Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 698: Autumn Kidnaps Winter

The Winter Palace was in utter chaos. The majestic halls, usually having an icy calm, were now alive with the clamor of hurried footsteps and frantic whispers. News of Prince Aldric’s abduction had spread like wildfire.

The revelation that his own brother Andre and the Autumn Prince had orchestrated his capture, with Aldric’s trusted second-in-command, Issac, aiding them, sent shockwaves through the palace. The betrayal was unimaginable, a blow to the very core of the Winter court’s stability.

The gravity of the situation drew the ministers from their homes in the dead of night, rushing to the palace to verify the unsettling rumors. Faces were pale, voices hushed but urgent, as they gathered in the grand hall, normally imposing space now filled with a sense of vulnerability and betrayal.

As if that weren’t enough,another shocking revelation surfaced: Lady Elena, whom they had trusted and followed her judgment, was accused of witchcraft. Whispers of her true identity had started when two guards, who had managed to remain conscious during her confrontation with Islinda and Maxi, reported seeing her cast a spell and hearing her inadvertent confession. Elena, it seemed, had vanished without a trace, leaving the palace staff and guards bewildered and frightened.

The hall was filled with agitated ministers, their voices rising in a cacophony of accusations,theories, blames, and desperate plans. Some were demanding immediate action to locate and rescue Aldric, while others were still grappling with the shock of Elena’s betrayal.

"How could this happen?" one minister exclaimed, still shocked.

"The rumors about Lady Elena... Could it be true?" a second minister whispered, glancing nervously around. "I knew it! We shouldn’t have trusted that summer Fae! They are nothing but liars! I thought it weird that a mere human was capable of charming our high lord Aldric and as well getting his guard Kalamazoo to help her. It was strange."

"If it were that strange, why didn’t you point it out?" Another Fae tackled him.

The Fae retorted, "I know you! Your voice was the loudest and supported that the human was responsible. So why are you trying to push the blame to me, coward!"

"What?! Coward!" The Fae flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, you’re a coward!" The both of them got into an intense argument. And they were not the only ones, because it seemed each and every high lord seemed to be blaming one another over the incident and what could have been done to prevent it.

The head minister, a stern and composed Fae, tried to bring order to the chaos. He banged a gavel on the table, his voice booming above the clamor.

"Silence! I said silence!" He boomed, his voice reverberating with authority and daring anyone to challenge him.

His words did little to soothe the crowd, but they managed to quiet down somewhat, allowing him to continue.

"I understand that we are in a vulnerable moment, but this is the time to be united and work together. We need to assess the situation calmly and formulate a plan. Panic will not help us find Prince Aldric or deal with the witch." He added, "Whoever that might be." He hinted at the rumors circulating rapidly that Elena was the real witch.

Another Fae arose to address his brethren, "Ministers," he began, his tone grave, "we are facing an unprecedented threat. Our High Lord has been taken, our trust has been betrayed, and the stability of our realm is at stake. We must act swiftly and decisively."

A murmur of agreement swept through the room, though many faces still wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

The head minister nodded at the Minister and took over saying, "We must first confirm the details. How did this happen, and who is responsible? And we need to understand the extent of Elena’s deception." He added almost immediately, "That is if there is one." He wouldn’t admit to the rumors until it was proven.

Another minister said, "We stood confirm that from the guards who had claimed to be at the scene."

"Indeed." Murmurs and whispers of agreement rang across the hall.

The head minister announced, "Bring the guards that were at the scene then. All of them."

In a matter of minutes, all of the guards who were at the scene were presented before the ministers. Although they looked battered and defeated, all of them were thankfully alive because Maxi had no intention of killing them in the first place. She had only injured and incapipated them.

"Which of you claimed to have seen lady Elena amongst you."

A guard stepped forward, his face pale and drawn. "I was one of the guards who witnessed Lady Elena’s spell."

"I too." The second one stepped forth.

The head Fae began to circle them, interrogating them. "Narrate to everyone in here what happened at the scene."

The first guard anxious to save his ass

began to narrate the event as it had happened, at least from his perspective. He had been among the later guards drawn to the scene by the sound of the fight.

He narrated how Maxi had glamored herself to be one of them and then at the last minute, turned on them all and attacked them.

"..... She admitted to being a witch, then summoned a portal through which she vanished, taking the human along with her. I saw it with my own eyes. " He concluded.

The room erupted again, but the head guard raised his hand for silence.

"And you?" He referred to the second guard who went ahead to narrate his own version which correspond perfectly with the first.

Fae was unable to lie and Elena had deceived them with that inability. Although they couldn’t understand why Elena was able to lie, however, the revelation that she was a witch had to explain that. But even at that, everyone knew of the powerful Raysin family. Elena was a Fae. You cannot be a Fae and a witch, not unless you had the bloodlines. However, both parents were pure blooded Fae. How was that possible? Everyone was dumbfounded by the mystery.

The other guards were interrogated in like manner and though they didn’t see Elena admit being a witch due to being unconscious, the other parts of the story confirmed that the two guards were not lying by any means possible.

In the end, it was left for the head minister to make a decision. If Karle had been alive, he would have been the one to oversee this matter, unfortunately, he was gone and now their high lord was missing at a critical moment. It was left to the highest ranking minister to make the decisions pertaining to the realm until Aldric was back in his position.

"We will address the issue of the witch later. However, if she is located by chance, she is to be apprehended and questioned. We must get to the bottom of these accusations. For now, our immediate priority is to locate Prince Aldric. Does anyone have any information on Prince Andre’s whereabouts?" He asked no one in particular.

The captain of the guard who had been silent all this while, finally spoke up. "I have sent scouts, but there’s no trace of him yet. Prince Andre must have planned this meticulously. We need more time."

The head Fae nodded grimly. "Time is not on our side. We must act swiftly but carefully. Double the efforts to find Prince Andre and Issac, the betrayer. If our high lord is not returned to us within twenty-four hours, then an emissary would be sent to the Autumn court and another to Astaria to visit Queen Victoria. Unless the Autumn court wants war with the winter court, their audacious prince would do well to return our highlord to us. We would no longer stand for any intimidation! Enough is enough! It is time to show the other courts what we are capable of! "

Roars and shouts of approval echoed across the hall as the confidence of the ministers was revived once more. As soon as the head minister was done, the captain of the guards summoned nearly all the guards to the war room where they began to discuss various strategies to rescue their crown prince, the tension in the room palpable.

The ministers were not left out either, they were discussing contingencies in case prince Aldric was not found. Karle was the closest to the bloodline, but he was the only living relative. If something were to happen to Aldric, without an heir, a family member had to take his place.

The ministers knew that every decision they made in the next few hours could determine the fate of their realm; they could only hope that they would find a way to rescue their high lord and restore order before it was too late.

However, while the palace grounds were chaotic, the same prince Aldric that was considered missing was having the best sleep of his life, unaware of the witch hovering over him and taking note of his vitals.

"How bad is it? Can you help him?" Prince Andre, the kidnapper, was concerned over his brother when he saw the frown on the witch’s face