In a room on the second floor of Durin's Dwarven Blacksmith Shop in the royal capital, the small dwarf Euphy and Princess Lucy sat facing each other.
"Princess Lucy, please don't worry. The King will be fine," Euphy said, her tiny hands clenching two of Lucy's fingers—her hands were so small that she couldn't grasp the Princess's entire hand.
"I know," Princess Lucy nodded, but her delicate face was clouded with a deep, lingering gloom. She had a terrible premonition. She had been back in the capital for several days now; had she not hidden her identity, she likely would have been seized by now. According to the intelligence Jones had gathered, there was a secret bounty on her head, and the capital was crawling with people looking to capture her.
That was to be expected—she knew her brothers' methods. She still had political value to them. But over the last few days, a rumor had spread throughout the city: the First Prince was set to inherit the throne following the King's voluntary abdication.
Lucy didn't believe it for a second. She knew her father; he would never give up the throne so easily, and certainly not without a massive, kingdom-wide announcement. This discrepancy convinced her that something had gone wrong in the palace, but Jones hadn't been able to slip inside. The palace guards were so numerous and vigilant that even a leopard-kin scout couldn't get close.
"Princess Lucy, tell me more about Sedona City," Euphy said, her pink eyes shining with forced curiosity, trying to change the subject.
"Alright. Last night, I was talking about the noodles..." Lucy's brow furrowed. She clearly had no heart for stories. She clutched the medicine she had brought from Sedona City; she wanted to give it to her father immediately, but he was out of reach. The First Prince's men had locked down the capital, and even the Second Prince had fled.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door rattled, and Lucy's head snapped toward it. "Come in," Euphy called out.
The door creaked open, and Jones walked in. Her face was grim, and her red eyes flickered with an unreadable intensity.
"Jones! What happened? Is there news of my father?" Lucy stood up instantly, her heart sinking. She rushed to the leopard-kin woman and grabbed her hands.
"Lucy..." Jones's voice was raspy and dry. "The King... is gone."
"What?" Lucy froze. Her eyes stared at Jones in utter disbelief. Her voice trembled as she whispered, "Gone? What do you mean gone?"
"Lucy, you must be strong," Jones sighed.
"No, that's impossible! The doctors said Father could live for another six months at least! This is impossible, impossible..." Lucy's emotions boiled over. Her eyes welled with tears that began to stream down her face. "No... no..."
"Why? Father... I brought the medicine! Why couldn't you wait just a little longer?" Lucy broke into a choked sob, looking like a little girl who had lost the most important thing in her world.
Jones bit her lip and pulled Lucy into a tight embrace, patting her back gently while her own red eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"The King is... dead?" Euphy stood there, stunned. This news changed everything. She watched Princess Lucy sobbing in Jones's arms and sighed. "The Princess has lost her final protection. This is going to be a disaster."
Lucy's suppressed weeping lasted for half an hour before she finally cried herself to sleep in Jones's arms. Jones carefully laid her on the bed and let out a long breath.
"Jones, what happened? How could the King die so suddenly?" Euphy whispered.
"Lucia did it," Jones said, her voice like ice. She had risked her life to squeeze the truth out of a palace knight. The palace was currently under a level of security she had never seen before—full of strangers and men in red robes.
"What? The First Prince murdered the King? Is he insane?" Euphy's eyes widened. To her, this was the act of a madman.
"Hmph. That throne is enough to drive anyone to madness," Jones replied. Had the palace not been a fortress, she would have already taken Lucia's head.
"So, what do we do now?" Euphy looked at the sleeping princess, whose brow was still furrowed in grief.
"We wait for her to wake up and decide," Jones said. She knew Lucy was soft on the outside but possessed a core of iron. If she hadn't, her brothers would have tricked her years ago.
"Jones, don't let her do anything reckless," Euphy warned. If Lucy tried to seek revenge now, she would be captured the moment she stepped outside.
"She isn't a fool," Jones muttered, noticing that Lucy had already opened her eyes.
"Does he want to be king that badly?" Lucy's voice was raspy, dripping with pure hatred. "If that's what he wants, I will shatter his every hope."
"Princess, please don't do anything dangerous," Euphy pleaded.
"What is your plan? A direct assassination?" Jones asked. She knew a palace raid was a suicide mission, but if Lucy ordered it, she would go without a second thought.
"We go back to Sedona City," Lucy said, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. Her eyes were no longer full of sorrow, but cold determination. "I will use my name and my legitimacy to help Lucas take the throne."
"Understood," Jones nodded coldly.
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