The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Twenty Four

"Life at Pres was fairly alright when mother was around," Elena started. "When she died, everything I knew became dark and filled with turmoil. It was like I was the only one alone in this world. When I escaped and came upon my boss, I felt hopeful and happy that I finally have

an opportunity to prove myself. But I got something even better in the end. I got a family." She looked up at her grandfather with excitement.

"You have got to meet them one day. They are the best people ever." Facing Wazir, she

said;

"Even Wazir too. Although he just joined us, he is still pretty much family."

"Yeah, I know," Wazir replied, smiling. He picked at his food and forced himself to eat, swallowing bitterly.

"Elena, when we get back, do me a favour and cook a new dish to get rid of this

unpalatable taste." Elena laughed at the foul expressions on his face.

"It's not that bad," she said, trying to console him.

"You are just being nice."

"Okay then. I'll try something out with Mac."

"No!" He exclaimed suddenly. "Mac must not know anything about this. I'm pretty sure

Svetlana told them that you are the king's granddaughter. If they find out that I am his son, I'm

pretty sure they don't have the liver for that much excitement."

"So, you don't want them to know your identity?"

"No." He declared. Elena nodded her head, thinking.

"Okay then. I can figure something out."

Their dinner continued with baseless discussions, talking about their recent lives and her mother. She noticed that no one brought up her life in Pres. She guessed they must have known what had happened to her there.

Most people would become angry and question her grandfather why he didn't help her as

he should after finding out about his granddaughter's suffering. But after meeting him, especially after getting to know what kind of guy he was, she knew that it was either something that had prevented him from helping, or he had another plan. She decided to trust him and not bring it up. After a while, they were all done eating. The maids who had stood aside in case they

were called came towards them and began to take away their plates. They all heaved in a sigh when they left, remaining in silence.

The king then stood up and stretched out his arm towards Elena.

"Come, I have someone I want you to meet." Elena took his arms and gracefully stood

up, following him out of the room with Wazir, Svetlana and Daruki left behind.

*****

The dining room's door shut after the King and Elena. Wazir immediately dropped his smile and turned to face Svetlana and Daruki, a deadly glint shining through his eyes.

"Care to tell me what is going on?" He said. Svetlana faced him, unperturbed.

"I told your father that I would tell him first when he asks of me. And it's him I would tell."

"I am asking you dammit!" He said, hitting the table furiously. Svetlana sighed and finally faced him.

"You already know what happened. Why are you still asking me?"

*****

The king led Elena further down the passageway. They came across another stairwell,

and the king nudged her towards it. Unlike other areas of the castle, Elena didn't know why this place gave out a hard feeling for her mother. There was just something so familiar about it. "You are taking me to grandmother, right?" Elena asked. The king nodded his head, his expression grim. Facing forward, Elena continued studying the environment. The walls were also the same colours as every part of the castle, but there was a vase of purple hyacinth in almost every area of this side of the castle. She immediately understood why the place reminded her of her mother so much. The hyacinth was her mother's favourite flower.

"Your grandmother placed this flower in every area of the castle after your mother's

death. She felt it brought her closer to her daughter." The king started as if knowing where her thoughts had gone to.

"As the hyacinth was your mother's favourite flower, everyone could understand why she did that but I thought it was doing her more harm than good. The flowers not only reminded her of your mother but also her death every time. I had to remove all the ones in the palace, but she was adamant about leaving them in her wing. She grieved your mother so much that she became sick. Your grandmother has been very ill for a long while now, Elena." The king said, facing her. "I hope that once she sets her eyes on you, she will become better and have the will to live." He said, his desire doing nothing to hide the melancholy in his eyes. Elena looked at her grandfather, sadness and pity welling up in her eyes. She wondered how much he had suffered when his wife didn't even think of him or their son but the child she had lost. Even going as far as to destroy her body, not knowing that there were two people alive who missed her so much. She took a deep breath, steadying herself from what was to come. From all the pictures she had seen since her arrival, she believed she looked more like her grandmother than her mother. Hopefully, her features are enough to comfort the poor couple.

They finally reached a huge mahogany door. Two maids were standing outside, and they bowed once they saw the king. They gently pushed open the door, and even from outside, Elena could see the grandness of the room. With her hands held firmly by the king, she padded inside the room. It was like she had entered another world entirely.

The walls were white with purple, pink, green, and blue tones. There were purple hyacinths everywhere. Wall decorations and murals filled every aspect of the room. The room was tiled the same as the hall, and it was half the size of the hall. There was a huge bed lying proudly in the middle of the room, and on it laid a sickly being.

Her grandmother.

