“Dear,” she whispered, “I don’t think that’s a conversation we should be having in public.”
He looked down at his wife and cocked his head. “And why ever not?”
“Trust me. I think it might make you a bit angry.”
The King finally relented to his wife’s urging and grabbed me into another hug, exclaiming over and over again how he couldn’t believe it, then gestured for a serving maid to fetch another chair for me to sit in. A middle-aged woman with hair already turning silver curtsied and hastily rushed off to obey. Once she came back, the chubby maid was obviously having a bit of trouble with the cumbersome chair. A manservant with just as much silver in his hair as hers scurried over to help. With a wink that caused the woman to blush profusely, he brought the chair to me and gave a sweeping bow.
I sat next to Prince Gerald and could barely keep my eyes off of him, marveling at the fact that this was actually happening. He, however, seemed incredibly distracted, drumming his fingers on the stone table next to his place setting. Maybe he was just feeling overwhelmed by finding his long-lost sister and having to choose a bride all in one night… or maybe he was hungry and anxiously awaiting dinner to be served.
I turned my thoughts back to the situation. Never would I have guessed I would find my family by going to a ball! And then I realized something.
Moving my gaze to the wall at the other end of the dining hall, seemingly a mile away from me, I thought, Has this been the witch’s plan all along?
Bavmorda must have known to be so adamant about telling me Lucinda wasn’t my mother and helping me along the path that would lead me to this moment. She said her purpose was to help those who deserved it. Was this the help she was referring to?
Finally, I took a moment to study all of the unfamiliar faces sitting around the long table. There were probably about a hundred people in the room. That wasn’t including those eating in the other dining hall— those who hadn’t heard of my return yet. The King had sent a manservant to announce it to the others while we ate, so I wouldn’t even see half of the reactions. The guests dining with the royal family, however, had looks of admiration and surprise etched into their features as they stared at me. A few of the men I had danced with earlier winked and grinned at me. I ignored that and happily turned my attention to the women no longer looking upon me with hostility, but with excitement and kindness. I wasn’t competition anymore. Many waved at me, even, possibly hoping to become friends with the Princess.
The Princess. Again, so strange.
I threw myself back into my chair, back sinking into the pillow atop it. Yes, a pillow atop a chair. I was a royal! But I determined I might have to mention at some point that I wasn’t sure of going by Adelaide. I had been Ellianne my entire life, and I didn’t want to be rid of that name.
The first course of a thick beef stew came and went, then a second of every green imaginable, and then a third with the juiciest, most tender slab of pork I’d ever had— wait, had I ever had pork? And then my eyes grew wide as an enormous piece of chocolate cake decorated with thick, brown frosting, and a generous dollop of whipped cream was set in front of me by one of the servers. Was I dreaming?
I physically pinched my arm. Hard. I flinched from the pinch, then chuckled at myself. Of course I wasn’t dreaming! The King and Queen— I still hadn’t been able to call them Mother and Father, not even in my head— leaned forward to flash me adoring smiles. The King sat one seat away from me, next to his son, then his wife at his right.
“Do you like your meal?” the King said, nearly shouting over the noise of utensils scraping plates and the dozens of different conversations around us.
I nodded emphatically with a mouthful of chocolate. “Yes,” I said through the bite. Then, realizing with horror of how rude I was being, I dropped my fork and brought my hand to my mouth. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to manners, being a princess, really anything, actually.” I paused for a moment, thinking about what skills I had. “I’m good at cleaning!”
The monarchs threw their heads back and laughed. My lips twitched into a smile to see how happy they seemed. Prince Gerald, however, sunk lower into his chair and began to chew on the inside of his cheek. What was bothering him so much? Wasn’t he happy to have reunited with me?
Just as soon as I began to cook up some answers in my mind to explain his attitude, Prince Gerald stood from his chair quickly. The room hushed immediately and looked to him. I craned my neck upward at my brother and frowned.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to his parents. “Will you excuse me for just a moment?” The King and Queen exchanged worried looks but nodded. Prince Gerald turned his attention to me, limbs stiff and with a pained look on his face. “I really am so sorry. I’ll be right back.”
I watched him go with a pang in my heart. When he had first realized who I was, he seemed so happy and relieved, but now it felt like my presence was causing some unwarranted stress.
The King and Queen must have noticed my distress as I watched their son leave the room with that old man Clarence right on his heels.
Queen Catherine reached her delicate hand over and placed it on top of mine. “Don’t worry, dear. I think he is a little overloaded by everything happening. He has to pick a bride tonight, you know.”
The King grunted. “That’s right. He needs to make more of an effort getting to know the women here.” He scanned the guests around us. “There are quite a few good prospects, in my opinion.”
The Queen nudged him. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you admiring the pretty, young girls here?” Her tone was serious, but her eyes danced playfully at her husband.
“No!”
I giggled as the couple poked harmless fun at one another. The Queen was probably right. Prince Gerald was overwhelmed and stressed by so much, and it couldn’t be my fault.
