That night, Esther was waiting for her husband to appear in her chamber as usual. One of his aides came by earlier to inform her that he was still in his office, busy working over a couple of important kingdom-related matters, and that she should head to sleep without waiting for him. However, she continued to wait for him. She had long gotten used to sleeping in his arms and didn’t mind staying up late to welcome him back from work.

While staring at the dark sky, she suddenly sensed something alarming coming in the direction of the most important part of the royal palace, the Grand Palace. She sensed a familiar yet foreign energy, the kind that reminded her of the previous attacks made against her husband.

Esther’s face turned grim as she grabbed the robe hanging nearby. Just today she talked with Lady Tyra about assassination attempts on King Theron, and now, it had already started. Without hesitation, she used her powers and disappeared from her bedchamber.

—–

Inside his study, King Theron was signing the last batch of documents piled up on his desk, while his aides hurried about to arrange the signed papers on another table. Only one person was idle inside the large office, and it was his personal escort, Sir Galien, who was now promoted as the commander of royal knights along with his liege’s coronation as the new king.

Just as King Theron turned to his aide to bring in a fresh pot of hot tea, they heard some noise beyond the door as well as the voice of the knight standing outside.

“Who are you?! Tell your identity?!”

There was a sound of swords being pulled out of their scabbards, but eerie silence followed the scuffle. His face alert, Sir Galien immediately unsheathed his sword as well.

“Your Majesty, stay here. I will check.” Sir Gallien strode towards the door, but even before he could touch the door handle, that heavy door slammed open with a strong force. The knight was knocked off his feet and was thrown several feet behind.

King Theron stood up from his chair, his hand already grabbing his sword. Entering the study was a man in a hooded black robe with a long staff in his hand. It was strange attire that he could recognize anywhere, although almost two years had passed since the war against Thevailes. Gut feeling was telling him that although it wasn’t the same person, they were the same kind of people.

‘The one with a strange invisible attack!’

King Theron gripped his sword tightly with clammy hands while he looked at Sir Gallien to check if he was fine. His knight was sprawled on the floor unconscious, but he looked alive. He could easily guess that all the guards outside must either be heavily injured or dead because no one was coming inside despite the noise. He returned his full attention to that mysterious hooded man whose entire face was covered, and only his dark eyes were visible, staring at him the way a predator looks at its prey.

‘He’s here to kill me.’

Not only King Theron was thinking that way. Even his aides who were pure scholars knew that too. Yet despite not being able to wield a sword, they took the weapons hanging on the walls with brave faces.

“Protect His Majesty even at the cost of our lives!”

Just then, the hooded man raised his hands in his direction. King Theron saw an energy spear forming between his hands out of thin air. During the previous attack at the battlefield, he saw the assassin moving his hands the same way, but at that time, he could neither see nor understand what kind of attack it was. He only knew something invisible injured him. Ever since his recovery, he had tried to recall how the attack happened countless times. It had been a puzzle to him ever since, what that man was doing with his hands. But this time he realized what it was.

‘Magic?’

Amidst King Theron’s shock, the energy spear was thrown to him with a speed no human eyesight could catch, and the young king instinctively crossed his hands in front of his body. What happened next was something no one foresaw.

The energy spear reached King Theron, but it was as if it hit an invisible barrier, and it reverted back with an even greater speed towards the hooded man. The strengthened attack hit that mysterious intruder who was thrown out of the study with a crash.

Prince Theron could not understand what happened. Stunned,  he looked at his hands and saw the blue beaded bracelet given to him by Esther giving off a dull glow.  Gritting his teeth, he ran towards the door to catch that man, but other than the injured royal guards on the floor, no one else was around.

“Gather the first and second knight brigades and tell them to search the area. Send the injured to the royal pharmacy,” he ordered his aides upon returning to his study. “Lock the gates of the palace until the assassin is found!”

“As per your order, Your Majesty!”

Afterwards, he checked the condition of Sir Galien. Though his guardian knight was unconscious, he appeared to be in no life-threatening situation. Soon, the royal knights came to handle the rest of the situation. Since their commander was unconscious, the vice-commander took charge and King Theron returned to his residence under the escort of double the number of knights.

The young king could only sigh. Despite the strengthened security, he was sure this time too they would not be able to catch that mysterious hooded man.

After cleaning himself up, King Theron came to Esther’s chamber like he did every night. Even without the assassination attempt, it was an incredibly exhausting day, and all he wanted to do now was embrace his wife and sleep. She was his shelter after where he could rest without worrying or thinking about anything.

When he entered her bed chamber, King Theron was surprised to find his lovely wife still awake. “It is late. Didn’t I tell you to not wait for me?”

Esther gave him a beautiful smile. “But I cannot sleep without you, Theron.”

Though Esther had many thoughts in her mind, she didn’t wish to show it to her husband.

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