Chapter 12: Another reveal.
"Since today has been about revealing secrets, why don't I share mine also?" Queen Layla said with a smirk as everyone turned to look at her.
"What do you mean by that, Layla?" King William asked with a frown.
"Mmm… wrong question." She said as she took off the tiara on her head and flung it away not caring where it landed.
"I initially planned on revealing myself much more later or better still, not do it at all and just present the dead body of the queen and…"
"What do you mean dead body?" King William asked his wife as he was not able to understand a single thing in what she said.
"Ohh!" She placed her palm against her open mouth indicating that she misspoke and then she giggled.
"Well, since you have heard it. The queen.. is dead." She said lightly as if what she had said was a matter to laugh about.
"And, ohh! I killed her mother too." She continued and then pointed at Arielle.
The hall was deadly silent.
King William could not process the information he had been hearing. He would have been on the floor if Bernard was not supporting him.
"W-what do you mean by that?" Arielle asked softly.
"I killed your mother, dear and it was all her fault. If she had just handed you over to us then, nothing would have happened to her but she decided to be stubborn and hence met her her demise. I have to admit, your mother was not an easy kill."
Arielle struggled to hold her ground and just fell to the floor. Even though she didn't know her mother and had never seen her before, she felt extremely angry and sad to know that her mother was murdered and her murderer did not feel any remorse whatsoever and even said it was all her mother's fault?
Why was her life like this?
"Why?" Arielle asked 'the queen' with clenched teeth.
"Why, you ask? She was stubborn that's why. When she could have just handed you over to us that day and continued with her life, but what did she do? Tsk." She clicked her tongue.
"Was that a reason to kill her?! And where's the queen?!" King William was on the verge of madness as he yelled his questions.
"Stop yelling. Now, I am curious, who do you love between her mother and the queen? Hmm, Will?"
"By the way, my name is Beatrice. Bea, for short." She said while removing the clothes she wore one by one, "My gosh, how do people wear this?" She muttered.
"Why did you kill her? And what do you want from me?" Arielle asked softly. She wanted to scream at the woman posing as the queen but she had no strength left in her.
"Ver good! I have been waiting for that question." Beatrice said with a smile and dropped the last price of clothes on the floor and then she was only dressed in a small white gown that didn't reach her knees.
King William looked at the gruesome scene with disgust. "Will you put on your clothes, you disgusting witch!" He yelled in anger.
"Shut up! Don't you dare compare me with those disgusting snakes!" Beatrice yelled back with disgust. "And have you forgotten that I am not your queen?" She questioned after calming down.
King William's eyes widened in realization but his eyes were still blazing with anger.
"Now, back to the question. What do I want from, Arielle dear? I want you, dear." Beatrice chuckled as she began pacing up and down the hall.
"Mmm… more specifically, the thing inside you." She said bending down in front of Arielle, pointing her index finger at her.
"What do you mean?"
Arielle raised her head and her emerald green eyes met Beatrice's brown ones.
"You don't know what you are child. Your mother didn't tell your supposed parents either." Beatrice said as she stood up.
"Hmmm… I guess our talk ends here. I'm not a threat, you don't have to worry; none of your citizens would go missing."
"We will meet again soon, Arielle dear."
Beatrice announced and before they could blink, she was no longer in the hall with them.
The people in the hall could not believe what they witnessed, a human being just vanished right in front of their eyes.
"What in the god's name just happened?" Natalie's eyes were as wide as saucers as she whispered into her mother's ears.
"Bernard! Dispatch all the soldiers and go fund that witch! And find the Queen's body also." King William ordered.
"There would be no need for that." King Adrian said calmly as if whatever he had seen and heard didn't faze him. It truly did not.
"Why? Didn't you hear all that was revealed? Besides I don't think it's in your place to tell me what to do. " King William said fiercely to the masked King. He could not read his expression to tell what he was thinking. But who was he kidding? Even if King Adrian didn't have a mask on, he still would not have been able to read his expressions.
King Adrian released a sigh inwardly, and he turned to his gamma as he could not be bothered to explain anything.
