51: Tattle-tale sister!

Tattle-tale sister!

The members of the royal family looked at each other's faces before they stared at King Maxwell. The ministers hadn't expected the young king to make such drastic changes when it had only been a few minutes since he had taken the throne.

The oldest minister asked, "Are you sure that this is what you want, Your Highness? You can take your time to reconsider." 

"It is something I have already decided," Maxwell said firmly. 

Prince Aiden, who hadn't expected his brother to do this, asked, "Brother Maxwell, we—"

"King Maxwell. That is how you and the rest shall address me," Maxwell reprimanded his younger brother. 

Prince Aiden had grown up with the love and joy of his siblings, and he had never imagined that Maxwell would change so quickly. He said, 

"My King… I don't understand why we are being driven from here when this has always been our home. Was it something that any of us said in the past that you now hold against us?" 

Anastasia, standing two steps behind Princess Emily, noticed the royal family members' fallen faces, which held looks of worry. Her eyes fell on Prince Dante, and the look in his eyes had hardened. 

"My reason is very simple, Aiden." Maxwell's words were loud and clear. He looked down at his coat, stained by the bloody meat. He said, "We haven't found out who the murderer is, and until the person is caught, it only means that the palace is unsafe. In a way, it is for your own safety. This way, no harm will befall any of you."

"Your Highness, my mother is sick and needs necessary medical attention," Dante stated, staring at his first brother, who was riding the high of the new power in his hands. 

"Lady Lucretia will be looked after by a physician. I am not so cruel as to draw away help when it's needed," Maxwell responded. He then turned to look at the ministers and said, "I am hoping that my orders will be attended to and put into effect immediately."

"Brother Maxwell," Princess Emily addressed him before she corrected herself, "I mean, Your Highness. By sending us away, what you are doing is cutting us off as your family. If you do that, none of us will share the same feelings. Brother Dante and all of us won't stay in the palace." 

Maxwell's eyes narrowed at her, and he said, "Who do you think you are speaking to in such a tone? As I said earlier, my siblings are free to choose to stay or leave with the others. But Dante is not going anywhere. He is, after all, the Knight of Versailles, who will be needed for the war that the troops have already left for."

Prince Aiden asked, "And what if we refuse?" 

"I understand your lack of interest in the royal court, but to be unaware of the consequences of standing against the king is foolishness. This is probably why Father thought it was better to have me on the throne," Maxwell clicked his tongue while looking down at Aiden. He said, "Failure to obey the king will result in being cut off from the family and being deprived of any privileges or services afforded until now. The meeting is now dismissed, and I hope all of you enjoy the banquet."

Saying this, Maxwell stood up and left the royal courtroom. The Vizier, being the king's minister, quickly followed him, and soon Lady Maya and Princess Niyasa left the room too. The eight ministers were next to follow, leaving the rest of the royal family behind. 

"What are we going to do, Queen Sophia?" Lady Noor asked the woman, hoping for some solution. "Maybe the parchment seal was wrong."

"William wrote and sealed it himself. There is nothing anyone can do but curse the person who killed William and curse the king's hasty decision," the Mother Queen stated from the far end of the courtroom, before she began to walk away, Aziel following her. She said, "Have your things packed and be ready to leave by tomorrow."

Soon everyone left the courtroom one by one until only Queen Sophia remained, who continued to sit on a chair with a shocked expression. Princess Emily made her way towards her mother and pulled a chair next to her before sitting down. 

Princess Emily placed her hand on her mother's hand. She said, "Are you alright, Mother? It is just a bad time, Mother. Things will get better. You will see that we will do fine in the old palace." This palace held her childhood and many other memories. She was sad to leave it. 

"You and Aiden… you will both stay here, Emily," Queen Sophia said, before she saw the confused expression on Emily's face. 

"You don't mean to live alone in the old palace, Mother?" Princess Emily said. 

"I will be fine. You don't have to worry about me. Your brother needs you here, someone he can trust," Queen Sophia said to her daughter. She said, "This is what I was worried about if Maxwell were to take the throne. Maya is the one pulling in the reins, and she has been waiting to cast us out from here since the moment she was chosen by your father."

"But, Mother—" Princess Emily began to speak, only to be interrupted by her mother.

"You won't be coming with me, Emily. Things are already hard enough," Queen Sophia tried to gather her emotions together before she sighed and got up. "I need some time for myself." 

