"Father I do not understand what you're saying. Why does the king want us to stay behind?" Mirabelle sat up quickly.
"He thinks it's better if you stay behind so the physician would monitor your condition daily before we return home" Nolan quickly came up with an explanation.
The reason the king required they remain at the palace was completely different. But Nolan didn't have the heart to tell his daughter. She was already going through alot as it is.
He didn't want to sprinkle salt on her injury.
"You said he thinks it's better, please give him a reason why it's not. I appreciate his concern for my well-being but mother would already be worried as it is. I know it's hard to say this to the king but I don't like this place Papa. I don't want to be hurt again" She retorted.
"Seems like I didn't choose my words well earlier. He didn't just think, he demands we stay here and I did try to make him understand why we can't stay but he is the king Mirabelle, he's firm on his decision and I cannot dare defy his orders" Nolan sat beside his daughter.
"My stave please"
Nolan quickly handed Mirabelle her walking stick.
"Father, I'd go talk to the king myself. Perhaps he might reconsider if I speak to him myself" Mirabelle said standing up.
"It is pointless dear. I'd have to write a letter to your mother to tell her know what is going on. You just recovered, you shouldn't be walking around too much" Nolan made Mirabelle sit on the bed again.
"A paper and ink should be somewhere in here" Nolan searched around the room for a while before seeing the items on a wooden stool besides the dressing table.
Mirabelle sighed as she wondered what she was going to do. Biting her lips, she decided to speak with the king regardless of her father saying it was pointless.
At least she had to try.
She disliked the feeling she got while being in the palace and she couldn't risk getting poisoned again.
After a while, she heard her father say "I would be back, I need to send this letter to your mother one way or another. I'd find a servant who can help me send it. So just wait here till I'm back".
"Alright" Mirabelle said and the next sound she heard was the creaking of the door indicating her father had walked out.
She carefully stood up and using her stave, she found the door.
Minutes later in the deep and dark underbelly of the palace grounds, was the dungeon. Sebastian stood outside the hold where Helena was kept chained and tortured.
"I ask you again, who asked you to do this? Because I know you didn't execute this on your own" His tone matching the seriousness on his face.
Helena looked up at the king; hungry, tired and in pains.
After she was thrown here, she was beaten up, questioned and chained just like every other criminal here who was so privileged not to get a death sentence.
"Milord, that item doesn't belong to me. I'm saying the truth!" She said and a sigh from the king made the prison guard pour a bucket of cold water on her and a lash followed after.
She was still yet to admit the witches brew was her property.
Her cries echoed in the dark, cold and stench filled dungeon.
"I don't like being lied to but one thing I dislike more is repeating myself. Don't make me repeat myself Helena" Sebastian said with his gaze still on her.
"I'd say the truth! Please don't torture me anymore. It's my Uncle, he wanted revenge so he sent me to the palace with that substance. He told me to put it in your food always." She confessed.
"Wanted revenge? Who's this bastard uncle of yours?" Sebastian asked amused by the guts of whoever this uncle was.
"He was friends with late Lord Irvington. I didn't want to do anything milord, I swear by my dead parents. He threatened to kill me if I don't follow his orders" she explained.
A grin appeared on the king's face as he ran his hands through his hair. "You fear your Uncle more than you fear the crown?" Sebastian chuckled.
"He's a vampire milord. He can hurt me in seconds if he wanted. He usually beats me up if I disobey him" she added.
"He's a vampire?" Sebastian asked sarcastically.
He passed through the iron bars to get closer to Helena and leaned forward to say to her "I could hurt you in more ways than a vampire could. Keep that in mind".
Helena felt a chill down her spine. Not caused by the cold water that was poured on her but the king's words which seemed to hold no exaggeration. Not a mere threat, fact!.
Helena had heard rumors about the king being a night creature but the king just admitted to her that he could cause terror more than a vampire could. So what was he exactly? She wondered in fear.
"I was short on that knowledge milord. Please forgive me, I've confessed" she pleaded.
"Not only did you dare poison me but also my guest. You deserved to be really punished with death" the king said and Helena's eyes widened in a manner that made it look like it almost disconnected from the sockets.
"I didn't intend to poison the lady. It was a mistake. Please milord, show mercy!" She begged and pleaded as tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall.
"Of course you didn't intend to. She was fated to take that hit for me" Sebastian said to himself inwardly.
"You know, this Uncle of yours is smart. He gave you the witches brew. A poison that only works on night creatures, particularly vampires. Brilliant! But not so much" Sebastian said as he began walking away from the prison hold Helena was to see Benjamin walking towards his direction.
"Milord" Benjamin bowed.
"Any news I need to know?" Sebastian said as his eyes sighted a paper in Benjamin's hand.
"A letter." Benjamin raised the letter upwards for the king to have a better view.
"Mister Nolan wanted to send it to his wife, a servant gave me earlier" Benjamin explained.
Sebastian took the letter and read it's content before saying "You can send the letter. They can keep writing letters as long as it doesn't intervene with my plans".
Benjamin nodded and they both walked out of the dungeon.