These were the last moments of his life. His breathing became heavier and heavier, and his thoughts became more and more vague and incoherent. The king did not believe it, he could not believe that he was going to die now. He clung to life so desperately that he lived longer than his allotted time, and on this day he turned a hundred years old.
No one celebrated his last century of life; instead, everyone gathered in his chambers and watched with tears in their eyes the last breaths of the elderly Leff. He didn’t believe it, he didn’t want to believe it, the thirst for life flowed from him, and yet this was his end. No one knew what he was thinking, but everyone saw how Leff reluctantly closed his eyes and took the last breath of his life, and then his chest smoothly sank and never rose again.
The doctor who held his cold palm lowered his head and said gloomily:
"He's dead."
A brief moment of silence followed. The maids, the queen and some of the servants tried to comprehend this for a moment, and a moment later they burst into tears, wiping their tear-stained eyes with handkerchiefs. The men, in turn, only stood silently, trying to finally accept the idea of what had just happened.
Death for them was not some kind of terrible and inevitable event, they were just all trying to realize that it was not just a person who died, but someone with whom they may have once talked, whom they listened to, who was simply considered unchanged in their lives, just seemed like someone who would be like this forever and would never leave this life, but he left and it came as a shock to them.
It was as if an entire era had just died and the world around had been reborn and become different. From now on everything will be different, so they all thought. However, not even a few moments passed before one man’s face darkened, became embittered, and he, proudly raising his head, gave a strict order:
"Get everyone."
" W-what?"
The elderly Queen Benthia could not believe her ears, looking at her chief adviser with tears in her eyes.
"What are you doing?!"
Draun Rudrin did not answer, continuing to grin his face in a grimace of anger, and a moment later, guards dressed in black robes, covering their faces under hoods, ran into the bedroom. They grabbed all the servants and members of the royal family and tied their hands behind their backs, immobilizing anyone who kicked or tried to escape.
Slakersh and Monrid, the princes of the kingdom, expected something like this, and therefore did not even resist. Monrid even grinned while his hands were tied behind his back, which is why the chief adviser, twisting his face in a grimace of anger, asked him:
“Your father didn’t choose you as heir to the throne, do you think that’s funny?”
"You are going to war against your own kingdom, Draun Rudrin."
Monrid said sarcastically while people in black robes escorted all the people from the bedroom into the dungeons.
"You know you'll regret this sooner or later."
"I wouldn't have to resort to this if it weren't for your senseless cruelty. You are not worthy to rule the kingdom, Monrid, you are the worst of the entire royal family. I cannot allow the country to end up in your hands."
"Another idiot."
Monrid rolled his eyes, continuing to grin at the words of the chief adviser.
“It was important for you, as well as for your father, that the new king be a worthy person. This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I cannot be worthy of the title of king just because I am cruel, this is just ridiculous. And who is worthy of being one ? You? You’re just a pathetic and spineless pig, a weak, ugly nonentity. You’re no better than me, so why are you worthy, and suddenly I’m not?
“Your father was wise, even if he thirsted for life more than anyone else, but he ruled the kingdom like a real king, fairly, proudly and impeccably, and what were you doing at that time? You bitch ate people, tore off arms and legs, drove people into dead ends and dismembered them there. The entire royal court turned a blind eye to this only because you are the son of the king. How many people died because of you alone, it's mind boggling. This lawlessness will finally come to an end. And the people will be safe and the country will not. will be drowned in the blood of the cannibal king."
Monrid just laughed at these words.
“And still I don’t understand why I’m not worthy? I’m trained to rule the country, I’ve been trained to do this since childhood. I know no less than you how to conduct royal affairs and lead armies. And you think that I’m unworthy just because I love human flesh? Stupidity."
“The one who sees only food in his subordinates cannot become a king.”
“I still don’t understand what’s so terrible about it.”
