Chapter 50- Desire

Chapter 50: Chapter 50- Desire

Chapter 50- Desire

Venera headed back to the palace through the empty streets of the capital. The capital, which is usually filled with movement and life, was now as quiet as ever. She stared outside, her mind wandering away.

’There has to be a way to know where they went. My father must have an answer that will lead me to their hiding spot.’ Venera thought to herself as she closed her eyes for a second. ’It can’t be that far away since they were able to enter our city and hide their weapons or...

Suddenly, it struck Venera. Wait, how were they able to get all their weapons and several large bombs into the city without anybody feeling suspicious of it? That didn’t make sense at all. The Royal Knights aren’t some idiots; they are highly trained individuals.

Not noticing something as obvious as that sounds highly unlikely, almost impossible. The more she thought about it, the more Venera felt that something was very off.

"Yelena." She looked at Yelena. "How likely do you think it is that they were able to get into the capital with all those weapons and bombs?"

"..." Yelena frowned as she looked at her princess. "You also noticed that, your highness? Yeah, no, it is impossible that they could’ve escaped our eyes if we were truly looking."

"Does that mean...?" Venera looked at her with a dark expression.

"They have either bribed their way into the capital or... The higher chance... Someone gave them a helping hand." Yelena said.

"Someone..." Venera muttered as she clenched her fists. "Someone who wants to take my father down. He helped them execute this attack to steer the people’s opinions against the king."

"I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the case. Your father has a lot of enemies, within the capital and within our ranks too. Not everyone agrees with him." Yelena said. "However... For them to go this far to take him down. I don’t think that ever happened before."

’They’re not particularly hesitant about killing innocent people if it means getting to their goal. That is the most dangerous kind of individual.’ Yelena’s eyes turned sharp.

This traitor, whoever they were, had a thorough understanding of the political state of the nation, and this attack was very clearly their way to damage the king’s reputation. It was extremely smart and well planned.

Even if it appeared as if it failed on the surface, the damage had already been done. Much more than one could even imagine.

"Yelena... Whoever did this... They will pay for it." Venera said. "The blood of those innocent people is on his shoulders."

"..." Yelena stared at the princess with a serious expression. "They will. They can’t hide for long. Soon enough, their head will emerge."

"And I will take it," Venera replied coldly. The image of those dead people would be engraved in her mind forever. On top of that, they had put someone she considered close to her in danger and kidnapped him.

This was now very personal, and Venera wasn’t going to let them get away with what they wanted.

Eventually, the car made it back to the palace. Venera left it immediately and rushed inside to the stairs. She headed to the floor where her father’s office was. Upon reaching it, she was immediately stopped by the guards standing at the door.

"Let me pass. I need to talk to my father." Venera said.

"We cannot, Your Highness. His Majesty is in an emergency meeting at the moment."

"I do not care. Move out of the way." Venera said coldly.

"He instructed us not to let anyone in, Your Highness. Please..." The guard said with a difficult expression on his face.

"I need to talk to him. It’s something extremely important. Just let me in; don’t worry, he won’t do anything to you." Venera said.

"..."

The two looked at each other, searching for an answer. They didn’t know whether they should let her in or not, as the King could get extremely mad, especially in such delicate situations that required his entire focus. However, before they could answer, Venera had already pushed her way through and walked into the room.

Inside, she found her father sitting at the head of the table with many men and women sitting on both sides as they talked in a heated atmosphere.

The moment she walked in, everyone looked at her and went silent. Seeing the princess, covered in blood and scratches, made them frown deeply. Everyone sitting around that table was the most important Generals and officials of the nation.

They were the people who made the decisions and were also considered some of the strongest awakened in the world.

"Venera." Theodore looked at her. "You’re back."

"Yes, and we need to talk now," Venera said. "I have been there, and I saw everything."

"I’m aware. I’m truly glad you’re ok. Yelena did a good job, as always." Theodore said.

"That isn’t the matter now. We need to talk about something important. I know the identity of these individuals."

"Oh?"

"She does?"

"Your Highness..."

The officials erupted into heated whispers again when they heard that part. They hadn’t received information about their identity yet, so they were as shocked as everyone else.

"..." Theodore adjusted his seat as he looked at her. "Go on. Who are they?"

"The Zathari. I have heard them say that name." Venera said. "Who are these people?"

Silence instantly fell on the entire place. Nobody uttered a single word as if they were too stunned to speak. The looks on their faces changed rapidly, and the atmosphere became intense... In a subtle, eerie way.

Theodore’s eyebrows furrowed even harder as he clenched his fingers. "The Zathari? Are you sure about that, Venera?"

"Yes. I have heard them speak about it. I’m here for an explanation, Father. Who are these people? And why do they carry hatred toward the Royal Family?" She asked.

But the king didn’t reply immediately as he exhaled a long breath and stood up from his seat before walking to the window. "You’re not at the age where you will understand such matters, Venera. Leave it be."

"No, this matter concerns me," Venera replied. "They have kidnapped Rize."

"Hm?" Theodore turned around and looked at her. "The boy? Why?"

"He singlehandedly stopped their plans and killed one of their awakened fighters. I need to know where they took him, and I think if I know what they are, I will locate them."

"..."

"What?"

"Rize? Is it..."

"The new boy they hired to guard her highness, I heard."

"We have a hostage case too?"

"This is getting messy."

The reactions varied from surprise to intrigue to apathy. The boy was not that important.

"He won’t be alive for long, Venera. Finding him will be hard." Theodore said. "When things calm down, I will find someone else who-"

"No. I know what I want, and I’m planning to save him." Venera spoke with a cold, threatening tone. Hearing the dismissal in Theodore’s voice irked her, but she kept control over her emotions well.

"You won’t find him in time, Venera. These people are violent and bloodthirsty. That boy will be lucky if he survives for more than a day."

Venera stared at him for a second before she clenched her fists and turned around to leave. Then, suddenly, she stopped and said.

"I guess you don’t need to know that someone sitting around this table could potentially be a traitor... Suit yourself."