Chapter 33: Ch 33. Catching Briella 1
Selena was already ready to leave that morning, wearing light clothing that allowed her to move freely, and stepped out of her room.
"Your Majesty," Kav and Kev greeted her as they stood in front of her room.
Selena nodded slightly, then looked at Vee, who was approaching.
"The Phoenix King and the Fox King are waiting for you, Your Majesty. Let me escort you," she said, causing Selena to look at Kav.
"You come with me. Kev, keep an eye on the prisoners—don’t let them escape. I don’t trust the guards from this palace; I trust you more," Selena said, causing Kev to nod obediently.
"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll stand guard in front of their cell."
Selena smiled and walked away, with Vee and Kav following her. From a distance, she saw Vylen and Jhon waiting near the horse-drawn carriage. But Selena kept a calm expression as she walked.
Jhon seemed to be staring at Selena with a look that made Vylen furrow his brow.
"King Phoenix, what are you thinking? Your gaze seems unusual," said Vylen, causing Jhon to sigh.
"I feel like Selena is a different person after she flew into a rage at us two days ago in the Eldoria court," John said, speaking his mind candidly.
"A different person? What do you mean?"
John smiled faintly—a smile so subtle it would go unnoticed if you weren’t paying close attention. "I don’t know—as far as I can remember, her personality is completely different. I don’t know if I’m just being too sensitive or if that’s really the case. But I don’t see the Selena I used to know in her now—she’s truly different. Even the way she walks—the Selena of the past was always hesitant and seemed afraid, but now she strides with confidence and looks down on everyone."
Vylen looked at Selena, who was the subject of John’s remarks. It’s true that Selena looked different; Vylen wasn’t oblivious to it, but he didn’t see it as a threat. In fact, the Selena of today seemed more perceptive, willing to speak her mind, and that trait was quite helpful given the complexities each of them faced.
"If she’s a different person, do you mean she’s possessed by someone else’s soul? But how come she was able to adapt so quickly to who she is now? That doesn’t quite make sense," said Vylen, causing Jhon to nod.
"True, it doesn’t make sense. But I still remember how she first changed—her gaze shifted when she was on the brink of life and death, with the executioner’s sword ready to sever her neck." Jhon looked at Vylen, who remained silent. "At a moment like that, she changed instantly, and I’m sure her new soul acted quickly because it didn’t want to die. So it’s highly likely she adapted quickly because the situation forced her to."
Vylen nodded, beginning to see the logic in it. Still, it felt strange to him. If Selena really was possessed by someone else’s soul, why would that person still want to help them when they’d been such jerks that they’d nearly killed her?
"What are you two thinking about? Why are you spacing out?"
Vylen startled, looking up at Selena, who was already standing in front of them. Meanwhile, Jhon seemed more prepared; he immediately reached out his hand to Selena and helped her climb onto the horse-drawn carriage.
"My men have already quietly surrounded Briella’s residence. We’d better leave now so there’s no chance she’ll escape," Jhon said, causing Selena to nod.
She ignored Jhon’s outstretched hand, climbing up on her own with help from Vee and Kav. This made Jhon smile; he wasn’t offended at all, knowing that Selena hadn’t yet accepted any of them. The woman had only taken them in because they were on the brink of death, and that was one of the ways Selena stood out in his eyes.
The horse-drawn carriage sped away from the palace, while Kev, Coxy, and Sovel mounted their own horses to ride on either side of the carriage.
"Your Majesty, where is the Queen going so early in the morning? I haven’t heard anything about this," said Derk, who was following Stoner as they peered out from behind a building’s support pillar.
Stoner shook his head slowly. "It seems she has something she needs to take care of. Just let her be—at least she’s going with those two kings, so there’s no chance she intends to leave us," he replied, clasping his hands together.
The memory of Selena from last night—which had felt so real—coming into his room and making love to him had left Stoner feeling a bit out of his mind this morning. He felt a strange sensation—one that made him slightly obsessed while simultaneously holding him back with an irrational sense of shame.
How could he have dreamed so vividly of sleeping with that woman? His desire had even driven him to hallucinate, because it was fundamentally impossible that Selena would willingly sleep with him when he was the scumbag husband who had nearly forced her to her death.
"What should I do to apologize to her? How can I approach her so it doesn’t feel this awkward?"
Stoner felt his body grow hot again; that desire was resurfacing, making him aroused for no apparent reason.
"Damn it!"
***
Selena stared at a fairly large building located in a somewhat remote area. Surrounded by forest, it was clear this was a place rarely visited by the people of Eldoria.
"That’s her house; she was spotted there about half an hour ago," said Jhon after receiving a report from his men.
Selena looked at the house for a moment, then closed her eyes and sensed a faint, dark aura emanating from it.
It was the same aura present in Amena and Roxyus’s bodies, but even though this one was faint, it was still dense and noticeable to someone with a similar sense of perception.
"Tell your men to go inside and bring her here," Selena said, still with her eyes closed.
Jhon nodded, then took out a whistle and blew it in a different rhythm. Selena opened her eyes briefly, watched the man’s actions, and then closed them again.
Soon after, Jhon spoke up. "The house has been searched, but my men couldn’t find her."
Selena gave a small smile, as if she wasn’t surprised at all, and that left Jhon and Vylen somewhat puzzled by her behavior.
"In that case, I’ll have to go down myself."
Selena opened her eyes, then immediately stood up and went downstairs. Jhon and Vylen immediately followed, watching as Selena walked with Vee and Kav toward the gate.
"Selena, as a Queen, you shouldn’t have to go to the trouble of entering her own house just to make her face you," Vylen said as he walked behind her.
"She could disappear if I used your men’s abilities. Right now she’s moved quite far, but she’s still around her house," Selena said as she walked inside.
However, she didn’t head toward the house; she moved toward the side yard and kept walking in that direction. This prompted Jhon to blow his whistle again—whatever command he was giving, Selena didn’t seem to pay much attention to it.
She was focused on detecting the dark aura that was growing denser, walking toward the end of the courtyard wall and stopping at a covered area—a space that seemed to have been purpose-built, with a floor that appeared to be moving slowly.
"Lift that floor!"