𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞!𝐚𝐮) 𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐙

CH. 30 ~ News

"Ahem, Your highnesses, As you know, I had reported capturing Sun-Mi along with the notorious Pirate King and his crew Ateez that had been causing you much trouble lately. We held them in the dungeons that run under Illoriant for a week or so before their scheduled executions that you had given me specific instructions on."

"And...?" the Queen prods and he hesitates to answer, afraid of what the queen might do to him, he can even feel his sweat collect at his brow.

"And when I had done 1/3 of what was requested, she found a way to escape." He pauses waiting for a reaction but it never comes. "She, uhh, she had help and-- uhh," His composed disposition begins to slowly deteriorate as he feels the Queen's venomous glare pin him down where he stands. It radiates a wave of hateful anger that might crush him at any given second.

"Who helped her escape?" Ji-Eun inquires.

"Uheria, the botanist. We thought she was an ally. She presented herself as a botanist with much potential. She had even helped us out with executing the Pirate Affiliation Law. I didn't see it coming--,"

"SHUT UP!" The Queen shouts, her voice echoing loudly off of the large walls that separate them from the outside. Ji-Eun looks over at her mother who looks completely distraught. Never, in all of her 27 years of living here, had she seen her mother so overwrought about a problem. Her mother is leaning forward in her throne, digging her nails into the armrests and clenching her jaw tightly. "Of course you didn't see it coming! SHE WAS A MAGIC-BEARER! A disgusting, back-stabbing filth just like you! You're lucky that I trust you enough to not kill you where you stand!" She roars, getting up out of her seat to begin pacing. It's then that Ji-Eun begins to see her mother in a new light. The dark eyebags hanging under her jet-black eyes, the lines of old age and creases in her mother's brow, her mother scowl which makes her look 10 years older. Her mother is spiraling out of control over this matter and she still doesn't understand why.

"M-Mother?"

"WHAT!" Her mother yells at her causing her to jump back in surprise. When the queen realizes how she's reacted, she takes a deep breath, composing herself just as quickly as she had let her-self unravel. "What?" she asks again, calmly this time. It scares Ji-Eun to see how easy her mother could fake her emotions that she almost forgets what she has to say.

"U-Um, what will we do about our predicament?" The Queen turns to look out the long window behind the thrones, tilting her head slightly.

"You don't have to worry about looking for Sun-Mi," She decides, turning with a serene smile. "I'll be sending the hounds after her." She begins to laugh sinisterly, the laugh growing into an uncontrollable cackle that rings out across the throne room, making the hair on her daughter's arms stand. The air around the Queen has dropped by a couple degrees and an ominous presence can be felt around her. Ji-Eun slowly backs away from her mother, terrified of what's happening to her. "Sun-Mi won't even see it coming..."

~

The castle has been quite lonely since the morning. After talking with her mother, Ji-eun had taken off to the royal gardens at the center of the castle to review everything she witnessed about her mother. The way Queen has been acting lately had unsettled Ji-Eun and today just aroused those disturbing thoughts.

Most of the day had passed relatively quickly for her and she was already getting ready to turn in for the night when a suspicious noise caught her attention. She was in her chambers, humming a small tune, while combing through her hair, when she heard a shriek followed by a loud crash coming from one of the rooms in her hall. She was never one to be spooked by such sounds, not really a believer of ghosts, but something was just off. Ji-Eun tries to ignore it, continuing with getting ready for bed when a mother crash is heard echoing through the halls just beyond her bedroom door. She quietly puts her hairbrush down and puts on her cream-colored satin robe and slippers. Walking up to her door she looks back into her room wondering if she made up the noise, but something at the back of her mind prods her onward, so she opens the door.