The Princess' Harem
Chapter 149: Unknown Castle

Chapter 149: Unknown Castle

Inside the carriage, Viana sat on its hard wooden bench, her hands tied behind her back. Lantern light from the street lamps barely filtered through the gaps in the thick fabric covering the windows.

The atmosphere grew quieter, moving away from the distant sounds of the festival. Slowly, only the sound of the carriage wheels grinding against the cobblestone road could be heard. The strong smell of sweat from her two hooded captors filled the air, as they sat facing her.

"Where are you taking me?" Viana asked with a firm voice, though her heart pounded.

The man holding the rope that bound her chuckled. "Don’t worry, Princess. You’ll know soon enough. Just enjoy the ride."

Viana frowned. The man’s tone mocked her, and the address ’Princess’ confirmed that this abduction wasn’t random. They knew who she was.

She fell silent, closing her eyes, trying to sense the presence of living creatures around her, hoping for a rat or a small bird that could at least give information to Joel or Reyes.

However, the fast-moving carriage constantly threw her off balance as its wheels hit stones, making it impossible for her to concentrate. She only felt small insects in the corner of the carriage bench, but they couldn’t help.

Viana slowly opened her eyes again. "Who sent you?" Viana asked once more, trying to provoke a reaction from them. "What do you want?"

The second man, who had been silent until now, finally spoke in a low, threatening voice. "You ask too many questions, Princess. Be silent, or we will make you silent."

Hearing his words, Viana held herself back from replying. She knew arguing wouldn’t help her, not when her hands were tied and she didn’t know their destination. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her mind.

"Joel... Reyes..." she murmured inwardly, hoping her two Royal Guards would soon find her trail.

***

The carriage continued its journey, and after what felt like hours, it finally stopped. Viana almost fell from her seat when the carriage halted abruptly.

The carriage door opened, letting in the cold night wind that assailed her body. Disregarding her state, she was dragged out of the carriage.

With part of her face still covered by her hood, she saw a large building before her—a castle, illuminated by torches on its stone walls. The sound of water was not far off, adding to the luxurious and magnificent impression.

"Move!" one of the men snapped, pushing her to go inside. She stumbled from the push but managed to regain her balance.

They half-dragged Viana, passing through long corridors with thick red carpets and ancient paintings displayed on the walls. The smell of candles and burning wood permeated almost every corner of the corridor.

Finally, they reached a large, carved door. One of the men pushed her inside, into a spacious and luxurious room.

The floor was covered with velvet carpets, the walls adorned with tapestries woven with gold threads, and a large fireplace blazed on one of the walls, making the room feel warm.

In the center of the room, there was a carved wooden table with velvet-cushioned chairs. And against one of the walls, a large bed with silk canopies.

However, the windows were tightly shut with thick curtains, preventing Viana from seeing outside. The ropes on her hands were removed, and the door behind her closed with a loud thud.

And she heard the sound of a key turning, locking her inside. For a moment, she stood still, trying to understand her current situation.

"Where am I?" she murmured, her voice echoing faintly in the overly large room.

She walked towards the window and tried to open the curtains. But the curtains were too heavy and seemed intentionally reinforced to prevent being moved.

Viana sighed, then sat on one of the chairs, trying to calm her mind. She closed her eyes again, seeking the presence of living creatures around her.

"Can anyone hear me?" she whispered, trying to channel her thoughts to the small creatures that might reside in this room. After a moment, she felt a response.

A spider in the corner of the ceiling, a few ants walking on the floor, and a small mouse hiding in a tiny crack in the wall.

"Where am I? Can anyone give me an answer?" she asked inwardly with hope. The spider moved slowly and replied. "Big place... cold stone... far from noisy place..."

These words were followed by an image transmitted by the creature into Viana’s mind—stone walls, dark corridors, and the smell of damp earth outside. But the image provided by the mouse was more complete.

"Smell of wine... smell of blood... evil man..." And the images Viana received from it made her skin crawl.

"Smell of blood?" Viana repeated, asking for more information. But the creatures were too simple and small to provide more details.

