Ten minutes into waiting and Lady Iryne was still cautioning Sigrid on the dangers of associating too closely with other n.
"And you two." She turned to Mauve and Christie. "I am not cautioning only my daughter, this advice is for both of you as well. Not only do you have to keep n with open and disguised hidden intentions away from Sigrid but yourselves as well.
There are those that will seek to use you in order to bring down the crown princess. The death of your reputations is a direct reflection of the crown princess. You should stay away from n like Ashford’s....."
"I am spoken for." Mauve chid in. "Prince Galen and I are involved. We have successfully moved past the scandalous stage of our courtship into an open comfortable one which involves going on dates in public without having to hide our faces."
Lady Iryne stared at Mauve’s sweet smile for five seconds and gave her attention to Christie who was not spoken for.
"I have no intentions to marry in the next two years, you can be assured that no Ashford will use my womb to cause scandal and continue their lineage." Christie spoke up with firmness.
Sigrid choked on laughter which died in her throat very fast at the glare which she received from her mother. "This is not a laughing matter."
"I am not laughing." Sigrid denied.
"Yes you are, I saw you." Her mother insisted in a voice that ca off whiny. "Sigrid you are half a queen now."
"Empress." Mauve and Christie said together.
Lady Iryne shot them one quick glare but she anded her words nevertheless. "Empress--fine, you are half an empress. Now is the ti for those who want to bring you down to strike. You are at your most vulnerable when you are about to be crowned. In your case, the fact that you have no child is one strike against you. A rumor about misconduct of any form will ruin you. You must be more vigilant now more than ever. Nobody knows if the king will wake up and they all know that now is the ti to strike at you."
Her mother was speaking from a place of reason, having familiarized herself with the history of the royal family’s in Eldoria and beyond.
A knock on the door made everyone turn their heads and all that Lady Iryne was about to add died in her throat.
"It’s the crown prince." Alistair shared from where he was perched on the ledge of the window. He had adopted the habit from Cosmos. Not just that but drinking out a thermos flask as well.
Sigrid nodded and Lanai opened the door. Roland walked inside and he was not alone. Lord Thorin and Galen had accompanied him, all in search of their ladies.
"What secret eting are we missing my love?" Roland asked, approaching Sigrid.
"Nothing, just so girl talk." she answered.
He pulled her to her feet and clasped a hold of her hand firmly. "I am afraid that I have to take you away from the girls for so us talk."
"Us talk!!" She exclaid, following him out of the room.
He turned back and said, "We have retired, goodnight everyone. We won’t be needing you to attend to us."
His words stopped the small group that was already following them. He led her up the stair case and carried her into the bedroom because the speed she was using was too sluggish.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Is the building on fire?" She laughed.
"No, I am." He kicked the door open. He walked past the bed and carried her to the the window. Pushing her up against the wall. he put his lips on hers. With his hands on her waist, he kissed her passionately, more fiercely than he intended.
"Slow down." She pulled her head away but he drew it back down and kissed her again.
He did not care about who was passing by or the first bright stars in the sky for so long which were too beautiful to miss. He just cared about drowning himself in her arms tonight.
*****
In Sheepfield, a noble lord that whose absence at the royal wedding had been noticed by a few but not ntioned by many was penning another letter to Sigrid under the na of Sir Jenson Kershaw.
Lord Benwick was feeling very smug as he did this. The crown princess had refused his services and mocked him with her eyes. She seed to think that she was untouchable and above all.
What she seed not to realize was that in Eldoria, there was never an absence of a new master to serve. He knew a lot of secrets, like the one about the king’s hidden secret bastard son.
When he realized that neither the crown prince nor crown princess would take him in, he decided to add a new player to the ga. A bastard son would not be accepted easily but he had a legitimate claim to the throne. Depending on who supported him in the royal family and what noble families stood with him, he could have a real chance at being the first emperor of Eldoria.
Lord Benwick was very proud of himself and his new sche. He could not wait to see the look on Sigrid and Roland’s faces when the bastard prince showed up, demanding for his birthright.
They did not know it yet but they had cleared the board for another to rise. This new empire that were building they would not even live long enough to enjoy it. The only problem that Lord Benwick had was that the bastard heir was not in Sheepfield, the ho of his mother.
He was also not in the army and yet he had heard in passing that the boy had beco a red knight. Nevertheless, Lord Benwick was no giving up on his search for the bastard heir or keeping Sigrid on her toes.
He finished the letter that he had been writing and placed it carefully in an envelope. He sprinkled dried rose petals inside and then sealed it. He handed it to one of his knights.
"Use different ssengers, I am sure the crown princess is already looking for route through which the first letter reached her hands. Make no mistakes because her ruthlessness exceeds that of the king." he cautioned the knight.
The knight took the letter, bowed, left the house and rode off in the knight.
Five minutes letter, madam Elene received a call from a stable boy that was working in the manor where Lord Benwick was living. The stable boy told her that a noble lord had co to the village and he was looking for the bastard.
Reviews
All reviews (0)