Chapter 285: Another Breakfast Of Revelations
A dazed expression crossed his face before being replaced by a slight frown. "But your heel broke-"
"I will be fine, alright?" She caressed his cheek once more, knowing it was still the most effective way to make him agree, and it worked.
Meeting her gaze, he released a sigh and relented. Bending slightly, he helped her to her feet. Everyone watched as her bare feet touched the ground, their eyes widening yet again at the sight of the princess standing on her own two feet without the prince’s support.
She then spoke, "I did not realise that staying inside my room for so long would ignite such rumours. As you can all see, my feet are perfectly fine."
Her eyes swept over everyone present, and she saw utter joy and relief spread across their faces. She smiled, sending another wave of heart arrows straight through their hearts.
"But you must all keep in mind that rumours like these can have severe consequences when the full story is unknown. Their impact can be immense, depending on how they spread and to whom they may reach. I can see that you were concerned for my well-being, and for that I am grateful, but there are also those who would rather find joy in such situations."
As Eve spoke these words, her gaze paused deliberately on a certain maid who still wore an expression of absolute shock. That maid was none other than the spy, who could not bring herself to compose her features.
Without saying anything, Eve smiled at her, prompting the maid to snap out of her daze and finally lower her head in a futile attempt to hide, as though her entire cover had been stripped away.
When no one dared to speak, Ivan finally stepped forward and lifted Eve into his arms once more. He then shot a sharp glare at everyone who was openly gaping at the love of his life.
His commanding voice rang out, "You are all aware that spreading rumours about any royal is considered treachery, and you will be held liable for punishment under the laws of this kingdom. Should I hear even a single whisper of such nonsense in the future, believe me, death will not be what awaits you, but something far worse."
His chilling warning sent shivers down their spines.
They all bowed again and pleaded, "Forgive us, Your Highness. We will never do it again."
"There will be no second chances," Ivan reminded them coldly before turning away.
"Arthur," Ivan called as he began to walk away.
Arthur caught up to him swiftly and heard Ivan order, "Have them all kneel for the entire night without food and water as punishment for doing something they never should have. Get someone to clean up this mess. Father is still here."
"Understood, Your Highness," Arthur replied with a bow.
With that, Ivan left with Eve and Alex, heading towards the dining hall to finally have the breakfast everyone had been waiting for.
In the dining room, everyone was peacefully having breakfast after Ivan had explained the entire fiasco outside to his father when he asked.
Eve’s footwear had already been replaced with brand new shoes. As they ate, the conversation drifted to everything that had happened in Dartmouth. Eve’s side of the story had largely been unknown until now, as no one had had the chance to speak with her about it except Ivan.
Iskara and Regulus were especially surprised when they heard what it had been like inside the famous Vault of Ages. Regulus, in particular, was proud when Eve herself spoke of how Damien and Edward had saved her at the last moment, along with the other tales of their adventure.
Soon, the discussion turned to the prophecy once more. Since everyone present already knew about it, Ivan finally asked the question he had been wanting to voice ever since his discussion with Eve.
"Father, do you know of any woman who was close to our family as well as Eve’s family when we were kids?"
Iskara’s brows knit together as he considered the question for a moment before replying, "I do not believe there was anyone who was particularly close to both families. We did have many political allies shared between the two kingdoms, if that is what you mean."
Iskara studied his son and Evelyn, who was seated beside him, and noticed at once that neither of them seemed satisfied with the answer.
"What is all of this about, Ivan?" Iskara asked.
Ivan took a sip of his tea and set the cup back onto its saucer before answering, "Father, Eve, and I believe that someone tampered with our memories when we were children."
Around the table, brows lifted in stunned surprise before Iskara asked slowly, "What do you mean by tampered with?"
"Do you remember when you first revealed to both of us, during that first dinner you had with Eve, that we had met before as kids?"
Iskara gave him a nod, and Ivan continued, "It seems it was not our young age that caused us to forget that first meeting."
Ivan’s eyes swept across everyone at the table as he went on, "Since both Eve’s and my powers awakened, fragments of those memories have begun to return. In both of them, there was one thing constant....a woman who continues to whisper to each of us, urging us to forget about one another."
Everyone seated at the table wore a frown, as though the very information disturbed them deeply.
Regulus spoke up, "Can you tell us more clearly what you have seen, or describe the person who did this to you?"
Ivan replied, "I remember seeing her only when I was five, and she appeared in my room. Her face was hidden beneath a hood, so I could only see her lower features, which told me she was a woman. She kept brushing her hand over my head while whispering for me to forget about Evelyn."
The frowns on Iskara’s and Regulus’s foreheads deepened, clearly displeased by the thought of an unknown woman entering young Ivan’s room and tampering with his memories.
Eve dabbed her lips gently with her napkin before adding, "As for me, it was more like I was trapped in a dark void where I could not see anything. I could only hear someone whispering for me to forget about Ivan and..."
"And?" Regulus prompted.
Eve shifted in her seat, her fingers tightening briefly in her lap before her gaze lifted to Ivan. He reached for her hand beneath the table and gave her a quiet nod.
Taking a deep breath, she went on, "The person, apart from asking me to forget about Ivan, told me things like how I was a useless princess with no powers."
"What the hell!" Cece exclaimed, her face was aghast at the revelation, while Damien and Edward looked equally unsettled, their expressions darkening.
Ivan added, "Yes. I believe that person wanted to engrave this into Eve’s young mind so that she would always believe it and never be able to channel the immense powers that were sealed within her by her parents."
"What do you mean by sealed within her?" Edward asked. "Was it not simply a case of late awakening once she came of age? That happens to some lumens."
"It may be the case for some," Ivan said in a tight voice, "but for Evelyn, that was never true. From the moment she was born, her fate was decided for her."
He let his gaze move across the table before continuing, "By King Solan’s order, she was made to wear a divine artefact so that her powers would remain concealed from the world. She was made to live that way, powerless in appearance, until she came here. When my powers awakened hers, it forced what had been bound to break free. Eventually, the artefact could no longer withstand the pressure, and it shattered."
The room went deathly quiet.
While the others sat frozen in shock, rage began to coil inside Iskara. His grip tightened around the goblet, the metal protesting faintly beneath his fingers before he spoke, his tone dangerously calm, "And why would King Solan do such a thing?"
A sharp knot twisted in Eve’s chest. She drew in a slow breath before answering in her soft voice, "I saw it in the Vault of Ages. When I was born, he ordered Septimus to place the amber locket on me."
Her fingers curled slightly in her lap as she continued, "He did it out of fear. He believed that if the truth of my powers were ever discovered, others would come for me."
Silence once again settled over the dining hall. With the exception of Edward, everyone present knew what had happened to Ivan when the palace had been attacked to take him. It was his mother who had paid the price instead.
Ivan broke the silence, continuing, "So yes, we believe that the woman who did this to us knew that we were both tied to the prophecy, if she knew of the prophecy at all. And for her to know, she would have had to be someone close to both our families. Close enough to walk in freely and do this to us. Close enough to hear of something as confidential as the prophecy."
