Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 125: Gone

Kai had to mask his true emotions, maintaining an air of composure to avoid raising suspicion. Without hesitation, he issued his commands, his tone sharp and resolute. "Assemble a group of knights immediately. Lock down the palace and its grounds. Conduct a thorough search—we must determine if the murderer is still within our walls."

Inside, however, his thoughts were far from calm.

It must have been the Beast King, Kai mused, a sly grin creeping across his pale face. He probably decided that if he couldn’t have Lorelai, then no one could. Well, it’s all for the best. Mother will be furious, but this accelerates everything. With that old pervert gone, I no longer have to endure this agonizing wait.

The news was undeniably advantageous, and Kai’s excitement simmered just beneath the surface. He was even tempted to let the beasts’ delegation slip away unscathed, but for the sake of appearances, he had to feign outrage and take immediate action.

Frowning deeply, he strode toward the head of the royal knights and spoke in a commanding tone, his voice firm enough to leave no room for doubt. "The timing of the beasts’ delegation’s departure, coinciding with the death of Duke Vincent Kalder, is far too suspicious. They are now our prime suspects. Assemble a pursuit team immediately and set off without delay. We must apprehend the criminals and ensure they face justice!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The chief commander of the royal knights bowed low and swiftly left to carry out the prince’s orders.

Kai turned on his heel, intending to inform the queen of the unexpected developments and recalibrate their plans. But before he could take more than a few steps, a distraught lady-in-waiting came rushing toward him. Her face was pale, her body trembling violently, and she stumbled as if her panic had robbed her of balance.

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"

Kai assumed the maid had come to inform him of the duke’s death, news he had already anticipated. Schooling his features into a calm expression, he offered her a friendly, reassuring smile. "What is it? Why are you so distressed?"

The woman clutched her chest as if trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart and steady her trembling breaths before finally speaking. "It’s Her Highness, Princess Lorelai! She has gone missing!"

"What?!"

Kai stared at her, stunned, unable to process the words. For a fleeting moment, he thought it might be some cruel jest. Perhaps Lorelai had already learned of her fiancé’s death and was simply hiding somewhere, overcome by fear and grief.

But as the seconds ticked by, unease gripped him. Something about the situation felt deeply wrong. Fury bubbling beneath the surface, Kai seized the woman by the collar of her dress, his sharp gaze piercing hers.

"Say that again! What happened to the princess?!"

The lady-in-waiting’s face turned deathly pale, her voice trembling as she stammered, "S-She was supposed to accompany the head lady-in-waiting to choose the wedding flowers, b-but she never showed up. When a maid went to check on her... her room was empty. Th-There were traces of blood on the floor."

Kai’s breath hitched as her words sank in, the weight of them crashing down on him like a tidal wave.

Gone. Lorelai was gone.

His mind raced, piecing together the fragments of this nightmarish puzzle. The Beast King. It had to be him. He killed the duke and then stole her away. No other explanation made sense. And Kai, in his heart, was certain he was right.

His jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with fury as a single thought echoed in his mind: This changes everything.

Initially, he had considered letting the Beast King and his delegation escape, but not anymore.

"Lorelai..." he whispered under his breath. I will find you. I will bring you back.

***

The beasts galloped onward, the king’s carriage encircled by warriors who moved as one, forming an impenetrable shield around their monarch.

They had been fortunate—managing to slip out of the palace grounds moments before it was locked down. It was clear now: the royal family had uncovered the truth.

The group pressed forward relentlessly, stopping only when their horses were on the brink of collapse. By the time they halted, darkness had blanketed the plains, and the cool night air was filled with the sounds of weary breaths and hooves against the damp earth. Steam rose from the horses’ overheated bodies as they were led to stables, where they were fed and watered.

Under Rhaegar’s orders, fresh horses were quickly prepared. The gypsy camp had readied the base in advance, following the arrival of Alim’s messenger hawk with news of the beasts’ escape.

As the group swapped out the exhausted mounts, Alim glanced up at the starless sky and whistled sharply, the sound cutting through the still night air. Moments later, a screech echoed back, and a large hawk descended, landing gracefully on his shoulder.

Alim stroked the bird’s sleek feathers and fed it small chunks of meat while Gian untied a tiny slip of paper fastened to its leg. Reading the message, Gian’s frown deepened. Without hesitation, he destroyed the note, tossing its remnants into the wind before turning to Rhaegar.

"The royal family has begun their pursuit," Gian informed him grimly. "According to the message, the Crown Prince himself is leading the charge."

