Third Person's POV
"Father, are you really taking over Regila as King?" Lia asked as she sat on the couch in the study. "You're already a princess so your title won't change only the background." She picked up a book. "You knew Mother chose you for this reason?" She asked curiously and Kasian paused.
"I thought that, but I don't think she chose to marry just because of that. After all she made the Crown Prince of Lino become King a few months ago. There's something I'm missing." Lia nodded. "I think so too Father. I'd never heard Mother mention you until a month before the wedding even though we were nearby."
This made Kasian look at Lia as she opened a book to read it. "What do you mean? Didn't your mother come from Palk to get married?" Lia shook her head. "We'd been here for a year outside the capital. The first time we met our grandparents was just a few months ago." Kasian was about to ask something when he heard a commotion and two people running towards the door.
He stood up just as the door burst open. "Quick! The Mansion is on fire!" Kai shouted and Kasian moved quickly. He was out the door before Lia could stand up. Heri was outside the door, out of breath. "Where's Lion?" Kasian asked. "He's getting a horse."
Kasian remembered the words Poloria said to him before he left. 'If you're coming back, come back alone.' Kasian ran towards the gate. "Stay in the Palace until I call for you." He said as he ran quicker. Luckily Kana was holding onto Lion so that he couldn't leave.
"Make sure they stay here. We don't know what's going on over there yet." Kana nodded to Kasian as he got onto the horse. "Father! Take me with you!" Kasian looked down at Lion. "Wait until I call you. We know how powerful your mother is. A fire can't do anything to her." Lion nodded and stopped struggling. Kasian left the Palace gates and they closed behind him.
"What's really going on? You and Bira entered the Palace with us and hours later, a fire started at the mansion." Lion asked as Kana released him. She didn't answer him, but he suddenly clutched his chest and dropped to his knees. Kana checked him over, but he was healthy.
Tears formed in Lion's eyes. "Something's wrong." He whispered through the pain. "Young master, this level of acting isn't going to help you." Kana said as she checked him over again. Lion grabbed her hand tightly. "Something's wrong with mother." His eyes rolled back and he passed out.
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When Kasian got to the mansion, the fire was out and Poloria's people were blocking the entrance. They allowed him in without any trouble. He ran towards the study; he could hear crying and the unease in his heart overflowed. He was hoping...
His hopes shattered when he entered the area. Malek was standing over a charred body and another woman he didn't recognize was holding another body and crying loudly. "What's going on?" Kasian's voice made them look at him. Malek turned to Kasian and bowed. "Your Highness." He wanted to say something more but choked.
Kasian walked in. "Your Highness." The woman, Ruby, slowly and gently put down the body in her hands and bowed to Kasian. "If you're here then you're one of my wife's people. Where is she, and who is that?" He pointed at the other body by Malek's feet.
"We identified the bodies after pulling them out the fire." Malek paused. "This is your mother, Queen Mother Olani Relia." Malek paused again and looked at the corpse next to Ruby. "Your Master? Where is she?" Kasian asked, looking at the corpse with tears welling in his eyes.
"This body." Ruby whimpered as she tried to hold back her tears. "This body is Master's." Kasian glared at her. "Stop lying. A fire wouldn't kill her." Ruby sobbed. "Master sent you, the young master, young ladies, Bira and Kana to the palace so that your mother would make her move."
Kasian dropped to his knees. "She was always after Ria?" He asked softly. "Yes. Master was always the target." Malek confirmed. "What was the plan?" Kasian asked. "She knew of the poison and had us make antidotes and directly sent it to her because at that time, the poison would already be in effect."
"Then this fire? How did my wife end up dead in a fire!" Kasian shouted. "It was something that Master didn't realize your mother could do. The poison has a distinct smell, but your mother added more of the last ingredient to neutralize the smell and make it more poisonous. When we rushed over, master was already dead from the poison before she was burned in the fire."
Kasian crawled towards Poloria's body. "This joke isn't funny. She's not dead." Kasian checked the body. Her body wasn't completely burned so he could still check to see for himself. He felt the scar across her lower back and his tears fell. He felt and saw that scar multiple times that night. He couldn't mistake it. He knew that even if Poloria wanted to get back at him for not doing anything, she wouldn't make it happen on such a big scale where the children could know.
"I just got back. You just had me nursed back to health, how could you? How could you?" Kasian held the lifeless body in his hands, mumbling incoherent words while rocking back and forth. "Your Highness. The young masters and young ladies have to know." Malek reminded Kasian softly. Those words shook him greatly; he didn't know how to tell the children anything. They spent more time with her. If he's this heartbroken, he can only imagine how the children will break down. Especially Lion and Lia.
Kasian looked down at her burnt face. "I'll temporarily leave her in your care. Clean her up and properly send her into the Palace. The children will want to see her." Malek bowed. "I will do as you say, your highness." Kasian stood up with her body and handed her to Malek. Kasian wiped his face and quickly left the mansion to return to the palace.
The children were waiting at the gates. Lion rushed towards the horse. "It's not true. Right?" He asked. The two looked each other in the eye and Lion stumbled back. Then the look in his eyes hardened. "You're lying!" Lion shouted angrily. Kasian got off the horse and approached him. He placed his hands on Lion's shoulders and looked at the other children. "Your mother... She's gone."
Kai didn't react, Lion tensed, Heri and Lia started crying. Jailin wanted to hold it in, but when Kasian looked at him, he couldn't anymore. "She's really gone?" Kai asked. Kasian nodded. "Where's her body?" He asked calmly. "I have her people cleaning her up and they'll bring her here." Kai nodded, turned and left.
"Kai." Kasian called out to him, but Kai didn't stop walking. The look on Lion's face was similar to Kai's but instead of calm, it was lost. "Take the children to their courtyards." Kasian said to Bira and Kana who stood nearby. "No need. I'll go back on my own." Lion said as he stepped away from Kasian's grip.
The look on Lion's face was cold as he turned and left.