Aldrich stepped out of his quarters. His face was calm. But inside, both he and Solomon were in agreement. They needed answers. Now.
His destination was Alice's chambers after the night experience he had, it was time to take action.The walk through the palace corridors felt longer than it should have. His boots echoed against the neat floors. Servants bowed as he passed. Guards stood at attention. But he didn't acknowledge any of them. His mind was focused.
After a few moments, he arrived. The door to Alice's chambers stood before him. Ornate. Carved with floral designs it was Beautiful.
His personality had shifted completely. Solomon was in full control now. And Solomon didn't knock. Instead He raised his foot and slammed it into the door. The wooden structure exploded inward. Splinters flew. The door crashed against the wall inside.
Alice screamed. She had been sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair. But now she spun around, her eyes wide with terror.Two maids who had been arranging her bed linens gasped. They froze, unsure what to do.
Aldrich walked in slowly. His eyes locked on Alice. His expression was cold.
"Leave us," he said quietly. But his voice carried absolute authority.
Alice recovered slightly. She waved her hand frantically at the maids. "Go! Get out! Now!"
The two women didn't need to be told twice. They rushed past Aldrich and out the broken door. Their footsteps echoed down the hall as they fled.But Aldrich knew. Those maids maybe loyal to Augustus trusted no one at this point . They would report everything they saw. Everything they heard but he care less.
Now it was just the two of them.
Aldrich walked closer. He stopped at the edge of her bed. Then placed one foot on the bed frame. Leaning forward slightly. Looming over her.
"Killing me?" he said. His voice was low. Dangerous. "Really? Why would you do that?"
Alice's face went pale. Her hands trembled. She stood up from her vanity chair, backing away slightly. "I… I don't know what you're talking about, my love."
Her voice was shaky but she tried to sound convincing. She reached out toward him. "You've been gone so long. You're confused. Paranoid. Let me help you"
"Don't," Aldrich interrupted. His voice was ice. "An assassin was sent to kill me last night. In the slums. Her name was Ella. And before she died, she told me everything. She told me YOU sent her."
Alice's eyes widened. But she didn't break yet. She shook her head vigorously. "No. No, that's a lie. Someone is trying to turn you against me. Can't you see? It's a trap!"
She stepped closer. Her hands reached for his face. "I would never hurt you. I love you. I've mourned you for years. How could you think"
"It won't take me a second to eliminate you if I desire it," Aldrich said coldly. "I hope that doesn't escape your mind. How dangerous I could be. Whether you're a lady or not."
Alice's face hardened slightly. Her act was slipping. "You wouldn't dare. I'm your wife. I carry royal blood through marriage. Killing me would"
But Aldrich's patience snapped.He blurred out of sight. One moment he was at the bed. The next, he was directly in front of her. His hand was already on her throat before she could even register he had moved.
He pulled her upward. Lifted her off her feet. Her toes barely touched the ground.Alice gasped. Her hands immediately went to his wrist. Clawing. Pulling. Trying to pry his fingers away. But Aldrich's strength was way beyond hers. His grip was iron completely Unbreakable.
She struggled to breathe. Her face started turning red. Then purple. Oxygen was running out fast.
"Last chance," Aldrich said. His voice was calm. Almost conversational. "Why would you want me dead?"
Alice's mouth opened and closed. Her eyes were bulging now. Desperate. She tried to hold out. Tried to resist. But her vision was darkening. Her body was failing.
Finally, she broke.
"Because…" she choked out, barely audible. "Because I'm pregnant!"
Aldrich's eyes widened. His grip loosened slightly. Just enough for her to breathe.
"Pregnant?" he repeated. His voice was quieter now. Disbelief creeping in. "For who?"
Alice sucked in desperate breaths. Tears streamed down her face. Her voice was broken she was Terrified. "The King… King Augustus."
The words hung in the air like poison.Aldrich stared at her. His face twisted. Disgust alongside Rage. Betrayal. All of it crashing down at once.
"You slept with my brother?" His voice was barely a whisper. But the venom in it was deadly. His face was purely irritated. And then his essence exploded.An aura erupted from his body. Wild. Uncontrolled. It spread outward like a shockwave. The walls trembled. The windows cracked. The very air seemed to vibrate with his fury.
The pressure was immense and suffocating. It rolled out from Alice's chambers like a tsunami. Through the hallways. Through the walls. Across the entire palace.
Guards stumbled. Servants dropped to their knees. Weaker individuals collapsed completely.The wave continued. Out beyond the palace walls. Into the city. Across the Royal Kingdom itself.
People stopped in the streets. Looked around. Felt something. A presence. Overwhelming, it was truly Terrifying.In the throne room, King Augustus sat on his throne. He felt it too. That massive surge of essence. That rage.
He smiled. Slowly. Satisfied.
"There it is," he murmured to himself. "Welcome back, little brother."
But then, just as quickly as it came, Aldrich compressed it. Pulled it back. The aura vanished. The air stilled. The pressure disappeared.He stared at Alice. His hand was still on her throat. She was crying. Gasping. Terrified.
For a moment, everything stopped. Aldrich's mind was screaming. Demanding control.
*Don't kill her! She's pregnant! The baby is innocent!*
But Solomon's voice was colder than ice. "She sent an assassin. She betrayed us. She carries the child of another man . There is no mercy for traitors."
*The child didn't choose this! It's not the baby's fault!*
"The child is a threat," Solomon replied. His voice was emotionless. Final. "A rival heir. A weapon Augustus will use against us. A living reminder of our humiliation. It cannot exist."
*I won't let you do this! This is murder! Cold blooded murder!*
"This is survival. This is justice. This is what must be done."
*NO!*
But Aldrich felt himself being pushed down. Deeper. Further into the darkness of their shared mind. Until he was barely there at all. Just a voice screaming in the void. Unheard. Powerless and trapped.Solomon's hand tightened.Alice's eyes widened. She understood. She opened her mouth to scream. To beg. To plead.But there was no time.
Her neck snapped. A quick, clean break. Her head fell forward limply. Blood began to pool.
Aldrich released her. Her body crumpled to the floor. Lifeless. The life extinguished in an instant.
He stared down at her for a moment. His face showed nothing. No regret. No satisfaction. Just cold emptiness.Inside, Aldrich was screaming. Raging against the prison Solomon had built around him. But his body didn't respond. Didn't react. Solomon was in complete control now.
He turned and walked to the broken door. The two maids were standing just outside in the hallway. Trembling. They had felt the essence explosion. They knew something terrible had happened inside.
Aldrich didn't look at them. He just spoke as he passed. His voice was flat. "Clean this mess up."
His hands were still stained with blood. He didn't wipe them. Didn't clean them. He just walked. Through the corridors. Past the shocked faces of servants. Past guards who stepped back instinctively.
Down the stairs. Heading toward the throne room.To see his brother. The man who had betrayed him twice. Once by killing him. And now, by taking his wife and impregnating her.
As he moved, drops of blood fell from his hand. They hit the pristine white marble floor. One drop. Then another. Then another. Leaving a trail behind him.A trail of red. Leading straight to the throne room.
People saw him. Saw the blood. Saw his face. And they moved out of his way.Something terrible was about to happen. Everyone could feel it.
And at the end of that bloody trail, King Augustus waited. Sitting on his stolen throne he was waiting for his beloved little brother.