein glared at her, “an injury is still an injury, it can be fatal and…”

The lady removed her cloak. Markus trembled, his eyelids reddened, and he bowed his head to the ground. Stein however looked up to her. 

Her hair was silver blonde. Her eyes were of an emerald green. She stared at his silver blue eyes. 

Wait, she isn't Rose.

“You, are my hus–” she began to say but Stein spoke over her saying, “Who are you? What did you do to Rose? Why do you have her pendant?”

Olivia smiled at first and her expression grew cold and dark lines shaded her face. She said,

“You really don't know your place, do you?”

PANG!

keough!

Stein grabbed a table close by to wedge himself upon. Olivia had punched a part of his side that had been badly bruised from the fall.

The lady pinched Olivia's cheeks drawing them wide, “Olivia. That's no way to treat my husband's servant.”

Stein's eyes widened. 

“Husband?  Wait, you mean, you are my Prince's wife.”

Markus trembled, “for you to be here it means that something really bad has happened…”

The lady closed her eyes and rubbed her belly. She said, 

“In order to preserve my lord's posterity, I was sent here.”

Preserve. 

Stein stood up and grabbed her, he shook her back and forth.

“Speak to me, where is Andrew, and Rose. And the old king, where are they?!”

The lady softly said, “Blanche…”

“Blanche?”

Blanche looked him in the eyes, "that's my name.”

Furry, coursed through his being, the white of his eyes washed in fiery anger. 

“I…asked, WHERE IS ANDREW!!!!”

He pushed Blanche back, her back to the wall and he punched it.

BANG!

Markus rushed to him, “Sir, please refrain now…”

“Why?!”

Olivia said, “is that how you treat the lady of your lord, I bet his majesty the prince would be highly displeased.”

Stein glared at her, her eyes remained unshaken. 

Tsk!

He pulled back. Blanche remained there and said. 

“My husband sent me here with a message for a man he considers his brother. Stein, you are that man. Will you hear me out?”

Stein shrugged, “go on…”

Blanche said.

“Around two weeks ago, the war council gathered to deliberate if you were worthy of trust. They waited, and waited but you never came. Lady Cirrya whispered to the old king's ear words of fear.”

Stein shrugged, “and what did she say?”.

Blanche left the wall and took few steps forward, “That you were planning to ride your popularity to take over the Kingdom”

Stein's eyes twitched. His hand rubbed his mouth and he shook his head. 

“Stupid–”

Blanche said, “My husband didn't agree, but the king's heart was set; he gave the order to find you and bring you back for questioning.”

Olivia said “the prince fought with his men and the old king sent his, and the prince prevailed in frustrating their search. But upon knowing that his son was actively fighting against him, the old king collapsed.”

Stein asked, “so Andrew took power and stopped their—”

“Far from it – Blanche held her head she cried — those bastards at court were all members of the Karma family, smuggled in through the help of Cirrya, all our nobles were killed.”

Stein and Markus frowned. 

“What of Andrew and Rose and who is running the Kingdom now?”

“Cirrya is,”  said Olivia.

Stein sighed, he breathed hard.

“Please my queen – Blanche was taken aback at the sudden change of tone – tell me what happened to the royal siblings.”

Blanche said, “Andrew is fighting against the infiltrators, but the outer wall has been breached already and Karma forces are pouring into the castle city.”

“WHAT?!”

Blanche added, “As for Rose… She took my pain on her so that I might not see pain.”

Stein blinked.

Blanche grabbed him and drew him into a hug, “I am sorry.”

Everywhere was still, his body grew numb, his tears fell silently. 

From the city a sound wave rippled through the air.

BANG!