Monrid expected something like this and carefully prepared for it. Until the royal family is fully assembled, Draun Rudrin will not lay a finger on the rest. When news of King Leff's death spreads across the kingdom, Duke Fellrick will invade Lakuus and seize the throne, killing the entire royal family and all members of the royal council.
Draun Rudrin was going to offer Fellrick the throne in exchange for his own safety, but with Princess Ilifreeta absent, Duke Fellrick will decide that the royal council is secretly plotting a rebellion against him. The fact of this spoils all the plans of the royal council. Princess Ilifreeta must be found and killed, and not just killed, but her head must be brought to Duke Fellrick as proof of her death. Only then will the deal between the royal council and Duke Fellrick be valid, but now the situation of the royal council and the royal family is equally deplorable.
If Fellrick invaded Lakuus right now, the royal council would need the military support of the noble houses, which in turn were loyal to the royal family. This situation did not suit Draun Rudrin and his friends very much, which is why he ground his teeth as he left the bedroom where King Leff had just died.
Looking at the cruel ogre, the chief adviser clenched his fists and walked up to the grinning first prince at arm's length, and then said:
"I don't see anything funny here. We are in a terrible situation right now, and you understand it very well."
"Hah~! That's why I sent a messenger to my uncle. Let him convey the news of the death of this decrepit, stubborn idiot."
The heavy fist of the chief adviser crashes into the face of the first prince, knocking out several teeth and drops of blood from his mouth. Monrid didn’t seem to feel the blow and, with a bleeding, broken lip, looked angrily and arrogantly at Draun, not as an equal, but as a victim who had coveted the prey of a dangerous predator.
“You won’t do anything to me. When uncle comes here, you’ll both be doomed.”
"aaaaaaaaaaaa~!"
The chief adviser yelled angrily, breaking a table with utensils with a kick. He rushed from side to side intensely, on the verge of madness, thinking about how to confront the army of Duke Fellrick.
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"
"There will be war."
Monrid laughed madly looking at the chief adviser.
"Many... many people will die in it. You wanted to become a king, right? So behave like a king. Announce to the whole country that you are occupying the throne and pit everyone and everything against you. Oh, isn’t that what you want? You don’t now You can do this, but why? Because everything will be my way, and only one can be recognized as king... Give up, Draun, otherwise you will be finished."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"SURRENDER?!! TO ME?!! GO TO THE DEMONS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! EVEN IF THE ROYAL ARMY AND THE VASSAL ARMIES UNITE, WE STILL WILL NOT HAVE ANY CHANCE OF DEFEATING FELLRICK!!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!! YOU BASTARD! !!"
Draun wanted to kill him right here and now, he was so angry that he was ready to take off and succumb to violent emotions. The Chief Advisor instead only kept his fist in the air, but restrained himself from hitting the First Prince. If he dies and news of this leaks outside the palace, the noble houses will rebel against the royal council. It will be even worse if the royal army fights the duke alone and in addition with the armies of noble houses.
"DAMN YOU!"
The man shouted angrily and left the bedroom, loudly stamping his boots in the corridor.
"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FU-U-U-U-U-UCK!
Draun's anger knew no bounds. If he doesn't find a way to defeat Duke Fellrick without the help of the noble houses, he will die, and so will the entire royal council. Fellrick should not be his enemy, he should become his future overlord, the new king of Lakuus, but as long as the princess is alive and somewhere hidden from the eyes of the royal council, then there can be no talk of a deal.
"I HATE YOU, ILIFREETA, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"
***
This is not how I imagined the open world, or rather, I was not allowed to enjoy it to the fullest. That mercenary put me in a bag and if I made any sounds, she beat me, not hard, but she beat me. The cart drove somewhere for a long time, and from time to time the woman opened the bag and put some rubbish and some water from the flask into my mouth. She, along with the old man, constantly grumbled about how she did not like taking care of me and, frankly, it sounded very offensive, but not as offensive as from the palace maids who “took care” of me.