They only knew what they saw or felt in their immediate surroundings. A thought flashed in her mind, making her open her eyes, her heart beating faster.

"Evil man... is this Lazarus’s castle?" she thought, unsure. She remembered the rooms she had managed to enter while still his wife, but she had never seen the room where she now was.

Viana rose from her seat, examining the room more closely. There were no signs that this room had been occupied before. She tried to open the door, but as she already knew, it was locked tightly.

***

Meanwhile, amidst the festival’s commotion, Joel and Reyes continued their desperate search. Reyes, who kept checking every alley in every corner, found carriage wheel tracks in the dusty ground at the end of one alley.

"Carriage..." he hissed, realizing that Viana might have been taken far away. He returned to find Joel, his expression tense.

"Did you find anything?" Joel asked when they met near the stage.

Reyes shook his head, his eyes full of anger at himself. "There are carriage tracks, but they vanish on the cobblestone road. This isn’t a random abduction, Joel. It’s planned."

Joel clenched his fists. "Who would dare...?"

"We must report to the palace immediately," Reyes said with a firm voice, though his expression was full of regret. "We need more people to search. We can’t do this alone."

Joel nodded, though his heart felt heavy. "We failed to protect her. We failed..."

Reyes placed a hand on Joel’s shoulder, looking at him with determination. "We haven’t failed yet; we will find her. But we must move quickly."

Both rushed back to the palace, leaving the still-bustling festival in the background.

***

At the palace, the festive banquet atmosphere, once joyful, turned into chaos when Joel and Reyes returned with pale faces. They immediately ran to the main hall, where King Clive and Queen Isabella were receiving guests from neighboring kingdoms.

"Your Majesties!" Joel exclaimed, his voice hoarse with panic. He and Reyes immediately knelt before the King, ignoring the shocked stares of the guests. "Viana... Princess Viana is missing!"

King Clive, who had been smiling warmly after speaking to an ambassador, instantly froze. The wine cup in his hand almost fell, but he held it with a trembling hand.

"Missing? What do you mean, missing?" he asked, his voice loud, as all sounds suddenly ceased with Joel’s declaration.

Queen Isabella rose from her seat on the throne, running towards Joel and Reyes with a pale face. "Joel, Reyes, explain! How did this happen?" she asked in a panic.

Still bowing their heads, Reyes quickly explained. "The three of us went to the festival in disguise with the Princess, at her request. But suddenly there was a commotion, and the Princess was swept away by the crowd and... vanished. Both of us lost track of her."

The hall became even quieter. Guests exchanged glances, whispering anxiously. The Queen snapped in a high-pitched tone. "You let the Princess out without full escort?!"

King Clive clenched his fists, his face red with fury. He roared, his voice echoing through the hall. "Find her! Deploy all guards! Search every corner of the city, every alley, and every carriage leaving Elysia!"

"And you two," he looked at Joel and Reyes, who were still bowing their heads in guilt, "don’t return until Viana is found!"

Queen Isabella held her husband’s arm, her eyes glistening with tears. "Clive, we will find her. We must believe..."

Her voice broke, and she covered her mouth, leaning into her husband’s chest, trying to suppress her sobs.

That night, the entire Royal Guard and special forces of the kingdom were deployed to search for the Crown Princess.

***

Meanwhile, Viana, who was inside the castle she didn’t know belonged to whom or where, repeatedly tried to open the door or windows, but to no avail. Exhaustion began to gnaw at her body after hours of thinking and searching for a way out.

The animals and plants she had tried to ask for information about this castle only gave her the same, vague images of cold stone and evil men. Cautiously, Viana approached the large bed in the corner of the room. She knew she had to rest to maintain her stamina, but her adventurous instincts kept her vigilant.

She climbed onto the bed but didn’t lie down completely. She sat leaning against the headboard, her feet touching the floor, ready to jump if the door opened or a threat emerged.

She still wore her cloak, though her hood was down, and her hands were ready to grab anything she could use as a weapon—a wine goblet on the bedside table or a tray if necessary.

Her eyes slowly closed. "I have to get out..." she whispered in her sleep, her fear that this place was Lazarus’s castle making her talk in her sleep.

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