Chapter 4

The castle stood near the towering hill, with a mud road overgrown with tree stumps and coated with crisp, fallen herbage. After taking a long, deep breath, I removed my hands from the pockets of my black overcoat and noticed that the air was quite acidic, which caused my fingers to sting.

It was the type of fortress that made me shiver. It's possible that I belong to the werewolf sort, but I used to identify as a human, and for normal humans, this location was enough spooky.

I followed Ryder and Julie as we entered the castle through the massive gate. I was in the middle of the two of them. "It's possible that, right now, this location seems terrifying to you, but give it some time and you'll get used to it. Please don't get carried away with your thoughts." Julie let out some comforting words.

I acknowledged her with a nod and swept my eyes across the area, taking in all that was going on. Knights and other warriors decked out in armor could be seen roaming the grounds of the castle. When they saw us walk in, each and every one of them bowed.

"They all are werewolves, right?" When I asked her, she responded with a nod. "Yeah. They may have the appearance of humans, but they are not actually humans. A human being cannot enter this area."

And in all practical respects, I was not a human.

I heaved a sigh and looked about before continuing my investigation of the area. There was a garden that encircled the white-stoned castle in a curving way from behind, and the water lily that flowed on the lake in front of the castle made it look even more beautiful.

We navigated the tidy stairway to reach the first floor of the building. A large recess on the right side of the staircase led to a tiny guardroom that controlled entry into the castle. This room was located halfway up the staircase. A vaulted antechamber could be found directly beyond the entrance to the first floor, and it was possible that here is where guests waited to be allowed into the main hall.

As we entered the broad corridor without encountering any obstacles, I straightened my back and pulled my chin up. The vast corridor led directly to an impressively large stairway. When you reached the landing on the second level, the balustrade formed a balcony that overlooked the staircase. The ceiling of the second floor was visible through the opening in the staircase.

"In order to maintain a high level of safety, the Queen's room is off-limits to anyone who is not a member of the family." As we clambered up the stairs and made our way toward the queen's chamber, Ryder shared the information with me. The door guards opened her room's door not long after they were called to do so.

As I, peeked in, I was able to make out that there was a group of perhaps ten people whom I did not recognize who were tight, frightened, and overcome with fear. They were all lined up in a single line, effectively concealing the space behind them.

"What exactly is the problem?" As Ryder stumbled inside, he moved his sight to the enormous bed, which was vacant and caused him to feel a surge of terror. "Where is her Majesty?" asked everyone.

Julie, who likewise appeared to be terrified, opened her mouth in shock. "What came to pass? What brings you all here today?" She spoke out in response to the silence and the lowered gazes of those around her. "Answer my inquiry. What came to pass?"

They shifted their position, exposing the region behind them. When I saw the four lifeless bodies covered in blood and lying on the ground like mannequins, all of the color drained from my face. Every single one of them was a woman in her mid-twenties who was dressed in regal attire.

I beg you, reassure me that my mother was not present. My palms began to perspire and clench into fists as my hands tightened their grip. My mind was filled with a plethora of thoughts that caused the aching in my chest to tighten.

"How?" Julie let out a cry, her features turning pale from the dreadful fear.

"Who was it that did this to these housekeepers? Where, exactly, is the Queen?" Ryder let out a yell.

My first thought was that the women were servants because none of them appeared to be my mother. Despite this, the racing in my chest did not stop. Why is it necessary that it occur? I was supposed to meet her.

One of the men in the crowd raised his voice and began to speak. "Nothing at all is known to us. Nobody was able to draw any conclusions from what they saw. However, a guard claimed that he spotted someone who could have been from Xanthan."

"As of right now, they're preparing for war."  Julie paused. "But if they were preparing this, how come we don't know anything about it?"

War! Xanthan was making preparations to wage conflict with Prythian. This makes perfect sense to me now.

Ryder sighed. "It does not make sense. I won't be able to comment further until I get there and examine the evidence for myself."

I was suddenly reminded of what Julie had said to me about Xanthan. It turned out that the man I had seen earlier was the king. I was enraged with fury. "Take me to that place." I exclaimed as I felt tears well up in my eyes.

