Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 8 - Attack
In the dead of the night, Lilith lay alone in her bedchamber.
Despite the chaos which ensued earlier, the castle grew quiet as the servants, soldiers, and visitors all rested.
Solomon stood guard outside Lilith’s door while she slept.
Lilith tossed and turned for a few hours, facing trouble as she thought of who the mole in her circle was. Eventually, she fell asleep, and when she let her guard down, a figure quietly entered through her window.
A man dressed in black and wearing a mask to hide his face slipped into the bedchamber of the known traitor. His right hand rested on the sword, which was meant to take Lilith’s life.
His orders were to kill the traitor princess, but if he could keep her silent, he could have his way with her first, not only to defile her but to ruin her name before her death.
The intruder came to a stop when Lilith moved, turning onto her side. Her hand moved to touch her pillow.
He waited for Lilith to open her eyes, and seeing that she was still fast asleep, he continued his approach towards the bed.
The intruder’s hand moved swiftly to cover Lilith’s mouth, deciding to make the most of the moment to have a princess before he killed her.
Lilith’s eyes opened, but instead of the anticipated fear in her eyes, she stared at him, annoyed that her sleep had been disturbed.
Lilith slipped her hand under the pillow for the dagger she had been reaching for from the moment the intruder entered through the window. Before he could grab her hand, she plunged the dagger deep into the side of his neck.
Gurgling sounds were made as the man above her tried to pull the dagger from his neck. His blood trickled down, falling onto her chest and nightgown.
His right hand slipped to Lilith’s neck to choke her, while his left hand pulled at the dagger lodged in his neck.
Lilith pulled out the dagger, with the help of the man on top of her, and relentlessly stabbed him again and again, aiming carelessly. freeweɓnøvel.com
Lilith gritted her teeth.
Each stab heightened her anger.
A late-night plot to end her life was nothing new, but it annoyed her that it happened just when she was able to rest.
Lilith stabbed the intruder, ignoring the pain that formed from his fingers around her slender neck.
One of them was going to die, and Lilith was determined for it not to be her.
She would not die like this. Alone, in her bedchamber, by someone insignificant.
Lilith glared at the intruder, her breathing slowed as he pressed down on her throat. She aimed the dagger at his chest.
Soon, his hold on her neck loosened, and his body fell onto her own.
His weight crushed her, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain from where he had held her.
Lilith took a small, deep breath, calming herself. It hurt when she swallowed, but she was alive.
A cold metal brushed against her hand, and without needing to look, Lilith knew that the intruder had a dagger on him. He had likely dropped it after the first stab.
Lilith used her right hand to push the man off her body. He collapsed on the floor with a thud.
Lilith continued to catch her breath and stared at the ceiling. She was used to this by now.
All the attempts by relatives to end her life. Her own father was the first one to start it, but considering he was dead, this was the work of another relative.
It wouldn’t be surprising if one of her father’s loyal servants were getting revenge for his death.
"Solomon!" Lilith called, but her voice was low. "Solomon," she tried again.
Lilith sat up just as the doors burst open.
Solomon stormed into the bedchamber, and upon seeing the man lying on the floor, he rushed to Lilith’s side. The blood on her nightgown scared him.
"Are you injured, Princess? Should I send for a doctor?" Solomon asked, his hands trembling. He reached to touch Lilith’s gown, but stopped himself since it would be too indecent.
"I’m fine, but I need the body moved and a different nightgown. He came after I managed to calm myself and close my eyes. Tell them to let the castle pigs feast on his body," Lilith said, glaring at the man on the floor.
Solomon was yet to calm down.
He, too, should have been used to the attacks on Lilith’s life, but could never be as calm as Lilith was now. She could have died.
While Solomon tried to get over his panic, Lilith wondered if she should let it be known that she had been attacked.
Would it work in her favour to capture the kingdom’s pity, or would it hurt her?
"Stop sulking as though you were the one strangled and move to find a maid. Those bastards have gone to alert him," Lilith said, watching as Cassian’s soldiers ran off. "They aren’t good at guarding. He should send them home."
"He claims to want me, but he couldn’t place his best guards at my door. He’s useless," Lilith said, flipping her hair over her shoulder before it got stained with blood.
Lilith picked up the dagger she had used to kill the intruder. It always remained under her pillow since she could never be too safe in her bedchamber.
"My dagger needs to be washed and dried. Solomon," Lilith sighed, annoyed. "One would think it was your life in danger. If you need a hug, find some other lady to offer it. I want to rest."
Lilith got up from her bed and walked over to the window to see how the intruder had got to her bedchamber.
Solomon soon got a hold of himself. "I will send for a maid to tidy your bed and to dress you. Would you like warm water to bathe?"
"Just a bucket. I am not," Lilith’s words became a whisper when she turned around.
Already, Cassian was storming through the bedchamber doors.
"Was he sleeping nearby?" Lilith wondered.
Cassian’s gaze mirrored one filled with fear.
"I am fine. Don’t come any closer," Lilith said, raising her right hand with the dagger as Cassian approached her.
To Lilith’s surprise, Cassian embraced her.
"I thought I lost you," Cassian whispered.
Lilith’s hand remained midair, with the dagger waiting to claim its next victim. She was too stunned by Cassian’s care to launch the attack.
Lilith thought it was all an act until she felt tears dripping onto her shoulder.
"Why?" Lilith wondered.
