If The Crown Fits (Book 2)

Chapter 36 Blood Secret

Chapter 36 

I was pretty shaken up at what I just saw that I was silent for a moment. The goosebumps at the back of my neck and on my arms didn't go away even as I tried to rub them.

Fical has the chalice and we accused the wrong person.

"Come out now, little one. I think he's gone." I flinched as Ingka started to speak. At first, I thought that he was speaking to someone else, but then I saw through the gaps of where I was hiding that he was looking right at me. I stood up and shamefully looked at the ground. I don't even know what I was supposed to say to him.

I gulped as I slowly lifted my head and found the old man sitting peacefully on the ground with his back pressed against the wall. His hands were tied in front of him. We were separated by a bunch of bamboos that were being used as bars of a cage. There wasn't a torch on his side of the cave, but I was able to see that he was giving me a warm smile despite everything.

"H-Hello, mowtal. It is I, goddess-"

"I know who you are, your highness." He whispered loud enough that only I was able to hear it. My mouth paused in mid sentence as I gaped at him. A question formed in my lips, but before I could even ask, the middle aged man in front of me answered, "The nymphs informed me a few weeks before that you would be arriving. I did not realize that it was you at first, but when I saw you drinking from the chalice and was not affected by it, I immediately knew that it had to be you." I didn't answer him, but I closed my mouth and stared at him dubiously.

I don't even know what to say. I don't want to confirm his claims and I think denying it would somehow make me seem defensive. Instead, I said, "I want to know how to wetuwn back to nowmal."

Ingka cocked his head to the side as he seemed to notice my current form at the moment. "Have you drunk the water inside a glass tube?"

"That sh*t fell on me."

He opened his mouth in a silent 'ahh' with a slow nod. "My guess was right. That formula that dropped on your head is a diluted solution of the legendary fountain of youth. It does not exist anymore, but I am trying to recreate it in hopes that it's magic property can somehow reverse the curse on us all, just like it is reversing the age in our body." He says. Then looking back at me, he corrected himself. "Was actually."

"Sowy." I said shamefully as I just figured that I ruined some valuable research.

"It is alright. I already stopped long before you arrived." He admitted and shifted his sitting position so that he was a bit closer to the cage.

"Do you know how to tuwn me back to nowmal?" I asked again with a hint of a pleading tone. "I pwomise to talk to the chwief latew to let you go. And I am sowwy fow doubting you." I said the last part with regretfully because I really do feel bad and stupid. I should have known that not all television logic applies in real life.

Ingka raised his palm up to stop me from further speaking. "It is quite alright, your highness." He says. I searched his face and found that there was no hatred in there. But I found a hint of gratitude in them. "I am just glad that Jalu and Cain are safe. Somehow, I do feel like I am also at fault here so I guess I deserve being locked up as well."

Oh great. Even though he told me not to worry about it, I still worry! To think that I accused such a selfless old man of attempted murder is really making me feel like sh*t.

And speaking of sh*t. Fical really is a piece of sh*t. He stabbed his father and had the guts to cry in front of me. Pleaded me to help his father. What a psycho.

"As for your current situation, your highness. I believe that you will return to normal in just a few hours since the solution is diluted."

Hesitantly, I walked closer to the cage and stopped just a few feet in front of him. "What do you mean it is also youw fault? And what is youw niece twying to accomplish by stealing the chalice?" I demanded.