HDG Chapter 2 [NOVEL] (Patreon)

Alena had always believed in the afterlife, but she never would have thought that she would become a spirit herself. It was a strange feeling, being weightless and translucent and yet still conscious and aware.

With a heavy sigh, she gazed down at her ethereal form, the pale ivory of her skin contrasting against the floating strands of her long golden hair. She conceded that becoming accustomed to this unfamiliar physique was no small feat. Yet, despite the challenges, she couldn't help but revel in the astonishing ease with which she could move—every motion felt effortless, every step like a dance.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration, however, at being stuck in a wedding dress. She would have preferred to be wearing something else. But then again, she supposed, being stuck in a wedding dress was better than being naked.

…

Alena had spent hours roaming around the Duke's grand palace. It was truly massive, with room after room, hall after hall, each one more opulent than the last. Even in her ghost form, where she could pass through any walls and barricades, it still took her quite a while to check every room.

She had tried to look for the assassin, but it seemed that the man had already shredded his outfit. And since she had only seen his pair of black eyes, Alena knew it wouldn’t be easy for her to find him.

But she didn’t have any plans to give up so easily. She had overheard two men conversing earlier, and they had mentioned that the Duke was not yet home. So she changed her strategy and decided to look for the Duke's room for now.

Contrary to the bright and sparkling exterior of the Duke’s grand palace, the interior was not what Alena was expecting. As she moved through the dark and empty halls, she couldn't help but crease her brows. The soldiers were scattered only at the training grounds, in the corridors, and in the courtyard, but most of the inside of the palace was deserted and lifeless.

As her ghostly form glided through the dimly lit corridors like a shadow, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was not right. She felt that there was something mysterious about all this emptiness and darkness.

The Duke was known to be the wealthiest in the Kingdom, just second to the royal family, so she had been expecting a palace that was lavish. But instead, she found that almost everything inside the palace was considered old, and it looked as though it had not been used for decades.

What Alena was seeing was simply hard to believe, especially since the Duke's wealth had always been a big issue in the royal palace. Even the royal family had speculated that this massive palace contained lavish luxury and treasures that the Donovians had obtained both legally and illegally over the years.

But now that she was here, Alena saw nothing of the supposed treasures anywhere. The palace was just like an old, abandoned luxury palace, where everything within had not been upgraded for maybe a hundred years already.

However, despite the lack of evidence, Alena thought that the Duke must have hidden his treasures somewhere. 

Finally, Alena found the Duke's bedchambers. It was another shock to her because his bedroom wasn't the palace's master bedroom. The master bedroom was empty and unused, and Alena wondered why the Duke had chosen to sleep in a smaller room that seemed more fitting for an heir or firstborn.

And just like the rest of the empty spaces in the entire palace, the Duke's room was nothing special compared to the rest. It was dark and dull, with just the very basic things inside. Alena couldn't even find anything that was unusual or worth investigating.

Mystified, Alena left the room and decided to roam around while waiting for the Duke's return. She wanted to investigate the entire estate more because, since she was young, she had always been curious about what was inside this palace. This palace had been closed to everyone, even the royal family, for so many years. In fact, according to what she had heard, it had probably been a hundred years since the last time an event was held in this place.

But the night came, and Alena found nothing unusual.

Disappointed and mystified, Alena emerged in the corridor, where she passed a maid and a butler who were engaged in conversation. The moment they spoke of the Duke's presence in his chambers, Alena wasted no time in rushing past them, making her way to the massive double doors that guarded the Duke's inner sanctum.

With a fierce look in her eyes and her fists clenched at her sides, Alena stood before the closed doors, her spirit form crackling with energy.

"I hope you're ready," she growled through gritted teeth, her hatred and anger bubbling to the surface as she moved towards the door. "You bloody, evil, ugly piece of Duke -"

But as she passed through the doors, she suddenly broke off at the sight that awaited her.