Chapter 10: A Cry For Help
The guards quickly arrived at the palace. Without wasting a second, they carried Ivan straight to his chambers. Immediately, the entire atmosphere changed. Servants scattered, and physicians started trooping in one by one, carrying boxes of herbs and cloth, all moving swiftly to attend to him.
Not long after, King Vladimir rushed in, his face hard with concern. Queen Olga arrived beside him, her eyes wide. Leonid came running too, his eyes already filled with tears.
"Is he okay?" Leonid cried, clinging to his mother’s arm. "Will he be alright?"
The physician looked up briefly. "He’s alive. He will wake up soon. But he needs to rest. The wound was deep but not fatal."
The king said nothing. He simply stood there, staring at Ivan in silence. After a few minutes, he turned and walked out, heading straight to the throne room.
There, he asked the head guard in a calm but cold voice, "What happened?"
The guard stepped forward. "Your Majesty... it was an assassination attempt. Someone tried to kill the Grand Duke. Luckily, he was saved and treated quickly."
He paused before continuing. "The rebel... the one from the prison. He escaped. It has to be someone powerful who helped him. But the rebel is dead. The Grand Duke killed him during the attack."
The king was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Whoever saved him—reward them with whatever they desire. I want no hesitation."