NOT WORTHY TO BE KING: FEARLESS WARRIOR

41| I WILL KILL HIM MYSELF

Logan heard Clayton shouting his name as he awoke the following morning. He initially thought he had not heard what Clayton had said.

"Please repeat what you just said."

"I am telling you that Arianna and Tiara are nowhere to be seen in the palace. I have asked around but no one seems to know where they went to." Logan could tell that Clayton wasn't pulling a prank on him but he still didn't want to believe what he was hearing.

"Tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was but how can I joke with something like this? I came to ask Tiara if she had seen Arianna and when I couldn't see her around, I asked the maids and no one had seen her."

Logan's heart began to race as he fully processed Clayton's words. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, his mind racing through various possibilities. His fingers clenched into fists as he fought to maintain his composure.

"We need to find them, Clayton. Now. This isn't something we can take lightly, especially considering Tiara's history with Kaden kidnapping her.

"I don't want her to relive that moment. It will kill her." Logan's voice was firm, his worry and determination evident. He began to pace the room, his thoughts colliding like a storm inside his head. He also thought about what the doctor said about Arianna. She wouldn't survive the kidnapping if that was what was happening. He couldn't tell that to Clayton though.

Clayton nodded, his own expression a mix of concern and anxiety. He didn't want his fiancee to give birth in an unknown place. he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if that happened.

"I've already dispatched some guards to search the palace grounds and nearby areas. I'll also send word to the Royal Guard to be on high alert. We have to cover all possibilities." Logan didn't even realize that Adrian had joined them. "I don't know if this is a false alarm but if they are really kidnapped, it happened right under our noses and that makes me worry."

Logan was worried about that as well. Axel had assured him that the security in the palace wasn't something that could be easily bridged.

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm his racing thoughts. "I'll help with the search. We need to consider all angles – whether they left on their own or... or something more sinister is at play. We can't lose them, not now."

Adrian's gaze softened, understanding the depth of Logan's emotions. "We'll find them, Logan. We won't rest until we do."

As they hurried through the palace corridors, Logan's mind continued to race. He knew that time was of the essence, especially given Arianna's impending due date. The thought of her being out there somewhere, possibly in danger, was enough to send a shiver down his spine. He couldn't even think about how Clayton was feeling.

As they reached the palace's main control room, where the surveillance feeds were monitored, Logan motioned for Clayton to join him at one of the screens. They both watched intently as the footage played, showing the last known locations of Arianna and Tiara within the palace.

"There's Arianna," Logan pointed at the screen. "She was in the garden this morning. That's the last sighting we have of her."

Clayton leaned closer, his brow furrowing. "And Tiara?"

Logan scanned the screen, his heart sinking as he realized that Tiara's last known location was in their own chambers. "She hasn't left our room since this morning. Something's not right."

Just then, one of the guards entered the control room with a worried expression. "Your Highnesses, we've searched the palace grounds and nearby areas, but there's no sign of them."

As they reached the palace's main control room, where the surveillance feeds were monitored, Logan motioned for Clayton to join him at one of the screens. They both watched intently as the footage played, showing the last known locations of Arianna and Tiara within the palace.

"There's Arianna," Logan pointed at the screen. "She was in the garden yesterday afternoon. That's the last sighting we have of her."

Clayton leaned closer, his brow furrowing. "And Tiara?"

Logan scanned the screen, his heart sinking as he realized that Tiara's last known location was in her own chambers. "She hasn't left her room since yesterday morning. Something's not right."

Just then, one of the guards entered the control room with a worried expression. "Your Highnesses, we've searched the palace grounds and nearby areas, but there's no sign of them."

Logan clenched his jaw, frustration and fear bubbling within him. "Keep looking. Expand the search radius. Check with the local authorities, hospitals – anywhere they might have gone."

Clayton nodded to the guard, who quickly left to carry out the orders. Clayton turned to Logan, his eyes filled with determination. "We'll find them, Logan. We won't give up."

Logan nodded, his fists still clenched. "We have to. We can't lose them." He then looked at his little brother. Clayton was panicking but he was trying to be strong. Or maybe he just couldn't accept the truth yet. Logan could understand. When his wife was kidnapped by Kaden, he first thought someone was trying to see how he would respond.

As the search intensified and the hours stretched on, Logan couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu. He remembered all too well the anguish and uncertainty he had felt when Tiara had been kidnapped by Kaden. The scars from that traumatic event still lingered in their lives, and the thought of Tiara going through a similar ordeal was unbearable.

With his thoughts racing through various possibilities and scenarios, Logan glanced back to the surveillance screens. There had to be a clue somewhere, a hint of where Arianna and Tiara might have gone. He couldn't afford to lose hope, not with the lives of his wife and sister-in-law hanging in the balance.

