Echoed Lullabies (Lunar Chronicles x Reader)

Chapter 42

Kai laughed, a rough sound that bordered on hyperventilating. He couldn't tell if this unexpected turn of events was terrible, or very, very funny. "The palace security has been compromised? What exactly does that mean?"

"The royal guard hasn't had time to document an official report, Your Majesty," said Torin, "but we do know that all security cameras and scanners, including weapon scanners, have malfunctioned. Or at least that your guards are unable to access their feeds at this time."

"How long have they been down?"

"Almost eleven minutes."

Kai paced to the window. He caught sight of a groom in his reflection—a white silk shirt split by a red sash that hung from his shoulder. It made him think of blood every time he saw it. He'd spent the past hour pacing around his private chambers and avoiding his reflection as much as possible.

"Do you think Levana has anything to do with it?"

"It seems out of character for her to do anything that could upset today's ceremony."

Kai strung his fingers through his hair. Priya would have a fit when she saw him, after those specialty stylists had spent forty minutes adjusting every last hair on his head.

"Your Majesty, I might ask that you move away from the window."

He turned around, surprised at the concern in Torin's voice. "Why?"

"We have to assume that this breach constitutes a threat to your safety, but we can't guess where that threat might come from."

"You think someone's going to try and assassinate me through a window? On the fourteenth floor?"

"We don't know what to think, but I don't want to take unnecessary risks until we have more information. The captain of the guard should be here shortly. I'm sure he has a plan in place for such circumstances. We may be forced to evacuate, or go into lockdown mode."

Kai drew away from the window. Lockdown mode? He hadn't known such a thing existed.

"Are we canceling the ceremony?" he asked, hardly daring to hope.

Torin sighed. "Not officially. Not yet. That course of action is a last resort. Queen Levana and her court have been confined to their quarters and, if necessary, will be escorted to a remote location. The ceremony is temporarily delayed, until we can ensure your safety and the safety of the queen."

Kai briefly perched on the edge of one of the carved-wood chairs but, too anxious to sit, bounced back to his feet and resumed pacing. "She's going to be furious. You might want to warn whoever has to break this news to her."

"I suspect everyone is well aware."

Kai shook his head, baffled. For weeks he'd lived in a mental fog, caught between misery and apprehension, fear and nerves and the constant desperate hopes that lingered in his head. Hope that there was a way out. Hope that the wedding day would never come. Hope that Princess Selene had been found and that, somehow, she would change everything.

And now—this.

There was no way it was a coincidence. Someone had purposefully hacked the palace security system. Who was capable of that? And what did they want to do, simply stop the wedding? There were plenty of people in the world who didn't want this wedding to take place, after all.

Or were their motivations more dangerous, maybe even sinister?

He peered up at Torin. "I know you don't like it when I talk about conspiracies, but come on."

Torin exhaled a long, painful sounding breath. "Your Majesty, this time, we may be in agreement."

Someone knocked, startling them both. Normally a speaker in the wall would have announced the arrival of whoever was on the other side, but that must have been a part of the failed system.