Chapter 34
Chapter 34
For the past week, I've been buried in my office, poring over my parents' case. Now that I've reached legal age, I finally have the chance to investigate every aspect of it. I was too young back then to understand the truth, but now that I’m capable, I’ll do everything I can to seek justice for them.
I regret fleeing the Urzua Kingdom without considering my parents. It was selfish of me to think I could escape this world, to believe I could forget who I am. But the truth is, it will always be a part of me. Perhaps this is what the Moon Goddess intended for me all along. That’s why she guided me to Troy the day I ran from the kingdom. It was fate that I ended up in his arms that day.
“Do you have any updates?” I asked Jack, who stood before me. He’d been tailing Zander Evans for days, and tonight, he was reporting back for the first time. I allowed him into my office, knowing that Alpha King Phoenix was away from the palace. I was well aware of where he was—likely off chasing his defiant mate.
“Yes, Your Highness, though you might already know this information. I just want to ensure nothing is overlooked,” he replied. I nodded, signaling for him to continue.
“Go on,” I commanded.
“Zander Evans is Alpha King Troy’s cousin on his father’s side. Zander’s father, Fernando Evans, was the younger brother of the former Alpha King, Terrence Evans. Based on the information I’ve gathered, Fernando’s mate passed away before they could marry, due to an unknown illness. Afterward, Fernando became a notorious womanizer. Eventually, an Omega who worked as a servant at the Rema palace became pregnant by Fernando, and that’s how Zander Evans was born.”
I nodded. I had heard rumors like this before, but I never realized they were true—that Zander’s mother was actually a servant.
“The housekeeper of the Rema palace mentioned that Prince Zander, Alpha King Troy, and a woman were often seen together during their teenage years. They seemed to be close friends.”
“I think I know that story…” I muttered, recalling how Troy had once told me about his cousin and a girl they both used to spend time with when they were younger.
“But when Alpha King Troy began his mandatory lessons to prepare for ruling the kingdom, he and Prince Zander grew distant. Zander joined the army, and the woman went into the salutary. However, whenever Zander returned to the palace, the cousins often clashed—usually over a woman. This is likely what fueled Zander’s resentment toward Troy. He capitalized on Troy’s failure to find a queen within the kingdom, using it to turn the people of Rema against him. It was Zander who spread the rumor that Troy was unfit to find a mate, which caused the people to question Troy’s capability as Alpha King. However, the council refuses to consider Zander as the next Alpha King due to his servant lineage. That’s why they sought out a witch to read Troy’s fate. This is when the prophecy was revealed, foretelling that Alpha King Troy’s mate resides in the human world, in the town of Tyreese.”
Who was the woman that Troy and Zander fought over? Could she have been their mutual friend from the past?
Troy’s fate was revealed through a prophecy, which means that the prophecy was about me. Because I ran away to Tyreese, it also guided Troy there—because I was destined to be his mate.
“Prince Zander has become obsessed with the throne, and he’ll stop at nothing to become the Alpha King. His exact motives remain unclear, but he poses a serious threat to Troy’s reign. Now that Alpha King Troy’s mate has been found, it seems Zander’s plan involves you, Your Highness. After learning that you are Troy’s mate, your brother tightened the kingdom’s security. This shows he’s aware that Zander might target you in an attempt to weaken Troy’s power.”
I exhaled deeply upon hearing this. Now I understood why Zander approached me back when we were in Tyreese. But why... why did he help me instead of harming me? What is he really planning?
“Thank you for the information, Jack. You may leave the palace now. My people will escort you out. For now, stop tracking Zander. I’ll give you further orders if you need to resume,” I instructed. He nodded and bowed respectfully before leaving.
"I’ll oblige, Your Highness," he said politely before exiting my office. As I stared at my desk, the weight of my new reality hit me. Now that I’m Troy’s mate, I’m inevitably tied to his family’s affairs, even though nothing between us has been officially declared.
But before I deal with that, I need to uncover who murdered my parents. I have a strong suspicion that it’s somehow linked to the Evans clan. Yet, I’m unsure if my parents had any connection to them—I stood up abruptly as my thoughts raced.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?" Mariel asked, startled by my sudden movement. I turned to her.
"Come with me to the library," I instructed, leaving the office in haste. I need to find out if my parents had any ties to the Evans family, and if not, I’ll have to explore other possibilities that might lead me to their killers.
"Are these the historical records from my father’s reign?" I asked Mariel, eyeing the old scrolls laid out in front of me.
