CHAPTER 542: A FALL FROM GRACE

"NO!!" She screamed and her reaction started to spiral out of place. She tugged her hair screaming no over and over again.

"Kaiden can’t be dead." Eleanor cried, curling up into a ball. "He can’t be dead." Eleanor went hysterical pulling her hair.

Her voice trembled, she was half screaming and crying.

"Mother," her name slipped out of his lips. He was completely devastated. His hand subconsciously squeezed Callista’s hands.

Eleanor didn’t react; she didn’t recognise him. Lucian’s chest grew heavy, and it felt like he could not breathe. His eyes stung but he could not cry. He was the next king, he could never show his darkness.

He drew in a deep breath, unable to watch anymore. The doors burst open, "Mother," the newcomer shrieked.

Astrid and Bernice ran into the chambers. They rushed past Lucian to Eleanor. Lucian could deduce they already knew what had happened. "Mother," Astrid called again as she approached Eleanor with shaky hands, Bernice nervously followed behind. The youngest daughter of the queen was visibly shaking.

Eleanor nervously looked at them, not a single glint of recognition was in her eyes. Astrid squatted before her and tried to hold her hand. Eleanor snapped, her fingers scratched the eldest princess’s face, and she scrambled off screaming.

"Don’t touch me,"

"Bring me my Kaiden." She desperately cried, hugging her legs, crying in a corner.

Astrid was Eleanor’s firstborn and her favourite. She was beyond hurt to realise her mother couldn’t recognise her anymore. "He is dead." She cried out, heartbroken. She didn’t understand why the only one Eleanor could remember was Kaiden.

They were polite strangers at most. She, of everyone, knew Kaiden never loved their mother. The only woman he treasured was his late wife.

So why was he the only one she could recognise?

"He is not dead!!!"Eleanor slammed her hands on the floor. Her fury boiled up. Her magic flared up, the walls trembled and stalks and vines sprouted out of the walls and ground.

It protected her like a cage. Her mind refused to accept his death. Astrid was terrified but she wasn’t going to give up. "He is_" she was about to repeat those words again.

A small tug on her sleeve stopped her. Bernice shook her head dismissively. "Don’t," she pleaded, then approached Eleanor, who was curled up in the corner. Her vines protect her from the truth.

The vines were lush and covered with flowers. Eleanor was an impressive mage with control over plants. Bernice touched the vines, her hand stretched out through the gaps.

Her voice was soft like she was coaxing a child. "Don’t mind them, Prince Kaiden is alive." She lied through her teeth.

Her mother’s eyes sparkled, but she was still wary. "He is alive." Eleanor blurted. She was still cautious. Bernice nodded then forced a smirk.

"Yes, he is, but he won’t see you in this condition." Those words made Eleanor smile genuinely. Her smile broke every one of her children. The queen truly lost her mind.

"That means he would come for me." She chimed excitedly, her every response was like that of a told. "Yes, he will come for you because you are the fairness of them all."

Bernice stretched her hand trying to reach for her. "Let’s get you dolled up so that your prince charming will impress. We don’t want to leave a bad impression." She continued to coax her mother patiently.

Eleanor placed her hand across her chest; she was contemplating whether she would accept it. She shook her head then went inside. Lucian hissed. He let go of Callista’s hand and then approached the vine cage.

He squatted before her. Lucian was known to be a copy of Kaiden; he was even more handsome because of his mother’s genes. He held the vines and in the presence of everyone he started to sing

His voice was soothing and soft. The song sounded like a love song but the tone and lyrics spoke of longings.

Astrid was stunned to hear the song; she recognised it. It was one song Kaiden always sang on a particular day of the year. The day Cedric was born, he would quietly sing next to the window, watching the night sky, singing this song.

Kaiden thought no one was listening but Eleanor always did. At times Astrid was with her. She would see her mother break down before her as she listened to a song about his longing for another.

She was surprised Lucian knew the song.

