The Duke's Passion

"We found Her Royal Highness dead in the gates of the palace."

The news came as a surprise and too suddenly. Cassara? Of all people? She was the first to die?

I only draped a shawl around my shoulders as we rushed to where Cassara remains lied. Stefan kept quiet the entire time, but I noticed that this news irked and surprised him as well.

'Who did it?' I wondered internally as my last memory of Cassara hovered over my head.

When we reached the gates of the palace, there were already a few familiar faces around. Beatrice, Yul, Silvia, Alistair, Dominique, Jayden, some important figures of the empire, and the knights.

I gazed up, setting my eyes on Cassara, who was hanging at the guard towers. She was hanging with a noose around her neck, but that wasn't the cause of her death.

That stake struck into her chest was what killed her.

"You are next." I read the bloody message written next to her as my eyes glinted. 

"Get her down," Stefan commanded with restrained anger in his voice. "Start an investigation regarding this matter. Don't let a word gets out about Cassara's death."

"Yes, Your Majesty," someone replied curtly, and the knights started moving to execute the order.

"My... whoever did this is a savage," Beatrice commented, covering her lips with the back of her hand. "How come this happened right after Her Duchess arrives in the Capital?"

"Hold your tongue, Your Royal Highness," Klaus' voice thundered without a second hesitation. "Her Grace has nothing to do with any of this."

"I'm not saying the Duchess did this herself." Beatrice shrugged indifferently, glancing up at Cassara's corpse. "You are next... I wonder who is next?"

I looked around and noticed the judgmental eyes of Stefan's people. They would obviously think it was my doing, since I had all the reason to do so. 

"Beatrice, stop spouting nonsense," Stefan warned menacingly. "I will surely find out who is causing all this ruckus and he or she will pay a hefty price."

"Well, I guess because Your Majesty spent the night in the Duchess chambers that you know it's not her." Beatrice glanced at Yul, which made me instinctively look in the same direction. 

"Stop inciting misunderstandings, Your Royal Highness," Yul uttered coldly. 

"Goodness! I am a queen, but a mere knight told me to hold my tongue and an advisor blatantly accused me I'm inciting misunderstandings!" she chuckled in amusement before turning around to leave. 

"This place surely never ceased to amaze me," Beatrice remarked without looking back. 

We remained silent until Beatrice was no longer in the vicinity. My eyes fell onto Stefan and I saw him looking back at me.

"My condolences, Your Majesty. I also have to excuse myself first." I curtsied, and he replied with a nod. 

I didn't idle for a second longer and walked away. As I did, I glanced at my people and they all followed me from behind. 

******

"Explain, Klaus," I ordered as soon as the door shut behind us. I turned to my heel, facing the three of them.

Klaus let out a shallow breath as he locked eyes with me. "Last night, when I followed Cassara after she run off, I can't find her. We searched for her all night, Your Grace, but we couldn't find even her shadow."

"That's impossible," I said with a scoff. "Did you search the entire palace?"

"We searched the entire capital," Silvia chimed in with a stern voice. "I can't sleep last night and joined the search. What Klaus said was true. Even Cassara's scent last night disappeared without a trace. The next thing we know, she's already hanging on the gates of the palace."

There was a moment of silence in the room after Silvia's report. This was not simply baffling, it was alarming. 

"Your Grace, you shouldn't worry about her death so much. It was probably someone in here so they can frame you for it." Yul broke the silence with a deep sigh. "It was obvious. Cassara had survived this place for a year alone, and now she's dead. Right after you arrived makes it more obvious someone wanted to frame you."

"No." I shook my head while I massaged my temple. "I think this is something I should be bothered about. My gut feeling is telling me I should be more concerned about this."

Being accused of treason wasn't what terrified me or my people; we had planned to commit treason, anyway. But Cassara's words last night and how she ran off, terrified, etched in my head. 

I turned my back against them, eyes glinting menacingly. "Who did it is not the correct question right now. Why they did it and why target Cassara were the questions we needed immediate answers to."

"I think she knows something no one knows about," I added under my breath as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "Why she kept it to herself is unknown, but one thing is for sure, we can't trust anything in this place."

"I agree with you on that, Your Grace." Silvia agreed, as her voice had a touch of danger.

Again, I turned around and faced them. We couldn't trust and wait for the result of Stefan's investigation.

"Klaus, start your own investigation regarding this. Take Silvia with you. Do it with no one noticing anything," I ordered, and Klaus bowed his head. "Be as discreetly as possible."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"As for Yul..." I trailed off, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"You don't have to keep me in here for the sole reason of protection. You and I both know this place is not a safe place." Yul reminded me, as he had already assumed I planned on keeping him cope up in the dark.

"No, Yul. I have something more important for you to do." I shook my head, glancing at the other two before setting my eyes back to him. "Beatrice. I'm not telling you to warm her bed, but observe her closely."

"Do you think she is involved with this?" asked Yul while his brows furrowed.

"No. But I think she will be a pain in the neck in the future." I waved weakly. "You are dismissed."

The three of them bowed to execute the orders I gave them. Just when they were by the door, I called. 

"Klaus."

He turned his head back to me.  "The news spreads fast and everyone who has keen eyes and ears would've known about this."

"I see." I nodded before they left.

When I was left alone, I marched towards the window and gazed outside. Since entering the palace, all I would know about what the occurrence inside this place. 

Outside? I hoped Sam was getting the bigger picture of what was going on in here.