I continued watching my parents chatting to each other lovingly in whispers and soft chuckles. Was this what I had been missing out on my entire life? A functional family with unconditional love, understanding, and even some fun? Lucinda had shown a lot of love towards me, I couldn’t deny that. But she had also kept me locked away from the world and stolen me from my real family! I gasped inaudibly as another thought entered my mind: Lucinda was my aunt, and my stepbrothers were my cousins! That was another revelation I had not expected when finding my parents.
Prince Gerald paced the long corridor with fervor, his boots with the fashionable golden buckles for the party catching at the threads in the white rug underneath his feet. He clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly and shouted out groans and curses.
“What am I going to do, Clarence? We can’t go through with the plan now!”
Clarence sat against the wall and tapped the back of his head against it again and again. Gerald whirled around to his old tutor and growled.
“Are you not going to say anything?”
The old man held his hands up defensively. “Your Highness, you need to calm down. We just need a new plan, is all.” He squinted his eyes shut as he thought. “I think we could still actually kill your parents tonight, and your sister later. Or… maybe we can blame her for their death!”
The Prince stumbled and nearly lost his balance completely. “What are you talking about?”
“Sire, the Grerivethan law states that the oldest child is the one to take the throne, no matter the gender.”
“So?”
Clarence pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t know what I’m getting at? Your sister is older!”
“We’re twins!”
“She was born a full twenty minutes before you were.”
Gerald scratched at his chin, then threw himself onto the ground, not caring that he sat in the middle of the hallway. Everyone was at the party, anyway. Even the guards were stationed along the ballroom and dining halls for the event, with just a few at the castle's entrance.
“Is the law really going
to be enforced when the eldest is a girl who has absolutely no idea how to be a royal? Or a monarch for that matter?”
Clarence nodded with his eyes still closed. “Yes. It is the Grerivethan way, and it has never been questioned. They would assign her many advisors, but we both know you should be the one crowned with me as your right-hand man. It is the ideal situation for the benefit of all.”
“You mean, the benefit of all except for my parents and apparently the sister we just found.”
Clarence’s eyes flew open, and he clicked his tongue. “Your Highness, we’ve been through this time and time again. It is for the greater good. If your parents stay on the throne, it’ll be another few decades of nothing important getting done— nothing improving and growing in our kingdom. And if that girl playing as the Princess takes the throne, it’ll be worse!”
Gerald craned his neck up to the ceiling and stared at the many chandeliers that stretched down the hallway. Finding his twin sister had almost been like a dream come true, and he wasn’t sure if he could have her ripped away from him again, and by his own hand. Blaming her for murder? Could he do such a thing?
“Your Highness.” Clarence rose from his position with a lot of creaking in his limbs, then approached the Prince. “The greater good. Do you remember?”
Gerald pounded his forehead with his fist as a tumultuous storm of thoughts churned in his head. His inner turmoil began to frustrate him to extremes he had never felt before. Finally, he looked up at Clarence with a deep scowl on his face but nodded.
“Fine. Put the poison in the King and Queen’s cups.”
Clarence grinned a crooked, yellow smile. “I already did.”
Prince Gerald felt like a rock dropped into his stomach. It was actually happening. He let out a shaky breath and slowly stood.
“They’ve already been drinking out of their cups. When will the poison work?”
Clarence tapped his chin. “Hm… With the dose I used, it’ll probably take about two hours after someone ingests it. So, I would guess about midnight.”
The Prince ran his fingers through his hair, then began strolling back in the direction of the dining hall.
Chapter 18
There was more dancing after dinner. And more dancing. And… more dancing. After the first few minutes of taking to the floor with one partner after another, I determined dancing was not a good idea immediately after eating a three-course meal and dessert. My side ached as my stomach complained that it had not even begun to start digesting the feast, and my bloated stomach felt tight against the bodice of my dress.
I had thought I had many men eager to be my partner before, but after it was announced I was actually the Princess, I didn’t get even a second to take a rest and breathe. I didn’t mind, though. It was surprising to notice that I was beginning to enjoy the attention and the surrounding merriment of a crowd. I was starting to feel like I belonged… It was a foreign feeling, but it warmed my heart and put a constant smile on my face, making my cheeks hurt so much I forgot about my aching feet from so much dancing.
I wasn’t the only one occupying the floor for the entirety of the night: Prince Gerald must have danced with at least half the women there within that entire hour after dinner, and that was saying something. But I was confused to see the frown remaining on his face during every dance. He even avoided my eye contact completely. I tried to convince myself I imagined it, but I really couldn’t deny the drastic change in his attitude.
A hush fell over the room at another sound of the trumpet. The King and Queen fell in behind the same announcer from before on the dais. Did they always announce things with a trumpet? The instrument was so shrill that I wasn’t sure it was something I could get used to.
I stood in the middle of the crowd. Many men were trying to inch close to me, but soon a few women pushed through them and stood at my side.
“Princess Adelaide!” a very short young woman, even shorter than I, whispered in my ear. “Isn’t this exciting! I think the Prince is going to choose now!”
