Chapter 3: MISSING COURT-LADY & LOVE TENSION
Without a moment's hesitation, the prince leapt onto his horse and galloped oppositely toward the palace, the palace grounds were surrounded by a tall fence, with a large, imposing castle gate as the main entrance. However, the king's personal palace had an additional, smaller gate which provided an extra layer of defence for the royal family. This smaller gate was positioned in such a way that it could be easily defended in the event of an attack. The compound was laid out in the shape of a traditional Japanese pagoda, with the royal palace at the centre.
His mind racing, as he neared the gates, he noticed some courtesan are moving here and there all about but couldn't approach them, he continued his destination while he saw milady, which is prince Beckham's wife, he stopped the horse and bowed to her, on about to bridle it forward, he called and protested that "where's Delilah".
"I didn't see her among you, Milady", Your Highness, "We've been looking for her for the past eight hours, and we still haven't found her." Said Beckham's wife
"Have you informed the guards to search the woods and bushes behind the palace?" he replied.
"Yes, Your Highness," she replied. "We've looked everywhere, but she's nowhere to be found."
"Perhaps the king has sent her on an errand?" the prince suggested.
Prince Henry and the queen bowed to each other before he made his way to the palace gates. The guards had already opened the white gates, and he stepped through, admiring the beautiful architecture of the palace. He approached the door, where the eunuch called out, "Prince Henry is here, Your Majesty."
"Let him in," came the king's voice from within.
Prince Henry opened the door and bowed deeply to his father. Then, to his surprise, he saw his half-brother, Prince Beckham, sitting on a chair facing the king.
As Henry sat down on the sofa, he turned to his brother and said, "Prince Beckham, it's good to see you." Beckham nodded in acknowledgement.
"What brings you here so late?" asked the king. "I hope you're feeling well."
"I'm here to inform you of some news, Your Majesty," Henry replied. "It's about a courtesan who's gone missing this morning."
The king looked concerned. "Missing? What happened?.
The king looked shocked and worried. "You called the inspectors?" he asked. "Yes, Your Majesty," Henry replied. "They're still looking for her, but they haven't found any leads yet."
Just then, Prince Beckham spoke up. "Henry, what's your stake in this? Are you the inspector in charge of the investigation?"
"Be quiet, Beckham!" the king snapped. "You shouldn't be asking your brother such impertinent questions!" "So you know, henry, I wanted to ask you these, did you still possess your powers" said emperor as silence reign in the room, an intense of a slow respond "yes His Emperor".
"Well, that's a relief," the king said. "In that case, I want you to use your powers to examine all the suspects. I'm convinced that the culprit must be somewhere in the palace."
Prince Henry looked startled. "You want me to investigate the palace staff? Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. You know that I trusted you, son," the king said. "And I need this mystery solved as soon as possible."
"but I want you to start forth from here", as his brother eyes brow become widened because it was indeed not anticipated, Beckham heart increased in tempo, "what wrong brother, you got a beating heart instantly or brother don't tell me you know about these".
Prince Beckham's face turned pale with fear. He couldn't believe that his secret was about to be exposed. He tried to deny the accusation, but Henry spoke up before he could get a word out. "Prince Beckham raped the girl last night Dad", Beckham assaulted the courtesan and then wiped her. I know this because I can read minds, and I saw it all!"
The king was silent for a moment, absorbing the shocking news. "This is...unbelievable," he said, looking at his sons in disbelief.
"Now tell me Beckham is it true or not"
Prince Beckham's heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't think of any way to deny the accusation, and he knew that Henry's powers were real. He felt like he was trapped in a nightmare. "Father, please," he begged. "I didn't do it! I would never do such a thing!"
But the king was unmoved. "Enough! Guards, seize him!" he commanded.
The guards moved in, and before he could react, they had him in chains. "Take this brat and lock him up in the dungeon".
The guards were strong, but Prince Beckham was desperate. He thrashed and struggled, trying to break free from their grip. When one of them grabbed him by the shoulders, he swung his arm around and slapped the guard across the face.
For a moment, the room was completely silent. The slap had been heard by everyone, and they all stared in disbelief. The other guard immediately grabbed both of Prince Beckham's arms and held them behind his back.
"You will pay for this!" the king yelled. "Guards, take him to the dungeon!"
"You shall not have peace Henry" "I shall kill you and your family" said Beckham.
"Hey leave me now! Am the prince"
Prince Beckham's words fell on deaf ears. The guards ignored his threats and continued to drag him out of the room. He yelled and thrashed, but it was no use. They were too strong for him to fight back.