Her skin was pale, and no colour was on her face. Elena immediately fears her grandmother's life-draining right before her eyes. She wished to go to her directly, but she quietly waited for her grandfather to introduce them.

Her grandfather took her slowly towards her grandmother's bed, and telling from the tight way he was holding her hands, Elena deduced that it was also a harrowing sight for him to see. "Love, I have someone I want you to meet." He said quietly when they reached the bed. Dragging her forward gently, he placed his hands by her back as he introduced them. Her grandmother's eyes remained closed, and she looked like she was barely breathing. "Love, meet Elena. Your granddaughter." He started. "She has been in our kingdom for a while. But today she paid a visit and decided to come see you. Do you know that you both share the same love of cooking and Decor? She even looks more like you than she does her mother. One would think you are the one who birthed her. She will remain in the kingdom till you awaken. So please, wake up okay?" The king's voice cracked. He coughed immediately, trying to cover off the break in his emotion.

"Please wake up. We are all waiting for you. A lot has happened, and I-I miss you." The king had left Elena's side and sat next to the queen on her bed, gently holding her hand and rubbing it with his thumbs. They all remained like that for a while, Elena trying not to cry and

the king trying not to break down. After a while, the king released a sigh and gently dropped the queen's hand, getting on his feet. Elena looked at him.

"Let's go. She needs to have her rest." Nodding her head, Elena quietly made her way out

of the room with the king right behind her.

"D-Darling? Where are you going?" A hoarse and weak voice called out, and Elena

turned back quickly towards the voice. The king had already taken quick strides back towards the bed, putting away all front of hardness as he broke down, crying.

"Love! You are finally awake." He said, his voice hoarse from weeping. He gently raised

her hand and rubbed it against his cheek. The queen, despite her frail body, lightly scolded him.

"For God's sake, you are a king." She declared hoarsely. "Get a hold of yourself." The king chuckled, not letting go of her hands as though the moment would disappear. Elena didn't even know when she had started crying, but she silently wiped her tears, not willing to disturb the lovely moment. She stood there quietly, leaving the couple to themselves, as they tried catching up with each other's presence.

Finally, the king turned towards her and motioned for her to come. She walked shyly towards them and stood next to her grandfather. Her grandfather nudged her closer to her grandmother, where she had laid her head. She kept her head bowed, but her curiosity won out, and she raised her head to look at the queen.

The queen gasped weakly upon seeing her features, and Elena could clearly study her grandmother's face. Elena noticed that she looked very much like her grandmother despite her paleness, unlike her mother. In fact, except told, one would not believe that the woman lying in bed is her grandmother and would instead think of her as her birth mother.

"My Love, meet Elena your granddaughter, who I was just telling you about." The king said, kissing her hands. Elena gave a shy bow.

"Your Grace." She formally greeted. The place remained silent, and Elena started to worry that the queen hadn't taken her presence well. She looked up to face the queen, only to notice the silent tears that fell from the woman's eyes. Raising her other hand, the queen shakily stretched it, silently urging her to take it. Elena did so immediately to not make the queen even more tired than she was.

"My granddaughter." The queen said hoarsely. "My beautiful granddaughter."

At that, the king laughed loudly. "Of course, you would call her beautiful. She is your carbon copy, after all." He said, his eyes gleaming with love and pride. The queen gently dragged Elena towards her bed, making her sit by her side.

"The Creator has finally answered me. He gave me a daughter for the one I lost. My daughter, my lovely granddaughter." The queen said, shakily crying.

"Now dear," the king said softly. "Do not cry. Things are starting to work out. There are a

lot of things for you both to do, and that would only take place when you are strong enough." Facing Elena, she continued.

"You both have the same taste in hobbies. I'm sure you would have a lot to talk about."

He stated, a soft smile etched on his face. The queen nodded, causing some of her tears to fall by

the side of her face. Elena unconsciously wiped it off, causing her grandmother to smile widely. "Yes, we have a lot of catching up to do." She said, colour finally returning to her face.

*****

They both came out of the forest, ensuring their footsteps weren't heard. The others had gone to the neighbouring kingdom, but they were sent to carry out their grand plan. They studied the gate entrance, wondering how they were going to enter. Seeing that the people were being asked to provide a pass, they quickly made one with their magic after studying the ones held by those lined up. They stepped into the line and waited their turn. Finally, when the time came for them to verify, they each showed the guard their card. They could tell the guard felt something wasn't right but couldn't point out exactly. Finally, they were allowed entrance into the gates. They felt a bit bad for the poor guard. Had he just trusted his instinct, he would have stopped what would become one of the greatest attacks in the kingdom of Neba.