Princess Emily watched her mother step out of the room, and she sighed. 

The next morning, carriages were lined up in front of the palace before they were loaded with the luggage of the Blackthorn family members who were going to stay in the old palaces. Most of the guests hadn't left and had come out to stare at the scene to make sure the news they had heard was true. 

Queen Sophia and Lady Noor's faces had turned red from embarrassment. Being driven out of the palace was something they had hoped wouldn't happen. 

Lady Noor didn't trust Lady Maya nor the new king to leave her son in the palace without her, so she took him along with her, climbing inside the palanquin. 

"I will find a way to bring you back here, Mother," Prince Aiden promised his mother, who offered him a small smile. "If I find the opportunity, I won't lose the throne this time." After his father's death, the young prince's joyous attitude was taken away and replaced with the resolve to regain power to protect his family. 

"We will come to visit you," Princess Emily said. Her mother only nodded before she stepped inside the palanquin. 

Anastasia watched the two palanquins leave before her eyes fell on Lady Lucretia and the Mother Queen, who stood before Dante. 

The first prince hugged his mother and said in a low voice, "I will have someone sent to you to check on you every day. Take care of yourself for me. Take your medicines on time." 

Lady Lucretia hugged her son back with a smile that faltered, sadness in her eyes. "Do not worry about me. Just make sure that you are alright, and make me proud as you have all these years. Win the war," she rubbed his back and pulled away. "I will be waiting for the news."

"I will return to you with good news. So wait for me," Dante said to his mother, his eyes softening as he looked at her. 

"I will." Lady Lucretia stifled something before she leaned forward and kissed her son's cheek. "See you soon." 

Lady Lucretia coughed behind her handkerchief, and though Anastasia stood afar off, she noticed the lady's lips turning bright red, which she wiped away. The lady had turned weaker than the last time she had seen her, as if she was barely clinging to life. 

Anastasia watched Dante helping his mother sit inside the palanquin. He picked up the ends of his mother's dress that hung outside the palanquin and put them inside, and with the care he displayed, it was hard to imagine him as a brute. 

The Mother Queen assured him, "Don't worry about your mother. Aziel and I will look after her. After all, we have nothing else to do now." She hugged him and whispered, "I trust you with this place and the two grandchildren of mine. Stay strong, Dante, as you always have; I put my faith in you."

"I won't let you down," Dante replied before they stepped away from each other. 

The Mother Queen's eyes then moved up and caught sight of Lady Maya and King Maxwell standing on one of the balconies, along with Princess Niyasa and Lady Evin.

"Come here, let me hug you both," the Mother Queen said to Aiden and Emily, raising her hands and waiting for them to step forward. She said loudly for everyone to hear, "It would be a pity if I find that you both have followed your father's footsteps."

"Take care, Grandmother," Prince Aiden wished her, and then Princess Emily added, "We will come to see you soon, Grandmother."

"I will be fine. It is you three who need to watch your backs," the Mother Queen cautioned her grandchildren. 

Princess Emily asked her grandmother, "Is there no way for you to stop Brother Maxwell, Grandmother?" 

"Unfortunately, no, as I hold less power. If you thought what happened yesterday and today was harsh, you haven't seen the worst because this is only the beginning," the Mother Queen warned her grandchildren. Even though she would like to have them accompany her to the old palace, that would only make them weak, and it was time the other two stepped out of their comfort zones. She said in a low voice, "Don't forget that the king's word is always final, and not to cross him."

The Mother Queen then looked up at Lady Maya, offering her a pleasant smile as if she was enjoying something. This made Lady Maya narrow her eyes at the older woman. 

"What is Mother Queen smiling about?" Lady Evin frowned and asked her soon-to-be sister-in-law. 

"Who knows," Princess Niyasa muttered. She then said, "Maybe she was looking forward to some vacation time. Good; she will have a long one." They watched the old woman get inside the palanquin before it started to head out of there. 

With the women out of the palace, Lady Maya turned to her son and said, "Why don't you and Lady Evin go enjoy yourselves? I am sure the guests are waiting."

Maxwell raised his hand and Lady Evin took it with a smile, and they walked away. 

Princess Niyasa had a lopsided smile on her face and said, "I am sure she regrets calling you a concubine now." 