As they reached the dungeon, the guards unlocked the heavy iron door and threw Prince Beckham inside. The door slammed shut behind them, sealing him inside the dark, cold cell. He could hear the key turning in the lock, and he knew that there was no escape.
"You can't keep me here forever!" he yelled, banging on the door with his fists.
The guards didn't respond to Prince Beckham's threats. They simply walked away, leaving him alone in the dungeon. He could hear their footsteps echoing down the hall, and then silence. He was all alone, locked in a dark, cold cell.
The walls were made of stone, and the floor was hard and cold. The only light came from a small window high up on the wall, just out of reach. but as he sat there, his mind started to wander. He thought about his family, his friends, and the life he had before all of this. He remembered all the good times he had shared with them, and he felt a pang of sadness. He missed them so much. He missed his life, his freedom, and his home.
And then, he felt something else. A spark of anger. He was angry at the guards who had taken him prisoner. He was angry at the king who had ordered it. He was angry at the world for allowing this to happen.
*****
Back to the palace, "Guard!" he called out. "Yes, my liege?" the guard replied.
"Torture him until he confesses," he ordered. "It's an order."
"As you command, my Emperor," the guard said, bowing low.
As the guard left to carry out the order, the Emperor looked at his son. "You know, I'm getting to the end of my reign. I'm aging, and my health is failing.
"No papa! You can't leave yet", he replied, "my son, I can't continue to rule this kingdom forever, so, I want you to be my successor son, I know you have the ability to do so", "but papa!" insisting as his father coughed out "Coughing!!", "take care papa".
He quickly stood up and rushed to help him. "You need to rest now, and you must have expended a lot of energy earlier," he said, leading his father to his room and laying him on his bed. "Thank you, my son," his father said. "I appreciate your concern."
"I'm going now, Father," Henry replied. "Please take care."
His father nodded, and Henry left the room. He walked down the hallway, lost in thought. The events of the day had been overwhelming, and he felt a little sense of sadness.
Henry nodded and turned towards the door. He hurried out to the stables, where his horse was waiting. He saddled the horse and mounted it, riding out the gate and down the road towards his home. It was a minute's ride, but he finally reached the front door.
"Hello dear," his wife said, as he entered the house. "How did it go?"
"The suspect has been arrested," he said, removing his hat. "Oh I see, where kid is? they are still sleeping, okay".
"I'm in a good mood today," he said, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind. "Let's go inside and take a nap together."
"You're too old for that?" she teased. "What if I told you I'm just getting younger every day in my 50th years of age" he said with a mischievous grin.
"Oh, you're so funny," she said, laughing. "Are you serious about this?"
"Well, maybe I'm not quite that young, but I'm definitely still full of energy," he replied, giving her a gentle squeeze.
He brushed his fingers through her silky black hair, admiring her radiant beauty. Her skin was the colour of milk chocolate, smooth and flawless. Her face was like a calm ocean, full of mystery and depth.
"You're really too kind," she said, her cheeks turning pink. "Are you just being poetic, or do you really mean it?"
"I mean every word," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. "You're more beautiful than any words could ever describe."
"I like your lips," he said softly, gazing into her eyes.
"Why is that?" she asked, curious.
"They're pink, like a flower," he said, "and full, like a berry."
She blushed, her cheeks turning a rosy pink. "Thank you," she said, smiling. "But what are you going to do about it?"
He leaned in close, his eyes locked on hers and pressed so slowly, in a couple of a second, shiver ran into their spin which makes him more eager to pressed hardly but for the interjections of their son, Solomon
"Papa!! Papa!!"The child's voice echoed through the house, but his parents were too lost in the moment to hear him. He ran to the sitting room and opened the door, calling out again. This time, they heard him, and their hearts sank as they realized what had happened. They quickly stood up from the couch, but their son height denied him from seeing the scene beautifully,
"Papa, I'm bored," the child said, his voice full of longing.
The father moved toward him, but the mother stopped him, her eyes narrowed. "Let him learn to entertain himself," she said. "You don't want him to grow up spoiled, do you?"
"Of course not," the father replied. "But he's just a child. We should give him some attention."
"We can't spoil him," the mother insisted. "He'll be a brat if we do."
The child looked from one parent to the other, not understanding the tension between them.
"Papa! I'd want to you become the Emperor because I want to be addressed in my school as prince sooner", said Solomon, "mmm why are you so filled with wisdom Solomon", as his mother interfere while still bonding is scattered hair, "wait until the time tells" in a grievous word.
Confess right now or I will surely kill you...….
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