The Lycan King's Puppet-Chapter 73: Through the Ledge

What was she thinking? What if she fell? She had no experience walking on such thin ledges.

"When did I become this desperate?"

Claire glanced at the end of the hallway where the formidable guards stood.

She imagined the looks on their faces when they would discover that she had seen the King despite their relentless attempts to ensure otherwise.

"I know you hate me, goddess, but please help me this once. Don’t let me fall."

She held the railing and prepared to swing her leg over, but she thought of Aurora.

Was she being too impulsive? If anything happened to her, Aurora would be all alone.

She drew away from the balcony and stood there.

Every fiber of her being screamed that she should do it...

"Blast it." Claire held the edge and tossed one leg over despite her heavy gown. Maybe she should have dressed better if she knew she would be breaking into the King’s chambers?

With one leg over the railing, she wondered if his windows were even open. What would she do if they were not? Turn back?

A wolfed girl would not fear heights as much as she did. Just looking at the ground below her made her heart palpitate. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The fall was a very long one... from the top of the tower.

And if she fell?

"I’d rather not think about that."

Slowly, she slid the other leg over the railing. She sat comfortably on the railing and closed her eyes. She gripped the chiseled stone so hard that she bruised her hand.

It isn’t too late to turn back, a voice in her head kept saying.

Claire could hear her breathing in her own ears - she was louder than a cow in labour.

Very slowly, she lowered one foot onto the ledge, still gripping the stone railing firmly.

Surprisingly, the stone ledge didn’t wobble.

Her other leg followed.

She whispered praises inwardly at the stone mason that constructed the tower.

"What next, Claire?" She asked herself.

The path to the window was longer than she had initially thought. How in the world would she reach the other end without falling over?

She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that just because she was a great wolf’s daughter she would survive such a fall.

One foot in front of the other, she told herself.

Still gripping the railing like her life depended on it, she moved her right foot onto the next stone ledge. The single movement had her panting.

Her other feet moved similarly, and she kept moving that way until she found herself in front of his window.

Unfortunately, the glass panes were locked. Even when dusty, they looked expwnsive... she couldn’t possibly force her way in.

Or could she?

She couldn’t have come all that way only to go back without seeing him. Her mission had to be accomplished or else everything would have been for naught.

Her hands were gripping the protruding stones on the wall, trying to resist the arrogant wind. If she released one of her hands... the wind would take her on a journey she had no plans of embarking on. And the sun was beginning to take its position in the cloudy sky.

What if people below could see her? What would they think of her... forcing her way into the King’s chambers despite his wishes to not be disturbed?

Even if she wanted to break through the window, what would she even use?

A wave of wind made her slam into the building.

Cursing, she freed her left hand long enough to try pushing the panes open. The blasted window didn’t move an inch.

And she hadn’t eaten a morsel that morning.

Pushing it won’t work, she said inwardly.

Claire tried standing on her toes to see inside, but her dress caught on something.

She freed a hand to tug at her dress. As the dress tugged loose, she slid backward, nearly falling. She managed to grasp the stone she’d been holding just in time.

When she looked down, there was a loose stone dangling where her dress had been caught.

There was only one solution...

Claire drew in a deep breath and pulled out the stone.

She couldn’t possibly afford to have it fixed if she broke it.

What if Yeren didn’t want to see her? How had she never considered that? What if he had her chased out?

Gritting her teeth, she pounded the stone against the glass pane. It reveberated, but didn’t shatter.

She tried again. Only a scratch appeared. Tears threatened as she stared hopelessly at the forsaken window.

"Why won’t you open!"

Claire let the stone loose one more time, pounding with whatever energy she had left.

Nothing happened.

Cursing, she decided to return back.

But then, the window began to crack slowly.

She turned back, uncertain if it would actually shatter. The crack threaded across the expanse of the window, spreading like webs.

Then, the window crumbled before her, leaving only a few pieces of the window in the space where the window had previously been.

Claire didn’t have enough time to move away. Some glass shards fell within the room while others fell on her.

She bit her lower lip as one of the shards sliced through her sleeve and cut the skin of her arm.

Claire listened for sounds of movement from within. All she heard was silence.

Only one thought crept to her mind - was the King secretly dead?

She removed the fragments and debris from the window sill, bracing her hands on them.

She tried hefting herself inside the room. At first, her hands wouldn’t carry her basically mon-existent weight, but when she jumped, she tumbled inside the room.

Claire shrieked loudly as she landed on broken glass.

"My back?" She rolled over, far away from the place of torture.

She was tangled in between the drawn drapes. When she managed to lift them from her face, there was no stray ray of light in the room - apart from the ones her escapade had brought in.

"Your Grace?" She scrambled to her feet, beating the heavy drapes away.

Glass shards stuck to her dress like tiny prickly needles.

She could make out the bed and the lifeless hearth on the side of the room that the light touched.

The other half was as dark as night.

Hesitantly, she stepped forward, stopping where the light ended.

"Your Grace?"

Still no response.

"Are you here?"

Bright yellow eyes snapped open, unmistakably staring at her. Her lungs left her behind, so did her heartbeat.

Those eyes again...

"What are you doing here, Miss Stenly?"