Angelina trembled when she saw Ioana lying on the floor with blood slowly dripping from her head. "IOANA!" The onlookers and Sorina violently flinched due to her scream. She ran toward Sorina and an unconscious Ioana and fell onto the floor. "What happened to her!?"
Sorina trembled. "I-I don't know! I heard some noises and when I decided to go see what was going on." The adolescent eyed Ioana with horror. "I found her like this! I didn't see anything else! I swear it!"
More people got out of their rooms to see what had happened. Many watched in horror at the sight. Vlad eventually left his room and was enraged that his chance of having Angelina was disrupted. "What is with the ruckus!?" Everyone heard the Voivode and bowed as they moved out of his way. The enraged Vlad noticed Angelina and Sorina kneeling on the ground; he also noticed the small pool of blood. When he got behind the women, his eyes widened. His lips slowly opened at the sight. "I-Ioana?" His heart beat rapidly; the back of his neck got sweaty. Vlad immediately knelt and held onto the older woman. Everyone watched and was shocked by his actions.
Angelina was among the shocked. She watched quietly as Vlad gently shook Ioana, asking her to wake up. It was the first time she saw Vlad concerned and... frightened. "I wonder..."
"What happened to her! Who did this!?"
Everyone cringed, and no one dared to move or speak. "Sorina said that she heard a noise, and when checking to see what it was, she found Ioana to be like this!"
Vlad then glared at Sorina, who bowed her head down, terrified that she would face his wrath. "Did you see who did this!?"
"N-No, V-Voivode! I swear it!"
Angelina immediately went to the terrified adolescent, trying to comfort her. "Sorina, what noise did you hear?" She gently put her arms around Sorina to comfort her. "Don't worry, we just want to know what you heard," Angelina whispered.
The adolescent girl was terrified that anything she said would mean punishment. However, Angelina's reassurance made her slowly feel at ease. "A-All I heard a loud thud and a faint whisper."
"Whisper?"
Sorina nodded. "It sounded as if Ioana was speaking to someone, but she and whoever she spoke to, sounded so faint. When I got out of the room, I saw Ioana in this state. I'm sorry that I wasn't much help."
Angelina gently patted her shoulders; Vlad stood up as he held the older woman in his arms. "Everyone, go back to your rooms and no one get out without my permission. I will order all the guards to interview every single one of you. Anyone who is not where they should be will be assumed to be the guilty one. Now go." Everyone heeded Vlad's order; Sorina and Angelina looked at one another.
"Go, I need to tend Ioana."
The adolescent nodded and immediately went to the female servants' room. Angelina and Vlad were eventually left alone. "I'm going to take her to a room that is close to mine, so I can keep an eye on her."
"May, I be with her? I don't want her to be alone."
Vlad merely nodded. They walked toward Vlad's room using the public way. However, Vlad stopped and spoke to several guards regarding the situation. They were ordered to interview the servants and anyone near where Ioana was found. Other guards of the castle were to help with the interrogation. Also, the physician was ordered to arrive at the particular room where Ioana would stay. The guards understood and went on to complete their orders.
Angelina and Vlad eventually arrived at a vacant room close to Vlad's. Ioana was gently put onto a bed, and the covers covered her. Vlad then put two fingers on the side of her neck, where he felt her pulse. "She still lives,"
"Thank goodness." Angelina immediately sat beside Ioana. "I should clean the blood off and-"
"No, the physician will be responsible for it. He will find out what wound Ioana has." Vlad walked closer to the bed and gently touched the older woman's hair.
Angelina watched silently and was stunned by his gentle gestures. A moment ago, he tried to force himself upon her, and now has shown an act of kindness. "I wonder if he's bipolar..." She then held onto Ioana's hand. Her suspicions were on Alexandrei; Ioana knew too much. However, Ioana was always careful to hide her intent. "This was no accident. I have a feeling someone hurt her on purpose."
The Voivode didn't look at Angelina; he was too focused on Ioana. "I know; I suspect someone did this: Alexandrei."
The young woman's eyes widened as she whipped her head toward Vlad. "Wh-What?"
"Don't act so surprised; I'm not as foolish as he thinks. I always thought Alexandrei was not always in agreeance with my rule. I also know that Ioana took a liking to you and must have told you many things that go within this castle."