"Yes, Your Highness," Mariel replied. But why is there nothing unusual? I’ve been combing through these scrolls for hours, rereading some multiple times, but nothing stands out. They merely detail my father’s actions from the moment he ascended the throne, to his marriage to my mother, and finally, the night of their murder… Yet, no matter how much I read, I can’t find anyone who had a clear motive to kill them.
"If Terrence Evans really did kill my parents... what could have been his motive?" I asked Mariel, who had been quietly watching me read the scrolls.
"Is there anything written about the Evans family being close to your parents back then? Or perhaps about people who were friends with your parents? Maybe something along those lines?" Mariel suggested. Her words made me pause.
My parents’ friends... She’s right. Even a close friend could have a motive to betray them.
"Find the scroll from my grandfather’s reign, Mariel," I instructed, and she immediately began searching. That scroll might contain details about my father’s younger years.
"Here it is, Your Highness," Mariel said, handing me the older scroll. Dust billowed out when I opened it, causing me to cough slightly, but I continued reading, determined to find any clues.
"According to this scroll... the Foster family had strong ties with the San Diego clan from the San Isidro Kingdom, and the Scot clan from the Agama Kingdom, along with other powerful clans. But why... why is the Evans clan never mentioned?" I said, surprised.
"Could it mean that the Foster and Evans families always had some kind of rift?" Mariel asked, equally shocked. I didn’t respond, my attention fully on the scroll, until a name caught my eye, stopping me in my tracks.
"The Urzua Kingdom was overjoyed to announce that Crown Prince Elizardo Foster had found his mate, Phoebe Yarrow, daughter of the Alpha of the Red Moon Pack from the Urzua Kingdom..."
"That’s your father and mother, Your Highness..." Mariel commented. I nodded, continuing to read. It was the period when my father was still the crown prince and my mother had just become the crown princess.
"It was a night of blissful celebration and excitement throughout the Urzua Kingdom. The crown prince smiled the entire evening, while the crown princess appeared pale but managed to keep smiling. Later that night, after the festivities, the crown princess instructed her lady-in-waiting not to enter her chambers until dawn, and it is said that the crown princess was not alone in her room that night..."
A chill ran through me as I read those words. I didn’t know why, but something in that passage hinted at a deeper secret. This was all new to me—I had no idea about this part of my parents’ past!
"Mariel... tell me... is the bedroom I’m using now the same one my mother occupied when she was the crown princess?" I asked. Though she looked puzzled, Mariel answered.
"Yes, Your Highness..." she replied. I swallowed hard and stood up.
"I want to go to my bedroom. I need to rest now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mariel," I said. With every step I took toward my room, my heart pounded harder.
"Are you sure you’re alright being here alone, Your Highness?" Mariel asked as we entered my bedroom. I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine, Mariel..." I said, trying to reassure her. She nodded and left, leaving me alone. I glanced at my walk-in closet and headed inside. Climbing the stairs to the attic, I switched on the lights and looked around. This was the place where Troy had entered my room. I swallowed nervously before opening the secret passage that led to the rooftop. As I stepped through, the cool evening air hit me, and I was greeted by the sight of a bright crescent moon illuminating the entire kingdom.
I sat on the roof, gazing out at the vast kingdom and the distant mountains.
Did my mother know about this secret passage? But the real question is... who built it? Could my mother have been the one who created it?
The crown princess instructed her lady-in-waiting not to enter her chambers until dawn, and it is said that the crown princess was not alone in her room that night…
What could it mean? It couldn’t have been my father… So, who was with my mother that night?
As I sat on the palace roof, my gaze drifted over the stonework beneath me, and I was startled by something carved into the stone. Thanks to the moonlight, I could clearly make out the letters etched there. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest at the name inscribed.
"Terrence..." I whispered. A cold chill ran through me. Terrence… Evans?
Who carved it? Did my mother… write this? And what does it all mean?
I didn’t sleep that night. An unsettling thought seemed to be forming in my mind, but I wasn’t ready to admit it, even to myself.
The next morning, I immediately set about getting Mariel ready.
"Where are we going, Your Highness?" she asked, confused, as I pulled on a cloak to cover my face before heading out.
"We’re going to find Ms. Verna," I replied. Mariel’s surprise deepened.
"Why would we visit your mother’s former lady-in-waiting, Your Highness?" she questioned. I bit my lip, glancing at her.
"I need to know more about my mother," I said.