Eleanor relaxed on hearing the song. She stared at Lucian. As if her eyes were trying to search for the Truth before she crawled towards him. The vines parted for her, and her hand touched his cheeks.

Her eyes were filled with longing and love. "Kaiden," she whimpered. He smiled at her then held her hand on his face. He slowly nodded at her.

She burst into tears. Her hands slipped from his face and she just continued crying. "I have been waiting for you to see me." She admitted. Every word felt like a confession...one she never got to say.

Lucian didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to say. Eleanor was still smiling like a fool. "I still kept our primrose," she mentioned. Her excitement didn’t fade. Lucian swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Maybe you can show me later but you have to follow Bernice now to get dulled up." He urged her. She was hesitant but slowly nodded. Lucian gave her hand to Bernice.

A silent agreement sparked in their eyes. Bernice was going to take her to the Physicians to check her condition. "Bye, Prince Kaiden." She giggled as she left the room with Bernice. The servants and guards slowly followed after leaving Lucian, Astrid and Callista.

Astrid approached her younger brother who was still kneeling on the floor. Just staring at the spot where Eleanor was curled up. His face was blank and unreadable.

Her hand touched his shoulders and he slowly glanced at her. "Astrid," he muttered. She sighed, the princess didn’t know how to handle this but she could only imagine the pressure that was placed on Lucian’s shoulder.

"It will all work out ", she muttered, despite not believing the words herself. Lucian smiled, his blank expression crackled. "A king must never crumble, but how much can a man handle?"

He voiced out. There was no answer. As the king, he had to be an unshakable pillar. "Who knows?" Astrid answered before she finally asked a question that lingered on her mind.

"How did you know that song? The one you sang for mother?".

Lucian’s mind drifted off, a buried memory resurfacing. "She used to sing it to me as a lullaby. I never knew what it meant to her but I guess it meant a lot to her."

It was said that the queen went insane due to grief after the loss of the king. Unknown to those who were behind it

Her love was too great.

*********

Elysia appeared materialised out of thin air, and the black smoke dispersed. A strange, intimidating presence welcomed her. "You finally returned." His sharp words broke the silence.

Her back stiffened.

Elysia’s head darted to the voice. Her brows pulled together. "Cedric." She blurted, surprised to see him waiting for her.

He didn’t say a thing. Cedric was sitting on a small seat next to the window in her room. "What are you doing here?" She blurted, stunned to see him.

There was something wrong about his presence. The way his gold eyes were brooding. Her eyes darted around the room trying to find Raziel. There was no sign of him.

"Waiting for you," Cedric replied, his brow cocked at her. Elysia cleared her throat and then composed herself. She was still confused about how he got in or why Raziel let him wait in their room.

She wondered if her husband was aware. But then she didn’t sense his presence until he spoke out. Cedric had gotten very good at controlling his abilities..

"What for? I see no reason why you will impatiently wait for me." She replied. Cedric didn’t answer at first. His nose caught the familiar scent of incense. His brows furrowed, where was she coming from?

He stood up from his seat, his eyes were still sharp. "You were in Draconia," he stated as a matter of fact. Elysia didn’t flinch or deny it.

"I had business to do there. Why were you waiting for me? If you wanted to speak to me, all you had to do was ask." She sweetly said with a soft smile.

"It was urgent." He stated that he drew in a deep breath. "Why did you approach my wife?" He finally asked

Elysia was taken aback for a minute before stepping forward. She smiled like she had expected this. "Oh, that. I thought it was something more important" she shrugged. Her nonchalance was getting under his skin.

Cedric’s brows twitched. "What did you mean by it not being important? You are trying to ruin my marriage." He burst, unable to hold back his annoyance. His power flared up. Elysia flinched, she was intimidated for a moment, not expecting him to be that domineering, but she wasn’t going to be put down so easily.

She circled around Cedric, and a look of disdain lingered in her eyes. "Ruin your life." She’s

coffed. "I am trying to stop you from making a mistake. You should have let go."