Free Web NovelChapter 129: Chapter 129
Riley’s POV
"Aemoria!"
Someone yelled behind me as I ran around the house.
My feet were moving as fast as they could and I could hear guards and warriors chasing after me but it only made me laugh harder because no matter how fast they ran, they could not catch me.
Their heavy footsteps followed me through the long halls and open spaces of the building but I kept turning corners and slipping past them like it was a game.
I laughed again, loud and carefree, my chest rising with excitement as I kept running.
"You cannot catch me!" I shouted back at them, my voice full of joy.
One of the guards called out my name again but I ignored him.
I turned another corner quickly—
And suddenly my foot caught on something.
Everything happened too fast. My body fell forward and I hit the ground hard.
"Ahh—!"
Pain shot through my foot immediately.
I groaned and pushed myself up slightly, grabbing my leg as I felt something warm.
When I looked down I saw a small cut and a little blood coming out of it.
My lips trembled slightly as the pain settled in.
Before I could react more, I heard fast footsteps coming toward me.
"Aemoria!"
I looked up. My sister was running toward me.
She looked worried.
She reached me quickly and dropped down beside me, grabbing my leg carefully.
"Ria, how many times has Dad warned you not to play rough and run around the building?" she said as she looked at my foot.
Her voice sounded serious but not angry.
"Look at you, you got yourself wounded again."
I pouted slightly."It’s just a small cut," I muttered.
She didn’t respond to that.
Instead she brought out a bandage quickly and started wrapping it around my foot carefully.
Her movements were gentle but firm.
Even though we were twins, she always acted older than me.
She always behaved like she had to take care of me.
I watched her quietly as she finished tying the bandage.
Then she helped me stand up.
"But why must we not run around?" I complained as we started walking back together.
"I see other kids play each time I go out of the citadel."
I frowned."I want to play too."
"Why is royal life so boring?"
She sighed softly."Aemoria..."
Her tone was calm.
"Dad has a reason for telling us not to play like that."
"We have to respect that." she said.
I frowned deeper."Dad is the king," I said, confused. "Why is he hiding us as if we did something bad?"
She didn’t answer immediately. She just kept walking beside me.
Then she stopped suddenly. I stopped too. She turned to face me and smiled softly.
"Maybe when we are older, we will understand why Mommy and Daddy do not want us out in the open," she said.
"But for now, we have to listen to them."
I looked at her with a small frown."I don’t like it," I muttered.
She chuckled lightly."I know." freewebnoveℓ.com
Then she held my hand and started pulling me along again.
"Come on, we have to go inside."
"Daddy said he is having important visitors today."
Her voice became more serious.
"We must stay in our room and lock the door until midnight."
My frown deepened immediately."Why should we lock ourselves?" I asked. "I don’t like that."
She didn’t answer right away. Instead she pulled me faster until we reached our room.
She pushed the door open and we both stepped inside.
Then she quickly shut it behind us and then she turned around to face me.
Her expression had changed.
She looked serious now. "Listen, Aemoria," she said.
"Mommy told me something."
I blinked."What?"
She walked closer to me and lowered her voice slightly.
"Those people coming today..." she paused and breathed out. "They are bad people."
My heart skipped slightly. "Bad people?" I repeated.
She nodded slowly."They want something from Mommy and Daddy."
"Something Mommy and Daddy cannot give."
I felt confused."What do they want?"
She shook her head."I don’t know exactly."
"But Mommy said we must not be seen."
Her voice became firmer. "They do not know that we exist."
My eyes widened slightly."They don’t know about us?"
She shook her head again."No."
"That is why they disguise us every time we leave the citadel."
I stood there quietly, trying to understand everything she was saying.
It didn’t make sense to me. If Dad was the king then why were we hiding?
Why were there people that could not know about us?
"Are they dangerous?" I asked slowly.
She hesitated for a second. Then she nodded. "Yes."
That single word made my chest feel tight.
I looked toward the door. "What if they find us?" I asked quietly.
"They won’t," she said quickly.
Her voice sounded sure."We are going to stay here and lock the door."
"And we are not going to make any noise."
I swallowed slightly."Okay..."
She smiled softly again and walked over to the door.
I watched as she turned the lock firmly.
Then she walked back toward me. "Come on," she said.
