Crown Princess Lyra Belle de Anemoi
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Chapter 27
One day before Princess Astrid comes to Helios for Prince Dylan's birthday;
"Do you understand what I just said?"
Lyra spoke with determination and firmness as she ordered the four young age maids standing in a line in front of her, who bowed their heads at Lyra's words.
Suddenly another maid came rushing and bowed while apologizing to Lyra,
"Please forgive me for my tardiness, your highness. I was away to buy some stuff."
"It's all right. I am glad you're here. Just ask the others for guidance and they'll inform you of what I just ordered. If there's anything suspicious, come to me."
"Yes, your highness."
The maid bows as her expression suddenly changes to a frown full of confusion. She glanced at her colleagues and inquired,
"Suspicious?"
Sighting Lyra leaves, they turn to address her questions.
"Yes, her Highness ordered that nothing from Duke and Duchess Nabal should come in contact with his King."
"Whether it's food or even gifts such as articles of clothing or jewels, nothing can come from there."
"If they do send something, just throw it away."
"Oh my! I always knew those two were suspicious!"
"I bet they are planning to hurt his majesty in some way or another."
"I am glad our Crown Princess is so sharp! She will never let those hooligans hurt our King."
"Agreed!"
They all nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Lyra was trying to figure out in what ways had her father come under the curse of black magic. She needed to find the source.
It was not long that Lyra had given the order, had a maid came rushing to her.
"Your Highness! I think his majesty was almost going to be poisoned!"
The maid exclaimed as she rushed into Lyra's palace just short of 5 hours after Lyra had given the order.
"What do you mean?"
"Please come with me as I will explain to you on the way."
Lyra along with Solon and Delilah quickly got up and followed after her.
On the way, the maid explained everything;
"Just around two hours ago, Duke and Duchess had sent tea for his majesty. However, as you ordered, we were about to throw it away. But Duchess Medea insisted that we make the tea using the tea powder given to us as it will be good for his health. However, we knew there must be something wrong. So we swapped the teas, and threw out the one Duchess Medea had given."
"Oh, that's wonderful!"
"Thank you for doing that. I can tell that tea was the problem?"
"Yes, just now Kylie (the maid) was about to throw out the trash when she saw a stray dog licking the tea. After merely taking a few sips of it, the dog ended up coughing blood. We have taken the dog to the veterinary doctor, however, we took the tea powder as we presume there must be something in it!"
Lyra immediately hugged the maid which comes as a surprise to her.
"Thank you so much for this!"
Flustered the maid replied humbly,
"It was nothing, your highness. Anything for the royal family."
Lyra smiled at her fondly as her expression turned solemn when she turned to Solon.
"Solon, take the powder and take it to Gayle at once."
Solon nods and runs off.
Lyra then starts heading towards meeting her father.
She was walking along the inner corridors of the main palace in tranquillity; the same one where she had looked in the mirror with a slap print across her face.
Suddenly she hears whispers and murmurs like a fly's buzz that creeps into her ear.
Following the source of the noise, she ends up at an intersection where on the other side of the wall, stood Medea along with Hubris, Karen, and Wily.
"Mother, what are we going to do?"
"Time is passing by, and she will soon turn twenty."
"We can't let this happen. Not on our watch. We need to get rid of her."
Medea who was quiet spoke up as she cunningly moved her eyes,
"Now now, I heard something quite interesting. It seems that Dylan is interested in marrying that girl."
Upon hearing Dylan's name, Lyra's eyes go round. However she continues to eavesdrop,
Scoffing Karen remarked,
"He has such poor taste. It is too good that I rejected him."
"But mother, how is that good for us?"
"Think about it. What happens if she gets married to a prince from another country? She will have to go there with him. That solves our problem."
"Oh my! You are so brilliant, Mother!"
"Technically he can come here as well so it is not much of a plan."
Wily added to which the rest groaned.
"Mother, can't you give her the special tea like you're giving to Uncle?"
"It is hard. She lives in another palace."
"And we don't need to get rid of just one person. We need to get rid of two."
"I got it! We can use Anthrax!"
"What's that?"
"It's a rare special poison. Makes one feel sick and then it is not after they get better that their body stops working and they die. It has no cure and we can give it to her through everything."
"How about putting it on the door of her room or her palace?"
"We could try that."
"I have a better idea! Put it in her shoes!"
"Put what in whose shoes?"
Lyra who had just about enough of hearing them devising a plot to assassinate her and her sister, jumped into their conversation as she glared at every one of them.
