Later that night, at the King's palace..
The corridor outside Prince Alistair's chamber was quiet as Annette and Leona held their positions right outside the door.
Then Leona's phone buzzed. She pulled it out, glancing at the screen beneath the low light.
[Unknown Number]: I'm ready.
The moment her eyes registered the words, she slipped the phone back into her pocket.
And right then, Annette's body went rigid. It was subtle at first, a slow twitch in her fingers, then her entire body began acting up.
Her eyes widened as veins began surfacing along her neck and temples. Blood rushed upward in an instant, flooding the whites of her eyes until they burned red.
She tried to move with this look of terror in her eyes. Her lips trembled, barely parting before closing up as jaws were clenched shut against her will.
Her hand strained as she slowly lifted it less than an inch before it suddenly returned back to her side.
