“Yes.”
Her expression softened slightly, and she smiled kindly. “Why has someone with your talents married Lord Asher, the crown prince’s favorite? Would you tell me sometime?”
“I will.”
“Well, I’ll be counting on your service until the Saint Floren Festival.”
“Leave it to me, Your Highness.”
I wish I could go back home just once before I start, so I can see Nonna’s face, I found myself thinking, but I quickly dismissed the thought.
I was returning to work as an operative after six long years. I couldn’t afford to indulge in such naive thoughts for the sake of Jeffrey, who’d allowed me to do this, and for my beloved Nonna. I could lose my life if I didn’t return to the mindset of an ace Haglian operative.
So for the next two months leading up to the Saint Floren Festival, I would focus solely on the successful completion of my mission.
No matter what, I would return to my family with my heart still beating.
I’d lived through many lies, and I’d become many different people. I’d fought, and I’d survived. Mia was walking the same path I’d once treaded.
I hadn’t been able to save the life of the young operative Hans when I accompanied him on my first mission. I still regretted that and probably would until the day I died.
I didn’t want Mia to experience the same pain. I wanted to shield her from the poison of regret.
And I wanted to complete my mission, even if it made me feel guilty toward my family.
I was doing this for Mia, for Hans, who’d died at just fifteen years old, and most of all, for myself.
“What shall I call you? Will you decide on a name?” Princess Delphine asked.
“Of course. Please call me Kate.”
“Very well, then. When we are alone together, Kate, you may simply call me Delphine. I must continue being the crown princess even if it means putting your and Mia’s lives at risk. My homeland, the kingdom of Eagal, needs a strong alliance with Ashbury. I must stay alive to maintain peace between the two nations.”
“I understand.”
“It was my kingdom’s turn to send a crown princess to Ashbury. To ensure I would become the future queen of this kingdom, they gave me a top-class education and raised me with the very best people and resources.”
As I listened to her, I wondered if that hadn’t ever felt stifling.
Princess Delphine smiled at me as if she knew what I was thinking.
“One must be able to withstand an immense amount of pressure to fulfill the role of queen. My mission is to live alongside the people of this kingdom and encourage peace between Eagal and Ashbury.”
“Yes.”
“The world of politics isn’t just run by men, you know. Although they may take center stage, there are places where I can be of use to this kingdom. However, I can’t protect myself like you can. That’s why I need you to lend me your strength.”
“And I am glad to do so.”
“Will you tell me why you agreed to be my body double?”
“I mean no disrespect by this, but the reason I accepted was for my own sake.”
“Oh? You mean you’re risking your life to serve as my decoy for personal reasons?” She stared at me with her clear blue eyes, looking very intrigued.
“I spoke with the woman who was supposed to be your body double. I spent most of my life doing similar work to hers, which gave me the skills required to complete this mission. If I turned down this request to put myself and my family first, but something wound up happening to you, then I would feel like half of me had died. Plus, the woman who was supposed to be your body double would also suffer for the rest of her life.”
“I see. I’d like to hear more, but it’s only the first day. You may tell me the details some other time. I must return to my duties.”
And with that, Delphine rose to her feet. I thought she was going to leave the room, but instead, she spoke to me in Eagalian.
<I have some resistance to poison. Since you have experience, you probably understand, but building tolerance is quite painful.>
<Yes. Looking back on it, I think I was able to endure it more easily during my youth because I had more stamina,> I said.
<I’m slowly starting to train my children to gain resistance to poison. But as I watch them go through it, I’ve come to understand how my parents must have felt.>
<I see.>
Delphine switched back to Ashburian. “Ha. You’re quite impressive. If someone had told me you were born in Eagal, I would believe it. But just one thing: Whoever taught you Eagalian must have instructed you in the northern dialect. Your vowels have a slight accent. The tone rises a bit. That’s a northern trait.”
“I had no idea. I apologize.”
“No, no. Your Eagalian is nearly perfect. My grandmother was from the north, so that’s the only reason I could tell. Anyone from Ashbury would never notice. You’re very skilled,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“Kate, if you’d like, you can send letters to your family occasionally. I can have Mike’s associate deliver them.”
As much as I wanted to take her up on that offer, I thought it safest not to.
I was putting my family through heartbreak by being gone for two months. Sending those letters could disrupt my work, which I wanted to avoid. Plus, it would take a lot more than two months apart to break the bond my family and I shared.
