Catherine linked her arms with Lucas as they walk towards the main entrance of the palace where a carriage awaits for them. Catherine eyed Lucas's clothes and it was an all-black attire along with a cape. The coat he was wearing matched the colors of his hair, covered with silver metals to decorate his coat. On Lucas' hips, a black golden sword hung, completing his attire for tonight's ball.
Raiden and Konnor followed them closely until they arrived in front of the carriage, along with Ria who was wearing a white A-line dress with roses embroidered on the hem of her dress, and Catalina, with her most decent pink dress, she could find.
A guard opened the door for the carriage and Lucas held out his hand for Catherine to hold onto. Without looking at Lucas' hand, and Catherine's habit of not needing someone to always escort her, resurfaced. She entered the carriage, leaving Lucas' hand out in the open.
“Oh.” Remembering that she came with Lucas, she looked at the hand he offered. She smiled at him, awkwardly and held out her own hand, in an attempt to not make him mad. Lucas chuckled along with Konnor who saw what happened, and he accepted the hand that Catherine held out. They sat comfortably in their seat, facing each other as the carriage started moving. The group of Konnor also ascended the next carriage that followed the king's carriage closely.
In the king's carriage, Catherine sat uncomfortably in her seat, looking in the window beside her, as Lucas buried a hole in her face. She laughed awkwardly and faced him.
“You matched my colors.” Catherine started to break the ice inside the carriage.
“I did,” Lucas said, looking away and ending their conversation. Catherine wondered why he changes his attitude towards her every now and then. She was about talk again when Lucas spoke first.
“I assigned Raiden as your personal guard. Starting today, he will be your shadow.” Lucas informed her and she just nodded.
In the entire ride, they sat in silence, until they arrived in the Churchill Residence. A guard opened the carriage for them and Lucas descended first, he held out his again and this time, Catherine accepted it with a smile on her face. A couple of guards surrounded them as they entered the mansion, in fear of someone attacking the king and the future queen.
“His Majesty, The King and Her Highness, Princess Catherine of the Bohr Kingdom has arrived!” The man in a white suit announced as he opened the door for the couple. The music stopped and the crowd turned their attention to the two people who just arrived. The ladies curtsied and the gentlemen bowed their heads. After the formalities, the two walked arm in arm to greet the star of the party. They glided across the hall to the other side where Clementine and her family members are, talking with the other nobles.
"Greetings to the kingdom's light. May prosperity be in your way." Clementine, along with the other nobles greeted Catherine and Lucas as they bowed down.
“Happy birthday, Lady Clementine.” Catherine started and cling to Lucas' arms. She just wanted to get back at what Clementine did to Elle. She smiled when she saw a slight annoyance in Clementine's face.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Clementine forced a smile and turned to Lucas. She was about to speak when Marquess Steve Maraboli interrupted her.
“How is your stay here in the kingdom, Your Highness?” He politely asked. The marquess is the head of the advisers and the father of Konnor, Thalia, and Quintin.
“I am having such a good time. Thank you for your concern.” Catherine answered and smiled at the marques. In her peripheral view, Catherine saw Ria with Thalia in the corner. Ever since they arrived, she has been wanting to eat because she only ate an apple and soup for lunch as per Josephine.
“Very well, if you'll excuse me, I have to greet my ladies.” Catherine excused herself and went to Ria and Thalia.
“I'm dying. I need food.” Catherine complained that made Ria giggled. She handed her a tart of blueberries and Catherine popped it onto her mouth. With Ria's personality, she condemned the princess for her actions and nagged her. Thalia, as Catherine's lady-in-waiting and her tutor, taught her a little bit about the people who attended this event.
“The Churchill family is an influential group that held the queen's crown for three generations and that is why people have gotten close to them over the years, assuming that in this generation, another descendant would be chosen from their family. They hold most of the meerseniers and Koopmans operations in the kingdom.” Thalia ended her lesson when a group of girls came in their direction.
