Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 415

Natalia’s POV

Thirty minutes.

I pulled back from the window and rushed over to the door. Through the wood, I could hear the guard pacing outside. I needed him gone. Dead, preferably.

Opening the door just a crack, I called out softly, “Excuse me? Guard?”

The footsteps stopped. “Yes?”

“Could you help me for a moment? My son is stirring and has to use the toilet, but he’s too weak to move on his own. Please. I need help getting him to the bathroom.”

There was a brief pause, and then the door pushed open wider, and the guard stepped inside. He was young, maybe thirty. He didn’t have the vacant look in his eyes that the others had. He wasn’t one of the King’s… creations.

But I had no choice. He would kill me just as easily if the King told him to. I had to take him down.

“Where-”

I didn’t let him finish. The dagger Andrei had given me, which I had pricked on my finger just a few hours ago, was already in my hand. I drove it up under his chin. The ruby flared hot against my palm as the blade bit deep, and the smell of something foul filled my nostrils; but it wasn’t the scent of blood.

It was poison.

His eyes went wide. He tried to grab for me, but I twisted the knife, and he crumpled. I caught him before he could hit the floor and make too much noise, struggling under his weight as I dragged him toward the closet.

The servant’s body was still there, tucked in the back. I shoved the guard in beside her, arranging them as best I could. Two bodies now. Two people dead by my hand.

I tried not to think about it. Tried not to feel the weight of what I’d done.

There was no time.

I cleaned the blood off the dagger with the sleeve of the guard’s uniform, then slipped it back into my pocket alongside the explosive ruby. My hands were shaking, but I forced them still. I then grabbed the dark cloak and slipped it on.

The corridor was empty when I stepped out, still dark. The palace was only just beginning to stir.

I kept to the shadows, moving quickly but quietly. Every sound made me jump in fear, but no one stopped me. The few people who did pass by didn’t look at my hunched, limping form in the black cloak.

I retraced my steps from earlier, back through those long corridors lined with tapestries and paintings. Back toward that room. The one with all the glass cases. With all those empty faces staring at nothing. On the way, I found a small supply closet and grabbed a bucket and a sponge.

The doors were guarded, of course. But when I approached with the bucket, the guards stepped out of my way,

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not even paying me a glance. I was able to push the door open and slip inside without drawing any attention. The room looked the same as before. Row after row of cases, each one containing a perfect soldier. Their skin gleamed in the dim light, muscles carved from stone. They didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just stood there, waiting.

Three hundred and forty–seven of them.

I pulled the explosive ruby from my pocket. It was warm, almost hot now. Starving.

Thirty seconds. That was all I’d have. I might have to use my knife on the guards outside when I ran, which would eat up half that time. But I would have enough time to sprint away and get back to my room, if I was fast.

I moved toward the center of the room, looking for the best place to put it. Somewhere that would guarantee the blast took out as many cases as possible. Maybe near that pedestal where the aging ruby had been kept-

“Natalia?”

I spun around, nearly dropping the ruby. I just barely had time to shove it in my pocket, then hide the cloak and bucket behind one of the cases before the King rounded a corner and spotted me standing there.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, looking around curiously.

My mind raced, but somehow, I managed to smile. “I couldn’t rest,” I said. “I kept thinking about what you showed me last night. Your soldiers. Your… creations.” I gestured around the room. “They’re so beautiful. I wanted to see them again.”

He stepped closer. “You came all the way here just to look at my children?”

“I know it sounds foolish.” I moved toward him, letting my hips sway slightly. “But I’ve never seen anything like this before. The way you’ve perfected them. Made them flawless.” I placed a hand on his chest. “You’re brilliant. I see that now.”

His eyes darkened. “You’re not just saying that.”