“I see.”
“The messenger told me about Elly’s family situation. That’s why I had Nina look into it.”
“And that’s when you found the deadly poison in Elly’s room?”
“Yes. Nina said it was a poison so potent, it would cause hours of agony before death if ingested. I wouldn’t have survived it, even with my tolerance for poisons. Nina is well-versed in this subject.”
Princess Delphine’s blue eyes welled up with tears, glistening like precious gems.
“The messenger from Eagal warned me that poison would soon be used against me and that Elly had been tasked with carrying it out. But I knew she couldn’t bring herself to kill me. I assumed if she was forced to attempt it, she would surely try to drink the poison herself. She’s that loyal.”
“So you had Nina switch out the poisons before Elly could drink it.”
“Exactly. That way, Elly wouldn’t have to die, and if my taster collapsed from poison two times, the Third Order would have no choice but to intervene. I wanted them to capture whoever was plotting my assassination.”
That brought me to my most crucial question.
“Why did you have to go to such lengths to involve the Third Order, Princess Delphine? Surely, you know who is truly responsible for the royal family’s safety—the same person who could obstruct the Third Order and who stands to gain the most from your death.”
“The kingdom of Eagal is unstable right now. I can’t afford for any influential Ashburians to find out information that could put my homeland at a disadvantage.”
I see. Princess Delphine must’ve feared if she pleaded for help and revealed someone from Eagal was trying to kill her, it would damage both her position and Eagal’s standing in Ashbury.
“Please share the information you have with me, Princess. If you do, then the Third Order can intervene. If anything happens to you, whoever gave Elly the poison will likely target Prince Oscar and Prince Lucas next. Assassins could easily make it look like your children died in a tragic accident.”
She shot up her head with a gasp, her face stricken with terror.
I knew firsthand the depth of a mother’s love, so I hadn’t wanted to resort to this tactic. But if things continued as they were, those two boys would almost certainly become the next targets, and it would be framed as an accident.
There were surely many in Eagal who would benefit from removing Princess Delphine and installing a new crown princess. And among them, there would also be those in Ashbury willing to aid such schemes in exchange for rewards.
“You’re right. It won’t end with me. Killing me alone won’t satisfy them, not as long as my sons are alive. Kate, I trust you. Please, save me and my children.”
“Of course, Princess. Please tell me—who is targeting your life?”
“I received word that this kingdom’s deputy minister of military affairs, Bryan Wilkes, is connected to the antiroyalist faction in Eagal. The message was relayed to my father by Eagal’s intelligence agency. But I can’t tell if that information is reliable, because I don’t know who to trust or even how to act anymore.”
Princess Delphine covered her face with both hands.
“Thank you for telling me. For now, I’ll inform the Third Order that the deputy minister of military affairs may be behind this plot and that the information came from Eagal’s intelligence agency. Princess, you don’t need to worry about Elly. I won’t let her take her own life.”
“Oh, Kate. Please save Elly. I beg of you.” The princess clasped my hand between both of hers and pressed it against her forehead.
I was currently sitting face-to-face with Elly in a small, secluded room where no one else was likely to visit.
She seemed to know why I’d summoned her here. She kept her eyes down, avoiding mine, her usual imposing aura gone. It almost looked like she had grown physically smaller.
“Elly, I’ve come bearing a message from the crown princess, Delphine. She says, ‘I forbid you to die. When I become queen, you will serve me again.’”
“I see… The princess said that… But, Kate, you must already know I’m unworthy of such an honor. I’ll only bring her more trouble if I stay by her side. You didn’t call me here just because you know my circumstances, did you?”
Elly believed I was an operative from the Third Order.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, a mere pawn manipulated by those with far greater power than her.
“Elly, saving Princess Delphine’s life was the right choice. Killing her wouldn’t have gotten your family’s debts forgiven. Actually, her death and your family’s troubles would have been immediately linked. And if that happened, the kingdom would have ordered your entire family executed. Or even worse—the people who supplied you with the poison might’ve killed your family to silence them before the kingdom could even act.”
“No, that can’t be!”
“That’s the kind of world we live in.”
