Alex blinked, confused.
"What the hell—" He muttered, his brain trying to process what just happened.
"What are you doing here, Axel?" The king asked in a calm voice that sounded with underlying anger. This secret room is prohibited from everyone; only few people knows about the room, and only the king us allowed to enter.
He had kept the scroll im here for the past fifteen yeats, and he hadn't brought it out since then.
So, what was Axel doing in the secret room—holding the scroll he had been trying to protect.
"Your Majesty—" Axel tried to explain but Elsa cut him off.
"I remember telling the king to show me where the secret room is; I'm his Luna. But no, he refused; and someway, somehow..Axel knows about it," She folded her arms, rolling her eyes.
"No. I didn't tell Axel about this place. And that's the main reason why he should explain himself" The king said, giving Axel a curious look.
"Wait a minute, " Elsa arched her brows dramatically. "You mean, you never told Axel about this place? Then.. what's he doing here?" She asked, placing her arms on her waist.
"Don't tell me—" She paused, as if to think for a while. "Don't tell me you came here to steal that" She asked, her index finger pointing towards the scroll in his hands.
"I don't know how and why it turned out this way. Seems like a setup or something" He said resignedly.
"What are you talking about?"
"I chased a thief here. He was about to steal the scroll I guess."
"Wait..hold on. You chased a thief here?" The King asked, surprised, but Elsa only burst into laughter, and they turned to look at her.
"Respectfully, Your Majesty, I don't really care if you believe me or not. I've grown past needing validations from people" He said nonchalantly, and turned to the king, ignoring Elsa completely, and she sneered.
"Someone attempted to steal the scroll, your Majesty. I saw a flash movement, and I traced it all the way here."
"I saw that the backdoor of your room was slightly ajar, so I entered and saw someone trying to steal this" He explained, holding the scroll forward.
"Immediately he heard a sound of your footsteps, he bolted, and dropped this on me. I have failed to arrest him, your Majesty" He bowed, and Elsa rolled her eyes, yet again.
"But how come—"
"Your Majesty!" A guard rushed in.
"What is it?" The Alpha asked angrily, infuriated that someone was able to sneak into his chamber without any of the guards knowing. How incompetent have they become?
"I'm so sorry, your Majesty, but there's fire burning at the Western wing of Palace."
"Fire? Fire??" The Alpha asked, and left the chambers hurriedly. Elsa gave Axel a mock glare before following after the king.
An unreadable expression was on Axel's face as he took some steps out of the secret room.
Some question bugged his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder;
Why no one else noticed the criminal apart from him. The palace is full of werewolves who has far heightened senses than an average human.
So, how come they didn't notice the criminal.
Also, why did the criminal leave the scroll with him? He could have bolted with it, if that was his initial plan. But he didn't do that.
Something wasn't adding up.
*
The Grand Alpha jaws clenched as he stared at the raging fire.
What's going on?
Just now, there are reports of infiltrations, now...this?
After the fire was put out, the guards in dury were all questioned by Dre, and most of them got suspended for their incompetence.
"When you are ready to learn to serve the king with your heart and soul; then you'll be reinstated. But for now, you are all dismissed" He concluded, and the guards left one after the other.
"Follow me" Dre said to the two guards beside him, and they headed to the King's chambers to investigate the break in that had happened.
Just few steps to the entrance of the chamber, Dre spotted something shiny on the floor, and he paused.
The other two guards halted, and watched as he crouched behind the object.
Dre's jaw clenched as he picked the object up.
"Is anything the problem, sir?" One of the guards asked. They were junior guards to Dre, but the best among all the juniors.
For a moment, Dre hesitated.
But he stood up, and maintained a blank look.
"No. Let's go" He said sharply, and walked ahead. The junior guards looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders, before following him.
*
While they investigated, Queen Elsa sat in her room, a smirk on her face. She could recall the shocked look on Alpha Kaden's face, when he spotted Axel with the scroll.
"Eishh..I really wished there was time to even open the scroll and figure out what's written in it. The way Kaden is protecting the writing in the scroll is worth getting curious over."
Well..she can find out if she still wants to. But there's no fun in that. The conclave is almost here; the King can't postpone it any further. And also, as long as it doesn't have to do with any adverse effect on her, or her beloved son; she's fine.
"Your Majesty, the King's personal guard is here to see you"
A maid announced from outside, and Elsa brows creased. "Dre? What's he doing here?" She wondered.
"Let him in" She replied, and few seconds later, Dre's tall frame entered the room.
He bowed to the Luna, and she acknowledged his greeting, still wondering why he visited.
"The King sent for me?" She asked, but he shook his head, and she frowned.
"He didn't?"
"No, your Majesty" He answered plainly.
"No? Then why are you here?" She asked, but Dre kept quiet.
"Do you realize you are keeping the Luna waiting?" She asked, the pitch of her voice rising.
""Forgive me, your Majesty. However, I would like to know something." He paused, and Elsa twitched her lips, her patience wearing thing.
"I said—"
"Why was the insignia of the Luna found in the crime scene?" He asked, and she blinked.
"What?!"
"Your insignia, your Majesty"
He said, stretching out a badge that belongs to the royal chamber of the Luna.
Every person that works for the Queen has one.
For a moment, she was dumbfounded, but she quickly regained her composure, and shot back.
"And what do you mean by that? My workers wear that insignia. So, of course it could have fallen from one of them while passing that route or something. How dare you come to my chamber to ask me such a frivolous question" She hissed, but Dre remained calm and collected.
"We've literally checked all the workers working for you before coming to your chamber, your Majesty. Every of your worker has their insignia on them, as at now. So it's a bit... concerning how there's an extra insignia from your Chamber at the crime scene" He said without changing his blank expression.
Elsa rolled her eyes, and scoffed. "So, what are you insinuating? That I am somehow connected to the crime that happened? You must be crazy"
"Please, I would really appreciate if you don't twist my words, your Majesty. I'm not accusing you of anything, infact we are trying to protect you, your Majesty."
"If the insignia is from your Chamber; It's suspected that it fell from the assassin who broke into the palace, since the second prince claimed to have felt the presence at that particular spot. Therefore there's a possibility that the assassin is connected to this Chamber one way or the other.
Just a suspicion— Not a conclusion" He added almost immediately.
"I still see no reason why you are in my Chamber." She said nonchalantly.
"Just to inform you that investigation is going on, and most of the investigation would be channeled to your Chamber. It was just to formally let you know" He answered, and Elsa nodded.
"Sure, do whatever you want. As long as you get to the root of the matter. Besides, I believe you shouldn't waste your time channeling your energy to the wrong place" She shrugged, and Dre's brows arched.
"I don't understand, your Majesty"
Elsa shook her head, and sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder if you're smart at all or it's just an hype"
Dre inhaled, but didn't say a word.
"Can't you see the connection? Axel was the only one who saw the assassin. No one else saw him come in or leave. No one else saw the assassin. The scroll was also found in Axel's hands. He told you all that an assassin entered the palace, and you took it hook, like and sinker." She shook her head dramatically.
"He's such a smart one, isn't he? Fooling both the King and his guards."
"He's seen as a curse; of course he needs to know what's in the scroll. Whether he's mentioned. Whether it favours him or not. Whether it can be manipulated I'm his favour.
So, what's the resolve? Break in to check just before the conclave." She concluded, shrugging her shoulders and Dre's lips twitched as he reasoned her words.
"But then..just as you said. It's a suspicion; not a conclusion" She smirked.