Ryder glanced at me in bewilderment. "Are you..."

Julie interrupted him just as he was about to continue what he was saying. "Princess Caroline has arrived, but the queen has not been found. Ryder, she is the only Luna that we have at this time."

He appeared to be confused. "It presents a risk. It is not advisable for her to go there."

"She is a lycan. Don't be concerned. There is no possibility of being discovered. Additionally, you will be in her company " added Julie.

Ryder sucked in a deep breath before turning his attention to me and giving a quick sigh as he realized there was no other way out. "Until you learn the truth, you have no right to take any action against anyone." There was a brief gap, during which his tone of voice changed. "A luna has no right to cause harm to a creature. I really do hope that this information sticks with you."

I nodded. "I shall take precautions."

"Did you call him yet?" Julie asked him.

"He has seen us." Ryder had just finished speaking when there was an unexpected knock on the door. "Please come in."

The door was opened by one of the maids, and a middle-aged man wearing a straight black suit and holding something in his hand that was covered in a red robe entered the room.

Julie did not wait for the man to bow before she introduced me to him. "He is the Royal Warrior, Mr. Taylor."

"He was both your mother's right hand and a trustworthy adviser. As a result, our queen gave him the spare keys to the sword room." Julie stated, with a great deal of hesitation.

Due to the fact that my thoughts were focused on the rage and the pain, I did not pay attention to her hesitancy or anything else that she said. But I was forced to focus when Ryder cleared his throat. "In the sword room, your mom protected the most precious sword of this castle that Xanthan is after."

Julie nodded and although her muscle was tense, she dragged some ease on her hardened face. "I won't waste any more of your time by preambling; I'll go right to the point. Even before you were born, your mother was looking forward to providing you with the necessary resources you deserved. However, because she is not here, I shall be responsible for doing this duty in her absence."

"Here it is, lady Julie." Mr. Taylor said as he handed her what appeared to be a sword.

Julie took it from his grasp and proceeded to unroll the robe. I was correct. The blade of the sword shone brightly, almost as if it had been fashioned from the sun's dazzling rays themselves.

"This is the unbreakable sword. The weapon that bestows power. Not only do we gain magical but also physical strength from this. Because it was created with the application of magic. However, it can also be utilized to thwart magical assaults, offer control and the ability to cast spells and call creatures, and regularly consume souls." She stopped, then offered it to me by stretching her hands out in front of me with it draped over her palms.

While I was holding the blade, my palms began to perspire. Even though it was heavy, it didn't feel too burdensome to carry. As I felt an unusual strength growing inside me, I was in the urge to kill whoever is causing harm to my mother.

Julie forced a smile on her face, despite the fact that there was only grief in her heart that she hid from me. "Now, you own this, Princess Caroline. You must not let Xanthan to snatch it away from us."

"Now, take a look at yourself on the mirror, Princess." Ryder, who had been standing in front of me and obstructing my view in the large mirror, stepped away, which made it possible for me to have a look at myself in the reflection.

There was a shimmering crown with a sword as stone atop my head that glowed abundantly as it was reflected in the smooth glass.

I was dumbfounded until Ryder spoke. "Who inherits the sword will bear an invisible crown on their head. Now that you have inherited it, you will bear the crown and it will be only visible when you will carry the sword."

Julie put a hand on my shoulder. "You have already been given the burden of rescuing your mother and defending Prythian from its adversaries because you are the Princess." The tone of her voice was really serious at this point.

Following an extended period of silence, I gave a sharp nip to the corner of my lower lip, nodded my head, and then tightened my hold on the sword. "I solemnly swear to Prythian that I will rescue her in whatever way possible."

"Let's go." Ryder said palely.

I nodded and handed the sword back to Mr. Taylor. "Please, take it back to the room."

Mr. Taylor nodded.

Julie gave me a secret phone and her number before Ryder and I made our way out of the castle. My heart had been so steady and almost stiffened but there was recklessness. I'm not going to give a damn about anything until I find out what's going on with my mom.

I had been dealt a terrible hand by life. I won't allow it to get any more severe.