"Y-Yeah, a couple things. So if you suspected Alexandrei all this time, why don't you rid of him?"
"I could but he has the trust of many nobles. I need proof to get rid of him. I know that he and my wife had an affair."
Angelina was stunned but couldn't help but feel relief that hard work wasn't needed to prove Alexandrei's guilt. There was the possibility that he would be rid of. "I can find a way to get out of this place without him getting in the way." The two were silent as they watched Ioana, but Angelina couldn't help but feel curious about something. "Why are you doing this for Ioana? I don't mean it with disrespect but you tend to cruel to those around you. Yet, you display kindness for her."
Vlad eventually stopped touching Ioana's hair and had his hands behind his back. His light blue eyes softened. "I have so much to be thankful to her. She was always there for me and my brothers to protect us from our father's cruelties. Cneajna did try to protect us but she was terrified of our father, but Ioana was always the one to take the punishments. Some of those punishments were beatings and other forms of torture."
"I see." Something caught Angelina's interest. "Did Vlad call his stepmother by her name?"
"When I finally returned to my home after my captivities with Ottomans no on from my family welcomed me or even cared. Cneajna was ill, so she didn't have the strength. However, Ioana was the first one to welcome me back. All the anger and hurt disappeared when she wrapped me in her arms. Ioana always tried to keep me calm but my hatred for the Ottomans was too great." Vlad massaged his forehead. "There many times I spoke and treated her terribly but the guilt always settled in my heart. Although I couldn't express it." Vlad then looked at Angelina. "She told you, did she not?"
"About your past, yeah, she did."
"No, not that." Vlad slowly sat on the bed, his eyes still on Angelina. "That she is my actual mother."
Shock overwhelmed the young woman. She felt that someone punched her in the gut. "Y-You knew!? How!?"
"There's no need to yell. When I returned from my captivity to take the throne, my stepmother, Cneajna, was on her deathbed and told me everything. My anger and hatred grew; to be the son of a peasant woman was beyond shameful. Radu would have been the one to inherit the throne since he is more of noble birth. However, when I discovered everything that had happened to Ioana, I realized she had done everything to have me by her side. Ioana wanted me to have a better life."
Vlad's voice slightly softened. Angelina was overwhelmed with confusion and relief, and tears slowly formed. "You knew all this time. Why didn't you tell Ioana?"
"She would be put in danger. My enemies could use her against me and I also didn't want her to be harmed. I owe so much to her since she sacrificed her sanity and virtue just to be by my side."
Tears dripped from Angelina's eyes; the emotions were too much. "Nothing can compare to a mother's love, Vlad. I know that your mother loves you very much."
A pang was felt in Vlad's heart when Ioana was called his mother. He was too preoccupied with his rule to notice who Ioana was to him. "Yet, I wonder if all her suffering was in vain. That slap you gave me made me realize that I am no different from my father, the man who caused everyone pain."
Silence reigned; Angelina stared at Vlad. It was shocking that Vlad expressed himself. A man with such a reputation looked...vulnerable. "Y-You don't have to be like him, Vlad. You could do much better."
The Voivode stood up. "The physician will arrive at any moment. Swear that you will not speak of this to anyone."
"Yes, I swear."
"The festivities will occur and be Alexandrei's last day of power. I have a plan, but I will need your help. I do not deserve to be treated like this, but I know you and I have a common enemy."
After seeing a side of Vlad, Angelina wasn't confident that she could trust him. However, he told her many things that he probably never told anyone. He also admitted that he acted like his father, and it seemed that it was something Vlad didn't want to be. "Alright, I'll help you, but I have my conditions."
"What conditions?"
"You will not force me to do something uncomfortable, and you will try to help your people. You will apologize for what you have done to those poor people you burned." Vlad's eyes widened, and Angelina knew that Vlad would not apologize. Angelina stood and glared at him. "You don't want to be like your father, so you must act differently! I understand you don't want to look weak, but a leader sometimes needs to admit their mistakes. The nobles and the people already hate you! You have to show some compromise! Also, one last thing: I want to have time out of this castle. I want to go and explore, with your supervision, of course."
Vlad was silent; he couldn't believe a leader like himself would be asked to do everything. However, Alexandrei needed to be dealt with since he would meet with the Sultan's envoys. He grunted. "Very well, I shall agree to your terms. We have much to plan."
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