"Sophia?" Lady Maya smiled before they turned around and started to walk inside. She said, "She was relying on her title of being the legally-wedded wife, but now that doesn't matter, and we are the ones who are above her and the others. I haven't forgotten how she humiliated me on the day we met. She thought I was like Lucretia, who would meekly sit there," she softly harrumphed. 

Even though nothing had changed for the servants who worked in the palace, after a few hours, Anastasia, who followed Princess Emily, noticed the atmosphere had turned darker and heavier. As if the deaths in the palace weren't enough, the little joy that existed there had been stolen away. 

Two days passed, and right now, Anastasia was in Princess Emily's room. 

She stood against the wall, watching the princess stare into space before she turned and said, 

"Brother Dante will be going to war soon, and Aiden decided to stay behind in the palace, along with Maxwell. Maxwell was mean… but he was never cruel, not like this. I never imagined him to be like this, nor did the others. It's like something snapped inside everyone after our father's death."

Princess Emily continued, "I worry that I am going to lose a brother of mine, and I don't want to see any more deaths. Maxwell must have been furious after he was publicly humiliated… I feel uneasy and anxious. I don't think talking with any of my family members will help at the moment."

'You can talk to me. I am always here to listen to you,' at least until I find out who killed my sister, Anastasia thought. She didn't know if the murderer would ever be found, but she hoped she would meet the person. 

Right now… her suspicions fell on Maxwell. After all, he was the first to be found at the scene. 

"Thank you, Anna," Princess Emily thanked her before saying, "I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you are here with me. That I can talk to you. If only I could somehow release my anxiousness to relieve it. I have cried to the point that I have a headache. It feels like my head is being squeezed. What do you do to distract yourself when you are feeling confused or in pain?"  0

Anastasia stared at the princess, and she pretended to clean the floor and walls. 

"I didn't know cleaning could do that. Is that why the servants always look so calm and pleasant?" Princess Emily wondered out loud before she got down from her bed. She decided, "Then let me try cleaning my room." 

Anastasia's eyes widened, and she quickly shook her hands in protest. Though her mother was cast off to the old palace, the lady was still a princess, and it would cause her trouble if someone saw the princess partaking in a servant's work. 

Princess Emily, looking for a distraction, waved her hand and said, "I will do just fine and learn quickly. You will see." She picked up the blanket from her bed and shook it with such force that it hit a vase on the bedside table, which fell to the ground with a crash. 

Anastasia made her way over to where Princess Emily stood and told her she would take care of it, hearing the princess apologise for making trouble for her. 

Seeing the princess looking down, Anastasia asked, 'How about sewing?' 

"I did it only because it makes my mother happy. I am not exactly proud of it either. I would like to draw or paint. But I don't know how to do it. Mother told me it was better that I learn to sew and knit than waste my time on something so pointless."

'…' 

No, don't even think about it, Anastasia told herself. But the princess was sad, and she had always been kind towards her. Clenching her hands, she released them and brought her finger up to her lips. 

Princess Emily stared at Anastasia and asked, "You want me to stay quiet?" Upon seeing her maid nod, she asked, "What is it? Did you see who killed my father?" 

Anastasia shook her head. She brought a parchment to the table and picked up a piece of charcoal before bringing it near the princess. 

"I don't know how to draw, which also means I don't know how to use this, Anna," Princess Emily frowned when her maid started to do something on the parchment. Trying to understand, she stared at it in great concentration. 

"What are you doi—oh, it's a tree! So you draw," Princess Emily exclaimed with a smile, and it took her a moment to realise what was going on. 

"Well, well, well, look what we have here."

Anastasia and Princess Emily turned toward the door where Princess Niyasa had entered the room. She walked towards them and came to stand next to the table, staring at the parchment and the piece of coal in Anastasia's hand. 

"Niyasa, what are you doing here?" Princess Emily asked, but Princess Niyasa raised her hand as she stared at the lowly maid. 

"Aren't you a smart one? When I came to check your room, there was nothing to be found, but you were lying." Anastasia shook her head and moved her hands. "I don't know what you are saying, but I will make sure you are punished." Turning around, Princess Niyasa started to walk through the corridor to where her mother was. 

"Niyasa, wait!"

Princess Emily became worried and quickly followed her younger sister, who was a brat through and through, and behind her followed Anastasia. When they reached where Lady Maya was, Princess Niyasa said, 

"Mother, I have something important to share." 

