"I am sorry, I was not able to immediately congratulate you. There are lots of people who want to congratulate you first. It would be very inappropriate if I squeeze myself into the crowd especially most of them are powerful and influential men so I congratulated Anders first for doing his best! You are not angry, are you?" Beatrix happily explained and beamed a warm smile at him.

He nodded and smiled as he continued to look at her beautiful face and happy expression.

"No. I am not angry... not anymore." He told her honestly omitting the words 'not anymore'.

"Oh, I remember! I prepared gifts for both of you! You stay here! I will get it now! Wait for me!" She excitedly told the two princes and excitedly walked away to get the gifts.

Prince Andrew went near to Prince Anders who is coldly sneering at him now. In response, Prince Andrew faced him with an apathetic look. They are like that for a few moments until Prince Anders broke the silence.

"Imperial Brother, why did you change your mind at the last moment? If you only continued and successfully stabbed me through the heart, the throne and Beatrix are yours alone now." Prince Anders sinisterly declared as if the one who was almost stabbed to death was not him.

"Or not..." Prince Andrew coldly replied as he thought of the negative consequences after he calmed down and his mind is clear and logical again. He could kill several people directly and be able to get away from it because his Father Emperor and Mother Empress will close their eyes to protect him but if he dares to kill his imperial brother while his Imperial Father and Imperial Mother are still around, his life will also not end well!

Imperial Brother, I could not kill you now... Well, at least, not using direct and blatant means! Imperial Father and Imperial Mother are still around to protect you and seek justice for you...

Prince Andrew thought deeply as he silently considered his brother's words.

"You are a great fool, Imperial Brother! You already had a chance but you did not execute it!" Prince Anders smoothly told his brother and grinned widely. "But I am not like you!" He said then he executed one of his carefully thought ideas!

Beatrix happily came back to where she left them, near the deep man-made lake. She excitedly carried her gifts but her face became very pale and the gifts were dropped on the ground when she saw a very traumatic and disturbing sight!

A body is floating face down on the water... Based on the clothing, she recognized it as Prince Anders!

"Anders!" She screamed and went near the water to rescue him but she suddenly remember that she does not know how to swim!

Their lessons and training did not include swimming! Most are politics, history, military, weaponry, geography, business, economics, agriculture, accounting, bookkeeping, engineering, astrology, etiquette, and many more!

But why it did not include swimming?!!

She helplessly and angrily thought while crying miserably as Prince Anders is not responding and remained face down on the water! She ran as fast as she could to ask for help. Three guards patrolling nearby helped in rescuing Prince Anders. One of them jumped in the water and successfully rescued the floating and unconscious body of Prince Anders. This same guard tried to revive Prince Anders, who is no longer breathing!

Beatrix is crying wretchedly as she commanded one of the guards to summon the physicians and turned to the other one to command him to inform the Emperor and Empress immediately! She cried even more as Prince Anders is still not moving! He is still not breathing! She called his name several times, begging him to wake up...

The guard is still trying to revive him until Prince Anders finally heaved, vomited water, and coughed several times to clear his lungs! He slowly open his eyes but he lost consciousness again!

Beatrix sighed a relief when the guard said that Prince Anders seems to be breathing normally now although he is still unconscious. She believed him because she could see the familiar rising and falling movement in his chest. When everything seems fine, that was the time that she suddenly remembered Prince Andrew!

Where is Andrew?!! They were together when I left them here to get the gifts... Do not tell me...

She panicked as she realized another grim possibility! She trembled as she told the guard who saved Prince Anders that Prince Andrew might also be in the water! He is probably trapped in the bottom of the lake as no other body is floating on the surface!

The guard immediately ran then dived in the water! Her heart was gripped with too much fear and pain! She hoped that she is wrong... That Prince Andrew left this place when she left... That he is not in the bottom of the lake... That he is just somewhere else... That he did not drown and died!

© 2021 Jezel Mandin Sapata-Gentiles. All Rights Reserved.