“Hi, sister!” Quintin chimed and kissed her sister on the cheeks. Catherine smelled that she totally reeked of alcohol. She thought that it was not even midnight for her to be that drunk.
“Where is Catalina?” She turned at Ria who pointed at the table across the hall where they were staying.
“Come on, sister. Don't be such a boring geek!” Quintin exclaimed while holding a glass of cocktail, as the girls beside her laughed. She was starting to gather the attention of the people around her in the hall. Clementine looked Catherine's way with Caitlin. They started walking towards the direction of the girls.
Catherine sensed that Thalia was starting to feel embarrassed at her sister's action. She immediately grabbed Thalia's hand to exit the scene but the drunk Quintin pulled her hand causing the glass she was holding to pour onto Catherine's dress, spoiling it. The crowd around them gasped at what they witnessed. The whole hall turned silent waiting for what will happen next but Catalina quickly made her way to the princess and wipe the cocktail on her dress.
The marques' daughter just ruined the king's betrothed's dress. Clementine looked at Catherine with a smirk on her face. Instantly, Catherine knew that Clementine was just playing with her and trying to mess her up, using her puppets.
“Your Highness, let's go to the powder room,” Catalina suggested and guided Catherine to the powder room. When they exited the door, the people started murmuring and whispering about what happened. Lucas made her way to the group of ladies. He saw what happened and was about to rush when Konnor stopped him. Now that Catherine is gone, he wants to know who was responsible for spoiling her dress.
The people in the hall looked down when the king started walking. They could feel the menacing aura he radiates as he passed by. When he appeared in front of the ladies, Quintin fell to her knees.
“I-I didn't m-mean t-to do t-that, Y-your Majesty.” Quintin stuttered as she tries to explain herself. She knew that the king was a man who kills without mercy, that even his parents could not stand a chance. What could a mere subject do?
Lucas pulled out his sword from his hips and swung it up to Quintin's neck, enough for her to feel the cold metal in her skin. The people could not do anything but watch. Marquess Steve Maraboli quickly acted and went to his knees in front of the crowd. Lucas looked at Ria and motioned for her to checked up on Catherine.
“Please spare my daughter, Your Majesty. She doesn't know anything for she has been spoiled all her life.” The marquess begged with his hands both clasped together.
“Get out. I do not want to see your faces.” Lucas commanded with a cold shuddering voice that made the marquess and Quintin trembled in fear as they exit the door. Ria came rushing in holding a shoe to Lucas.
“She's... Her H-highness is gone!” Ria breathes heavily as she handed the silver shoe that Catherine wore to the party. Konnor and Raiden immediately went to Lucas's side. The people in the hall started whispering and murmuring around.
“How could this happen in the duke's residence?”
“Some guts of the people who kidnapped the future queen.”
“Poor princess.”
“I heard that the smuggling of the people has increased, drastically, in the North.”
Lucas raised his right hand and with the back of his hand, he struck Raiden with a sound like a cracking of a bullwhip, and the hall went silent. The whispers of the people who attended the party, vanish with the sound of the slap. Raiden instantly recovered and kneel before the king.
“Find her.” Lucas calmly instructed and exited the hall while Konnor followed behind him.
“Shh.” Catherine put her index finger in her thin rose lips in an attempt to make Catalina stay silent when she woke up in the carriage. Catalina's eyes widen when she saw Catherine in a close compact moving vehicle.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Catalina whispered and checked Catherine's body. She sighed in relief when she saw no scratches in her body.
“Where are we?” She asked as she tried to make a view of the small hole in the carriage. All she had seen were trees as the carriage continues moving. It seemed that they were deep in the forest.
“I don't know.” Catherine softly said and move closer to where the opening is. She touched the door's carriage and tried to channel her elements in order to open it. It immediately glowed with her hand pressed against the door but as quickly as the light appeared, it disappeared just as fast.
