CHAPTER 26
Jul 11, 2025
The royal celebration ended in absolute chaos, and the magnificent palace was thrown into a state of frantic panic.
Knights scattered throughout the corridors like steel-clad phantoms, forming urgent search parties as Sebastian barked commands with military precision, his voice sharp and unwavering despite the terror coursing through his veins.
But nothing could ease the unimaginable fear gripping Evangeline’s chest like iron talons.
She sat in the opulent drawing room, her silk gown crumpled around her trembling form as violent sobs racked her entire body. The elegant chamber, with its gold-leafed furniture and priceless tapestries, felt like a tomb.
“My boys…” she cried, her voice raw and broken, her breath coming in short, desperate gasps that echoed off the marble walls.
Her delicate hands clawed at her golden hair, her perfectly manicured nails scraping against her scalp as her mind raced with horrifying images of what could be happening to Marcus and Adrian at this very moment.
Were they terrified? Were they crying for their mother? Were they being harmed?
The thought made her sob harder, her entire body convulsing with maternal anguish so profound it felt as though her soul was being torn apart.
Sebastian stood rigidly near the massive stone fireplace, his broad shoulders tense as he delivered sharp instructions to Sir Marcus, his most trusted knight and advisor.
“Take half the royal guard and search the eastern territories immediately. The remaining knights will secure the northern mountain passes, she could not have vanished without leaving some trace. She possesses unnatural abilities, but she is not completely invisible.”
Sir Marcus nodded grimly, his weathered face etched with tension and determination. “I shall personally lead the mountain expedition, Your Highness.”
“Dispatch riders to every allied kingdom,” Sebastian continued, his voice carrying the absolute authority of royalty. “Alert them that the royal princes have been abducted. I want every border watched, every port monitored.”
Evangeline gripped her chest desperately, her lungs aching as though she were drowning in an ocean of despair.
Sebastian finally turned toward her, his piercing blue eyes dark with profound concern and barely contained fury.
He took a hesitant step in her direction, reaching out with one strong hand, but Evangeline jerked away violently, her emerald eyes flashing with accusatory rage.
“You promised we would be protected!” she snapped, her voice cracking with raw, unbearable pain. “It has not even been a complete day within these walls, Sebastian! Not even a full day! And my precious babies are already gone!”
Sebastian flinched as though she had physically struck him, but his expression hardened with grim resolve. “Our children,” he corrected with quiet steel.
Evangeline’s heart clenched painfully, her breathing becoming increasingly erratic and shallow.
“I will find them, Evangeline.” His voice was low, steady, absolutely unshakeable despite the circumstances. “I swear it upon my crown and my life.”
But Evangeline could not stop the overwhelming panic clawing viciously at her throat like a living thing.
Her hands shook violently as she stared at him through tear-blurred vision, crystalline drops streaming down her pale cheeks. “You do not comprehend the full horror, Sebastian. Lady Cordelia, Princess Celeste—whatever demonic entity she has become, she is completely unhinged! She could be torturing them at this very moment!”
Sebastian’s aristocratic jaw tightened visibly, his entire powerful body bristling with suppressed murderous rage. “I understand the gravity perfectly. That is precisely why I will not rest until I bring them safely home.”
Before Evangeline could voice another desperate protest, a sudden urgent knocking at the chamber doors interrupted their anguished conversation.
One of the palace messengers hurried inside, his young face deathly pale, his breathing ragged from obvious exertion.
“Your Highness. Your Grace. This was discovered in the rose garden after the celebration was so abruptly terminated.”
Evangeline practically lunged forward, snatching the parchment from his trembling hands with desperate fingers, her heart hammering as she carefully unfolded the expensive paper.
Her blood turned to absolute ice as her eyes scanned the elegantly scrawled handwriting.
“Did you truly believe I came to your little celebration merely to cause minor disruption? No, no, my dear Evangeline. That theatrical display was simply a calculated distraction.”
“Your twin sons are far more special than you could ever realize. They possess a unique royal lineage—one that will render me absolutely unstoppable once I claim it.”
“They belong to me now, body and soul.”
“If you genuinely desire their return, you must be prepared to make unthinkable sacrifices. And I promise you this,—by the time you finally locate them…”
“They will no longer be the innocent children you remember.”
Evangeline’s hands shook violently as she absorbed the final, devastating line.
She felt as though all the air had been brutally ripped from her lungs.
The threatening parchment slipped from her nerveless fingers, fluttering to the polished marble floor like a dying bird.
“No,” she whispered, her entire body frozen in absolute horror.
Sebastian swept down and grabbed the letter, his eyes scanning the malicious words with lightning speed, his blue eyes blazing with deadly, uncontrolled rage.
His powerful fists clenched so tightly around the parchment that it crumpled and tore beneath his iron grip.
Sir Marcus swore under his breath, his knightly composure cracking. “She is orchestrating something far more sinister than we initially comprehended, Your Highness.”
Evangeline felt violently ill, her stomach churning with terror.
She grasped Sebastian’s muscular arms desperately, her nails digging into the rich fabric of his doublet, her voice bordering on complete hysteria.
“We must depart immediately. This very instant.”
Sebastian did not hesitate for even a heartbeat. “We will.”
He turned to Sir Marcus with cold determination. “Ready my fastest horses and my most skilled trackers. Summon the royal mages—if dark magic is involved, we need supernatural assistance.”
“At once, Your Highness.”
Evangeline’s vision blurred dangerously with fresh tears, but one thing crystallized with perfect, diamond-hard clarity in her mind—
She would tear the entire world apart, burn down kingdoms, and sacrifice everything she possessed to rescue her sons from that monster’s clutches.
Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.
Summary & Review: Comrade
