Marked By The Unseelie

Chapter 27 Grignel

Grignel leads us into one of the rooms, which resembles a study room. I swallow nervously as soon as the door closes.

"My name is Grignel Duval, the aide and advisor to his royal highness Prince Klovis. Judging from your response, I can only assume that you have met my twin, right?" For someone who claims to me the aide of Klovis, he is strangely calm when he's speaking. I suppose being calm in serious matters is what made him his advisor.

"By twin, you mean Faragon?" It was just a wild guess before because he and Faragon share the same facial features except for their hair color.

"Yes." Grignel confirms, his eyes growing dim when he crosses his arms. "Now, what you said before regarding the prince, is it true?" After I nod my head, Grignel turns to Efeiza with a sneer. "Did you know about this?!" He says it in a harsh whisper.

"I got a small gist of what she was trying to imply." Efeiza answers him nervously that she's even avoiding eye contact with him.

For a shadow knight like her to be afraid of Grignel, it only gives me all the more reason to be afraid of the elf. If he did not confirm that he is Faragon's twin brother, I would have a hard time believing him since their personalities conflict.

Grignel grits his teeth and gives her a pointed look. "Do I even want to know why you took so long before you told me about this!?"

"Uh...no. You definitely don't."

"How did you even...nevermind." Although Grignar appears anxious, he quickly regains his composure as soon as he addresses me. "Tell us what you know about the prince and where he is right now."

"About that..."

I start to tell them what I know, including how I met Klovis through my dreams for a long time and how I figured out that it is him. I also informed them about my theory about reflections and the mirror that I used to communicate with Klovis. The two listen to me attentively while Jade is sleeping comfortably on one of the carpets in the room. Although what I am saying sounds too weird to believe to my ears, I am surprised to see them taking it all in with serious faces.

"This shard of mirror that you are talking about, do you have it?" Grignel inquires.

"Right now? No." I shake my head, immediately regretting that I did not bring it with me.

"It sounds like the prince is trapped in THAT, don't you think?" Efeize turns her head and looks at Grignel, awaiting his confirmation.

"It does. That's what I thought of as well."

"Sorry, but what is it that you guys are talking about?" I turn to the two individuals before me.

"The Mirror of Kvahein."

"The mirror of..." Yeah, no. I am not even going to try to pronounce it and hurt my tongue. "Yeah, that. What does that mirror do, exactly?"

"Lord Kvehein is one of the most respected faeries in the kingdom. According to legends, he has the blood of the gods flowing through him. It was him who created the mirror to create another realm to separate us from the humans." Grignel starts to explain. "It is basically the embodiment of the entire realm. Not much is known about that artifact, but I have read that it has the potential to bend reality."

"What about trapping a person in a mirror?" I turn to him expectantly.

"You can do anything you want with the mirror as long as you are in this world." Grignel bites his lower lip, and his brows begin to furrow. He looks like he is thinking of something. "The artifact has been locked up for centuries in an unknown place. If our suspicion is correct, I wonder how—" He could not finish his sentence and glares intensely at a wall.

I'm glad I'm not that wall.

"The mirror should be in the Seelie Court, right?" Efeiza guesses, leaning back on a chair and looking drained from thinking too much. "That's the last place that he has been seen so...argh! This is the reason why I work as a knight. Thinking too much just hurts my brain." She begins to slump on the sofa.

"Then don't!" Grignel snaps at her. "Just sit there and be quiet!"

"There's something that I have been wondering as well." I say, almost flinching when Grignel turns to me abruptly with a raised brow. "Efeiza told me that Klovis left in a hurry to head to the Seelie Court one day to consult the queen. What do you think his purpose is for going to the Seelie Court?" I turn to Grignel. As his aide and advisor, I am hoping that he might know something.

Grignel seems to be in deep thought before he answers me. "It's true. The prince seemed to be in distress before he headed to the Seelie Court in a hurry. He did not even bring escorts with him. He seems deeply troubled and angry about something." Then he raises his head to mine. "Did the prince talk to you about something in your dreams?"

"Aside from wanting to send me back to the human realm? Nothing. I did try to ask him, but he would either change the subject or completely avoid it."

"Did you have any dreams with him recently?"

"That's what worries me. I don't." I start to fiddle with my fingers. "He's probably getting weak. If possible, I want to find the mirror that he's trapped in, but in order to find it, we have to figure out what he consulted the queen with. If we can, maybe we can find a clue on where the mirror is."

"Is that the reason why you are here in the Prince's palace?"

"Yes. I was hoping to search his study to get some clues, but—" I turn to Efeiza, knowing that there's little time before we have to return to the Seelie Palace.

Grignel notices my stare and seems to have understood the situation. He lets out a sigh. "It seems like I must have hindered your plans for today. I apologize."

"It's alright. We came at an untimely notice as well."

"Still, I can't let you leave empty handed. Come." I turn to follow Grignel towards the desk in the room. He starts to open a drawer and begins to pull out an old leather notebook, which he hands to me. "Here. Take this."

"What is it?"

"The prince's diary." He says. "When the prince went missing, I took it from his study, hoping to look for some clues about his whereabouts. Unfortunately, it is of no use to me since it is imbued with his unique magic. Only he can read its contents."

"If only the writer of the diary can read it, why give it to me?"

"Because you have his mark, correct? It might be a farfetched guess, but maybe with the mark, it will allow you to see its contents."

"I don't think he would be happy if I snooped around in his diary."

"All the better." A sinister smile spreads across the elf's lips, making me shiver. "If he learns that you have his diary, he could visit you again in your dreams. When that happens, use that diary to blackmail his highness into telling you where he is and what made the queen lock him up. It would be good for his stubborn ass to regret rushing into the Seelie Palace without even consulting me." He starts to laugh quietly after that.

"A-Alright." It seems like Efeiza isn't the only one who is afraid of him for the time being, because she quickly gets up and awakens Jade. "I think that it is about time for us to go. Come on, Lady Livia. I will escort you back."

"R-Right." I feel relieved and thankful for Efeiza's intervention. I turn to Grignel and begin to bow slightly to show my appreciation. "Thank you. I...will keep your advice in mind."

Grignel nods. "Keep safe. Until your next return, I will try to look into his study as well to find some clues and also information about the mirror."

With that, I started to follow Efeiza and Jade back to the Seelie Palace. Though we didn't get much of the information that we wanted, at least, I found another ally to search for Klovis.

Well, a very weird ally, if I have to be precise.

~*~*~*~*~END OF CHAPTER~*~*~*~*~

Grignel and Efeiza reminds me a little of PRINCE Ace and Rose in this chapter. Lol.