The Royal Maid And The Lost Kingdom

CHAPTER FORTY – EIGHT

Edward’s POV

As I entered my room, I was filled with anger and frustration. I felt helpless, watching as Alice was taken away from me yet again. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I started lashing out. I threw things, knocked over furniture, and broke anything that was in my path. It was like I was trying to destroy everything that reminded me of my failure.

But as I looked around my room, I saw the destruction that I had caused. I saw the mess that I had created and I realized how childish I was acting. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands, trying to process everything that had happened.

Then I got up and made my way to my father’s chamber. I walked in and saw my mother and Andrew there. I didn’t even hesitate, I just let out a scream. “Tell me the truth!” I yelled at my father, who was taken aback by my outburst. My mother and Andrew looked at me with concern, but I didn’t care. I needed answers and I needed them now.

Andrew approached me with a stern look on his face, “Edward, you cannot speak to the King in that manner.”

I turned to face him, my anger boiling inside of me. “How could you do this, Andrew? I thought we were friends. How could you turn your men after Alice?”

Andrew’s expression softened, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. “Edward, I’m just following orders. I had no choice in the matter.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “No choice? You always have a choice.”

I turned back to face my father, the King. “I want the truth, Father. What is really going on here?”

The King looked older, much older than I remembered. He sighed and sat down at his desk, gesturing for me to sit across from him. “Edward, there are things you do not understand.”

“Then help me understand Father.” I pleaded.

“I had no idea they had a daughter. When they came to me for shelter, they were with only their loads and nothing more. They told me there were no offspring. And why would I kill my best friend then. I loved him and his wife.” He said in a saddened tone.

I was stunned as my father revealed the truth. I felt a mix of emotions, anger, sadness, and regret. I couldn’t believe that the monarchs had lied to my father all those years ago. It was then that I understood why he was so hesitant to believe Alice.

I needed some air, so I walked out of the room. I was still trying to process what I had just heard when Andrew came after me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. I was in no mood to talk to him. He insisted on talking, so I reluctantly listened.

“Edward, I know you’re upset, but we need to work together,” he said.

I turned to him and looked at him with anger in my eyes, “Work together? How can I work with someone who was so willing to follow orders to capture Alice? How could you do that to her, to me?”

Andrew sighed, “Edward, I was just following orders, just like you. I had no idea that she was the daughter of the monarchs. If I had known, I never would have gone along with it.”

I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to believe him, but the other part of me was still angry. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

“Andrew, I appreciate your honesty, but I need some time to process everything. I’ll see you later,” I said before walking away.

I needed to clear my head and think about what I was going to do next. I loved Alice, and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. But, I also needed to consider my duties as a prince and the future of the kingdom. It was a lot to take in, and I needed some time to figure it all out.

Ever since I walked out of my father’s room, I felt numb and in shock. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. I had always known my father to be a just and fair king, but now, I wasn’t so sure.

The thought of Alice being the daughter of the lost kingdom’s monarchs was difficult to accept, but to hear that my father had doubted her from the beginning was too much to bear.

I found solace in the knight’s training room, where I spent hours upon hours honing my skills and trying to forget about Alice. But every time I closed my eyes, she was all I could see. I was beating myself up for not being able to save her and protect her from harm.

That was until one day, when Andrew came to visit me in the training room. He noticed how hard I was pushing myself and he couldn’t bear to see me like this anymore. He approached me, concern etched on his face, and spoke to me in a gentle tone.

“Edward, you need to stop beating yourself up. You did everything you could to protect her. And who knows, she may still be out there, alive and well.”

His words didn’t bring me much comfort at first, but then he surprised me by offering to go out to the lost kingdom and rescue her if needed.

I stared at him in stunned silence for a moment before a smile spread across my face. It was the first time I had smiled in weeks.

“Thank you, Andrew,” I said, feeling a renewed sense of hope. “I would be forever grateful if you could do that for me.”

Andrew nodded and clapped me on the shoulder, a smile on his face. “Of course, my brother. I’ll do anything for you.”

As days passed by, I couldn’t help but think of Alice. The thought of her being captured and in danger tore me apart. I was filled with a mix of anger, sadness, and frustration. I couldn’t sit around and do nothing, but at the same time, I was trapped here, unable to act. My father had placed spies around the kingdom to watch my every move, so I couldn’t even sneak away to go and find her. All I could do was wait and hope that Andrew was able to bring her back to safety.

I would often find myself wandering the halls of the castle, lost in my thoughts. I would always hear the whispers of the maids, gossiping about the situation. They would talk about how the king had almost killed the rightful heir to the lost kingdom, and how Alice’s uncle had taken the throne by force. These rumors only fueled my anger, and I would feel my fists clench at my sides, wishing I could do something to help.

But even with my anger and frustration, I couldn’t ignore the fear that gripped my heart. What if Andrew wasn’t successful in his mission? What if he was captured or killed? These thoughts consumed me, and I couldn’t shake them off no matter what I did.

Days turned into weeks, and I found myself spending more and more time in the knight’s training room. I needed to channel my energy and emotions into something productive, and so I trained relentlessly. I swung my sword, hit the target dummies, and pushed myself to the limit. I was determined to be stronger, to be ready when the time came to save Alice.

But even in the midst of my training, my thoughts would still drift back to her. I would close my eyes and see her face, and I couldn’t help but think of all the times we had shared. Her smile, her laugh, the way she looked at me with those bright, green eyes. It was all I could think about, and it was tearing me apart.