Lady Maya noticed Princess Emily enter the room, who bowed her head and addressed her, "Evening greetings to you, Queen Maya."

"Good evening," Lady Maya, who wasn't a queen yet, liked the sound of how Princess Emily addressed her. She asked, "What brings you both in here?" She asked while in the company of Lady Evin's mother and two other women. 

"Isn't it the rule that anyone who lies to the royal family or the authorities will be subjected to execution? Emily's maid is the one who was drawing," Princess Niyasa couldn't believe a maid with such horrendous hands could hold such a talent. 

"My maid hasn't committed a mistake, because she never knew her drawings were used," Princess Emily spoke before adding, "She's innocent." 

"I asked her that day, and she denied it," Princess Niyasa replied, wanting to get rid of this maid. She hadn't forgotten that it was only two days ago when her sister had taunted her about not giving her the maid to assist her. 

Anastasia felt Princess Niyasa glaring at her for hiding the truth until now, and she tried to keep her eyes down. But she could also tell the young princess regretted sending her to work for her older sister. 

"The poor thing cannot speak, and you are casting false accusations against her," Princess Emily spoke for her maid, defending her and saying, "You cannot fault someone for another's mistakes. She didn't do anything, and kept to herself. Isn't that right, Queen Maya?" She turned to the older woman. 

Lady Maya's eyes moved to the back of the room, where Anastasia stood. Unable to see the maid's face, who bowed deeply, she said, 

"So she's the one from whom your maid stole, Niyasa. It brings me pain when I remember that night," the woman's eyes shifted to look at her daughter briefly before turning to look at Princess Emily. She said, "If her talent is as good as the ones that were showcased, it would be a pity to execute her. You can take your maid and leave, Emily."

Lady Maya was focussed on her son, who had become king. After the recent events in the palace, all the other matters had turned irrelevant, especially the useless drawings she cared very little about. 

"But, Mother—"

"I would like to speak to my daughter privately. If all of you could leave us alone," Lady Maya smiled at her company, and they nodded. 

A sigh of relief escaped from Anastasia's lips, as well as Emily's, who offered a deep bow. She said, "Thank you, Queen Maya," and they left the room with the others. 

"Why did you let her off?" Princess Niyasa demanded from her mother. 

"Do you hear yourself, Niyasa? You sound like a jealous little girl over silly drawings, and that's not how you carry yourself when your brother is the King of Versailles," Lady Maya reprimanded her daughter before adding, "There are more important things to discuss, than finding out who can draw," she rolled her eyes and patted the empty seat next to her. "Sit."

Away from the room, Princess Emily walked with a smile on her lips. It was because her brat of a sister had been unsuccessful in taking her maid away. As they strolled through the corridors, the princess softly murmured, 

"Brother Dante is here."

Anastasia looked ahead, and her eyes fell on the first prince, who stood before a wide, open window, looking at the kingdom. The wind that entered through the window had ruffled his hair. His hands were covered by gloves again.

Her footsteps slowed while Princess Emily walked up to where he was, and she offered him a bow, "Brother Dante."

When Dante's gaze left the view to look at his sister, Anastasia felt her heart race, as it felt like his eyes slightly moved to look at her. 

"You seem to be in a better mood now," Dante noted, and his sister nodded. 

"Anna is the mystery artist. Isn't that amazing?" Princess Emily turned to look at Anna with a smile. 

"Taking coal without permission falls under stealing, unless she thinks that's not thievery," Dante said, staring at the young woman. 

Princess Emily's smile faltered, turning awkward as she hadn't expected her elder brother to look at it that way. She said, "She drew such different things that I have only seen in books. Where did you see them?" She asked her maid. 

When Anastasia moved her hands, Princess Emily was lost. 

"It is from where she came from, when she was young," Dante said indifferently. 

Princess Emily's mouth turned into an O shape, and she curiously asked him, "Where is that?" 

Before Anastasia could think of a reply, she heard Dante remark, "Hawkshead," which took her by surprise. He knew. 

"I don't think I have heard of it before. Where is that?" Princess Emily asked.

Anastasia felt Dante's midnight eyes watching her. One side of his lips subtly curled up when he saw her waiting for him to reveal the answer she was looking for and he remarked,

"Somewhere."

pqdm.com