“What?” Catherine said in disbelief. This has never happened in her life. She removed her hand from the door and placed her other hand. Just like before, the light that shined from her hand, just vanished out of thin air, like the carriage just absorbed her power. Catherine slumped into the carriage floor and took a deep breath. She knew that she needed to outsmart the people who took them so she contacted Ria and Josephine to let Lucas know where they are. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts be shared with Ria.
(Ria.)
[Your Highness! HOW ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?]
(I am with Catalina in a carriage. I don't know where they are taking us but there were a lot of trees. I think we're in a deep forest. Try to look for forests near the Churchill Residence. It hasn't been long since we left the plac-)
The carriage comes to a stop, making Catherine stopped her communication with Ria. They readied themselves for a fight with the people who kidnapped them.
To her dismay, instead of people coming to get them, gas was released in the small box near them. They tried to cover their mouth and nose but the gas was too strong for them to handle. They passed out making a loud thud inside the carriage.
“I think it's done.” A masked man said when they heard the loud thud. He was about to open the carriage door when another man stopped him.
“Let's wait for a couple of minutes. We need to be sure and carry this out perfectly.” He advised and the man stepped down.
After a couple of minutes, they ready the rope for the girls they kidnapped. They opened the door with their gas masks on and saw the two unconscious ladies lying in the carriage ground. One man took Catherine and the other Catalina. They entered the small hut in the forest and ties their hands at their backs, thinking that the ladies wouldn't be able to escape the masked men did not bother to tie their feet.
After some time, the girls woke up with their kidnappers looking at them. Catherine looked at Catalina and moved closer to her.
“What do you want?” She glared at the masked man who was looking at her but he just laughed at her. Catherine slowly moved her fingers to release herself from the rope using her fire element. When the rope was completely burned she move her body towards Catalina and burned her rope as well.
“We need you gone and our lives would be completely compensated.” The masked man answered. He took out a knife and played it in front of the ladies, warning them not to make any funny movements. Catherine touched the ground and small vines moved rapidly behind the masked men. Catherine learned how to be more careful when handling humans as her opponents, the hard way.
The vines moved closer to the men and pulled them by the feet, bring them up in the air. Catherine used this chance and pulled Catalina towards the door but three other armed men came in. Catherine pulled back and she saw that the men she tied using her vines have already gotten free. Catalina clings to Catherine's dress as she breathes heavily.
“These are just ladies and you cannot handle them!” A bearded man that came in shouted at the two masked men. “Useless fools!”
The bearded man moved his head in the direction of Catherine and Catalina, signaling for his other companion to take them. When they were about to move closer, a brick of soil emerged from the ground, blocked their way. Catherine looked around and saw a small window. She guided Catalina and made her come out first.
When they were out, Catherine and Catalina ran into the ghostly forest, but with Catalina's weak strength, their pursuers were able to catch up to them. One man released an arrow that struck the tree.
Catherine was certain that their pursuers will end their lives. She thought about her family waiting for her in their homeland and wondered about all the things she dreamed before she even came here.
Another arrow flew that went straight into Catherine's torso. Blood oozes out as she fell on the dusty ground, rapidly Catalina ran towards her. As if her own life flashed before her eyes, regret-filled her soul with their pursuers closely approaching them. They rained down another set of arrows in their direction.
“No!”
“Your Highness!”
Catalina used her body to shield the princess. She screamed in pain when the cold sharp metal touched her body. She felt the liquid dripped from her arm when she was struck by an arrow. Catalina reached for the wound in her shoulder, trying to remove the arrow, but pain shot throughout her body, making the poor woman screamed in agony.
Catherine felt hot and dizzy but still crawled towards Catalina who passed out from the pain and glanced at their pursuers with their wicked grins, slowly walking towards them. Another set of arrows flew from the other side of the forest, striking and piercing their pursuers, and one by one, they fell unto the ground without any hope of seeing another light of the day.
The last thing Catherine saw before the darkness consumed her was Lucas' wide-eyed, worried face.