Mason having understood what his king meant cleared his throat and said, "She's not an ordinary human, and sending all your soldiers would just be a waste of time. You would not even be able to find her."
King William was about to retort but was stopped by Bernard, "Your majesty, let's look for the queen's body first."
"Alright."
Bernard instructed the guards to conduct a search which did not take much time.
A guard came running into the hall, "We found the Queen's body, Your Majesty."
Before King William could walk out of the hall, "No one is leaving this place. Bernard, kindly show them to the parlor room." He said his piece and walked out.
Arielle stood up from the floor and happened to look at where the werewolf king was standing. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that he was looking her way or was he? She could not tell with the mask he had on.
She cleared the non-existent lump in her throat and turned towards her dad and asked, "What now Dad?"
"I don't know, my dear. We can't disobey the king's order. I think he is going to talk about the werewolf king being your mate." He whispered the last part into her ear.
Arielle stiffened as she had forgotten about that part totally. "What is going to happen to me now, Dad?" She whispered softly.
Edmund looked downcast, he knew what was going to happen and he better tell his daughter, so she would be prepared.
"I know this is going to be hard for you to digest dear, but just try alright?" He paused but Arielle's eyes were filled with questions as she did not understand what her dad meant but still nodded nonetheless.
Edmund sighed before saying, "Tomorrow might be the last time you see us dear."
Arielle's eyes widened in realization, and she understood what her dad meant even without completing what he had to say.
"Listen to me dear, don't say anything yet." Edmund told her when he saw she was about to open her mouth to speak.
"I heard the werewolf king is going to be leaving tomorrow and my guess is that… you are going to be leaving with him tomorrow."
"Please let's move to the parkour room." Bernard interrupted and then started to lead the way. King Adrian and his men walked out after him.
"Let's go, my dear." Victoria said and pulled her daughter gently by her arm and Natalie hung her arm on Arielle's other arm.
Arielle just allowed them to pull her along. So many things had happened and her thoughts were all jumbled up. She didn't even know what to think. On one hand, she just learned that she has different parents and her mother was murdered, on another hand, she was mated to the werewolf king, which meant she would be leaving her family soon. And lastly, she wasn't just an ordinary human?
Her head ached from all the thoughts running through her mind.
She looked around but could not find her friends anywhere. They have probably been sent home.
Now that she thought about it, it would be the last time she would see them also.
Earlier…
Anna, Belle, and Emma stood just outside the hall, waiting for Arielle.
"Arielle, will be fine right?" Belle asked worriedly.
"She will be. Arielle is very strong." Anna replied.
They were all worried for her and they could not go home, they just decided to wait for her to hear the outcome.
The doors to the hall were pushed open and they thought it was Arielle coming out but she was not the one.
King Adrian and his men walked out after Bernard.
"Did you hear what His Majesty said? That white-haired girl is his mate." Gayle said with disbelief.
"We all heard, Gayle and we are as shocked as you are." Mason replied.
"How…" Brian was about to say something but he stopped in his tracks, Gayle was about to ask him what was wrong but he also stopped in his tracks not able to say anything.
The rest of the men stopped along with King Adrian, wondering what was going on with the both of them.
Anna, Belle, and Emma wondered why the men stopped, they looked back but nothing was going on behind them.
"Mate!"
"Mate!"
Brian and Gayle said at the same time with their eyes locked on their respective mates.
The men were stuck dumb at what just happened.
Far away from Everia…
The night surrounded the forest like a dark cloak. The trees stood tall, their branches creaking softly in the wind.
Beatrice appeared out of nowhere in the forest. The forest seemed like any other forest, but things are not always what they seem to be.
She surveyed the place, her eyes gleaming with a knowing intensity, before walking into the forest. As she reached the path, deep into the forest, her gaze fixed on some unseen point in front of her.
She stepped forward, and then in an instant, she vanished without a trace as if the forest itself had swallowed her whole.
Beatrice reappeared stepping out of the forest and was welcomed with the harsh sun that hung high up in the sky.
"Welcome back, Bea." A familiar voice called out and Beatrice turned to the source of the voice and smiled.