"Let’s just read like Daddy told us."
I nodded slowly. We both moved toward the bed and sat down.
She picked up a book and opened it. But I couldn’t focus.
My mind kept thinking about what she said.
Bad people.
Visitors.
Hiding.
Not existing.
It all felt strange.
The room suddenly felt too quiet. After a few minutes I looked up at her again.
"Do you think Mommy and Daddy are scared?" I asked.
She paused for a moment.
Then she looked at me. Her expression softened slightly. "I think they are just trying to protect us," she said.
I nodded slowly. Then suddenly—
A loud sound echoed somewhere outside.
Both of us froze instantly.
My heart started beating fast. "What was that?" I whispered.
She stood up quickly and walked toward the door.
"Stay here," she said.
I nodded but my eyes were already wide with fear.
She placed her ear against the door, trying to listen.
Another loud sound came from outside. This time it sounded closer.
My chest tightened. "Something is wrong," I whispered.
She didn’t respond. Her body had gone stiff.
Then suddenly—
We heard shouting. Loud voices. Angry voices.
My heart started racing even faster.
"Those are not guards," she said quietly.
Fear rushed through me."Then who are they?"
Before she could answer—
A loud crash echoed through the building.
It sounded like something had been broken and I gasped.
She quickly moved away from the door and grabbed my hand.
"We have to stay quiet," she whispered urgently.
My fingers tightened around hers as more shouting echoed outside.
Then footsteps. Heavy footsteps. They were getting closer.
My breathing became shaky.
"Ria..." she whispered as she squeezed my hand. "It’s okay," she said softly.
But I could hear the fear in her voice.
Then suddenly— The door handle moved.
Both of us froze completely.
Someone was trying to open it. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
The handle shook again. Then a voice spoke from outside.
"Open this door."
My breath caught in my throat.
That voice did not sound kind. It sounded cold.
My sister didn’t move. She pulled me slightly behind her.
The handle shook harder."Open the door!" the voice shouted again.
I felt tears building in my eyes. "We are not opening it," my sister said firmly.
Her voice was shaking slightly but she tried to sound brave.
For a moment there was silence.
Then—
A loud bang hit the door.
I screamed softly. Another bang followed.
The door shook violently.
"They are going to break it," I whispered in fear.
My sister didn’t answer. She just held my hand tighter.
Then suddenly—
Everything went silent. Completely silent.
The door stopped shaking. The voices disappeared. The footsteps faded.
It was like nothing was there anymore.
I blinked in confusion. "What... happened?" I whispered.
My sister slowly walked toward the door again. "Stay here," she said softly.
I nodded but my whole body felt tense.
She reached for the handle slowly. Then she unlocked it.
"No!" I whispered.
But she had already opened the door slightly as she peeked outside.
Her body went completely still.
"What do you see?" I asked quietly.
She didn’t answer. Fear rushed through me again.
I stood up quickly and walked toward her. "What is it sister?"
Then I reached the door. And I saw it. The hallway outside was a mess.
Things were broken. There were marks on the walls.
And the guards... The guards were on the ground.
Not moving.
My breath stopped. "What happened here?" I gasped in shock.
My sister slowly stepped out into the hallway.
I followed her without thinking. "No, we should go back inside," I said nervously.
But she didn’t listen. She was looking around like she was searching for something.
"Mom?" she called out softly.
No answer.
"Dad?" she tried again.
Still nothing.
My heart started beating faster. Something felt very wrong.
Then suddenly—
A shadow moved at the end of the hallway. Both of us froze.
Someone stepped forward slowly.
I couldn’t see their face clearly.
But I could feel it.
Danger.
My sister stepped slightly in front of me again.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The figure didn’t answer. They just kept walking closer.
My chest tightened.
I grabbed my sister’s arm. "Let’s go back," I whispered urgently.
But before we could move—
Everything went black. The scene disappeared instantly.
And suddenly—
Cold water splashed across my face.
I gasped sharply as my eyes flew open and I jolted up awake. My body jerked slightly as I tried to breathe properly.
Everything felt disoriented.
The dream. The memories.
They were gone.
But the fear was still there.
I blinked rapidly as my vision cleared.
And then I saw her.
Daphne was standing beside my bed.
Looking down at me with pure rage in her eyes.
