No objections were made when I slovenly draped myself across the sofa, and in fact, Marie even offered her thighs as a pillow. It was comfortable in a way that brought to mind my sister in Falkrum. I dropped in and out of a light doze, but soon enough, there was a commotion outside.
“What in the...” muttered Marie. “I expected you back, but what’s all the commotion?”
Her brow was furrowed, and her glare was aimed at the family steward, Whateley.
“Lady Marie, I’m so very sorry to disturb you,” he said, unable to hide the sorrow in his eyes. “Lady Karen, while it pains me to bother you while you’re at rest, His Highness the crown prince is here to see you.”
“Wait just a moment,” said Marie. “It’s barely been more than a few days.”
“I know, but it would seem the prince has a pressing matter to discuss with Lady Karen.”
Whateley made it clear that I was expected to attend to our visitor, then spun on his heels and left. A few moments later, Reinald entered and walked straight over to the sofa. He knelt down before me and put a hand to my cheek, but the gesture felt to me like a means to keep me from escaping the message he had come to deliver.
“Ern Quach’s parents were arrested,” he said. “If you want to see them, this is your only chance.”
“Ah,” I uttered.
Ern.
I was somehow able to maintain my composure at the sound of her name, but I could not remain so calm when I heard what followed.
“I have no reason to help them, but you do,” continued Reinald. “And having handled the matter of Ern yourself, you may yet have a say in the matter of their fate.”
He’s right. How could I have forgotten?
At the very mention of her parents, I remembered Ern looking up at me in her last moments. She had a family. Parents. A father. A mother. She was considered an enemy of the state now, so it was no wonder that her parents had also been taken into custody. And I myself knew the punishment that Teddy’s direct family had received for his crimes.
But...even then...
I broke out in a sweat, assaulted by memories of Ern’s brain matter sprayed across the floor of her lab. I felt like I was going to be sick, but Reinald was in no mood to give me time to rest.
“I will accompany you should you need assistance, but you have to make the decision,” he said.
Ern loved her parents dearly, to the point of keeping them at a strict distance in an attempt to ensure their safety and keep them out of any trouble. The whole reason she’d come to the imperial capital in the first place was because she couldn’t bear to abandon them. I knew how much she loved them, and I was not about to simply leave them to their fate.
My vision felt hazy, but I kept my guts in, and I looked up at Reinald. I let out a strange moan that made it clear how awful a state I was in, but Reinald remained steadfast as he waited for my reply. The truth of the matter, however, was that I did not want to move. I did not want to do anything at all, in fact. It was all too much. But when I thought of Ern, my friend, I could not bring myself to simply lie still.
My heart ached. It felt supremely arrogant to even attempt to save Ern’s parents after what I had done, but how could I ever look my friend in the eyes again if I did not at least try?
“I...will...go...” I uttered, each word like its own little disparate fragment.
There was no other reply to give. I had to see them and tell them of their daughter’s final moments or, failing that, see their lives saved somehow. It was far too soon for them to be following in their daughter’s footsteps.
Reinald nodded and told me to get ready at once. Marie responded in anger.
“Your Highness, do you not think this is too much, too soon?”
“You are a daughter of the Dunst family, yes?” he replied.
“I threw that name away long ago, and I’ve no desire to be called it again. But my name is neither here nor there. How could you be so heartless, dragging Karen away when she’s in such a state?”
“I came because it was necessary. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Surely there’s a nicer way to word it than that. Surely.”
“The conveying of the message matters not if we do not make it in time. This is a matter that cannot be postponed.”
Marie’s defiant attitude showed shades of Ern. Her influence, perhaps.
“Marie,” I said.
“What? Karen, wait, don’t even think about thanking me,” said Marie. “People like you always thank those who get angry on their behalf, and it’s the worst. It’s not even funny!”
Her hands trembled as she turned to Reinald.
“I will help her get ready, but you will come straight back as soon as you’re done, are we clear?! I shouldn’t even need to say this, but she’s barely even had a chance to recover!”
Marie’s pleas fell on deaf ears, though she showed guts in standing up to the nation’s crown prince like that. Reinald, for his part, watched with his eyes slightly narrowed into a smile—Marie’s protestations clearly did not bother him.
It was only now that I was going out that I realized the house was in a much cleaner state than when I’d first returned. There were black marks on the walls where the lamps had once been, but I noticed the slight aroma of incense in the air. Later, I would learn that it was Wendel’s doing—he was burning a calming incense to offer everyone a touch of serenity.
As I made my way up the stairs, I found Emil and Jill sitting side by side on the staircase. The sad, anxious expression on his face was all the proof I needed to know that I had caused him great worry. He did not want me to go, but he made no attempt to stop me either.
“You’re going out? But you haven’t even had a chance to recover,” he said.
“You let Jill into my room, didn’t you?” I said, ruffling his hair. “Thank you.”
“Please, be careful out there.”
I got dressed and ready at lightning speed thanks to Marie’s assistance. I’d looked not unlike a dead woman walking, but Marie was a true professional when it came to makeup, and by the time she was done, I looked like an entirely different person.
“One moment before you go.”
Wendel poked his head into my room. He had Blacky in one of his arms and held out a handkerchief with the other. It had far too cute a design for a young boy to be carrying around.
“It’s Ern’s handkerchief,” he said.
“Oh?” was all I could reply.
“It was put in my drawer by accident. She didn’t speak about it often, but she used it a lot, and I’m sure it was her favorite. But I won’t get any use out of it, so I think you should have it.”
“Thank you...”
The handkerchief was beautifully embroidered, but it was not the only reason Wendel had come. He pointed to my bed and revealed a startling truth.
“Charlot’s hiding under your bed,” he stated. “Make sure to properly apologize to her when you get back.”
“Why would I need to do that?”
“She hasn’t been herself since you’ve been stuck in bed. Cats are unusually sensitive to the moods of their owners, you know.”
So saying, Wendel left Blacky in the room and disappeared down the hall. Marie screamed about the cat hair getting all over my clothes, but I didn’t care. And in any case, Blacky quickly disappeared under the bed too.
“You don’t have time to be playing with cats!” barked Marie. “Go already!”
This was in itself a clear message—I would have to see to the mood of my pets upon my return. Moments later, I was sitting in a carriage taking me to Ern’s parents, at which point another matter dawned on me.
“Geoff,” I said. “How did Chelsea handle it all?”
With everything I’d had to shoulder, I’d completely forgotten about her. She’d gotten used to all the people in the house, but she was still especially wary and frightened of men, and all the more so when she’d never gotten to know them. I was worried that the knights who had barged into our home might have left her traumatized. She was a beautiful soul, even with her troubles, and I hated to think of her accidentally drawing the wrong attention.
“While the knights did search the basement, they found nothing of note. It’s fortunate that Ern’s room was on the second floor, as it allowed the quick-witted Emil to whisk Chelsea away from any unwanted attention.”
And to be clear, that unwanted attention would have come from members of the Arrendle imperial knights’ first squadron. The moment they entered the house, Whateley attempted to halt their progress. The rest of the house was momentarily dumbstruck, and it was Wendel and Emil who had gathered their senses first. Wendel moved to get old Ben to safety while Emil aided Chelsea. Their decisive action was enough to wake the rest of the household from their shock. I couldn’t quite believe what I was told. I mean, I knew that everyone had been surprised and confused by the knights’ sudden house invasion, but it hadn’t really left them all that unsettled, in the end.
“I wear all my keepsakes on me, and all I brought with me was the knife I got as a wedding present. They didn’t so much as glance in my direction,” Rosanne had commented casually.