The Royal Indecisive Rebel (Under Editing)

Chapter 18: Captured

We arrived at her house, expecting the normal greetings from her guards. But there wasn't anyone who was standing outside. The house's gates were left opened, like someone hurried out, forgetting to close them.

"Guards? Maids? Servants? Where are you, people? Anyone here?" I bleated as I knocked on the front door, waiting for a reply.

"Maybe they all went out. I don't hear anyone else but us," Alex said as he pushed the door open.

"They can't all be out at the same time... Someone has to look after the place. I don't think anyone is here at all," I doubted.

I noticed that a few things seemed to be out of place, like a toppled chair and a broken vase.

"Mother?" I sped up the stairs, with Alex tailing me.

"Are you there? It's me, Charlotte!" I yelled as I cracked her door open a bit to take a peek, but I was horrified at the sight, that I ended up swinging the door wide open.

My mother was on the floor, and she didn't look like she was alive anymore... I hated to say this, but I thought she was dead. A goblet lay beside her hand, with its spilled contents.

"Mother!" I shrieked, kneeling down beside her. Then I faced Alex, "What happened to her?"

"How would I know? I wasn't even here...." Alex said, picking up the goblet and smelling it. "Seems like her drink was drugged... probably with melted silver. Why would she give herself a drink like this?"

"She wouldn't do this to herself. It's not like her to do this thing. It must be someone else. The person must've broke into the house! Maybe that can explain the opened gates and toppled chair and vase..." I added. We ran outside the house, going to the front yard.

"What? How's that supposed to be?" Alex  muttered, looking around for a hint.

We surveyed the pathway... and there were footprints' pace wide enough to tell that someone was running away from the house. A trail of faint horse tracks was also visible, and it led to the way of my father's castle. The murderer has to be someone from my father's castle!

"Alex, hurry! Bring mother out here, while I go and fetch a friend for help!"

Alex nodded and went back inside the house.

I saddled Chap and we rode into the nearest village, where I found an old friend, Dr. Plymus.

"Dr. Plymus!" I waved my arms frantically to catch his attention.

"Princess Charlotte! We haven't seen each other for a long time! I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend your wedding! How are you and your family? And Alex?" Dr. Plymus shot the questions at me.

"Oh, it's alright that you didn't attend. Everyone's fine... except for my mother! That's why I'm here," I spoke.

"Your mother?" He echoed. "Lady Clarissa? Lead me to her!"

He saddled his horse, and so we were on our way back to the house.

Alex was sitting on the floor, looking at my dead mother, with a haunted expression.

"She is dead. No doubt about it," Dr. Plymus said, after a few minutes of analyzing my mother. "I'm sorry, Princess. May I ask, how did this happen?"

"We don't know either, sir. We arrived only some time ago, too late to catch what had happened. We found this beside her, by the way," I said as I handed Dr. Plymus the goblet.

"We're guessing that her drink was drugged with melted silver," Alex told him.

"And it is. But who would give this to her?" Dr. Plymus questioned.