Chapter 292: Mist At The Gate
"A Forest Fae?" Samantha’s tired eyes snapped wide upon listening to her pet plant speak. Her expression was laced with perplexity, but strangely, her pet plant refused to continue from where it stopped.
It seemed as if it lost the courage to continue.
’Master is tired, Viney will explain everything when Master wakes up.’ her pet plant folded itself with its tendrils, and Samantha couldn’t deny that her eyes were heavy with sleep. But was it safe to fall asleep in the middle of nowhere? What if the guards return? Falling asleep in a place like this was equivalent to putting her life at risk for the second time, what if–
’Viney will keep Master safe.’ her pet plant assured her once more, sensing her fear and caution. ’Viney’s number one priority is to keep Master safe.’ It added. The plant had actually thought of finding a more comfortable spot for her to lay her head on, but sensing the low rate of her body’s energy, it knew she had to get some rest before they could move on. If she didn’t get any rest, she was more likely to pass out.
Samantha leaned back on the vessel, her eyes gazing at the sky above, allowing the sun rays to kiss her face. When she fell asleep with tears in her eyes, she hardly knew, and all she could think about before drifting off to sleep was if Ivan was fine as well. If they had taken her from the Palace, was there a possibility that they harmed her husband? The thought left a burden in her heart, and she could only hope that he was fine, including everyone else.
—
"You’re going by yourself?" Abdiel was quick to stop Ivan who had single-handedly prepared himself for the long journey to the South. Since the day of his wife’s disappearance, it felt like he no longer knew Ivan, because the boy whom he had trained to be able to seal his heart and emotions was long gone. All those times when he was called a lunatic for acting so whim, Abdiel never really saw it until now.
They stopped at the threshold past the vestibules, and the servants had cleared from that vicinity to give them some privacy.
"You are King!" Abdiel was forced to remind him of his duties, grabbing his shoulder and giving him a shake that would make him come back to his senses. "What do you think will happen if you go there alone? Stepping into the land of the enemies by yourself? Do you wish to die?"
"I don’t know, is there a difference?" Ivan answered softly, his voice distant and soberly dry, "I only want my wife back and I’m going to get her back. I’m not living at this point, Uncle, I’m just not dying. I can’t think straight and I don’t want a life like that. My whole existence revolves around that woman and I can’t live without her in it. You can’t change my mind, not today– to make it clear, there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop me from leaving." He said with finality, his tone dropping to a gravelly edge.
"I understand your pain." Abdiel’s eyes glittered with a sinister resolve, and he dared to try once more. "You blame yourself for her disappearance and I understand how you must feel, but you cannot abandon your duties to the kingdom. Why don’t we devise a plan to locate the Queen and ensure the stability of our rule? We have enough formidable guards to send the South, you don’t have to go there."