“Please, call me Ellie,” I whispered back, watching my brother climb the steps to stand next to our parents.
A taller young woman with a sharp, pointed nose snorted on the other side of me. “Please, we all know it’s going to be me.”
A guffaw sounded from behind us. “Yeah, right!” I heard.
I shook my head and suppressed a chuckle. The entire ordeal was all kind of ridiculous. I made a mental note to question the King, Queen, and Prince about why they decided to find a bride in such a way.
My eyes met Queen Catherine’s eyes, and she gestured excitedly for me to join them in front of the people. I froze and quickly shook my head. I didn’t really want to traverse the path all the way to the front after the entire crowd had already gathered. She gave me a kind smile and nodded in understanding.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen! Noblemen and women, midnight is nearing upon us, and our son has informed us that he has made a decision,” the King said, his booming voice carrying easily through the ballroom.
I paled. Midnight? Hadn’t the witch said something terrible would happen if I didn’t leave before midnight? I darted my eyes around me, looking for any signs of danger or something mysterious, but I didn’t even know what I was looking for.
“We have already been so blessed to have our dear daughter return to us.”
King Thomas gestured to me, and I received a multitude of smiles, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the impending strike of twelve. Every single instinct I had said that I needed to trust the witch— she had always been right so far. I wrung my hands together and tried to find an easy pathway out of there, but couldn’t find one.
My eyes fell back to my parents and the glow of their faces as they looked upon me. I let out a long breath. I didn’t want to leave… I had just found my family!
“And now we can celebrate the impending nuptials of our son!” the King continued.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of arms flailing frantically at me. I angled myself to get a better look and gasped at the sight of Harry waving me down. In all the excitement, I had almost forgotten about him. Didn’t Bavmorda tell him to keep a close eye on the carriage?
“We have to go,” he mouthed.
Come to think of it, the witch had also told him to make sure I came out before midnight. I squinted my eyes shut and groaned. Harry was right: it was probably better to be safe than sorry. Besides, everybody now knew I was the Princess. I could always come back.
I began to push through the crowd as Harry continued his crazy waving. Navigating through the masses wasn’t hard, actually. Knowing I was the Princess, everybody was quick to let me pass with a curtsy or bow and a smile.
“Prince Gerald has chosen,” the King bellowed as I walked, “Car—”
I was about one foot away from Harry when the sound of my father beginning to choke stopped me mid-step. I turned slowly towards the dais with an eyebrow raised to see what had caused it. The King pounded at his chest and chuckled nervously.
“Sorry about that, everybody. I think I have a bit of a cough coming on.”
I sighed in relief and walked the rest of the way towards and Harry and nodded that we should get going, especially before the King and Queen noticed me leaving and had me followed.
“How close is it to midnight?” I whispered to him.
“I don’t know. Close.”
The King began rasping and hacking loudly. I whirled around to find him doubled over, clutching his chest in pain. Queen Catherine leaned over her husband with worry lines drawing deeply into her forehead, but soon she was doubling over in a coughing fit, as well. The Prince approached his parents slowly, eyes wide and trembling slightly.
“Mother? Father?” he said. “Are you two alright?”
The guests rushed closer to the dais in a chaotic scramble to get a better look at what was happening. I tried to rush over myself, feeling a pang of worry clutch at my heart, but Harry grabbed my hand
and shook his head.
“Ellie, no. We have to go.”
I planted my feet firmly and watched in horror as my parents fell on their knees and shook violently. The servants surrounding them rushed to their side and attempted to help them both stand. Soon, both of them collapsed entirely and fell still. My mouth dropped open. No. It couldn’t be…
The announcer threw his trumpet to the floor and leaned over to check both of their pulses. Prince Gerald stood closely, hand over his mouth in shock. The announcer gave a subtle shake of his head, and the Prince fell to his knees in despair. My own legs began to buckle underneath me, and Harry rushed to my side to support my weight.
“No!” the Prince cried. He scanned the entire crowd with anger flaming in his eyes. “Who would do such a thing?” He pointed at nearly every person in turn. “Whoever did this confess now!”
The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. My lip began to tremble as I stared at the bodies of the King and Queen… my parents… the family I had only just come to know.
“Ellie,” Harry whispered into my hair. “This is terrible, but we need to go. I think midnight has already gone and past.”
“Then, that means nothing is going to happen to me!” I hissed back, collapsing in his arms and turning to sob into his chest. “Except for…” I craned my neck to look back at the King and Queen. Had they died because I hadn’t left? Was this my fault?
“Sire, if I may.” The man named Clarence stepped from the shadows and approached the grieving Prince. “I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t want to believe it, but…” His eyes met my own, and I narrowed my eyes. “I saw Princess Adelaide put something in their cups at dinner.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
The entire room turned to me with mouths agape, frozen in place. I clenched my fists and glared at the old man, determined to defend myself, but I was stopped from any such thing at the sight of Bavmorda peeking at me within the shadows of a secluded corner beside the dais. No one else seemed to notice her. She waved at me, but her face was the grimmest I had ever seen it.
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