Chapter 152: A Princess Found (2)
But after much consideration, Hannah couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had truly tried.
More than once, her gaze had drifted toward the candle and she had imagined tossing both the letter and the pendant into the flames, ending the matter before it could begin. Yet every time she thought about doing it, her mind returned to the Queen.
This wasn’t about Rosalind... It wasn’t even about Sophia.
It was about the Queen.
The Queen had been nothing but kind to her. She had raised her, protected her, and loved her when she had nobody else. Hannah knew how much pain the woman had endured over the years and how desperately she wanted to find her daughter.
If the Queen ever discovered that Hannah had hidden information like this from her, she would be devastated. The betrayal would cut deeper than any blade.
Perhaps she would never forgive her, and perhaps she would never trust her again.
So, Hannah couldn’t bring herself to do that and it was only because of the Queen.
Her eyes became misty as she stared down at the pendant. A part of her believed that once Sophia returned, nobody would pay attention to her anymore.
But did it really matter? If things became unbearable, she could simply leave.
She had always been alone anyway. Her parents had died in the war, and if she was still alive today, it was because the Queen had taken her in and given her a home.
This was the least she could do in return.
Later, when the Queen returned to the throne hall after visiting the King, she found Hannah sitting quietly by herself. The sadness on her face was impossible to miss, and the Queen immediately frowned.
"Is there a problem?" she asked gently.
Hannah looked up at her and suddenly felt like crying. For a moment she nearly did, but she quickly shook her head and forced a bright smile onto her face. "It’s nothing," she said hurriedly. "Actually, I have good news."
The Queen raised a brow. "What news?"
At the same moment, Lory, her pet, trotted over and settled beside the Queen, who absentmindedly stroked her fur.
Hannah swallowed. "We found Sophia."
The Queen froze...
It was as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her.
"What?" Her voice trembled as she stared at Hannah.
Hannah nodded and immediately handed her the letter.
The Queen took it at once and began reading, her eyes moving rapidly over the words. By the time she reached the end, her hands were already trembling.
"But how do we know this isn’t another trick?" she asked softly. Even as she spoke, emotion threatened to overwhelm her. A part of her wanted to believe it. A part of her desperately wanted this time to be different.
Hannah shook her head. "This isn’t a trick. I’m completely sure of it."
Then she brought out the pendant.
The Queen’s breath hitched. The hairs along her arms rose instantly, and tears gathered in her eyes as she reached for it with shaking fingers. "Oh my God... where did you get this?"
Her voice cracked as she stared at the pendant. This was the same chain that had remained with her daughter all those years ago, while the matching piece had stayed with her.
The Queen held the pendant tightly in her trembling hands.
Nobody could have forged something like this... Many people had lied about Sophia before, but none of them had ever possessed the pendant.
She couldn’t bring herself to speak, then happiness flooded through her so suddenly that tears slipped down her cheeks.
As Hannah watched the Queen smile through her tears, guilt twisted painfully inside her chest... She hated herself for the thoughts she had entertained earlier. The Queen looked happier than she had in years, and Hannah knew she would have stolen that happiness away if she had destroyed the letter.
"Mother, what’s going on?" Marek, the Crown Prince, had entered the hall and approached them.
The Queen looked at him with tearful eyes. "We found your sister."
Marek blinked before looking down at the pendant resting in her hands and then at the matching one hanging around her neck. "Unbelievable," he murmured.
The Queen laughed and cried at the same time as she clutched the pendant. "She says she’s in Eryndor and is about to marry King Alaric in two days."
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
After all these years.
After all the searching.
After every failed lead.
Her daughter had finally been found.
She wondered what Sophia looked like now. Had she grown tall? Did she resemble her? Did she still smile the same way she had as a child? Countless thoughts rushed through her mind all at once.
Marek took the letter and read through it himself. However, as his eyes skimmed over the contents, his expression gradually darkened. "Mother, there is a problem."
The Queen immediately looked at him. "What is it?"
Marek lowered the letter. "Wasn’t Sophia originally betrothed to the former king? What was his name... Drystan?"
The Queen frowned as she searched her memory. "Yes," she said slowly. "I remember."
Marek tapped the letter. "But this says Alaric. Drystan’s brother."
The Queen fell silent.
Years ago, Sophia had been promised to Drystan as part of an agreement between kingdoms. It had not been a decision made lightly, but circumstances had left them with little choice. Then, years later, word had spread that Drystan had disappeared from public view after suffering severe injuries in battle. Around that same period, Sophia had vanished, and eventually Alaric had become king.
Now Sophia was apparently going to marry him.
Marek looked genuinely disturbed. "Didn’t everyone say Drystan was dead? How can his brother marry his intended wife?"
The Queen shook her head. "The reports never actually confirmed his death. They only said he was gravely injured because of the war."
"But it has been years," Marek replied. "Most people assumed he died. That’s why Alaric inherited the throne."
Before either of them could continue, Hannah spoke. "Even so, it isn’t allowed. A woman cannot belong to two brothers. It is forbidden."
The Queen slowly nodded as she considered those words. The more she thought about it, the less acceptable the situation became. Finally, she lifted her gaze.
"Which means," she said firmly, "that this wedding cannot happen."