I did not expect kindness from my captors; I fully understood them, especially as a member of the royal family. If I had been born paralyzed among commoners, then I would have simply been abandoned and I would have died of hunger, but I was born a princess and they could not refuse me simply because I could become the wife of some aristocrat or receive ownership of some lands by right royal blood
Luck or not, but thanks to this I am now alive and can continue to live, but without the ability to walk on my own two feet and fully enjoy life. It would have been enough for me to simply admire nature, but these kidnappers simply stuffed me into a bag and shut me up every time I made even the slightest sound.
It was unpleasant and painful, I just wanted to kick on the spot out of anger at them, but I couldn’t, because my whole body was practically dead and immobilized.
"I see Itsqueen."
The old man said, hitting the reins and causing the horse to neigh.
"We'll get there soon and we'll be done with her."
“Finally, otherwise I’m really tired of this work.”
The mercenary grumbled in turn and at the same time warned me by lightly kicking the bag.
“If you make at least some sound, then death will not keep you waiting long.”
I don't care.
I would like to answer her, but I left these thoughts to myself, knowing full well that she was not joking.
I still have no future, I’m doomed to be paralyzed for the rest of my life with little hope of one day getting back on my feet. I don’t care whether you kill me or not, I’m not afraid of you, and even more so I’m not afraid of death.
My words, which never came out of my mouth, would have seemed quite bold, but instead of voicing them, I obediently remained silent, as the mercenary ordered me. Even though she threatened me, her voice was not so hateful and frightening; rather, it was just a warning. It's quite possible they could have problems if some people heard a girl's voice from the bag, so I listened.
At least she doesn't mock me like those maids.
After some time, I began to hear people’s voices and the noise of various works, the clatter of hooves and much more. It looks like the cart reached this very city and was entering it through the city gates, and then I heard an unfamiliar male voice along with a metallic clang:
"Stop. Pay the fare."
"Okay-okay."
The old man spoke, jingling his bag of coins.
"What's the fare?"
“One piece of silver... and what’s in the bag?”
"Did you say ten pieces of silver?"
The old man shook the bag.
"Here you go."
"Hmm... well... move on. Next one!"
Soon after this, the carriage moved again and apparently ended up in the city, judging by the increased noise of the streets. While the cart was traveling, I heard a lot of conversations, some people were selling something, others were arguing among themselves, others were discussing some rumors, and some were even fighting. I was so curious to look at all this, but it’s a pity I couldn’t see it and had to be content with the shaking of the cart and the sounds of squelching in the mud.
"I'll stop here."
The old man said and stopped the cart.
“I hope I won’t get this kind of work again. I won’t be able to spend ten pieces of silver every time. Next time, look for something less dark, Agnes.”
"Certainly."
The mercenary said wearily and suddenly lifted the bag with me.
“It’s time to deliver you to the customer, and you old man wait here for now.”
“Get more gold from her. I want to go to the tavern, they serve delicious food and booze.”
“Then I’ll go with you, I’m also interested in what kind of tavern this is. Well, that’s it, I’ll go then.”
The mercenary, having adjusted the bag on her shoulder, began to walk somewhere and apparently she was going to a very remote place, since the voices of the people here were rather muffled. That’s why I sensed an opportunity and asked her:
"Your name is Agnes? Listen, tell me, what's going on? Why did you kidnap me?"
"Shut up, girl."
The mercenary tsked.
"I'll shut up if you say..."
She slapped my ass.
"Ai~!"
“We’ll be done with you soon, so you’d better be quiet, otherwise your ass will burn from my spanks, and you already know how painful I can hit.”
You can’t argue with her, it really hurt and I didn’t want to experience this pain and yet...
"Just say that... *slap*... AHH~!!!"
“What a fool you are, you don’t understand anything. Just shut up and that’s it.”
"But you won't kill me."
“That’s right, I won’t kill you, but the customer didn’t specify in what form he needs you. So if right now, you bitch, you don’t shut up, then I won’t leave a living space behind you.”
