“What do you mean, Miss Eli’s gone missing?! All sorts of terrible gossip is flying around, and I’ve heard no word from Lilia. Lilia is safe, isn’t she? What in the world is going on?!”
I froze in my tracks. The same question had been on my mind ever since I’d heard the news. As much as I’d wanted to find out more, I still lacked connections within the royal palace. Prince Theodore, the king’s brother, had been a great help to me when I was first hired, but he was away at the moment. As for the one other person I knew...
“Calm down, Julia.”
It was Alfred Bernstein, a gentle, mild-mannered man who always kept a calm tone of voice. He was Lady Elianna’s older brother. The name Julia also rang a bell. She had been introduced to me as Lady Elianna’s cousin at the Holy Night’s Banquet. She was a well-to-do young lady who had regarded me with curiosity and remarked, “It’s rare to see Mister Alfred bring a partner to the banquet.”
Back then, she had demonstrated all the inquisitiveness and cheer of a girl her age, but now, her voice broke with tears. “You don’t understand! The rumors are simply awful! They say that Eli ran away and abandoned her duty...that she’s no longer fit to be the prince’s betrothed...that she’s seeing another man on the side. It’s terrible. Eli lost her own mother to the Ashen Nightmare. She’s been studying the disease her whole life, and she even pushed to develop a cure... How could they say that?!”
“Julia...”
The girl had grown more emotional with each sentence she spoke. I heard the sound of Alfred reaching out to comfort her as she wept, and I quietly turned on my heel. Be it Lady Lilia or Lady Julia, I’d seen for myself how close the Bernstein siblings were with their cousins. Judging by how freely the girls spoke to both Lord Alfred and Lady Elianna, I got the sense that they all considered each other family.
And I had no right to feel one way or another about that.
I paused behind a bookcase and let out a long breath. What mattered most right now was Lady Elianna. As far as I was concerned, the rumors were worth no more than that. Her past achievements alone could prove that beyond a shadow of doubt. Still, there were those who would entertain themselves with gossip at the slightest sign of weakness. It was just part of human nature.
I considered what to do next. I had been looking for Lord Alfred to see if I could get any information out of him, but he had his hands full dealing with the national crisis as an aide to the prime minister, and it had been a struggle to track him down. His cousin had probably only managed to secure a meeting with him under the pretext of bringing something for a relative.
Now that we’ve crossed paths, should I be so bold as to ask for his time? But who knows if I’ll be able to do anything with the information he gives me...
I paced around in circles, opening and closing the book in my hand, until I eventually decided to go ask him after all.
Just then, however, someone who had rounded the bookshelf called out to me in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “My, my, if it isn’t the daughter of Earl Hayden.”
The implications of him not referring to me as a member of the Department of History Compilation were clear. Even some of my own coworkers refused to recognize a woman like me as a colleague. When I first began my job, I’d quietly endured an onslaught of taunts and harassment, telling myself that my only option was to gain recognition through my work. Fortunately, this came with the advantage of the maids befriending me as soon as they heard about the situation. In addition, the court women had offered me advice on my work, and my time at the royal palace had gotten off to a good start.
I had no desire to humor this man, but he was one of my seniors in my own department. No doubt he had an abundance of time on his hands now that our department was closed, just as I did. I greeted him politely, only to get a snort in return. He bombarded me with remarks that held little regard for anything but my status, saying that he couldn’t believe the daughter of the earl was hiding in the safety of the royal palace. I took it all in silence, until his next insult hit a sore spot.
“You and the prince’s fiancée are close, aren’t you? I wonder if she followed your example and hid herself in the royal palace in fear.”
I was aware that such rumors had been going around since the news of her disappearance. I’d been letting his unsavory comments slide to that point, but that particular one changed my tune. When I lifted my head and looked him straight in the eye, I could have sworn he flinched.
The moment I spoke my friend’s name, all the pent-up emotions inside me came spilling out into words. “Lady Elianna went to the countryside on official business. She took action to protect the people of the region and was met with an unforeseen accident. What a sad state of affairs that someone tasked with documenting our history should not show concern for her safety or determine the facts, but instead be misled by malicious gossip.”
The finality in my tone drained the color from his face. Just as I braced myself for his next tirade, a soft voice and presence abruptly cut in. A young man called my name from another bookshelf. His eyes were calmly fixed on the man across from me, as if to emphasize that he’d heard the subject of his sister come up.
Once the man had rambled off a string of excuses in a panic and fled the scene, the young man—Alfred Bernstein—walked over to me. I winced, fearing he was about to reprimand me for my reckless behavior, only to hear something else entirely.
“Thank you.”
When I reacted with surprise, he flashed me a serene smile.
“For believing in my sister, I mean. And for worrying about her.”
I’d only done what was right. I almost said as much on reflex, but it then occurred to me that he was likely at the end of his tether.
His cousin was nowhere to be seen, so he’d probably sent her home. If Lady Elianna was confirmed to be alive, he would have been sure to share that with me. I realized that now.
In that case, there was only one thing left to say to him.
“I’m sure Lady Elianna is all right.”
He blinked, then gave me a soft smile. It held all the warm emotions he always directed my way.
“Thank you, Anna,” he said, making my heart race in spite of myself. I didn’t think we were on friendly enough terms for him to forgo a title, but I was too flustered to point it out. Then, he said the last thing I’d expected to hear. “May I hug you?”
“Pardon?!”
The look on his face was so bashful that it was hard to believe what had just come out of his mouth. “You see, His Highness and Eli always flirt every chance they get. I could use that kind of comfort, or energy boost, or food for the soul...whatever you want to call it.”
I hadn’t the faintest idea what he was talking about. As I stood there, bewildered, he took another step toward me, and I blurted out a blunt refusal.
“Yes... That figures. Apologies. I got a bit carried away.”
He drew back with a smile, and that was when I noticed how pale he looked. Perhaps he’d been too busy to get a good night’s sleep. Torn between bemusement and sympathy, I offered a compromise. I told him I could at least brew him a cup of tea.
“I can’t claim to be good at it...but as long as that won’t bother you.”
I added that I hoped it would provide him at least a moment’s comfort. Somehow, I felt terribly embarrassed to be making the offer, even though this was a concession on my part. Something told me my face was an uncharacteristic shade of red.
I saw Lord Alfred nod, delighted. “I’d love to have a taste of your tea.”