Lowering my head, I turned around and shifted so that I was looking at him more comfortably. "What are you doing here?"
It would be a lie if I said that I was not happy with his presence. Whenever he would be around, I would feel that my heart was calm.
He smiled. "You needed ." he said and then took two steps down before sitting on the sa step as . "Tell , what is it?"
I looked away from him and to the front. I did need him at the mont. In my mind, I have thought of Tristan and what he would do if he had been in my shoes. What I had no thought of as him actually coming in front of , that he had known his presence would be wanted.
"I.." with a sigh, I let it all out, "I don’t know where to start."
"Tell what you want, and I will make sense of it."
There he was, being the shoulder I could rely on, even though I did not ask him to be one. He just offered and he stayed with it.
"Catherine is young, very young, she should never half an outside of the palace walls alone with no one of her family mbers. A lady maid does not count as family. and my sister counters, family, my mother would have counted as family, but none of us were there with her. She was living in between two kingdoms, the deadliest area anywhere. If a war broke out, she would be the first one as a casualty. No one would think of her as a princess, no, she would be killed on the spot. Slaughtered like at."
My heart quivered with the realization of what could have happened. "What I do not understand is how she was living there. How did she get there? If she had on her own, then why had Estelle not written to about this? They should have had priority along with the kingdom. Her sister was missing."
Raising my shaking hand, I placed it on my head and pressed it lightly, " I cannot imagine how old is does not take precedence over anything else. This is important as well, far too important to be ignored in a letter which brings to the conclusion that.."
"That Estelle had a hand in it." Tristan finished for her. Dominique was also there when I turned to look at him. He was standing at the corner of the stairs that were going down.
It was not like he was trying to make himself invisible, he was just not an active participant in the conversation, but he wanted everyone to know that he was listening.
I nodded, ignoring the looming presence of his uncle. "Yes."
My sister being involved in the disappearance of our youngest family mber made hate myself as I think about it. Perhaps it was not true, but if it was then it would a different reality altogether. By looking at Catherine, even if Estelle had sent her miles away from the safe walls of the palace we live in, she had done a miserable job in making sure that everything was alright.
My youngest sister, whom I had raised from since she was a babe, was starving, she was weak and malnourished. I was sure that my sister had not slept well for a very long ti.
"Your highness, if I may, the conclusion is not sothing that can be thrown out of the window. It is to be treated as a possibility." Dominique stepped one step closer, " it is nothing but rational thinking."
"I am doubting my sister." I emphasized on what was making feel bad. I was doubting the support I had had for almost all of my life.
Dominique nodded like he understood. "We may set up an inquiry about it when it cos to it. For now, I do believe that Lady Catherine requires attention the most. Let us help in stabilizing your sister’s kingdom and then we can move forward."
Yes, that did take precedence over everything else at the mont. Also, Catherine needed your help in understanding what situation she was in. Not that I was going to tell her that everyone around her was a vampire at the mont, she just needed to understand that she was safe and with people she could trust.
Dominique bowed a little and left just silently as he ca, leaving and Tristan alone sitting side-by-side. Tristan reached over and put my hand into his.
"Having doubt over soone’s intentions does not make you wrong." He said, squeezing my hand in his. "Your conclusions do not have to be known by everyone else. My uncle and I are fine with the knowledge and we will keep it to ourselves. When it cos to it, you can ask Queen Estelle about what had happened."
"When the ti is right, you an." I whispered with a sigh. It was not going to co anyti soon.
"Yes," he nodded, "preferably after everything is stable in her kingdom. Then you can take it up with her."
I closed my eyes. What was I supposed to do till then?
"Until then, you can make sure that your sister feels safe in this Palace. Tell her that she’s staying with you for as long as she wants."
It was as if he was constantly feeding my mind. That much I did appreciate because I needed the support.
"Yes," I said as he got up and held out his hands to . Taking his hand, I get up as well. "I think I’m going to give you her now."
"Good." He helped step down the stairs, but did not let go of my hand as I move forward. Wait, was he coming with ?
"Tristen," I stopped and turned to him, "where are you going?"
"With you." He answered. "I have to be introduced to my sister-in-law."
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