"Hurry up." A maid said to Kam and the other as they carried Edward through a secret passage in the wall. Many of the servants knew about the passage reserved for the Royal family to escape in case of a siege. They all used them occasionally to get off work when they needed a break. It was an open secret; even the head staff knew and let it happen.

The maid ran, leading Kam, the attacker and Edward through the winding tunnels. Peeking back at the two, he wondered where the third was but knew better than to ask in right now. What surprised her most was how quiet Edward was. She saw he was awake, but the boy didn’t even move, only staring ahead of him with wide eyes.

It took five minutes before they reached the exit. The other attacker moved forward and kicked open the loose wall covered in vines, and they ran out of a carriage waiting for them. The bells continued to sound behind them. Ignoring everything, they climbed in and took their uniforms off as the carriage started moving. Throwing them onto the ground, they dressed as commoners and hid Edward under a floor board they had loosened in advance.

Closing him in pure darkness, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and took a hidden path that led to the main streets of the city.

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Everyone in Brookhaven heard the bells tolling and felt confused. Whenever they heard the bells, it signalled something. Occasionally, it was an announcement by the Emporer; usually, it signalled a new month. But today, they heard them ring endlessly. Everyone knew something was wrong, and it didn’t take long for the streets to be flooded with soldiers and city guards.

Despite the force with which they searched houses and carriages, no one dared complain or fight back, seeing the panic every guard was in. Most opened their doors purposely to show they had nothing to hide, not wishing to make a scene in front of their children.

It was a moment when no one dared look suspicious. Even the city’s criminals happily helped the guards. It was a rare moment when seeing illicit drugs or contraband didn’t immediately have them arrested. Some guards asked those in the Underworld for assistance with their search.

Many criminals in Brookhaven already worked with Esmond to a certain degree. Despite knowing it was a chance to one-up their rivals and maybe wipe them out, hearing the seriousness of the situation, none dared lie and throw the investigation off. If they lied and Edward eventually died, they wouldn’t see them in prison but slaughtered.

The city was in turmoil, and Kam and his helpers were terrified. The carriage came to a stop as someone shouted at them. Looking at his people, he silently mouthed ’remember the story’, getting knowing nods from them. Moving a small box over the floor board, Edward was under as a guard threw open the carriage flaps.

"We must search. Everyone out." Kam and the others didn’t hesitate and got out. Whilst one guard searched, another came over.

"What are you doing?" Kam stepped forward, trying to act as confused as possible. The slight shaking in his voice was easily masked as fear of being randomly stopped instead of being scared of getting caught.

"We were ordered to deliver some supplies to Count Osborn’s manor. What’s going on?" He slightly shook under the guard’s intense stare as he nodded.

"What supplies?"

"Fruit," Kam answered quickly. It was the only thing they could get their hand on in a reasonable quantity that wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Stealing bedding from the palace had been an idea, but they shot it down quickly. The bedding for the palace was of too high quality and was easily traced. Fruit, however, could’ve been sourced from anywhere.

"It’s just fruit and a few clothes. Nothing else to report." The guard looked at them and nodded, letting Kam and the rest return to their duty. They all climbed back on and could finally breathe a sigh of relief as they moved on, trying to get away.

The woman moved the box of Edward’s hiding place and opened the floor board. Seeing the boy, who was still silent and slightly shaking, she closed him up again and looked at the others. "What did you do to the poor child?"

Kam looked at the other man, who dodged his eyes. "I didn’t want to. But we had to leave." The woman frowned at the tone in the man’s voice, understanding that he must have done something terrible, but she didn’t push for details. The less she knew, the better.

"We’re close to the hideout." The carriage driver said in a quiet voice. They knew they couldn’t stay in Brookhaven, but trying to leave now was suicide. Looking at the others, Kam started to regret joining this mission. Everything was fine until Daisy died. He could see what it had done to Edward. If it was just a kidnapping, the boy may suffer a while, but they had no plans to abuse him. With enough time, he should have been fine.

But things got out of hand. Not only had they killed a woman who watched him grow for three years, but they had also done it over his bed. They let the poor boy see his guard and caregiver have a knife through her face. They bathed him in blood in his own bed. And now he was hidden in the dark. Kam couldn’t even imagine what was happening in Edward’s mind but just hoped that it wouldn’t have any lasting effects on him. Hopefully, he would forget everything that happened as if it were a bad dream. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

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"What do you mean he can’t be found?" Isaac said with a cold voice bottling all his rage and fear. The people before him had their heads low as if not wishing to be singled out by him.

Elizabeth had never seen this side of her brother and was equally scared of him, not knowing what he would do. He was eerily calm. "Have every servant interorgated. I don’t care how. Anyone found suspicious shall be moved to the dungeon. Anyone missing will be executed on sight. Extend the search and prepare for Martial Law. They are not allowed to leave the city with the Crown Prince."

Issac gripped the chair he was leaning on. "And if we fail. Death will be a mercy." Everyone nodded and quickly ran off to carry out the order. A single man remained behind.

"The fire has been put out. There was no real method behind it. It seems to have been a distraction." The man said in a quiet voice. Issac nodded, telling with his eyes for the man to leave. Issac looked at Elizabeth, the two of them being the only ones remaining.

"Elizabeth," Issac said softly. "If we don’t get the Crown Prince back, make sure to look after Samuel."

"Brother!" Elizbeth called out in horror, knowing what he meant. "You won’t be put to death for this. You can’t. We will find him." Issac bitterly chuckled and went over, grabbing her shoulder.

"If something happens to the Crown Prince, this won’t end peacefully, Elizabeth. I was left in charge. Do you understand? This is my failure."

"Father can surely pro...." Issac shook his head.

"I will offer my own head to protect the family if it comes to it. My son will carry the Flander’s legacy. This is a dangerous time. I will do everything to survive, don’t worry, but His Majesty, when in a rage, is nearly impossible to stop."

"What about Esmond? He should have..." Issac stopped her again by hugging her.

"Esmond will also face a punishment, and I think he will let himself be killed for it if we fail. I need you to promise me. If this happens, protect the Flander house until Samuel is of age to take over. Father is old. He won’t live until Sameul is an adult." Feeling his shoulder get wet, Issac pulled away and looked at his sister’s tear-filled face.

"It’s not over yet. I need to send word to Esmond. Get in touch with Catherine and Abu. Have them mobilise everything they have. I will do what I can." Elizabeth looked at him and nodded, wiping her tears. Thanking him, he finally let go and walked out of his office and towards the twin rooms.

The Guard outside saw him and let Issac in. Inside, he saw Frida playing with the children to keep them calm as Violet and the other Royal Guard kept watch. "Daisy is dead." Talking to Violet, he watched as she dropped her head and frowing.

"I see." She tried to hide the emotion in her voice, but Issac heard a slight sadness. Nodding at her, he turned to Frida.

"Never leave the children alone now. Always have a guard with them at all times."

"What happened to the Crown Prince?" Frida asked with concern. Issac shook his head, unable to say anything, making Frida cover her mouth in horror.

"If he is alive, he will be found. For now, your priority is to keep them safe, even if it costs your life. Do you understand?" Frida clenched her fists and nodded, looking at Astrid and Balder.

"I understand." Issac smiled. It was good that Frida was devoted to the children. He could trust her loyalty to them. After all, they were the only thing giving her purpose in the Palace. Turning around, Issac’s face went icy cold as he thought what to do next.