Fear gripped Isadora’s heart at the mere thought of Alexander’s death. She shook her head in denial as if that would change the fact that she would be the cause of his death. Yes. Hadn’t she accepted that dagger from King Griffin, all this would not have happened. But then why.. why was she afraid of his death instead of rejoicing? It was her sole mission and the reason why she came here. She couldn’t even imagine it. She, a whole princess, of a strong kingdom at that disguised as her maid. Where was her will and intent to kill gone to? Why was all this happening to her? Her heart and mind was now a mix of confusion.

The knight spat at her reaction before he turned around to leave.

"Wait!" She called him again angering him to the core. He turned around giving her a hard glare that made Isadora to swallow nervously. Maybe it is not a good idea to talk to him, she thought.

"What the hell do you want? You are wasting my time now. Speak up!" He ordered making her face to shine with some hope.

"I want you to inform Lord Richard that I wish to speak to him," she said as fast as she could. The knight just looked at her in disdain before he said.

"Do you think the king’s advisor will show up in a stinking dungeon just to talk with a maid, one who poisoned the crown prince at that?" Isadora was taken aback by his statement. Had the rumors already spread? That fast! Of course all that was thanks to her fellow maids. Maids that hated her for being Alexander’s personal maid. They looked at her as if she had stolen something precious from their lives, but she understood why.

Imagine someone showing up where you have been working for almost ten years hoping to gain a promotion, and then that person immediately gets promoted the day he reports to work. Of course you’ll be jealous and always look at them in disdain. That was the case for the other maids. So the reason for hating Isadora went without saying. No one would not want to become the crown prince’s personal maid. That in itself was an honor in a maid’s life.

"Just tell him that it’s me and he’ll know what to do." Isadora said flatly. Of course she knew that Lord Richard would come especially now that she knew his secret. He wouldn’t dare provoke her feelings lest the news about him and the queen spread like a wild fire.

The knight just scoffed before he left. Isadora just wished and prayed that he would convey her message. Prisoners were treated badly. She had witnessed it in her own kingdom. Even their family members had to bribe the knights in order to see their locked up loved ones. She wondered if the situation was the same in Valoria. Maybe it wasn’t, she hoped.

She slouched down on the cellar as her gaze landed on the substance on the metal plate. Her stomach was screaming for attention but she didn’t have the appetite. But still, she needed to eat something. She reached for the plate and held the solid substance. Gods! It was hard. How was one even supposed to eat such a hard substance. She surveyed it and she could tell that it was a baked cake. But a baked cake would always be soft. Did that mean that it was kept for days before it was given to the prisoners? Her eyes widened in realization.

Another knight came in with another plate and placed it in front of a cellar adjacent to Isadora’s. She looked up and spotted a man seated by the corner of the cellar. He quickly rushed for the food and held the plate for dear life as if someone would snatch it from him. But Isadora was sure there was no one else in his cellar.

She watched closely as the man dipped the cake in water and waited for it to soften. Once it was soft enough, he removed it and enjoyed his meal as if he cared for nothing else in the world. Isadora scolded herself. Why couldn’t she think about that before. She dipped her cake in water and waited for it to soften as she lay on the ground staring at the man in fascination. He was eating his cake in a manner that made her uncomfortable. The man could even choke himself anytime and die.

The man glanced at her and the moment their eyes met, he stiffened and paused his eating. He stared at Isadora with an expression she could not fathom before he resumed his chewing as if he had not seen her in the first place. Isadora studied him. He was very skinny, probably due to lack of food. His hair was grey meaning that he was advanced in age and his face was wrinkled, eyes settling deep in their pockets. They were languid and blue, as if lifeless but in those eyes lay many hidden secrets. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The main door to the dungeon creaked open and the knight from earlier stepped in. He talked to the other one who had brought food to the old man and as they talked, they threw furtive glances at her. The other knight nodded and left. The one who had just entered neared where Isadora’s cellar was and he inserted keys on the lock making he to stand up startled.

All kind of thoughts ran across Isadora’s mind as the knight searched for a key in the bunch he was holding. Gods! What did he want to do to her? She had seen the way they were looking at her as they talked earlier and she could only guess for the worst. Rape! That was the word that registered in her mind. They wanted to rape her! She promised she would scream but thinking of where the dungeon was located, would anyone even hear her. When she was being led here, they had taken a twist of mazes before they arrived, including tunnels and underground basements.

"Got you," the knight said as he lifted a key from among the many. Isadora’s heart skipped at this. She instinctively took a few steps back before her back leaned on the solid wall. Was this it? Was this how she was going to lose her innocence, unwillingly.

The knight finally managed to open the lock and pushed the door open. He stared at Isadora and a frown settled on his face. What was with that look? The brave murderer was cowering on a corner by him only opening the cell. She really was brave indeed! He thought smiling wryly.

"Don’t just stand there murderer. Follow me!" He said and began taking brisk steps towards the main door. He swung it open and stared at Isadora with yet another frown.

"Are you going to take all day coming out of a cellar. Or should I inform Lord Richard that you don’t wish to see him?"