Rhaegar’s expression darkened, his sharp features twisting in thought. "The Crown Prince himself, huh?" he muttered, almost to himself. A hint of frustration flickered in his gaze before it was overtaken by cold calculation.

"I suppose he’s figured it out," Rhaegar added, his tone low and bitter. "Lorelai... He must know about her by now."

When Rhaegar first came to Erelith, he had hoped Lorelai would willingly accompany him back to his lands. He was prepared for a chase, which was why he had instructed the rest of the nomadic group to create diversions to confuse and delay his pursuers.

The death of the old duke had not been part of his plan—it was a significant deviation. Yet, there was no undoing it now. At the very least, the princess was with him, and that was all that mattered.

It will take several days to reach the border and cross it, Rhaegar reflected, his mind churning through contingencies. Our horses are stronger and faster than regular ones, thanks to the injections of pure beast blood. But the journey will still be slower than I’d like, especially since we’ll need to fend off the royal knights’ pursuit.

Lorelai was another obstacle complicating their escape.

With the queen’s spells still binding her, there was a constant risk. No matter how far they traveled, Althea could potentially sense Lorelai’s location and track them down. Naveen had already sent word to the gypsies in the capital, asking their witches to obscure Rhaegar’s trail, but even that was not a guaranteed safeguard.

"Do you sense anything?" Rhaegar asked when Naveen approached him with worry etched across her face.

"All the magic I sense is coming from the princess," Naveen replied, her voice low and measured, though beads of sweat glistened at her hairline. "It isn’t growing stronger, which means the queen hasn’t yet pinpointed her location. I suppose that’s... good news, for now."

"Alright, stay with the princess while I take care of our next route. Make sure to inform me right away if she wakes up or something else happens to her."

The witch nodded at the king’s command and took a seat next to the sleeping Lorelai.

She scrutinized Lorelia’s appearance for quite a long time before finally letting out a long sigh, her icy blue eyes narrowing in worry. The amount of dark magic flowing in you is incredible, little princess... I wonder if he is strong enough to help you break free.

***

The carriage resumed its journey shortly after, the wheels creaking as they pressed on through the darkened forest. From that moment onward, they would not stop until they reached the next base.

As planned, Naveen traveled in the same carriage as Rhaegar and Lorelai. Being in such close proximity to the overwhelming presence of dark magic was almost unbearable for her, but the witch gritted her teeth and endured it.

Dabbing at the sweat on her brow with the sleeve of her long robe, Naveen cast a cautious glance at the princess to assess her condition.

Lorelai remained unconscious, cocooned in layers of blankets and cushions. Her attempt to resist the queen’s spell—killing the duke and imploring Rhaegar to take her away—had clearly taken its toll. It was no surprise her body had given out; the feat must have required a tremendous amount of mental and physical energy to break free, even if only for a fleeting moment.

Still, this did not mean she could replicate such an act again. The strain was too great, and her strength too fragile.

With a weary sigh, Naveen reached down and unhooked one of the small glass bottles secured to her wide belt. Uncorking it with practiced ease, she leaned closer to Lorelai, her expression clouded with concern.

"This should suffice for now," she murmured under her breath, sprinkling a fine silver powder over the princess’s pale face.

The moment the powder made contact with Lorelai’s skin, it darkened, turning black before vanishing as though it had been absorbed into her very pores. Naveen watched intently, her hands trembling slightly as she corked the bottle once more.

From the moment Naveen first laid eyes on the princess in the forest, she had known that Lorelai’s condition was dire. Normally, spells were subtle, their presence concealed from even the most skilled of sorcerers unless exposed by specific potions or enchantments.

But in Lorelai’s case, the magic was unmistakable. It clung to her like a suffocating shroud of black smoke, swirling ominously around her fragile form. The queen had clearly made her spell deliberately conspicuous, its sheer potency designed to intimidate anyone daring enough to interfere. Even someone as formidable as Naveen could feel its oppressive weight bearing down on her.

Then it happened. Lorelai’s body twitched ever so slightly—so faintly, in fact, that Naveen wondered if she had imagined it. But before she could dismiss the thought, the princess’s body convulsed violently, her movements erratic and uncontrollable. Scarlet-tinged foam bubbled from the corners of her lips, spilling over her chin as her head jerked back.

"What is going on?!" Rhaegar exclaimed, his voice filled with panic. He sprang forward, wrapping his powerful arms around Lorelai’s thrashing body to prevent her from collapsing to the carriage floor and injuring herself further.

Naveen’s face paled as the full gravity of the situation hit her. Sweat trickled down her temples, her wide eyes fixed on the princess.