"Why did you send for me?" Ivan asked his mother curiously as soon as he joined her in the pavilion beside the lake.
It was surprising that she would want to see him so early in the morning and at such a location before breakfast.
Even though it was just the two of them around there, she still looked around before she cautiously asked in a low voice, "Were you aware that Harold was attacked when he left the palace with his wife a while ago?"
"He was attacked?" Ivan asked, surprised.
The queen didn't seem to buy the act, and she glared at him, "Do not fool me. I remember you saying you hoped he wouldn't return. Did you have anything to do with it?" She asked sternly.
"What? You are suspecting me now?" He asked, looking pissed.
"You gave me a reason to." She reminded him.
"Because I said I wanted him gone, you think I was behind the attack?" He asked in disbelief. "I always say that whenever he leaves the palace!"
That was kind of true. But she still looked at him with suspicion. "Are you sure you had nothing to do with it? Can you swear to me that you had no hand in it?" She asked again, sounding nervous now.
Ivan sighed in frustration. "I swear it, mother! I had no hand in it. Why are you suddenly bothered about this if it happened a long time ago and you had no hand in it? Shouldn't you be happy that he has more enemies apart from you that are after his life?" Ivan asked, and the queen shook her head.
"Who do you think he'll think sent those people after him?" The queen asked, and Ivan's brows pulled together.
"How did you even come to know about this?" He asked, looking at her suspiciously now.
"I received the information from a reliable source."
"Damian?" He asked, but she shook her head.
"No. Not Damian. I didn't hear about it from him. I already sent for him. I need to know if he knows anything about this," the queen said thoughtfully as she paced around the pavilion.
"Then how did you hear of it if it wasn't from Damian or me? Which other sources do you have? Are they inside the palace or outside?" He asked, still sounding suspicious.
"That isn't the point now!" She snapped at him. "Someone sent human assassins after him. And no one heard about it. Don't you understand what that means?"
"Uhm... that assassins were sent to him and he killed them?" He asked, not getting her point.
"Why are you so dumb?!" She shrieked, almost pulling her hair from frustration.
"The king knew about it, but they kept it hidden! They might have suspected us for it, and that was why it was kept buried. I really hope you had no hand in it, because if you did..."
"I am not that stupid! If I needed to get rid of him, I wouldn't use humans," Ivan cut in, interrupting his mother.
She began to pace again as realization began to set in. She stopped abruptly and looked at him as she said, "Someone is messing with us."
"What? Who?" He asked as he looked around for a sign of anyone who was probably eavesdropping, but there was no one around.
The queen could not shake it off; the note, the attack, and someone had also spied on her last night. There was someone in the shadows that was trying to cause unrest in the royal household by turning them against each other. What did the person intend to gain?
"Have you noticed anything strange lately? From anyone at all?" She asked, ignoring his dumb question. If she knew who was messing with them, would they be having this conversation right now?
"Is there something I am supposed to notice? You can tell me, so I'll look out for it."
"I have a bad feeling about the banquet. I feel so uneasy." She said nervously as she began to pace around again.
"Does it mean it truly wasn't Harold who got rid of those people we sent after him during his wedding trip, just like we had suspected initially?" He whispered.
The queen stopped herself from biting her nails nervously as she pondered his question.
"You are beginning to make me feel uneasy," Ivan complained as he watched her.
"You should be. You should watch your every step and not make any blunders. Everything you do right now matters a lot," the queen said thoughtfully.
"We don't have to worry too much. We have the majority of the aristocrats on our side. Harold doesn't stand a chance..."
"Harold isn't the only enemy we have to worry about right now! He didn't attack himself, did he? Whoever attacked Harold is also our enemy," the queen said with a slight frown.
"I must see her." She muttered to herself.
"Her? Who?" Ivan asked, looking at her for a long moment, and his eyes rounded in surprise when he figured out who the "her" she was talking about was.
"What... if someone sees you?" He whispered as he went closer to her and looked around them again.
