Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 252: First Life, Alice. (19)

Chapter 252: First Life, Alice. (19)

Springton.

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Never came a dawn quite like this one where even the trees and flowers mourned on a day of spring. It appeared as if someone had cast a dark cloud on the whole of Springton and instead of cheer and festivities, there was silence and grieving.

The queen had departed this world after years of battling an unknown disease. Although the king was yet to deliver a formal address, gossip had already found its way out of the Castle walls and into the streets. The subjects now knew that their queen was no more.

The cause? There was no room left to rumour mongers as the king had provided them with the most fascinating tale of the year. Alice’s father had told everyone present that Theodore had snuck into the palace for that sole purpose alone.

Prince Theodore of Firseria infiltrated Springtons castle and murdered the queen.

It was left for the simple to believe it and the curious to imagine how the prince of the Firseria was able to pull of such a feat. Many would say he enlisted the help of sorcery while others would blame it on traitors. Only a few would question that outcome.

And Alice was amongst that few. Everything she knew about the war was what her father permitted her to know or what he told her himself. Up until the previous day, she had no cause to doubt that the enemy kingdom was out for their lands and her father’s throne.

But something changed and it did the moment Harley told her that her father had rejected a truce.

Everything started to change the moment she laid eyes on Theodore. She knew who he was now, she was no longer in doubt that the stranger who looked at her with so much warmth was the enemy prince as he was fondly called amongst the subjects of Springton.

She could feel kindness in his speech and also in his actions when he decided to spare that guard’s life. She could feel tenderness in every word that he wrote in that poem he risked his life to give to her.

Theodore would never hurt her like that.

But then she could be wrong. It could still be a ploy to take over the kingdom from within the palace. To make an ally out of the king’s daughter and heiress to the throne. All of that sounded like a brilliant strategy still and he seemed to be a smart boy and now she felt horrible for thinking like this.

"Promise me" that voice kept echoing in her head as she shed a river of tears for the one who it belonged to. Her mother and the queen of Springton. The one who would no longer see a Springton’s dawn again.

"I promise" also echoed and it always made Alice feel uneasy whenever it did. She had made a promise to her mother a few weeks before the queen passed away and now she needed to fulfill her promise, to honour her mother’s last wish.

But how? How could Alice follow her heart when she could not trust it? Her heart whispered treason, betrayal of her father and kingdom, defiance and all for a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes who was the prince of the enemy kingdom, who could have killed her mother.

No matter how hard she tried, Alice could not bring herself to believe that last part. She had gone to see her mother’s body as it lay lifeless on her bed. Her emotions had gotten the best of her and she had burst into tears till her vision got so blurry, she needed Harley to get her away from the room.

She had been in her room ever since, crying her eyes out thinking that she would never get to hold her mother’s hands ever again or hug her. Nothing Harley did was able to cheer her up even the slightest.

"You would have to eat something my lady" Harley pleaded but Alice was having none of it "Please, your mum won’t have wanted you to starve to death"

"I would eat Harley" Alice manages to say between sobs. She tried her best to believe what she was telling her maid and best friend although everything she put in her mouth since hearing her mother was dead tasted terrible.

Somehow she missed Theodore, she wished he could be the one here consoling her and not Harley.

Sat on a chair in her room after hours of twisting and turning in bed. Beside her was a table of different dishes made by different castle cooks even Harley and at the edge closest to her was a scroll containing Theodore’s letter to her.

"You called for me your highness" Out of reflex, Alice quickly folded the scroll and Harley covered her while she was doing so. They did this everytime a visitor came to pay their condolences and offer words to cheer her up. Words that were received with a nod that was polite at best.

However, the man standing in her room right now was the last person she would allow in here of her own will needless to say personally invite. He was her least favourite person in the Castle, Conrad.

"Oh, Conrad" Alice said when she looked up at the man standing at the center of the room. He looked a little different without that easy smile of his but it was understandable. Nothing was amusing today.

Harley was awestruck seeing the man she idolized in the same room as her lady, knowing fully well that they were lovers now and no amount of glare from the other girls could break them apart, though she feared for the viscious nobles. She caught his eyes and he offered her a small smile but she was looking down and blushing so she never saw it. Alice’s next words shook her out of it.

"Could you please leave us Harley?" Alice spoke as she dried out the last of her tears. Her maid was about to protest but Alice had a look on her face that told the girl not to bother. Not able to defy her princess, Harley left.

The door slammed shut and both Connard and Alice were alone for the first time since Alice found Theodore, she had somehow made it her piority to avoid him so his keen eyes wouldn’t notice her new found happiness or her escaping tendencies but it seems they were questions to be answered by him suddenly on the matter she had been hising.

Alice took in a deep breath while Connard watched her like a statue, his usual jovial demeanor gone.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss" Conrad began, walking towards where Alice sat. This kindness gave her a new opinion of the fraternizing knight but she did not allow it to derail her thoughts.

"You were the one In the shadows" Alice spoke, trying to sound as calm as she possibly could despite the circumstances. She tried to remember all her lessons on composure and focused on that.." last night in the garden"

"I beg your pardon?" Conrad asked as he took a step back on reflex. His face which carried sadness just a second again was now filled with surprise.

"I saw you" Alice spoke again, this time much calmer than the last "When the accused, Prince Theodore was making his escape" she was staring right into Connard’s eyes now "You could have stopped him yet you let him go" she pointed out.

Alice waited to hear him stutter in words of denial or for him to kneel and beg for his life or make a run but Conrad just stood there, speechless, making no attempt to affirm or deny her claims.

"You do know that such an act is considered treasonous against your king" Alice continued, hoping to get a reaction from the traitor who stood in front of her "Or do you deny this?"

Conrad was out of sorts. With the tension around the palace surrounding Theodore’s infiltration and how it cost them their queen, any word from Alice regarding the matter would result in immediate action, Conrad could be dead in mere minutes.

"Theodore that dumb bastard" Alice was shocked to when Conrad started laughing. This was not the reaction she had predicted "My precious life for a dumb poem" just then, Alice realized she was still holding on to the scroll "I am surely going to miss you all"

"So you do not deny this? Conrad?"

The knight shook his head, "Oh no, I do not"

She narrowed her eyes, "And are ready to face the consequences"

"Yes, my lady" he shrugged. "But before you do that, you should know that you would have been caught earlier than you were if I had not been a reliable shadow and I am in love with Harley,"

"What?" her voice broke at this, betraying her intense shock and curiosity. She had not been around for any interrogations but she knew enough from gossip Harley fed her that it never went down this way.

Usually the suspects would deny till their last breaths and if they could no longer deny the allegations, they would plead for their lives even offering whatever information they could and a chance to switch loyalties. Conrad was simply ready to die for Theodore.

That was strange.

"Theodore is a good person who is trying to stop the war and just like me, simoly want to love a woman" he said plainly but Alice could feel that there was an extremely emotional story behind that. Then Connard added "And Theodore is my best friend."

"When did that happen?!" Alice was flabbergasted.

"You should rest if I have been spared my lady, I should be outside" he bowed as he left her with a few unanswered questions, she knew, she remembered, she agreed that Conrad had indeed helped her escape to meet the love of her life and he must’ve helped the prince into the castle too which alone was his alibi for not killing her mother.