CHAPTER 394: ’UNDER ATTACK?’

BOOM!

Florian’s eyes flew open, his entire body jolting upright as the echo of an explosion rang in his ears.

"W-What... What the fuck?" he gasped, heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Disoriented and still caught between the edges of sleep and reality, he looked around his room in confusion. He’d only meant to rest for a short while—just a quick nap, after Cashew left. He’d changed into more comfortable clothes, even let himself breathe for a moment.

But that moment was shattered.

"Azure?" he called out, eyes darting toward the corners of his room. "Azure? Azure?!"

Silence.

No chirps. No rustling of tiny wings. No weight on his shoulder. Nothing.

’Where the hell is he?! He was here before I fell asleep—I’m sure of it.’

His pulse quickened.

Then—shouting.

Panicked. Desperate. Voices rising from beyond the thick palace walls, mingled with hurried footsteps and—

BOOM!

Another explosion. Closer this time. The whole room trembled.

Florian stumbled backward instinctively, his breath hitching.

"What the fuck is happening?" he muttered, fear threading into every syllable. His legs trembled as he moved toward the center of the room, eyes scanning the windows. He could see distant plumes of smoke rising from deeper within the palace grounds.

’Are we under attack?’

’Is this part of Heinz’s plan?’

’Or... the perpetrator?’

He didn’t know. And that’s what scared him.

His mind raced. Should he stay? Should he run? Should he find someone?

"Shit... What should I do...?" he whispered, gripping his arm tightly.

But then another thought struck him like a slap.

’Azure.’

Where was he? Why hadn’t he come back? ’He wouldn’t just leave me without a reason.’

Frantically, Florian checked on the butterflies, rushing toward the flowers in the corner of the room.

They were still there. Still fluttering.

But...

"They’re more agitated than usual," he whispered, watching them twitch and buzz around in erratic patterns, almost colliding with one another. "Then again, there were two loud explosions..."

Still. They’d never reacted like this before.

His thoughts spiraled. ’Heinz told me to stay put. If this were an emergency, wouldn’t someone come? Lucius? Lancelot? Even Cashew?’

And this wing of the palace—Heinz’s wing—was one of the most heavily guarded. It should be safe.

Right?

Florian forced himself to breathe. Deep. In and out.

’Calm down. Just stay here. Stay put. Someone will come.’

And then—

Knock. Knock.

Florian’s head whipped toward the door.

Someone was here.

His breath caught. His heart stuttered.

’Could that be Lucius? Lancelot? Maybe... Heinz?’

he thought, already moving to the door.

His hand hovered above the handle for a second. Just a second.

Then, with a sharp inhale, he opened the door.

"Alexandria...?" Florian’s voice came out softer than he intended, laced with confusion—and wariness.

There she stood, framed in the doorway like a porcelain figure, her gown slightly disheveled, her face pale but urgent. Of all the people he expected to see, she wasn’t one of them.

’Why is she here? Why her?’

"Prince Florian! Thank God you’re okay!" she exclaimed, rushing toward him before he could even take a step back. She threw her arms around him without hesitation, burying her face into his shoulder.

Florian stood stiff, caught off-guard by her sudden embrace. His arms remained at his sides, his expression unreadable.

"W-What happened... why are you here?" he asked, voice flat, not even trying to mask the chill in his tone. ’After everything she said earlier... now she’s here?’

Alexandria pulled away, looking hurt—maybe genuinely, maybe not. Her blue eyes widened slightly, her voice trembling with emotion.

"What? Prince Florian... we’re under attack! I heard—you were being punished for killing Lady Delilah, but I just knew it wasn’t true! The people attacking the palace... it’s the same ones who kidnapped you!"

Florian’s breath hitched. "...What?"

Her hands gripped his arms tightly. "Let’s go to the balcony. The moment I heard, I ran here as fast as I could. His Majesty... everyone, they’re trying to hold them off!"

’Is that why Azure isn’t here?’ Florian blinked rapidly. ’He must’ve sensed it... Maybe he went to help. But then—why didn’t he tell me?’

His eyes darted to the windows, heart racing. The idea that this was the same group that had once abducted him sent a chill down his spine.

But then something didn’t quite sit right.

"Why... do we need to go to the balcony?" he asked, frowning.

"To figure out how to escape!" Alexandria said hastily, her eyes darting around the room like a panicked rabbit. "They’re coming—fast. I had to come quick—"

BOOM!

Another blast thundered from the hallway. The floor trembled beneath their feet. Alexandria screamed, ducking instinctively, and Florian immediately stepped forward to steady her, his hand coming to her back.

’Was I wrong about her...?’ he wondered, heart thudding. ’She seems genuinely scared. Maybe she didn’t mean what she said earlier. Maybe I just misunderstood.’

"We have to get out of here!" Alexandria gasped, clutching his arm with both hands, her eyes wide with fear.

Florian’s gaze flicked toward the door, then back to the balcony. The explosion had come from the hall—their only other way out. The only escape now... was down.

"To the balcony," he said. "We’ll climb down to the garden."

He led the way, Alexandria trailing behind. As they passed the corner where the butterflies usually gathered, Florian’s eyes caught a sudden flutter—his butterflies, agitated again, suddenly fleeing the flowers in a swarm of motion.

"Wait—" he started, wanting to check on them.

But Alexandria tugged on his sleeve, urging him forward. "We have to go—please."

Florian hesitated. ’Why are they all flying away?’

Still, he pushed the thought aside. They stepped out onto the balcony, and the air was sharp with smoke and magic. Below, the garden was eerily still.

"How do we get down?" Alexandria asked, scanning the edge of the marble railing.

Florian looked around, spotting the thick vines that grew along the palace walls. "The vines," he said. "We can use them to climb down."

Alexandria looked down at her elegant gown, then up at him. "Can... Can I do that? I mean—wearing this?"

Florian glanced at the cumbersome layers of her dress and sighed. "You can try. I’ll go first and help you from below, if you slip."

She blinked. "You... you’d do that for me? Even after I—what I said earlier?"

So she was aware of it.

Florian met her eyes. "Well..."

"I’m really sorry, Prince Florian," she said suddenly, her voice softer now, quieter than before. "Lady Delilah... she was very dear to us. We all loved her. When I heard she died, and saw how it looked like you were responsible... I didn’t mean to blame you, I swear. I just... panicked."

Florian stared at her for a moment. ’She’s apologizing. But why does it feel... hollow?’

He wanted to believe her.

He really did.

But something about her voice—it felt practiced. Controlled.

’No... maybe I’m just being paranoid. This situation’s already stressful as it is.’

He gave her a short nod, saying nothing more.

"I also just couldn’t believe," she continued, "that Lady Delilah would ruin her own son’s outfits, and steal your notes like that. It just... doesn’t sound like her."

’It wasn’t actually Delilah though... but I can’t tell her that.’

That information wasn’t public—shouldn’t be public. Only a handful of people knew the real details.

But then—

"Wait," Florian muttered, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Alexandria.

She tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "Yes?"

Florian didn’t smile back. "How did you know what Delilah’s crimes were?"