Hours turned into an agonizing day of searching, questioning palace staff, and reaching out to anyone who might have information. Logan could smell the anxiety in the air in the palace and the weariness on the faces of the guards and servants who were tirelessly aiding in the search.

As night began to fall, and with no substantial leads to follow, Logan felt a deepening sense of frustration. He knew they needed to consider every possibility, even the ones they didn't want to entertain. What if someone inside the palace was involved? It was a chilling thought, but they couldn't rule it out.

Clayton, too, was growing increasingly anxious. He was well aware that time was running out for Arianna to safely give birth. The thought of her being in an unknown and potentially dangerous situation was unbearable.

Logan turned to Clayton, his gaze intense. "We need more information. Something is not adding up. Tiara hasn't left the room, and Arianna… Why would she go to the garden alone? Especially when her due date is so close."

Clayton nodded, his brows furrowed in thought. "You're right. It's not like Arianna to wander off alone, especially considering she's about to give birth. But I also know she wasn't like her usual self these past two weeks or so."

Logan couldn't deny that Clayton was making sense because he saw it too. Arianna had been a completely different person for a while. He saw how she didn't want people asking about how she was feeling or when she was due unless she said it herself.

Clayton's voice broke through Logan's thoughts, his tone heavy with concern. "Logan, we can't keep ignoring the possibility that someone might be responsible for this. We need to consider every angle, even if it's the last thing we want to think about."

Logan sighed, his shoulders slumping as he sank into a nearby chair. "I know, Clayton. But the thought of someone deliberately causing harm to them... It's unimaginable. I can't bear the idea."

Logan wanted to ask Adrian if his father could be responsible but then he remembered Ian's words. His cousin loved his father too much and because of that, he might never even want to entertain the idea unless there was proof.

"Do you think your father could do this?" Clayton asked Adrian the question Logan was afraid to ask.

"What do you mean by that? Why would my father kidnap his own family? Arianna is your fiancee and Tiara is Logan's wife. You are his nephews and that basically makes them his nieces." Logan could tell that Adrain was offended by what Clayton asked.

"I can understand what Clayton is asking because I also want to know. None of us want to believe it. But we have to exhaust every avenue if we're going to bring them back safely."

"So you want to tell me that of all the possibilities you could have thought of, you think my father would be so shameless as to kidnapping his own family?"

"He didn't hesitate to kill our father and that was his own brother, his blood. What makes you think he wouldn't be shameless and kidnap my fiancee?" Logan had almost forgotten that his little brother had no filter when it came to speaking the truth.

"Look, I understand that you are frustrated by what is happening but as much as I want to help you search for your women, I will not stand here and listen to you insult my father."

Logan wanted to say something but then he realised that having Adrian around wasn't going to help them if he couldn't be open to the idea of his father being the one responsible for the kidnapping.

"I don't care what you think, cousin. I do want to ask you to do something for me, though. Tell your father that if he is responsible for my fiancee's kidnapping, he doesn't have to worry about Logan because I will kill him myself and that's a promise."

Adrian didn't say anything, he left.

"I know the situation isn't ideal but you didn't have to do that. I told you that Adrian loves his father and our uncle knows that. I know that he must be responsible for this but now Adrian will tell him what we just discussed here and that will alert him."

"I don't care what he thinks, I just want him to wake up. He is a grown-ass man and yet he still thinks that the light shines in his father's ass. My fiancee and your wife are missing and I can bet my life that he is responsible for it. What is wrong with voicing my thoughts?"

Logan sighed. "There is nothing wrong with that. I just don't want him to know that we suspect him because if he does, he will do anything to prove us wrong and then it will look like we are the bad guys here.

"We just arrived here Clayton, we don't know anyone except my mom and Axel. Even though Axel's father has promised that he will help me with the fight for the throne, we don't know him. We don't know anything about him and even though he is my mother's twin brother, they have been apart for 26 years.

"We have to be sure who our allies are if we want to succeed and that starts with knowing when to ask questions and what kind of questions we ask. Upsetting our cousin is not something we came here for.

"I know that we didn't exactly come here to form relationships or bonds but we need them."

"I understand, Logan," Clayton said, his voice a mixture of frustration and resignation. "You're right. We can't afford to let our emotions dictate our actions right now. But it's just so damn hard to stay rational when all I can think about is Arianna and our baby being in danger."

Logan's gaze softened as he looked at his little brother. "I know, Clayton. I feel the same way about Tiara. It's tearing me apart inside. But if we want to find them and bring them back safely, we have to think like investigators, not just family members. We need to gather information, assess all possibilities, and tread carefully."

Clayton nodded, his shoulders slumping as some of the tension in the room dissipated. "You're right, Logan. We need to keep our heads clear and our actions focused on finding them. I am sorry I lashed out." Logan nodded in understanding.

"Let's start by discreetly gathering information," Logan suggested. "We can't just rely on our instincts and suspicions. We need hard evidence if we're going to confront anyone and that includes our uncle."