The noise of the hall faded into nothingness... She could hear nothing except the heavy, accelerated thumping of her own heart.
She was trapped in a limbo, conscious yet entirely detached from reality. She felt numb, her body stiffened, and her vision turned profoundly blurry. Through the haze, she saw Lucas's silhouette approaching step by step, until he lunged forward, grabbed her violently by her clothes, and began screaming directly in her face.
Irene couldn't hear his words; his voice reached her as if coming from underwater. Her body hung completely limp, her eyes fixed solely on his terrifying expression.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was kneeling at his feet, wrapping her arms around his leg as he yelled at Irene, begging him in a broken voice to let her go. As for Lucas, he was on the verge of losing his mind entirely, waiting for Irene to speak a single word, to defend herself before him with even a single sentence... He was ready to believe her if only she spoke.
He shook her violently, roaring at her:
"Speak!!! Say something!!! Tell me you didn't do it!! Speaaak!"
But Irene heard none of it. To everyone around them, she appeared utterly unable to defend herself before him and the crowd, but in truth, she was sinking into the depths of a paralyzing panic attack, completely severed from reality.
Richard attempted to intervene, pushing against Lucas to pull him off her:
"That is enough! Come to your senses! What are you doing?!"
The force of the struggle made Lucas finally release her with power, causing Irene to stumble and collapse to the floor like a lifeless doll.
Lucas turned savagely and grabbed his father by his clothes:
"What do I mean by what I'm doing?! Tell me, is what those two cursed maids said true? Is this what you wanted to hide from me?! That I was placed in a fake marriage just to be deceived like this?!"
In a split second, Richard raised his hand and struck Lucas across the face with immense force a thunderous slap that froze the air.
Richard then gripped Lucas's hand firmly, his face burning with strictness and heavy reproach, condemning him :"how he dare you let this emotions drive and blind to such an extent; how did you allow your feelings to render you incapable of distinguishing between what is permissible to say and do and what is not, you still remaining an unwise child acting without any regard for the responsibility of your actions !!"
Two drops of blood fell from Lucas's nose, staining the ground. He stared down at them without raising his head, then spoke in a low, hollow voice:
"I'm sorry you didn't get the puppet you strived to obtain... and received me instead... But..."
He paused for a moment, then lifted his head, locking eyes with his father with a gaze colder than ice, and continued:
"I stopped blaming myself a long time ago, when I realized I have no desire to become the person you want me to be, Father. That ideal image of loyalty you wanted to forge for Bastian to the point where you were ready to offer your only son as a obedient dog to him for the rest of his life... is nothing more than a pathetic dream that only you see."
Richard's voice surged in a full-throated shout, his face flushed with fury:
"How dare you!! You insolent fool!"
But Lucas cut him off with sharp coldness:
"You cannot be blind to the fact, Father... that I abandoned that idea of loyalty a long time ago. Therefore, from this moment on, do what you do best... and I will do what I do best."
Lucas turned on his heel and began walking away with steady strides, leaving his father in a state of absolute shock.
Suddenly, Richard clutched his chest, gripping his heart as a sharp, agonizing pain seized it like a plunging dagger.
Elizabeth cried out pleadingly, her tears spilling over:
"Richard, please... stop him, I beg you..."
Her words trailed off when she saw the look of utter helplessness and collapse across her husband's face... If he, the strong one, was powerless to move, what could she possibly do? Elizabeth's tears poured down, followed by a silent groan of despair.
Suddenly, Richard fell to his knees, gasping desperately for air; the pain in his heart was unbearable. Despite his frantic effort to hold on and cling to consciousness, his body betrayed him, and he lost consciousness, slumping face-down onto the floor.
Cries of horror erupted. Elizabeth grabbed him, screaming his name in anguish, while his daughters rushed over, kneeling around him and calling out in throat-shredding panic:
"Father!! Father!!"
Elizabeth raised her head and shouted to the guards with a raw, agonizing voice, ordering them to fetch a physician immediately with the utmost urgency.
While everyone was preoccupied with King Richard and the emergency enveloping the hall, Irene remained slumped on the cold floor, fighting alone against a severe panic attack that had paralyzed her senses.
Sally spotted her from afar amidst the turmoil. Terror struck her heart, and she ran toward her.
Sally gathered Irene in her arms, her voice trembling with fright:
"What is happening?! My Lady, are you alright?!"
Sally tried to lift her slightly off the ground, helping her regulate her breathing and guiding her just as she always used to do in moments like this.
Heavy minutes passed until the corridor, which had been packed with shouting and commotion moments ago, gradually cleared of the crowd.
Sally shouted to a passing maid:
"Bring some water, quickly!"
When the water arrived, Sally sprinkled a few drops onto Irene's cold face and gently wiped it.
Irene was still submerged in a state of stillness and pallor, as though her soul were slowly fighting its way back to her body... then her tongue finally moved, uttering in a barely audible, trembling whisper:
"Sally..."
Sally replied with a tone overflowing with anxiety and tenderness:
"Yes... I am right here with you."
Irene spoke, every word straining her chest and deepening her urge to cry:
"Take me to my room... I am scared."
Sally wrapped her arms around her with warm strength, speaking to soothe her terror:
"Alright, don't be afraid... I will take you now."
Sally bit her lip, holding back her burning tears as she held Irene close, pressing her lovingly against her chest just as she used to do when Irene was little during terrible moments like this.
To be continued...