"Were you eavesdropping?"
"That's not a habit a future queen should have."
Lyra laughed sarcastically in response,
"Funny coming that from you. You don't even consider me as the future queen. Am I right? So tell me again, how are you going to kill me and my sister?"
"We have no idea what you are talking about."
The three shrugged in return except for Hubris. He had been quiet throughout their conversation and continued to remain idle which was sort of unusual coming from him.
"You dare to plot to kill the royal family and your future queen inside the main palace. Do you wish to die so sooner? This is an act of treason which is punishable by death."
"Oh shut up!"
"We did no such things."
"Oh, really then what's anthrax?"
"What would we know? You're the one who just said its name."
"What a bunch of pathetic liars."
Lyra muttered under her breath
"What did you just say? Why don't you say that louder to our face?"
Medea bellowed to which Lyra sharply retorted,
"Does it matter if I say it to your face? Whether I call you liars in front or behind your face, you will remain as a liar."
"Oh right? What have I ever lied to you about?"
"What have you never lied about?"
Lyra sharply commented. Normally she would have backed down, but today she was so annoyed that she was willing to let it all out. Therefore the more they talked, the more their voices started being raised,
"Oh is that how you're going to be? Is this how you repay me for all that I've done for you?"
"Ha! What have you ever done for me? Nothing. And the things you just said now, you better keep it in that damn empty plot of yours which you call a brain, you will pay for all of this!"
"You have no evidence! It is four against one."
"Just admit your defeat and apologize."
"Apologise? For what? You're the one who should be begging on their knees, pleading for their lives, and apologizing. Don't think you will get away with insulting the crown princess."
"You...bitch....do you think you will end up becoming a queen? That's just your delusions."
"I am of pure royal blood. Unlike you who desperately wished to be a queen, so much so she wanted to marry the crown prince but since that didn't work, she ended up marrying his brother instead."
Hubris, Wily, and Karen stared at the flushed-red Medea who angrily screamed,
"Shut up! Like I said you are delusional! A fucking pet, a dog that should never bite its owner! I am the one who left my duchy to come to raise you two girls! I am the one who handled everything in the inner palace when that poor pathetic of an excuse slut mother left you. It was I who was there for you. No one else. Only I!"
Lyra angrily walked closer to Medea as she glared,
"Watch your mouth! Or I'll have your tongue out!"
"Is that so? Then go ahead! I would like to see you try! You are nothing but a princess in name, you can never become a queen!"
"Guards!"
Upon this Mika and Vile who are always secretly following and protecting Lyra came forward as they placed their swords in front of Medea.
Startled, Medea screamed,
"You bitch! Did you call the guards? Do you think I will get scared of this? This is going to work? Go ahead! Please do it! I would like to see how your father approves of this!"
Upon this, Lyra's face flinches as she then goes,
"I too would like to see his reaction when he finds out about the tea you give him."
"Oh get over it. You have no proof, no evidence. People tried investigating your mother's death but look where did that get them? Nothing."
"....what?"
Lyra's eyes go out of focus, as she hears a tinnitus sound ringing in her ears. Her actions were not her own as she left her emotions to take over her and slapped Medea hard. She then grabs her by the collar and says,
"I dare you to utter those words again. Did you just say you killed my mother?"
"You! How dare you slap me?"
She grabs Lyra's hair and Lyra in return grabs her neck.
The guards surprised, are about to use their swords on Medea when suddenly a deep rough yet breathy voice roams the hallway,
"What in the world is going on here?"
Upon this Medea and Lyra let go of each other and turn to find King Derek there.
"Father...!"
Lyra spoke as she went to him but he raised his hand to stop her.
"Did you know the whole palace could hear the echoes of your brawl? What happened? Why were you two fighting?"
"I'll tell you!"
Medea spoke to which Lyra interrupted,
"No, I can tell him."
"No one will tell me. I don't care what happened. I just want to know who started the fight."
"She did."
Medea said to which Karen added,
"Yes. Lyra suddenly came up and started arguing with Mother and even slapped her!"
"Lyra..."
"I can explain! She said that-"
Before Lyra could say anything, King Derek demanded,
"Instantly apologize to your aunt! She is an elder! How dare you raise your hand at someone who is around the age of your mother? No matter the argument, you never should have raised your hand first! I expected better from you. Apologize this instantly!"
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Crown Princess Lyra Belle de Anemoi