"Tyra," Susan half yelled just as Tyra opened her bedroom door to go in, causing Tyra to jump back in shock.
"Susan! Why are you sneaking up on me?" Tyra asked as she pressed a hand to her chest and frowned at Susan.
"I wasn't sneaking up on you. You were distracted, or else you would have realized that I have been trying to get your attention," Susan said, and Tyra sighed as she stepped into her bedroom, and Susan followed suit.
"What are you worried about? Is it about your marriage to Lance? And your relationship with the Queen's guard?" Susan asked as she jumped on Tyra's bed, and Tyra eyed her with displeasure.
"Can you not talk about Damian?" Tyra asked, and Susan smiled at her.
"Why? Are you that embarrassed about it?" Susan asked with a knowing smile.
"I don't want to talk about it," Tyra said as she went to stand by the window and looked down at the courtyard.
"You have to tell me about it. I'm dying to know how you fell for him and how long your relationship has been going on. You know your mother will have his head if she finds out about this, right?" Susan asked, and this time Tyra turned to her.
"Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself instead of worrying about me? Are you going to marry Harvey? What about Alvin?" Tyra asked, changing the subject, and immediately Susan's expression changed.
"Harvey is not interested in marrying me. Alvin is does not fancy me either. It was all a misunderstanding. Nobody wants me," Susan tried to play it lightly and shrugged, but Tyra's eyes widened slightly as she went to sit beside Susan on the bed.
"They both told you that?" Tyra asked, and Susan gave her a nod.
"That's sad, but don't let it bother you," Tyra said as she patted Susan's arm, and Susan smiled sadly.
"It's not as sad as you being forced to marry that idiot when you have someone you love and who loves you," Susan said, and Tyra sighed.
"Let's forget about such sad subjects. Are you ready for tonight?" Tyra asked, and Susan flashed her a smile.
"Yes! At least that's one exciting thing to look forward to," Susan said happily, but before Tyra could respond and tell her she wouldn't be a part of it, a knock sounded on the door and she stood up.
"Who is there?" Tyra asked curiously.
"It's the royal physician, my princess. Prince Harold sent me to you," he announced, and Susan looked at Tyra with curiosity as she asked the physician to come in.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"Yes. I was not feeling too well earlier, so Prince Harold insisted that I rest," Tyra said as the physician walked in with his instruments to check her vitals.
"You do look pale," Susan observed after she took a closer look at Tyra.
They both remained silent as the physician checked her, and when he was done, he stepped away from her and said, "You need to rest. Your pulse is weak. I will send someone to bring you some medicine," the physician promised with a bow before leaving the chamber.
"Does that mean you can't go hunting with us tonight?" Susan asked with a concerned frown.
"Prince Harold insisted that I must not go. I don't know. Maybe I need to rest," Tyra said with a sad sigh.
"Don't feel too sad. I can stay back here with you if you want me to," Susan offered, and Tyra shook her head immediately.
"No. Please don't do that. I feel terrible enough that I'm going to miss it. You have to go so that you can tell me all about it," Tyra said, but Susan continued to look at her with concern.
"Are you sure you will be alright on your own? The whole palace is going to be empty," Susan reminded her.
"Not exactly. Princess Amber and her maid will be here. If I need something, I will ask them," Tyra promised, and Susan smiled, relieved when she remembered that.
"That's true. I wonder if Prince Harold has warned her. I hope Princess Amber won't get into trouble. She has to stay in her chamber," Susan said thoughtfully. Knowing princess Amber's penchant for trouble, Susan was a bit worried about her. She wondered if she should find a way to warn her to stay in her chamber.
"I'm sure she will be fine. She has been on her best behavior lately. I suppose the incident with Prince Ivan changed her," Tyra said, and Susan nodded.
That was true. She has been calm lately, and there has been no drama from her. Susan mused. Her brows pulled together when she suddenly remembered what Alvin had said about spying on her because of Princess Amber, and she sighed. Here she was worrying about Princess Amber when she was suspected of meaning her harm.
Away from there, Ivan walked into the queen's chamber to see her pacing around restlessly, "You sent for me, mother. How did the meeting with her go?" Ivan whispered curiously as he sat down on the chair in the chamber.
"I didn't meet her. She was not around," the Queen said as she continued to pace.
"What is wrong?" Ivan asked, and the queen paused to look at him.
She couldn't tell him about the note she had received, and there was no way she could tell him that someone had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Damon either. That would raise a lot of questions she wasn't willing to answer.
Everything seemed to be going badly for her right now, and it was making her very anxious. Not meeting the witch had heightened her anxiety as well. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"Are you getting along with Benedicta?" She asked curiously, and Ivan gave her a nod.
"Good. Make sure things go smoothly so you can marry her by the end of the banquet. I have an assignment for you," the Queen said, and Ivan looked at her curiously.
"What assignment?"
"Send someone trusted to Princess Amber's kingdom. I want them to find out all they can about her," the queen said, and Ivan raised a brow.
"Why are we wasting our time on someone as insignificant as Harold's bride?" Ivan asked, and the queen snorted.
"Insignificant? Are you just stupid? Or didn't you see what she was trying to do last night at dinner?" The queen asked, and Ivan frowned.
"She prepared some special snacks for dinner. Do you think the aristocrats would take Harold's side just because of some snacks?" Ivan asked incredulously, and the queen shook her head in disappointment.
"Have you asked yourself how come a princess like her can cook?" The Queen asked, and Ivan narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe things are different in their kingdom? Perhaps the royal ladies are groomed differently from how it is done there?" He ventured.
"I don't want any guesses. She is too bold and acts too rashly for a princess. Send someone trusted to her kingdom. I want answers before the end of the banquet. I need us to have something we can use against Harold and his bride in case the king chooses to play foul," the Queen said, and Ivan looked at her incredulously, wondering what she was thinking.
"You know that is not possible. The banquet comes to an end tomorrow. It takes five days to get to her kingdom and back..."
The queen paused when she realized that he was right, "Still find a way. You never know how whatever we learn might be useful to us against Harold," the queen said, and Ivan gave her a nod.
He stood to leave, but hesitated when he remembered something. "Harvey had tea with Harold and his wife earlier," Ivan said, and then Queen looked at him with confusion.
"Harvey? With Harold and his bride? Why? Did you find out what they talked about?" She asked, and Ivan shook his head.
"I tried to ask him, but he said he observed that Susan seemed to have a close relationship with Harold's bride, so he wanted to know more about Susan from her, and Harold insisted on sitting with them," Ivan said, and the queen nodded thoughtfully.
"Do you believe him?" She asked, watching him closely.
Ivan shrugged, "What else could he be speaking with Harold about? He is going to be married to Susan, and his sister is going to be married to me. They have no choice but to take our side," Ivan said, and the queen gave him a nod.
"True. You can leave now. I need to rest and get ready for tonight," the queen said, and Ivan bowed to her as he turned to leave.
He hesitated by the door and looked at her. "Stop worrying too much. Everything will go smoothly," he assured her before leaving, but that did nothing to put her mind at ease.
She had a feeling that something was going on in the palace. Something that was beyond her, and she needed to prepare for whatever was coming. Because it was going to be HUGE.
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