Ashes of Cinder

40

The rest of the day went by quickly. Detectives and guards filed into the toy store and searched every corner of the room. They kept the unconscious Blaise tied up and soon found sketches of his past plans in his office. It revealed where a supposedly dead Prince was currently lying and the truth behind your step family's death. Once they found the dead royal upon some underground tunnel connected to the palace, everyone grew a frenzy. The whole country was shock to hear this and fell in grief. Blaise was instantly arrested.

You stood out there in the streets, unmoving and numb. The winter frost blasted into your face, but you ignored the cold as you wore a light, white dress. In front of you was a scene of a bunch of guards flanking around Blaise, who had recently woken up. They were wrestling him into a carriage that would be sent to the Palace for further investigation. "[Y/N]! You can't let them do this to me!" he called out, his face twisting in desperation, tears pooling out from his murky hues. His blond and brown locks messy, he looked absolutely terrible and beaten. You had never seen so much emotion from him. It honestly scared you, a lot.

"Alright. That's enough," one of the guards grunted, shoving him into the jailed carriage. He was flung into the cart and locked in, but you could still hear the thumping of his fists. The same guard then turned to you. "We thank you for going to us straight away. Such injustice should not escape unscathed."

Lowering your head a little, you scrunched the fabrics of your dress tightly. "O-Of course, it's my duty as the citizen of this country."

"As for his punishment, the queen and the king has stated here on this letter that he shall be executed. It is the only fair outcome for murdering their son. He committed severe criminal offense against the kingdom, so there is no other way around it," the guard explained, showing you a long parchment of paper containing cursive writing. He was about to leave, but your shaky hands grasped his arm. Sweat matted your forehead and you began to feel lightheaded.

"What did you say?!" you breathed out, sinking to the floor in shock. This couldn't be happening... this wasn't what you wanted to happen! Was this why Blaise was panicking? Had this not been the right course of action to take? You didn't want death to be the only outcome anymore. You were so exhausted. This man you used to love was a monster, but you couldn't deal with the idea of truly losing another person. No one deserved to die

The guard shot you a concerned look. "He'll be getting executed, miss," he repeated. "Are you unwell?"

Gasping for air, you clawed your fingernails against the pavement. The world was spinning around you, too fast for you to keep up. You thought this was over and you were going to feel relieved, but that was the problem... you weren't relieved. "Don't kill him, please," you begged, your voice raspy.

He shook his head at you. "He's an enemy to our nation. It'd be foolish of us if we allow him to live. Who knows what other dangers he could pin on to the royal family. The damage has been done. So if you could, let go of me so I can get back to doing my job."

Your grip on the guard stayed intact on him, causing him to lose his patience. He began to throw profanities and insults at you, before kicking you in the stomach to send you rolling across the floor. Sending you one last disgusted look, he marched away and left the scene. Battered and bruised, you continued to lay there, shivering in the cold. What were you going to do now? How could you get yourself out of this mess? How could you stop yourself from overflowing with guilt? It was as if death followed you everywhere, ending everyone else's miserable lives instead of your own.

"[Y/N]? What are you doing here?! Did something happen?!" a voice called to you. You painfully fluttered you eyes open to see a beautiful, blonde girl hovering over you. It was Ira, panic coloring her features. Parting your lips gently, you tried to answer her, but every word felt like a weighted boulder against your chest. Taking your silence as a cry for help, she stooped down to help lift you up. Guiding you to the carriage that drove her here, she set you down within the warmth of the narrow space.