Time seemed to fly as the people in the hall awaited for Alexander’s arrival. Griffin was seated with that poker look on his face, but still, anger could be detected on it. He was not the patient type and the wait was just pissing him off. He was now shifting uncomfortably on his chair as he threw furtive glances at the tensed queen.

"What will happen now?" Roselyn’s father asked Lord Richard. They knew that it was almost impossible for Alexander to come in this hall. Lord Richard had left him in a far worse condition and if he brought him here while looking like the zombie he had left him, that would raise some unnecessary questions. But King Griffin wasn’t the type to give up easily.

Lord Richard’s gaze shifted to where the queen sat and he saw her swallow nervously. She was more fearful than him and it could be seen clearly on her face. This was harder than he had thought. He looked at King Griffin and their gazes locked. Unknown feelings sparked between the two when their gazes locked. And as if Lord Richard had given him a prompt, he stood up and the murmurs in the hall died immediately.

"Seems like the crown prince will not be arriving here soon," he said facing the queen. He smiled evilly when he saw her face turn to that of surprise. How he liked this! This was far more better than sitting down and listening to a boring sermon that took hours to get finished.

"Just give me some more time," Queen Victoria said, her voice wavering a little. But she knew she was talking of the impossible. Roselyn who was also seated near the front was now surprised by the sudden turn of events. She had not yet seen Alexander in his condition but Lord Richard had said that it was not a sight she would love to watch. She had been already pained by his rejection and she didn’t want to be pained by the sick version of him. Not that she didn’t care for him. She just didn’t want to get pained beyond this. That would be almost unbearable.

"Is it you being given more time here or the crown prince, Your Majesty?" Griffin asked, a hint of mockery clear on his voice. Lord Richard stood up instantly. He could not take this anymore. Someone insulting the queen in front of him was something he couldn’t just sit and watch, especially in their own kingdom. Who was this guy to even come and halt the functionality of their own kingdom? He should go to hell!

"Watch your tongue Your Majesty. You are speaking to Her Majesty, not just some random knight," he warned but this only added to Griffin’s amusement. He eyed Lord Richard curiously before striding to where he stood until he was a few steps away.

"And you are?" He asked. "Oh, let me guess. A secret fiancé to the queen?" He asked raising a brow.

Lord Richard was taken aback by his words. His face turned to that of surprise. How the hell did Griffin know this? And as far as he could remember, only Isadora knew about this. His gaze shifted to Victoria and she wore the same look of surprise. This guy seemed to have more information about their kingdom than he had thought. Did he have a spy inside their palace? He thought of Isadora and something dark flashed across his mind. That maid! He knew it. Maybe even Griffin knew about Alexander’s condition and that was why he was taunting with his presence.

"What on earth are you talking about? Lord Richard was my husband’s advisor and so will he be my son’s. Accusing him of a crime without evidence can lead to treason. And you are in someone else’s territory, remember," Queen Victoria said now rising up as the great queen she was.

Griffin’s gaze darted between Queen Victoria and Lord Richard before he backed off slowly.

"In that case, we shall wait for the crown prince then," he said smiling at Victoria. That smile! Victoria felt as if she could cut his tongue and feed it to the dogs. This guy had done nothing else than to intimidate her in her own kingdom. And he knew she could not act rash in front of so many people. Clever bastard! If he were alone, she would have already separated his head from his body. Annoying was an understatement to use in describing this guy. Pushing the thoughts at the back of her mind, she sat elegantly on her seat before she smiled at everyone present to assure that everything was under control. But deep inside, she knew nothing was in control.

"Will Alex surely come?" Elle asked catching her mother’s attention. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I really don’t know. We can only wait for a miracle to happen," Victoria said in a whisper. Her gaze shifted to Lord Richard and she could see the dreadful look on his face. Maybe he was having a harder time than she had thought. Their gazes met and he smiled wryly at her before shifting back to talk over something with Roselyn’s father.

Griffin had said that she and Lord Richard were having an affair. That somehow made her worry. How did he get hold of such information? Or was he just testing the waters to see their reaction? And seeing that he did not linger too much on the topic, she could only guess that as the only possible thing.

The hall then suddenly turned noisy as the murmurs grew to something else. Only the people at the front were silent. Coronation, crown prince, funeral and so many things were among the topics being discussed now. Griffin smiled at this. He had at least stirred some trouble. He could see the court officials of Valoria now taking the matter seriously.

"This funeral can’t happen unless the crown prince arrives. And so will the coronation ceremony," a court official said behind King Griffin and the others chimed in. Griffin smiled evilly before he gave queen Victoria a ’you see’ look. Victoria rolled her eyes at this and Griffin was pissed off but he didn’t say anything. Time would tell.

And now that he thought of the crown prince, what would keep him from attending his father’s funeral? Did they have strained relations with his father? No! That couldn’t be. He would have eventually tirned up even if they didn’t get along with his father. So that was a big no. But what then could keep him from attending the funeral? Or was he sick maybe? His brows creased at this. If they had hidden about the dead king’s condition, why not hide of the crown prince’s condition? If that was so, then his mission would be even simpler. And to Isadora too. Just a stab at the sleeping sick man, he thought.

Time moved quickly and it was already afternoon. Some of the guest had already left probably bored by the whole waiting experience. The curious ones were just shifting uncontrollably in their seats. Griffin was seated still as he watched the whole thing amused. The court officials stood up making him to smile more. This was going to be more fun than he had thought.

"Your Majesty?" Called one of the court officials. "We are sorry for the delayed funeral but we can’t understand why the crown prince would miss in such an occasion. Is there something we should know?" He asked. Queen Victoria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. This was becoming more harder than she had thought. More people were now streaming out of the hall and this made her to panic. Maybe she could just tell them the truth. At this rate, her husband’s funeral would have to be postponed if she did not do something soon.

But something on the entrance of the hall caught her attention. The people who were previously going out were now returning in with looks of surprise on their faces. What would have made them to come back? Even Griffin noticed the commotion and turned to look at the entrance.

"His Highness is here! The crown prince is here," the crowd began murmuring. Victoria and Lord Richard stood up, their hearts hammering wildly inside their chests. Why would Alex decide to come here with his current condition? They both looked at the entrance in anticipation, waiting for a zombie-like being to walk in. But what they saw almost threw them off balance. Alexander was walking in with all the elegance in the world, his face and body looking more than fine. His usual radiant face looked more younger than the last time. And a dangerous aura was leaking out of him with every step he took.

The crowd paved way for Alexander as he walked down the hallway until he stopped right in front of the dazed queen Victoria.

"Greetings Your Majesty," he bowed slightly at the queen bringing her and everyone else out of their dazed state.