Once the monster had been slain, Cassius ordered that all surviving civilians be gathered into a single large space, partly for easier headcounts, partly to bring structure to the chaos. The living were separated from the fallen, their nas recorded, their wounds treated.
With Cassius’s lead everything had gone smoothly and even the chaotic folks who was once in fear realizes that as long as their Crown Prince was presence, they were not in danger anymore.
He had offered Arabella rest, but her body refused to yield to exhaustion. Not while so much still pulsed in disarray around her.
From where she stood, she watched as vampires and humans moved side by side, tending wounds, carrying debris, even holding one another upright. Gone was the distrust, the silent contempt. In its place, a shared grief and a temporary peace.
It struck her, painfully and beautifully.
Perhaps it was true: only a greater enemy could unite people who were once divided.
It was a cruel truth... but in the face of devastation, she could only hope the lesson lingered, that the humans and vampires would finally understand they were not ant to be enemies.
The prejudice, suspicion, and hatred- those had killed more than any monster ever did.
"You were right, Lady Arabella."
The familiar voice pulled her from thought. Helena approached, her expression grim, Renard trailing quietly behind. In her hand, Helena held a scrap of bloodstained cloth.
"There was an explosion," she said, frowning as she held the fabric out, "Near the front courtyard. Not large enough to draw attention imdiately, but there are clear signs of a skirmish. Soone fought there, possibly during the battle."
Arabella’s eyes narrowed. "Can I see it?"
Helena hesitated, not because she doubted Arabella’s presence as they have confird she has the power of those who had created those dangerous remnant potion, but because she knew Cassius must have heard the question. He was only a few paces away and his sharp ears always attuned to her voice.
But he said nothing. No glance. No objection. Just another crisp command to bring more healers to the north side.
Taking that as permission, Helena turned back with a faint smile.
"Then let’s go."
The three of them made their way toward the courtroom that was filled with other soldiers who had desperate to help Cassius by gathering evidences. In one of them was the son of Raven, the knight who had died.
He turned his red eyes toward Helena and imdiately straightened his back, saluting toward her, "Milady!"
"At ease, Jeremiah," Helena replied, her gaze falling to the parchnt in his hand. "And that?"
Jeremiah glanced at Arabella, then handed over the note. "I thought it possible the perpetrator might’ve been among those inside the courtroom. So I requested a list of everyone who had entered before the attack."
"A smart thought," Helena said with a nod of approval, a rare smile softening her usual severity. Jeremiah flushed slightly, pride peeking through his modesty.
Arabella, curious, leaned closer. "And? What did you find?"
He offered her the parchnt. "Not much, but one na caught my attention. Or rather, the lack of one."
Arabella followed the line of his finger to a strange, twisted scrawl. Not a na, not a word. Just... sothing. Her brows furrowed.
"’Hadn’t been written properly?’" she echoed, voice quiet.
"Yes." Jeremiah scratched the back of his head, ruffling his black hair. "The woman was wearing a green gown, human looking. That alone made the guards note her down. When they asked her na, she hesitated, stared at them oddly. But eventually said it aloud."
Helena’s expression turned sharp. "So the knight wrote what he heard?"
"He did. He wrote it clearly. But later, when he looked again, he found that instead." Jeremiah pointed again to the indecipherable line. "He swore it wasn’t what he originally wrote."
Arabella had gone still, eyes locked on the page.
"That’s not a scribble," she said at last, voice low.
Both Helena and Jeremiah snapped their heads toward her, an expression of frown and confusion.
"It only looks like one to you," Arabella continued, her tone grim. "To anyone who doesn’t know how to see it. But this isn’t random... it’s another language that only witches uses."
Helena’s brows rose. "Language?"
Arabella gave a short nod, lips pressing into a thin line.
Of course, none of them would understand this letters. She hadn’t understood it either at first, at least until she had learned how to read it from Lastor. The letters were mostly used by witches as a way of communicating.
A way of communicating.
So the woman had wrote the na on purpose, knowing that she would be reading this.
"No wonder the knight thought it was just ssy handwriting. It seems that she wanted to scare us." Her fingers brushed the parchnt lightly.
Jeremiah stiffened. "A witch?"
"Alice," Arabella murmured. Then she turned toward Helena who was surprised, "What’s wrong? Do you also know the na?"
Helena turned to Jeremiah whose face had turned ugly with anger.
"Of course we do," nodded Jeremiah, "It’s the na my father had wrote on his letters before he dies."
Helena then explained again, "Earlier His Highness had given the letter, don’t you rember? It’s the letter that Jeremiah had accepted from his father before his sudden death. His body was found hanging in front of the gate and all of us had thought that it was a murder rather than suicide. We confird this fact considering he had died after sending this letter."
"What was in the letter?" She asked again and Helena sighed.
"There is a doctor that Queen Morgana had chosen specifically for the King. The na of that doctor is... Alice," Helena pointed out. "They have the sa na don’t they? I guess we could now safely assu that the Queen and the sorcerers cos from the sa side."
Arabella frowned, her thoughts churning. Did the queen truly understand the consequences of consorting with a witch?
Soone like Alice wouldn’t offer help without cost, she would use the queen, manipulate her until there was nothing left to gain. And then discard her like a broken pawn.
Perhaps that mont had already co.
The queen’s sudden disappearance wasn’t just suspicious, it was proof. Had she finally realized the depth of her mistake? That Alice was never an ally, only a witch who wanted to use her as a puppet?
Arabella’s eyes narrowed. If so, it might already be too late.
Once they took a look at the note, Arabella went to the left side where there was soldiers who had muttered to each other while looking at the cri scene.
"This doesn’t look like the fight between two humans don’t you agree?"
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