And I fell silent. Agnes wanted to complete her work as quickly as possible, and I, in turn, was interested in finding out who the man was who decided to kidnap the princess of the kingdom. I’m useless and besides the fact that I don’t know how to read books. I’m unlikely to become a slave, it’s more likely that they just want to kill me. So why should I be afraid since I’m going to die anyway? Is anyone going to worry about me? There are no such people in this world... never have been.
And there never will be.
"Then kill me."
The mercenary just grinned at my words.
“No-no-no. If I do this, I won’t get the money. The Count needs you alive.”
"Count? Who are you talking about?"
"You'll soon find out about everything yourself."
Soon she stopped, and I again heard a man’s voice, and with it the clanging of metal. Apparently, the mercenary was surrounded by several guards, after which I heard a stern reprimand:
"Stop! This is the territory of the castle, entry is prohibited."
"«Kishyik Mist»."
The mercenary said, after which the man’s tone changed from rude to more docile and calm.
"So you're one of these? Follow me."
She went somewhere again, apparently to the castle judging by how it became even darker in the bag and the sounds of distant echoes of footsteps on the stone. After some time, the mercenary put the bag with me on the floor and opened it, making me close my eyes from the bright light of the torch that one of the guards was holding in his hands.
I lay immobilized on my back and looked up and could only turn my head in different directions. And judging by what I saw, I was in some kind of dark, damp stone room, more reminiscent of some kind of dungeon. There were five men and a mature red-haired mercenary herself, dressed in leather armor.
Among the men, one stood out, dressed in the golden attire of an aristocrat, he had a curled thin mustache and a curious gaze directed in my direction.
"Here she is."
Said Agnes standing next to me.
"This is the same princess I rescued."
“Is this really her and not some peasant woman?”
The guard said, but then the man in aristocratic attire said the following:
"Golden hair, mint green eyes, paralyzed from the head down. It's unlikely that the description will lie. This is really her, Princess Ilifreeta in person."
The man said with a slight smile and squatted down above me.
“You are that useless princess, right? There are bad rumors about you, but you don’t have to worry, because within the walls of this castle no one else will know about your existence. No one, not even the royal council.”
"Ahem-ahem~… money."
The mercenary cleared her throat, to which in response the count twitched and gave an extremely indifferent and cruel order:
"Clear."
The next moment, a terrible thing happened before my eyes: a splash of blood, a painful female groan, and the bloody tip of a spear protruding from the mercenary’s chest. After this, the guard, with a disgusting sound, pulls out the tip of the spear, and the groaning Agnes falls with her whole body onto the stone floor.
She was breathing heavily, moaning in pain and bleeding. The room was filled with the smell of blood, and seeing, hearing and feeling all this, I was filled with fear. I could barely comprehend it, I was too frivolous, and I really didn’t expect such an outcome. For the first time in my life I saw a real murder and someone's death.
I turned my neck towards Agnes; she was lying sideways on the floor, holding her chest with a trembling hand, from which dark scarlet blood was flowing. Her skin was literally turning pale before her eyes, life was leaving her, she was in pain. I just can’t believe that I saw real death, and not just death, but the death of a person with whom I recently talked, with whom I spent several days in the same cart, listening to her grumbling and light soothing blows on the bag.
She was dying and this made me both incredibly sad and very scared.
Wha… what?
I didn’t believe it until streams of tears flowed from my eyes.
For a while Agnes shook slightly and turned pale, but soon she closed her eyes and fell into eternal sleep forever. She did not move again, she would never speak or rise again. She is no more, all that is left of her is this dead body. Her soul now belongs to Sod.
"Ag-nes"
I said in a trembling voice, I can no longer see her dead and turned away from her lifeless cold body.
"We will take care of you, Princess Ilifreeta."
The man said with a grin on his face standing over Agnes’ body.
"Just like they took care of her."
M-mom…