The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 181

Crown Prince Richard’s eyes stretched wide as he walked towards the room.

"No..." The guard said in a hurry but soon his voice fell silent. He knew that if he tried to stop the Crown Prince, it would be a self declaration of suicide. The guard swallowed hard as he closed his eyes in annoyance.

He knew that no matter what, the situation would not turn out in anyone’s favor if the Crown Prince barges in like that unannounced. The guard stood to the side as he saw the Crown Prince opening the door and entering the prayer room.

Crown Prince Richard walked in as he could see a few huge statues of God. The man wearing a huge white robe stood in front of it with a smile on his face as he closed his eyes.

Crown Prince Richard walked towards the side as he sat down with an unusual smile. His eyes were locked straight on the Priest as his lips curled up. He sat there, observing Priest Erasmus silently.

"When did the Crown Prince come?" Priest Erasmus said in surprise after opening his eyes and seeing the man with such a high status sitting quietly as if he was a common man.

The image did not sit well with Priest Erasmus. He knew that the Crown Prince was not someone who would sit silently at times like this. He was used to being waited upon and not waiting for others.

"I never thought to see a surprised look on your face." The Crown Prince got up from his seat as he walked towards Priest Erasmus, "But this is good too. Now that we are in front of God, I would like to ask you a few questions and I want you to respond to them. Honestly, if you please." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Priest Erasmus swallowed hard as he blinked his eyes nervously. Something was bothering him. The look on Crown Prince Richard’s face was not something that he was used to seeing, but Priest Erasmus also knew what it meant.

Crown Prince Richard was angry. And he wanted revenge and it was evident in his gaze. "Even if I am not standing in front of God, I am in no position to lie to the Crown Prince. I am the high priest and I always try to tell the truth."

"Priest Erasmus should observe carefully what he says. After all, I am not someone who can be deceived easily. And as for the truth..." Crown Prince Richard smiled as his eyes narrowed. He stood in front of Priest Erasmus as he continued, "And Priest Erasmus should not be preaching the truth at all as I am in no position to listen to your lies. I for one, know how much truth the temple had always been telling."

Priest Erasmus swallowed hard when he saw the sneer on the Crown Prince’s face. He knew full well that the temple was not the preacher of truth. There were times when the high priests across the years had manipulated the truth for the betterment of society and the temple itself.

"I think the Crown Prince has a lot of things to discuss. Why don’t we go sit somewhere quiet and discuss?" Priest Erasmus smiled, but looking at the Crown Prince’s face, he knew that having a civilized discussion was not possible. "The Crown Prince should know that whatever I have done so far was for a mission. And whatever I will do, will be for the same. If I had hidden something from you, then I have hidden something from the Emperor as well. The Crown Prince should not put me in a difficult position."

Crown Prince Richard looked to the side as his eyes narrowed. He knew that what Priest Erasmus was saying was the truth. There have been times when the situations were manipulated by the temple. That was the reason why he was able to be here, standing in front of them as the Crown Prince.

He still remembered what his mother had said. ’The temple can be your biggest enemy. But it can be your biggest supporter as well. It depends on your choice, but whatever you choose, never forget that people always put their hopes in them. They will always think of God. So the words from the temple will always have the upper hand in people’s hearts, compared to the Emperor. That is the reason why none of the rulers have ever dared to go against them.’

Crown Prince Richard could hear his mother’s words ringing loud and clear in his ears until today. His mother was not wrong. When he started his training for the position of Crown Prince, the first thing he was taught was that the temple should not be disregarded. They have upheld the Emperors for generations and they will keep on doing it for many more. After all, the people know that their Emperors were ordained by God’s will.

"Let’s talk." Crown Prince Richard said seriously as he took a deep breath to maintain his unbearable emotions.

—---

A cold wind blew across Princess Eleanor’s face. The atmosphere in the room was relaxed but her body was restless.

All she could feel was the surrounding darkness. No matter what she did, she could not understand where she was. Everything surrounding her seemed to be making her more restless.

Princess Eleanor tried to look around but she could not see anything. Her eyes were hurting but soon a ray of light emerged, making her heart feel at ease. Princess Eleanor tried to head towards the light, but she could not move a single step forward no matter how hard she struggled.

A feeling of helplessness engulfed her as she fought against those invisible restraints. No matter how much strength she tried to exert, she could not move at all. Princess Eleanor’s eyes narrowed. The pain was unbearable as she bit down hard on her lips.

"I need to move," Princess Eleanor told herself again and again as she touched her legs. Her fingers moved around, tightening her hold on them. Her eyes overflowed with tears as she struggled. But no matter how much strength she added, her legs could not be moved.

The power drain was evident on her face as Princess Eleanor struggled to breathe. She looked up to see the light coming her way, but the only hope that was shining brightly was about to disappear.

The light that was giving her strength to move forwards was about to dim and disappear. Princess Eleanor could not understand what was happening to her. She could sense that this was not real. This was a dream. And she was trapped in it.

The dreams that she had always felt familiar. But this particular dream somehow hit her differently. She could sense that it was like a reality that she was struggling to achieve. A reality that had nowhere else to be realized.

Princess Eleanor stretched her hand upwards, trying hard to catch the light. However, the distance kept on increasing and that only made her feel even more helpless. No matter how hard she tried, Princess Eleanor could not move her legs. It felt like something was pulling her down. Something was making her stay still as if she was a doll made of stone.

The struggle continued. Princess Eleanor’s breathing was messy. No matter how much she struggled, she could not remove the hold that was on her.

Princess Eleanor’s body was drenched with sweat as she tried to keep her eyes open. But soon enough, she felt her power draining at a rapid speed. Although she was in the darkness for only a short time, it felt like she had been there for a few hours, repeating the same things over and over. As though she was on a loop.

"I want to leave this place..." Princess Eleanor’s voice was getting softer and softer as she tried to breathe properly, but she could not help it. "I don’t want to die..."

Princess Eleanor’s throat was dry and her voice cracked. Her throat felt the pain as if she had been shouting for a long time. But no matter how much she tried to get a grasp of the situation, she failed to make heads or tails out of it.

When her eyes were about to close, Princess Eleanor looked up again at the light that had gone further away in the distance. She was again enveloped with darkness that was making her unable to breathe.

’I wish to see him...’ Princess Eleanor thought, as the face of a man appeared in front of her eyes. A man wearing a mask. ’I wish to see him one last time.’

Princess Eleanor was about to close her eyes when the beam of light that had traveled away to a distance suddenly came rushing towards her. The heat was too much for her to bear. Princess Eleanor could feel herself burning in the light.

"AHHHHH...." A scream left her mouth as she tried to close her eyes but all she could see was a white light surrounding her. The color soon turned red as she could hear the sound of swords clashing against each other.

Princess Eleanor could not understand what was happening. She swallowed as her eyes moved towards her legs when she realized that someone was holding onto her legs. Her eyes widened as she looked at the blood.

Fear started creeping into her heart as she took a step back in horror. She knew where she was. She knew what this dream was.

"Brother.." Princess Eleanor murmured but soon she saw a man fighting at the side.

"Eleanor, trust him. He will keep you safe." Princess Eleanor could hear her brother’s words as she saw the man who had pulled her up from the ground. Princess Eleanor moved her gaze as she looked at his face, only for her breathing to stop.

"Huh..." Princess Eleanor’s eyes widened as she looked around. Her eyes were wide, her forehead dripping with sweat. It was then that she realized that it had been truly a dream.