Chapter 250 - She Was Not There!

"What would it change? I am tired too. Let me just close my eyes and rest. I have finally given up." With that thought I closed my eyes.

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William pov

For the first time I felt that the palace should not be at this distance. It took us hours to reach there even when the horses were running faster than the wind.

But when we reached there, the guards stopped our way, which was very unusual since everyone in the empire knew who I was. Even if they were new and had no impression of me. They must recognize the family crest of the knights.

"Who are you to stop the way of your highness?" shouted James as they looked at each other.. 

Their eyes were cracking and their face was filled with sweat. 

"Kirian, capture them and torment them until they tell the truth who they are and why are they posted in the place of original knights.'' Finally their doubts lessened as Kirian jumped from the horse. The men tried to run away but I was sure that he would be enough to handle them.

"Haiyaa" I kicked my horse once again as we entered the palace. Why the hell did they have such a big garden in the front!

"James go and check the duchess chamber."

"Lucas go and help the staff in evacuation." 

"Theodore look for the culprits and try to save if you find someone trapped in fire.'' all three nodded silently looking at the gravity of the situation.

I rode my horse towards her chamber. The dread had already filled my heart when I smelled smoke. I would never forgive myself and others if I was late! No! I could not be late! The reins of the horse were slipping from my sweaty hands. My whole body started turning numb, the journey from the entrance to her chamber felt like eternity. 

When I finally reached her chamber. It was burning profusely. The flames had already been too high. 

"Abigail! Abigail.. Little bird!" I shouted many times but no reply came in. I banged the wall with so much power that it cracked when I jumped on the horse again and walked towards the other side so that I could slide in through the windows.

The only relief I had was the fire was lit outside the door, so the windows were fine, but it was too high.

"Hundred, stay put. I will jump on the balcony with your help only. We have to save our love, right?" I rubbed his mane and he nodded and neighed.

Trying my best, I stood up on the Hundred and then jumped on his balcony. It was not smooth like always, I was hardly able to hold the boundaries of the girl. I was dangling in the air yet my eyes were searching for her.

"Abigail, Abigail. For Christ sake, reply damn it!" I shouted at the top of my lungs again and again but not even once have I received any reply! It was making me restless as if someone was strangling me slowly, I was having trouble breathing.

Putting all the pressure on my hands I flipped in the air and landed on her balcony on my knees. I could feel the blood oozing out due to the pointed corners of her railings. But I did not have time for that. Taking the curtain out from the door of the balcony I entered only to see an empty room.

Though the room was filled with smoke and the door had already started burning, I could not see any figure in the room. 

"Abigail, Abigail.." I still showed as I checked every nook or corner, afraid that she might have fallen and turned unconscious.

But even after searching the whole room and bathroom I was not able to find her. Damn! 

"Where the hell are you, Abi?" I shouted as I ran out towards the balcony again, taking the mattress in my hands.

I threw the mattress down first and then jumped on it. Running towards Hundred, I climbed on it again. Every passing second was like crossing hell.

"Faster, hundred. Faster. We have to find her before anything could happen." it neighed and ran faster as we reached the main entrance of the palace again.

Entering in, I saw Lucas looking around the whole palace. The whole place was already filled with smoke though fire did not spread much. 

The fire was lit meticulously near the chambers while leaving the whole palace as it was. 

"The accident was planned so well! Who the fucking man would believe that it is an accident!" shouted Lucas as he looked at me entering in.

I did not have time to listen to his ranting, as i started looking around.,

"She is not in there?" he guessed as he looked at my restless face and I shook my head.

"She must have been in here. Maybe trying to save others or would have been here when fire broke out and she did not get the chance to return to her chamber.'' I shouted as I looked at the whole floor. 

"Leave those areas, even if she would have been here. She would not have been roaming in the music room or ball room. Look at her mother's chamber or dining hall.`` Why have I not thought of that!

I nodded back at him and he shook his head, "you need to calm down, or else you would not be able to think properly." I knew that but I could not control my emotions.

I ran towards the kitchen. Thanks to my childhood games of hide and seek, I knew every nook and corner of the palace or else it would have been impossible to look for her.

I reached there only to see two dead bodies. A maid was laid there covered in her own blood while another man was lying in the corner. He must be the guard. I ran around but I did not find anyone else.

Where the hell was she!?

There was only one member in the palace except her. Her step mother! But as far as I knew they were not on good terms to spend time with each other so late at night. Then where she would go! I ran a hand in my hair and ran towards the duchess chamber.

The more I climbed the stairs, the more I coughed as the smoke was thickest around there.

I ran straight towards the duchess chamber as I climbed the stairs somehow. But my vision turned blurry. The smoke or emotions, I did not know what did the trick, but my eyes filled with tears. I could see James coughing and trying his best to put off the fire. 

I joined him and soon we somehow made a way through putting all the curtains and mattress we could find. The flames diminished a bit and I jumped in by flipping in the air again. But once again this room was empty too.

"Are you alright, your highness?" came the worried voice of James from the other side.

"I am fine. But the room seems to be empty!" I shouted as I continued to look around but then again no one was there. Had they kidnapped them or taken somewhere else to torment them? Or Gerard wanted to see them alive before killing them from his own hands!

That crazy bastard could do anything.

"If no one is there then you should jump from the balcony, your highness. Use a mattress or anything. The door can no longer be used for coming out." came his voice in between the coughing.

"Alright, but you leave this area too and help Lucas in evacuation. If you find duchess or Abi bring them to me as fast as possible.'' Now I could only pray that others would find them as soon as possible and they were safe.

The door fell as the flames entered the room. I could not believe that the man had actually done this. Let me find Abi, Gerard! Then I would make sure to burn you alive too. My eyes see nothing but blood! I have let go of my reality, my feelings, my family, everything to protect the one I loved, yet those power hungry dogs did not leave me alone.

"Abigail" a gut wrenching shriek passed through my lips and I fell on the floor. I have lost all my senses, my will and my sanity. I would kill that bastard then and there. I went berserk completely and I ran towards the balcony with the will to kill him at that insistence but when I opened the door, my eyes fell on the bed sheet tied on the railings of the balcony. It was added with a lot of bedsheets to make it long enough to reach the floor. 

A glimmer of hope filled me as I held it tightly and slowly descended down too.

"She is here."