Genon The Prodigy

Chapter 5 - Road To Her Death

Orders were being shouted. Troops were moving about in their heavy gear, as they scrambled to their assigned locations. The gardeners and cooks whispered among themselves, with a rather worried look on their faces. There also seemed to be a loud commotion beyond the walls of the palace.

"Hey, uh, what happened?" I directed it to the guard who was escorting me. His boots clicked rapidly against the floor, forcing me to play catch-up. His breaths were short and quick, and sweat trickled down his temples. Judging by his non-response, it seemed like he had other orders as well. A minute later, we arrived at the entrance of another hall, its doors twice my height. Afterward that guard scurried off, leaving me to the two guards stationed outside this one.

"Please, Her Majesty awaits you."

The door opened into a long hallway, streching out before me in opulence. Polished marble floors gleamed underfoot, reflecting the warm light coming from the chandeliers above. Along both walls, paintings hung, either of lush greeneries or of important figures. Layla's was at the far end, on the right. As I approached to get a closer look, voices reverberated from behind the right wall. Curious, I headed over to the opening to take a look. There was a large, smooth circular table in the middle of this room, with multiple lords seated around, Layla being one of them. Their expressions were tense. Sunlight poured through the stained glass windows high above, illuminating the space with a sense of reverence.

"Your Majesty, you cannot do that! Who will lead the country if both its King and Queen are gone?!" A frail, wrinkled, white-haired man argued.

"Indeed. There is no guarantee that those foul creatures will return His Majesty. There must be another way!" Another man, slightly younger and with gray hair, added on. He boasted a larger build.

What? Was Javen captured by the ghouls? But how? We were just talking about two hours ago, not to mention that large barrier enveloping the city, which I assumed was to keep out the ghouls.

"No." Layla stood up and placed her palms on the table. "I'm the cause of all this. As the Queen, I should take responsibility."

The room immediately fell silent. Everyone, apart from Layla, exchanged silent glances with one another. The air hung heavy with tension, but nobody uttered another word.

"So you all do agree I am responsible." She sat back down.

The gray-haired man immediately responded: "N-no, your Majesty, we--"

"No need to explain Gerard," she interrupted. "You don't have to lie to me."

Their dicussion seemed to be so heated, not a single soul even noticed my entrance. I had snucked into one of the back seats, settled down and continued listening.

"Ahem. Your Majesty, perhaps we could organise an elite group to accompany you?" the white-haired man suggested.

"No need. Like I said, I'll be going in all by myself. Now." Layla leant back and folded her arms. "Let me make it clear that whatever happens to anyone who follows me is none of my responsibility."

A brief pause ensued. Nobody had any objections. Well, not like it would be considered. But 'going in all by myself'? Was she planning to confront the ghouls alone?

"And while I'm gone, General Zoloe will be in command. Everyone is to take orders from him."

"Understood, Your Majesty." A muscular, tall man donned in heavy armor stood up in acknowledgement.

"Any objections?" Layla directed it to the rest of the table. Seconds passed, but nobody responded. "That will be all then. Zoloe, come with me."

I watched in awe. To think that Layla could be so assertive. Based on the past two days, I've always thought she was the gentle kind who avoided conflict as much as she could. Well, maybe it was because of her position as the Queen. Would I do the same for her if she was the one being captured? She then stood up, with General Zoloe following after her, and the two of them then exited the room. I decided to stay for abit, sensing the amount of words that were waiting to be unleashed.