"I don't have a choice now! I won't be able to rest until I am sure that I am on the right track and find whoever is messing with our heads."
"You shouldn't act rashly, mother. You just told me to be mindful of my actions and not make any blunders. You know that w-witchcraft is a taboo for us. If anyone sees you close to her, it is going to hinder my chances of ascending to the throne. And what... what if... people find out that Harold's curse was—"
"Shut it!" She interrupted and looked all around her in fear, hoping no one had heard.
Her heart nearly lurched to her throat when she saw someone approaching, but thankfully, it was her bodyguard, Damian.
"Don't ever speak of that. EVER!" she warned Ivan before focusing on her bodyguard.
"Are you aware that Harold was attacked when he went out with his bride?" She asked as soon as he stepped into the pavilion. She didn't even give him the chance to greet her first.
"No, my queen." He said, looking both surprised and confused.
"Find out more about it. Tell me everything you know about it. I want every single detail," the queen ordered, and Damian bowed to her.
"Let's join the others for breakfast," the queen said, as she walked away from the pavilion, leaving Ivan to follow her.
******
As Alicia stepped out of her chamber to leave for breakfast, she noticed Alvin standing by the hallway, pacing back and forth, as if he was thinking about something.
"Good morning, Alvin. Is everything alright?" She asked with a friendly smile, and immediately Alvin stopped pacing and bowed to her when he noticed her presence.
"Good morning, my lady," Alvin greeted politely.
"Are you here to see me?" She asked, looking at him curiously.
"I have a message from you from lady Susan," he said, and Alicia nodded for him to go ahead.
"She wants you to know that she isn't avoiding you deliberately, but she needs to stay away from you until her parents leave," Alvin said, and Alicia gave him a nod before walking away.
She didn't see any reason to remain overly friendly with any of them either if they were going to avoid her for any reason whatsoever. She would rather she pulled away from them and distanced herself from them so she wouldn't get hurt by their action and indirectly hurt them too. Thankfully, she had Harold, Paulina, and Alvin to rely on, and they were good enough for her.
The first person to arrive at the dining hall was Alicia. Both Tyra and Susan were surprised when they got to the hall and saw Alicia already seated there. She greeted both ladies with a polite smile and a nod, but said nothing else to them as she looked ahead of her, causing them to exchange a surprised look.
Williams was the next to join them, and he was closely followed by Ivan, who arrived in the company of Benedicta, who was giggling at something Ivan said, but the smile died on her face when she saw Alicia.
She didn't care what the sacrifice was. As long as she would deal with that useless human princess and make Harold regret his decision.
Soon the aristocrats and their family members came in one after the other, and Alicia maintained the polite air around her. She noticed Luciana still kept the same aloof air around her and Ivan's mood was slowly changing. Alicia noticed that Harvey was staring at her, but she didn't spare him any glance. She just sat still until the room suddenly became cold and conversations ceased. She didn't need anyone to tell her it was her darling husband who had joined them.
Her heart skipped a beat when she raised her head to look at him, and she noticed that he was staring at her. Not with his usual annoyed or disapproving expression, but rather, he just seemed pleased to see her there. All the words he had said to her at night came back to her, and butterflies fluttered in her belly as she watched him approach.
"Good morning, my Lord," she greeted once he took his seat beside her, and Harold's lips twitched in amusement at her greeting.
"You look like you had a good night's sleep, Princess," Harold observed, and she flushed in embarrassment since they both knew she had slept in his arms.
She cleared her throat. "I guess I did. Did you?" She asked, and Harold gave her a nod as he glanced at Susan.
"It was a good night."
Susan, who like everyone else around the table had been listening to them converse as though they hadn't spent the night together, quickly turned away from them guiltily when her gaze met Harold's.
Seeing her reaction, Harold's suspicion was heightened, but before he could dwell on it, the King arrived in the company of the Queen and Damon, and everyone rose to greet them.
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