Queen Without Crown

Chapter 67 Murder

Queen Gita was sitting holding her baby in the gazebo when her two personal servants, Esme and Talitha, came in pale faces. They immediately delivered a news that was being hotly discussed in the Elfian Kingdom.

"Now, Your Majesty, there was another murder last night! " Talitha reported.

"Homicide? " Tell Queen Gita.

"Series murders more precisely." Answer Esme.

"That means more than one case? "

"More than one identical murder case. Probably done by the same person." Esme again.

"Or monster! " Talitha.

"The monster? " Queen Gita frowned.

"Because only monsters can do such a thing. The victims were killed in a very inhumane way." Talitha spoke with fury.

"It is said that the victims died in a state of body torn to shreds until they were drained of blood and there were some organs missing." Esme spoke with a terrified mimic.

"It's awful! " Queen Gita flinched.

"And strangely enough, all the victims who were killed were already marked. " Esme's voice was somewhat shrill, making Queen Gita curious.

"marked? "

"Yes. Reportedly, in the bodies of the victims there are wounds that resemble fish scales. "

"Fish scales? "

"In the necks of the victims were fish scales attached. "

"I think the killer is a fishmonger." Talitha tried to guess.

"What are you talking about? " The voice of King Satria suddenly startled them.

Esme and Talitha immediately bowed respectfully then left the place.

"Ah, have you come? I talked to them to kill time." Queen Gita smiled at her husband.

"Da. and..! " Juwita's baby jumped on his mother's lap as soon as he saw his father coming.

"You're so happy to see me, my dear" King Satria lifted the baby's body and carried it.

"Is the rumor true? About serial murder? " Queen Gita tried to confirm the rumors.

"Yes. My employees have tried to solve the case but have not succeeded. It seems like he disappeared without a trace. "

"Is it possible that the perpetrator of the murder was not human? "

"Don't trust gossip too much!" King Satria chuckled and ruffled his wife's hair in a fit of anxiety.

"I'll investigate the case and I'll catch the culprit soon! "

"I hope you're careful, baby! " The woman rests her head on her husband's arm.

"I'll be careful. "

*****

The black clouds that had been hanging since then, now began to drip water when the Prince Gaurav's entourage reached the prairie Masserjarvi. It is located between the Kingdom of Alsatia and Nord. To reach the Alsatian palace, they needed another hour.

Their journey should not take that long if they were riding at a normal speed.

"We need to find shelter immediately." Prince Gaurav said, as soon as he felt a drop of water fall on his hand.

"You see there's no house in this place. Where are we gonna take shelter? " Tanya Eldrige.

"You wait here, I'll check this place out. "

Prince Gaurav got off his horse and walked through the grass at waist level. His shadow disappeared behind the fog that began to fall as the man's body grew farther away.

Princess Elok descends from the horse assisted by Eldrige. They then sat under a dense, leafy olive tree that grew by the side of the road.

It was then that a speck of green light suddenly appeared in front of them. The air was torn and out came a teenage girl who had a bow on her back.

"Faye's? " Eldrige was surprised.

"Queen Malea sent me to take you to Lucshire right now. There's something urgent!"

"But I can't leave the Elok Princess alone." Deny Eldrige.

"It's okay Eldrige, Prince Gaurav will be back soon. You go! " Elok's daughter felt bad because she prevented Eldrige from meeting the Queen of the fairies.

"Are you sure? " Eldrige really could not bear to leave Princess Elok alone in that place.

"Yes Eldrige, go! " The woman convinced Eldrige.

"Okay, Princess, I go first. Be careful!" Eldrige looked at the Elokite Princess with worry.

Eldrige follows Faye who disappears in a dimensional hole. Princess Elok was speechless looking at the spark that disappeared in the air.

Little long Princess Elok awaits the arrival of Prince Gaurav. The drizzle has stopped since. While closing her coat, the woman sharpened her eyes trying to penetrate the fog but was invisible to anyone.

"Why are you alone here? " A voice surprised him.

Princess Elok turned around and found a black-haired man with bare chest. The man's hair and body were wet. He's like out of rain. Water dripping from her hair drenched her slender and muscular body.

The man's face was very handsome and his eyes were soft yet sharp. It was as if there was a mystical aura that made the Elok Princess feel both scared and captivated.

"I'm not alone." Replied the Eloquent Princess with trembling lips and her legs stepped back.

"I don't see anyone else here, where's your friend? " The man moved his eyes in all directions.

"He was looking for shelter. "

"There's no house around here." The man smiled as he looked at the Eloquent Princess who looked fragile yet wary.

"You can come to my house, it's pretty comfortable there." That man's smile was charming.

"No, thank you." The woman refused his offer.

"Oh, come. I'm not gonna hurt you."

The man's voice was very sweet and soothing. Princess Elok wanted to believe the man's words.

"Come on! " The man extended his hand to the Elegant Princess.

Like a spell, the woman welcomed her helping hand and followed the stranger. They walked away from the main road, through the wet grass.

"Where are you taking me? "

"To my house." The man whispered right in his ear.

They continued walking on the wet grass amidst the fog. Princess Elok felt her feet getting colder and wet as if they were entering into a pool. But he had no power to refuse or stop following the mysterious man.

Now Princess Elok even felt her dress wet to the chest and her breathing began to tight as if water was pressing on her chest. But his steps did not stop and followed the man.

The Eloquent Princess felt like she was beginning to sink, her eyes could even see now that she was surrounded by murky water. The Elok Princess could not prevent the water that began to enter her mouth. Now his breath feels broken.

Suddenly a pair of hands pulled him firmly. His hand held off from the man he had just met. He felt his body drift.

"Elock! "

The woman felt her body being shaken and her ears vaguely caught the sound of someone calling her name. But he wasn't sure who called him.

"Wake, please! "

Wasn't that voice very familiar to her ears? Princess Elok wanted to say but her chest was tight and her throat was choked.

"Elock! "

His chest felt pressed many times and it felt very painful. He felt his nose clamped and made his mouth automatically open. Her cold, almost numb lips suddenly felt something warm sticking up. He felt a gust of air repeatedly enter his mouth.

Princess Elok felt her chest turbulent and wanted to cough. Then his mouth spewed water a few times. As much as she tried to open her closed eyes, but it felt very difficult.

His open mouth felt something warm sticking up and exhaled air towards his lungs several times.

This time the oxygen flowing through his mouth began to resuscitate him. Slowly his eyes opened and faintly stared at the face that was very close and almost touched it.

"You're sober? "

His voice sounded anxious. The man's eyes also implied the same thing. The Elok Princess could only look at him. His body felt weak without power.

"I'm glad you survived." The man stroked his wet hair.

Princess Elok was stunned to see Prince Gaurav's sudden warm and friendly demeanor. The man then helped her sit up and leaned the head of the Elok Princess on her chest, clinging to her clothes that were also drenched.

A moment later the black clouds marched away in the wind and the sunlight again illuminated the earth. The fog began to disappear and showed a wide view of the lake in the middle of the meadow.

"Why did you get into that lake? " Task Prince Gaurav.

"I didn't know there was a lake." Princess Elok replied in a rather hoarse voice.

"Then why are you there? Where's Eldrige? "

"Eldrige's gone. She was called to meet Queen Malea in Lucshire."

"Next time don't ever leave without my permission again! "

Prince Gaurav then raised the body of Princess Elok and carried her. His wide steps left a trail of pauses on the wet ground.

Without them realizing there was a figure that appeared in the middle of the lake. The black-haired man and the clayy body were now watching their departure with cold eyes.

After watching, he jumped into the lake and showed his half-fish features. His movement created a big splash in the middle of the lake.