Chapter Two-Hundred-And-Seventy-Seven
**3rd Person POV**
Ashton was getting increasingly desperate. Rosaline has information that could destroy him and he knew that time was of the essence. He wondered to himself why he had never thought to end her life in all the years she had worked for him. It was just that she had been so reliable and had always followed his instructions to the letter.
Ashton groaned. Perhaps the problem was with him. Why had he decided that night that he must have her? If he had not insisted on it, nothing would have changed. But then again, it couldn't possibly be his fault. After all, she was his servant and she was meant to do his bidding—his every bidding.
Ashton decided that the only thing he could do now was to solicit the help of the underworld in ending the life of his servant. The problem with that was in order to do so, he had to present the ashes of two fairies. Where in the world was he supposed to find that? But this was his last resort and it was now looking increasingly like his only option.
“Did you find out if it's true?” Aston turned to his lieutenant, Jude.
“I have good information that it is true but nothing is certain. It seems like you will have to confirm this by yourself,” replied Jude. The lieutenant tried to keep his voice steady. He was a man of war and therefore could not project any weakness, especially to his boss. He had watched Prince Ashton tear apart many soldiers who had trembled when talking to him.
“Myself? Why me?” asked Ashton. He did not have time now to meander about looking for anything or anyone. He had to return home and get rid of anything that might come back to bite him if he was unable to Rosaline.
“Only your energy is strong enough to reveal a magical dwelling. It appears that they have sealed off their presence with strong magic,” returned Jude.
“I see.”
Ashton thought about what Jude had said for several minutes. If he should go to the rumoured Fae mountain now, he would only look desperate and it would indeed become suspicious. People had already begun to question his obsessive desire to end Rosaline's life. If he did anything more, the vampire nations about him would begin to get suspicious and he did not want them to.
“Is there nothing else I can do?” inquired Ashton. The question surprised Jude because Ashton was not one to ask for the opinion of his subordinates. There were very few people Ashton ever sought counsel from but he was not one of them.
“You have nothing?” quipped Ashton.
“If you can retrieve the yolk of a dragon egg without cracking its shell…”
“That is a suicide mission but I quite like it,” replied Ashton. Jude was surprised again that Ashton would even consider anything he said.
“You will carry out this mission of course and if you return without the yolk, I will kill you myself,” said Ashton with a fiery look that sent shivers down Jude's spine. This did not surprise Jude, he should have known to keep his mouth shut.
****
The air was solemn at home. Ashton wondered if it was his imagination or if someone had died. It had to be the latter because they were all dressed in black clothes—the guards, everyone.
Someone approached him and bowed his head very deeply. It was a servant whom he knew only by face and not by name.
“His Majesty has gone to be with his ancestors,” said the servant.
Ashton wanted to throw his head backwards and laugh but that would not be good luck, so he feigned surprise and asked, “His Majesty? Was he in a lot of pain?”
“His last moments were very painful. The Royal physician believes he was poisoned,” the colour on Ashton's face drained. How could the head physician think that someone had poisoned his father and more so had the guts to float such a theory in his absence. However, ending a life to attain power was a very serious crime and if he did not check the rumour before it spread, the other kings might suspect that he killed his father and they could decide to investigate the corpse of the late king.
“The Royal physician said that? Should I be worried for my life also?” asked Ashton. This way he was implying that whoever had killed him could be plotting to kill him too. It was also a way to shift the blame away from himself.
“We await your orders to begin the investigation,” returned the servant. His tone was quite serious. Ashton wondered what the servant’s deal was. Why couldn't the servant drop the poison story?
Ashton however could not refuse such an investigation without looking suspicious so he decided to stall. He asked, “I just want to see my father.”
The servant sighed heavily and said, “Then you must come at once.”
Prince Ashton was led to where his father now lay peacefully in the morgue. It was almost difficult to believe that life as he knew it was about to change for him forever. If he played his cards right, his father's death could bring him a ton of luck. As the only legitimate heir, he stood the chance to inherit his father's throne and kingdom. The thought made him giddy with excitement.
“Your Highness? How would you like to proceed with the investigation?” Ashton almost slapped the servant for asking but he refrained himself from doing so as that would be rash.
“Right now, I would like some time alone with my father,” Prince Ashton's voice sounded like a broken record.
His servants all left the room and he was left alone with his father's corpse. When he was certain he was alone, a cynical smile formed on his lips.
“Father, you know, I thought that you wanted to live forever.”
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