The party ended without incident, and thankfully no one tried to attack anyone in the palace. It was as if nothing had ever happened. The festival-like excitement lingered in the air, and the next three days passed quickly.
I dressed as Mer, waiting for Abel to show. I was supposed to have tea with Morris and Lynette later that afternoon. I was afraid that I’d be too amped up from training when I met with them, so I decided not to participate. Instead, I watched Anna and Enarene train from my room. I looked for Abel, but I didn’t see him. Did he run away? I wondered, but I just kept standing there, waiting.
The morning’s training session ended. Everyone began cleaning up and then left the training grounds. At that time, Abel finally showed up at the manor, wearing his uniform. I probably wouldn’t have been able to find him if I hadn’t been looking for him; that’s how well he blended in. He went to the front door without anyone noticing. I was just about to go see him when suddenly Anna came and told me, “Lord Louis is here to see you, my lady.”
“What? Already? He wasn’t supposed to come until this afternoon.”
Anna looked a bit bewildered at my reaction. “Yes, that’s true… What should we do? You’re not ready…”
“I can’t keep Duke Grindel waiting. I should get dressed.”
“Ah, no—your appointment with Duke Grindel is still this afternoon. Lord Louis says he wishes to speak with you before then, so he came early. He’s talking to General Gazell right now.”
“Is he? I can go dressed like this then.”
“Are you sure it’s all right to see him like that, my lady?”
“He knows that I’m Mer. Plus, and I’m sorry to say this, but my first priority right now is meeting with Abel. There’s something I simply must speak to him about.”
“Very well. Forgive me for not telling you sooner, but Abel is currently speaking with General Gazell as well. Shall I show him to the parlor once he’s done?”
“He’s here to see my father?”
“Yes. I’m sure it’s fine for you to go see him there, if you wish.”
“All right. I’ll go now, then. It’ll be easier to see Louis and Abel together.”
I stood up and headed to my father’s study. I knocked on the door and went inside. Just as Anna said, Louis, Abel, and my father were already there.
“Ah, so there you are, Lady Merellis,” Abel had an amused look on his face, and I froze. I wondered why—how—he knew that.
“Wh-what did you just say?” I finally said.
Louis and my father exchanged glances and laughed.
“I’m sorry. To be honest, I already knew that you were Mer.” Abel gave me a guilty look, and I heaved a sigh.
I told myself to calm down. My father and Louis were smiling, so I supposed it was fine that he knew. “Fine. So? You’re going to tell me, aren’t you?” I glared at him. I didn’t know if it was because I still thought him suspicious or that I was annoyed at the two who were smiling.
“Yes. That’s why I asked Lord Louis to come here.”
“Huh?”
I glanced over at Louis, and he nodded with a sheepish smile.
“First of all, General Gazell. Thank you so much for making time for me on such short notice. This is the only place all three of us can speak without raising suspicions.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have a feeling I’m about to hear a very interesting story because of it,” my father said.
“Lady Merellis, please allow me to apologize. Can you please tell me what you saw that day? That will explain the situation to General Gazell as well.”
“That’s true. Three days ago, at the party, I went to get some air on the balcony. I happened to see some suspicious-looking people in the garden. They were wearing royal army uniforms and claimed to be in the first regiment. I didn’t recognize them, however, and no one was supposed to be stationed in that position. So, I took care of them. I learned they had been ordered to kill the dukes from Rimmel and that there were thirty of them, so I began searching for them throughout the palace. That’s when I ran into Abel, who was also hunting for them.”
“They disguised themselves as soldiers?”
“Yes.”
My father’s face turned serious, and then I realized he had no idea all of this had been going on.
“Lord Louis. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I had to be very careful because it involved your own regiment. I wanted to wait until I had enough evidence, which Merellis and Abel have provided.”
Father let out a deep sigh and stared at me. “Merellis, continue, please.”
“There’s not much else to say. I cooperated with Abel, and we killed the rest of them. That’s all I know.”
“I see.”
“Will you please explain, Abel? Who are you, and how did you know they were going to attack that night?” I turned my gaze from my father to Abel. There was no panic or anxiousness in his eyes. In fact, I didn’t see an ounce of any emotion. They were just quiet and calm.
“I am a spy for the royal army. Right now, I am stationed out of Rimmel with the purpose of gathering information.”
“I can vouch for his identity. He used to work at my house,” Louis said.
Father looked at Louis with interest and then back at Abel. “I see… You worked for the Armelias.”
“Yes. My parents lived in a village where there was battle against Tweil. The village suffered great damage, and besides my parents, my entire family was killed. They had no one else to turn to, so they left, got married in the capital, and had me. My father died in an accident at work, and my mother passed away not long after from overwork. I was homeless and had nowhere to go, but one day, Lord Louis picked me up off the streets and gave me a place to work. I learned the art of espionage and joined the army. Since I have no living relatives, there’s no concern of anyone recognizing my face or knowing where I came from. Sometimes I go by different names, and I live in different places all the time.”
“Why did you join the army?” Father’s face clouded over for a moment. I wondered if he was blaming himself for not being able to help him.
“Why?”
“Your parents probably distrusted the army since they were unable to protect their village. Why would you want to serve your kingdom?”
For some reason Abel smiled. “It’s the opposite, in fact. It’s true that my parents lost all their relatives in the war. However, they would’ve died too if you hadn’t come to save them. You may not have been able to save everyone, but if you hadn’t come, more people would’ve perished. They were grateful toward you for saving their lives and their village. They spoke of you as a true hero and told me stories of how you fought to protect as many as you could. I’ve admired you all my life.”
“I see…” I knew Abel’s words wouldn’t be enough to lessen Father’s guilt. That was just the kind of person the man was. He’d suffered great losses, and he wouldn’t forget them. He held them all as his own burden. That was why he still looked upset, like he didn’t want to accept it.
“But at the same time…I felt badly that I had been so fortunate. There are many people who were in my same situation, but I had been lucky enough to be taken in by Lord Louis. Most people continued to suffer, so that’s why I joined the army. I didn’t want any other child to have to suffer as I did. No one else should have to know the pain of losing someone or be afraid to lose someone they loved.”
“I see…”