King Wilhelm's grip tightened around Queen Margaret as her words sank in. "It's Dorian," she whispered again, her voice trembling with grief.
"What do you mean?" King Wilhelm said impatiently, his voice sharp with dread. "Margaret, speak!"
The Queen pulled herself from his arms, her hands shaking as she clutched at her disheveled gown. "Dorian… our son… I found him in the east wing, lying in a pool of blood. His neck—" Her voice broke into a sob, and she buried her face in her hands.
King Wilhelm staggered back as if struck, his face draining of color. He looked at Aldric whose face also mirrored his expression and he felt his stomach lurch as the weight of the news crashed down on him.
"Show me," he said, his tone low and commanding despite the tremor beneath it.
Margaret nodded weakly, and the three of them hurried back through the garden, the cool night air biting at their skin. The once-peaceful grounds now felt oppressive. As they approached the east wing, the sound of muffled cries and hurried footsteps grew louder. Servants and guards milled about in confusion, their faces pale with shock.
The scene that greeted them was one of horror. Dorian laid sprawled across the marble floor, his small body unnaturally still. Blood pooled beneath his slit throat glistening against the pale stone and his dead eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling. Nearby, two children stood huddled together—Lucien and Sophia—and they were surrounded by people.
Queen Margaret let out a fresh wail and collapsed beside her son, clutching his lifeless hand. Wilhelm gaped at the sight then came to kneel beside her, his own hands hovering uselessly over the boy as if he could somehow will him back to life. Duke Aldric's gaze darted between the gruesome sight and his children and he felt dread creeping up his spine.
"What happened?" King Wilhelm demanded, his voice cracking as he looked to the children.
Sophia spoke first, her words tumbling out in a rush. "We were playing hide-and-seek. Dorian said he'd hide in the east wing, and Lucien and I were counting in the courtyard. I—I went looking for him, and then I found him like this. I screamed, and Lucien came running, and then the Queen and mother heard me—"
Lucien nodded vigorously, his wide eyes darting to his father. "It's true, Father. We didn't see anyone. We were just playing, and then…" His voice faltered, and he looked down at his hands.
Duke Aldric's heart twisted. His son's fear was palpable, and he feared for the events that were going to ensue. He then turned to his wife who stood nearby with an ashen face.
"The children seeked our permission to go play then minutes later, we heard Sophia scream. We ran here and found this." She said, unable to complete her sentence.
There was a brief silence when she was done which was cut short by a groan from King Wilhelm who rose to his feet with a clenched fists. "Who did this?" he roared, his grief morphing into fury. "Who dared to touch my son?"
Queen Margaret's head snapped up, her tear-filled eyes narrowing as they landed on Aldric. "Who indeed?" she hissed, her voice venomous. "This happened under your roof, Aldric. Your wife has had it in for me for a long time. Is this your idea of payback. Killing my son, your future king. I'll see it that you all hang."
The whole room recoiled, stunned by the accusation and threat by the Queen. The attention then shifted to the King for the final verdict but he was still occupied with his son's body.
Duke Aldric then stepped forward to defend his family's name as the Queen's temper was legendary and he knew that she could very well carry out her threat.
"My Queen, I swear to you, my family had no hand in this. You know Dorian was like a son to me—"
"Enough!" she spat out, cutting him mid sentence. "Your words mean nothing. If not you, then your lax guards, your incompetent men, they let this happen!"
The King placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, his expression torn between grief and reason. "Margaret, we don't know who's behind this yet. Accusing Aldric without evidence—"
"Evidence?" she shrieked, wrenching herself free from his hold. "Look at our son! The guards failed. They let a killer slip through unseen. If they were doing their duty, Dorian would still be alive!"
Aldric's jaw tightened as the Queen's words cut deep. He knew the rift that was going to happen as a result of her words and he hoped he would be lucky to escape without some punishment of a kind. He stepped forward, bowing his head to both the King and Queen.
"I take full responsibility," he said, in a soothing voice. "We cannot bring back Dorian and I failed at protecting him in my home. I'll forever regret it but I swear on my honor, I will find who did this and bring them to justice."
The Queen lips curled as she made to reply but the King raised a hand to silence her. "Why are we still wasting time then?" he asked rhetorically in a clipped tone.
Duke Aldric nodded then turned to the cluster of guards hovering nearby. "Lock down the estate," he ordered, his voice ringing with authority. "No one leaves these grounds until we've searched every inch and questioned every soul. Guards, servants, guests—all will be accounted for."
The captain of the guard saluted sharply and barked orders to his men, who scattered to secure the perimeter.
Duke Aldric's pulse quickened as his mind raced with the sheer work involved but he knew he had to start somewhere. He stopped the Captain. "I'll begin with the guards at the east gate. If someone slipped in, they'd have seen it."
With a final nod to the King, he strode toward the east gate, determined to unravel the nightmare before it was too late.