“How terrible! I wanted to save my family, but I might have actually been responsible for getting them killed.”
“That’s right. It was a close call, Elly. Do you know why you didn’t die even after taking deadly poison twice?”
“No. Since I was aware it was a deadly poison, I thought it must’ve been because I used it incorrectly.”
“The princess knew she was being targeted, and she also knew you had been chosen to deliver the poison. She had the deadly poison you were given swapped with a weaker one. She predicted you would choose to take your own life rather than poison her, so she took precautions.”
“Oh, Princess Delphine…” Elly’s voice broke with anguish, and she collapsed into tears.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Mike peeked in. “It’s time to take her.”
“Mike… Go easy on her, please.”
He didn’t reply, but for the first time, his usually stoic face softened with a faint smile. Elly hung her head as she left the room with him.
The next day, Mike informed me Elly had confessed everything without him needing to use the truth serum on her.
Princess Dephine said, “Kate, please go check on Elly and make sure she hasn’t been harmed. Otherwise, I’ll be too worried to sleep at night.”
So late that night, I visited Elly as instructed.
She was being confined to a windowless room in the west wing of the castle, guards stationed in front of her door.
“Elly, for now, there will be no execution. This is due to Princess Delphine’s ardent request.”
“I see,” she said weakly, her face weary.
“The princess is worried about whether you’re being mistreated.”
“Please tell Her Highness I have not been harmed. And tell her that I shall never forget her mercy for the rest of my life. I beg of you to give her that message.”
“You have my word.”
According to Mike, the record would state that Elly abruptly withdrew from her position as lady-in-waiting to the crown princess due to illness. She had been spared thanks to Princess Delphine’s strong appeal. Mike’s boss would arrange for Elly to be sent far from the capital to the countryside, to live in the home of a retired Third Order member.
“My boss believes Elly might be silenced if we don’t do this. She’s a crucial witness to both the Deputy Minister of the Military Bryan Wilkes’s treachery and the assassination plot. We can’t afford to let her die.”
“That’s true.”
“We plan to officially report to His Majesty and Prince Conrad that Elly retired due to illness. The full truth will only be revealed when the time is right.”
As I listened to Mike’s explanation, I couldn’t help but think, Doesn’t the Third Order hold the true power in this kingdom?
But when it came to the royal family’s safety, the military held the reins. The Third Order didn’t yet have that level of authority, but it was clear they still possessed considerable discretionary power.
Later that night, a carriage took Elly away from the castle under the cover of darkness, escorted by several guards on horseback.
As I watched the carriage fade into the distance from my window, I uttered a silent prayer. Please stay safe, Elly.
Meanwhile, Mike had been very busy ever since receiving the information from Princess Delphine about Bryan Wilkes’s ties to Eagal’s antiroyalist faction.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to come by for a while,” he said when he bid good-bye to me in the small room we used for debriefing.
Finally, the day of the Saint Floren Festival arrived.
People had started gathering in the plaza in front of the royal castle since early that morning.
The commoners had few sources of entertainment, so the festival was a rare treat. The plaza was lined with stalls, not just from the capital but from famous shops all across the kingdom of Ashbury. Some were selling regional delicacies, which was one of the reasons the festival drew so much attention.
Dozens of stalls stood in rows, smoke rising here and there as the people operating them cooked food.
Nonna had wanted to attend this festival. We’ll make sure to come together next year. I thought of her briefly as I caught my reflection in the window.
I’ll be able to see Nonna again if I can get through today safely.
Now that Jeffrey was gone, I longed to be by my daughter’s side as soon as possible.
I began applying my makeup as Nina watched me.
I carefully drew on my eyebrows and lined my eyes to ensure my features wouldn’t appear suspect in case someone managed to snatch my hat. I painted my lips slightly fuller to resemble Princess Delphine’s.
There, that should do it.
I donned the blond wig and netted hat. Then I changed into one of Princess Delphine’s dresses and put on jewelry. Once I was fully dressed as her double, I stood before her.
The princess spoke to me, her voice tinged with anxiety. “I’m counting on you today, Kate.”
“Leave it to me, Your Highness.”