I told the princess this, and she smiled and said, “That’s a wise decision,” before leaving the room.
“Two months? Mom won’t be back for two whole months?!” Nonna exclaimed.
“That’s right. She has work to do.”
“What kind of work?”
“It’s an assignment from the kingdom, and that’s all I can say,” Jeff said.
“Does it have to do with the organization Mom used to be in?”
“My lips are sealed. She’ll be back in two months. Can you wait that long?”
Nonna sat silently for a moment, thinking as Jeffrey watched her. After a while, she looked up at him.
“I’ll miss Mom, but two months will go by quickly. When we went to Shen, five years seemed like it would be an eternity, but once we got there, it wasn’t so bad.”
“You’re right.”
Nonna toyed with the end of her braid as she stared at Jeffrey.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“You don’t like the idea of Mom working for two months, do you, Dad?”
“It’s not that. I want Anna to make her own decisions.”
“Then why do you look so upset? Even Ash and Berry could tell, and they got scared and ran away!”
That startled Jeffrey, and he hesitated to respond. “Nonna, I’m not upset. I’m just worried about your mother.”
“Mom wanted to do the job, right? So support her. She’ll be fine. Worrying about her won’t make her any safer.”
“That’s true…”
Nonna wavered for a moment, debating whether or not to express the question she had, but Jeffrey could tell she was holding back.
“Say what’s on your mind,” he said.
“Well… I’m not complaining in a roundabout way like nobles do, okay? I really want to know, so that’s why I’m asking.”
“What?”
“Mom was so happy when you told her that she could live freely. But…are you sure you didn’t mean she could only live as freely within the bounds of what you wanted her to do?”
“…”
Once again, Nonna’s question had rendered Jeffrey speechless.
“Because if that’s what you meant, I don’t think that’s how Mom took it. If you really only meant, ‘I’ll give you what normal women think of as freedom,’ then I think that will make her suffer.”
“…”
“I can wait if this is something Mom really wants to do. I’m fine. I’m almost thirteen, and Mom’s always worked so hard for us. And if this is what she wants to do, I want her to do it. She’ll come back, Dad.”
“I know. I’m sorry I made you think I was upset, Nonna. You’ve really grown up right under my nose.”
“Heh-heh.”
Nonna smiled and stood up. “I’m going to go read a book in my room,” she said, excusing herself from the living room.
Once Nonna was in her room, she locked the door and quickly changed into a shirt and pants that were easier for her to move in.
Her cats, Ash and Berry, came in through the cat door and observed her curiously. She tucked her long blond braid into a loose cap. At first glance, she could pass for a slender boy.
She opened the window and swiftly climbed over the window frame. There was a narrow beam beneath her about fifteen centimeters wide.
Nonna stood on the beam and moved along the wall. There was a large iron ring embedded inconspicuously in the corner of the building. It was for securing a ladder for exterior repairs and maintenance.
She grabbed the ring, hung down from it, and checked the position of the next ring.
“I can do it.”
She let go of the ring and quickly grabbed onto the next one as she descended along the wall.
“That should do it.”
She grinned and swung her body from side to side while she held on to the rings, then she used the momentum to leap down onto the first floor eaves and looked below her.
“Hmm, maybe it would’ve just been faster and easier to sneak out through a first-floor window? Oh well. I’ve always wanted to try that.”
She dropped to the ground and headed for the edge of the garden. She used the irregularities in the stone wall as footholds and lifted herself up, pulling with her fingers and toes. This was a skill she’d practiced since she was six years old.
In no time at all, she hopped over the fence and landed on the other side before running off. She was heading to the estate of Lady Yolana Haynes.
Yolana was shocked to see Nonna arriving alone.
“What’s the matter, Nonna? Why are you wearing that? And did you walk here?”
Nonna didn’t answer; she just addressed her with a desperate look on her face. “Lady Yolana, I have a request.”
“That’s unusual. You’re asking me for something?”
“Before I went to Shen, Susan told me the head of the Haynes family is someone very important. Is he still important?”
Yolana Haynes absolutely adored Nonna and thought of her like her own granddaughter. But even she wasn’t so naive as to be swayed by the girl’s charm. “You mean my son? What could you possibly want from him?”
“I want to work at the palace.”
“No.”
Nonna hung her head at Lady Yolana’s swift reply.
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
“Well, you’re still a child, Nonna! If anyone found out my son employed a child at the palace, he’d get into a lot of trouble! So the answer is no.”
“All right.”