Louisa glared out the window as she watched Prince Asher and his little cousin practically run off the castle grounds.

“Asshole,” she hissed under her breath, a burst of hot anger flaring through her. In the two and a half weeks since Neve’s poisoning, the bastard hadn’t even tried to look upset that his fiancé was lying in her room in a state of living death.

Not even an hour after his proposal he flirted with half the young women present at the ball. Then, the morning after Neve had been poisoned, Louisa had spotted him coming out of a supply closet with the daughter of a count. It had taken everything in her not to strangle him right then and there.

In the time since then, he had some sort of liaison with nearly every single woman at court. Hell, even some not so single ones if the rumors were to be believed.

At least Princess Zara had the decency to appear melancholic. Louisa hadn’t spoken to her since that one day in the hall, but she had seemed kind enough. Louisa supposed it didn’t really matter if she was kind or not; if Neve never woke, she most likely would never see Maris’s princess again.

“I hope his bloody ship sinks to the bottom of the Wavering Sea - with him on it,” she said, mostly to herself. Her fellow ladies-in-waiting were waiting for their breakfast behind her, not really listening to her ramblings.

“What are you saying, Louisa?” Melody called from across the room. Tea had already been brought in and the others were helping themselves.

With a frustrated sigh, Louisa muttered, “nothing,” and sat down at the table. Thankfully, the food was then brought in and Louisa could pretend the roll she was cutting into was Prince Asher’s face.

“Will you attend to Queen Cordelia again today?” Jocelyn asked, eyeing the roll Louisa was mutilating warily.

“Most likely,” Louisa said as she slathered strawberry jam over the roll, imagining it was the prince’s blood. Normally she would have been repulsed by the thought, but it was oddly comforting in the moment.

With Neve still unresponsive, there wasn’t much for any of her ladies-in-waiting to do. Occasionally one of them would go and help the physicians wash her body and dress her in a fresh nightgown.

Louisa had tried to sit and talk with her the first few days, hoping that in some way Neve could hear, but seeing her best friend laying there like a corpse had become too painful. So, to keep herself busy, she had gone to Queen Cordelia’s chambers and announced to the queen and her ladies that she would be of assistance until Neve woke up. She wasn’t exactly sure if Queen Cordelia actually wanted her there, but she had seemed too shocked to protest, and she hadn’t been sent away yet.

The queen appeared to be just as grief-stricken as Louisa. She spent most of the day sitting in silence, gently rubbing her ever growing belly. Each time the door opened Queen Cordelia would straighten and look hopefully at whoever entered, only to shrink back into herself when it was only one of the servants bringing in the washing or a meal.

Louisa had never really thought about Neve’s step-mother too much. The queen was generally kind but a stickler for protocol and decorum, most likely as a way to remind the King’s court who was queen after all, so Louisa always had to remember not to be as familiar with Neve when she was around.

She never really thought of Neve’s relationship with her step-mother. They got along well enough, but seeing as Queen Cordelia was just over a decade older than Neve, the princess could never really see her as a maternal figure.

“He’s so much older then her,” Neve had practically gagged after King Cygrus had announced his betrothal. With an ironic twist of faith, Neve herself had been betrothed to a man significantly older than her, a fact the princess hadn’t been thrilled about.

“He was going to boarding school when I was born,” Neve had said, wrinkling her nose in distaste after her father had privately told her she was to marry Prince Asher.

Personally, Louisa didn’t care too much about age gaps, having had dalliances with women old enough to be her mother, but Neve didn’t need to know that. She also suspected that Neve would have protested no matter what age Asher was.

Instead, Louisa had laughed it off and told her perhaps they would fall in love, even though the thought killed her inside. She had been a little ashamed to admit that when Neve and Prince Asher met and clearly despised one another, her entire body practically flushed with glee.

Now, after the display the Prince of Cendril had shown in his time at Essen, Louisa wasn’t ashamed at all. In fact, she was glad Neve could at least see what a scoundrel he had been before she slipped into her death-like sleep. She was glad Neve didn’t love him.

A voice to her left startled Louisa out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Beside her, Alicient all but rolled her eyes. “I said, are you sure the Queen actually wants you hanging around? You could help me with some embroidery.”

Alicient and some of the other girls had taken to embroidering some of Neve’s belongings. Louisa had tried for a few days, but the task wasn’t enough to keep her mind from wandering to dark places.

“She hasn’t sent me away yet,” Louisa said before biting into the roll she had destroyed. Strawberry jam dripped down her chin as she chewed.

After breakfast, Louisa made her way to Queen Cordelia’s chambers, her footsteps echoing down the quiet halls. Occasionally she would pass a servant or two as they went from room to room, cleaning or carrying out various errands for their masters, but other than that she was all alone.

Normally at this time of the morning courtiers would be bustling about, gossiping in corners with barely concealed whispers, all desperate to be seen and noticed. Now, it was like walking through a mausoleum.

Louisa turned the corner to enter into the Queen’s private rooms, where she came face to face with King Cygrus.

She startled back before dipping into a curtsy. “Apologies, Your Majesty.”

The King looked exhausted, with dark bruises under his eyes that emphasized the lines in his skin. His normally well-trimmed beard had grown unruly, his clothing uncharacteristically rumpled and there was the stench of stale alcohol on him.

“Nevermind, Lady Louisa,” King Cygnus said, motioning for her to rise and fixing her with a tight smile. Louisa wasn’t sure what to say next. She had never been alone with the King. Never had to say more than a word or two to him at a time.

“I’ve heard you’ve been providing the Queen company,” King Cygnus said, relieving her of the decision.

“Yes, I figured it was the best use of my time.” The back of Louisa’s neck grew hot. She wasn’t sure how charitable that actually sounded, even if it was the truth.

The King made no comment, but gave a low, noncommittal sound that seemed to indicate he agreed.

“I saw Prince Asher and Princess Zara have left this morning,” Louisa said, trying to keep the bite out of her voice. She hadn’t been privy to the interrogations of the foreign royals, but she would have loved to give Prince Asher a piece of her mind before he left. Or at least punched him in the face.

King Cygnus’s eyes darkened and his brow furrowed slightly. “Yes, Captain Wentworth could find no connection between them and my daughter’s poisoning.”

“Has there been any progress with the case?”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“None whatsoever.”

The King looked as frustrated as Louisa felt, and she felt a stab of pity for him. Neve was his daughter after all, and the person he cared for the most in the world, just as she was for Louisa.

Tugging at the ends of her hair, Louisa looked nervously at King Cygnus. “Has there been any progress with… with…”

She struggled to finish the question.

The King’s harsh expression softened. “No,” he said sadly. “There’s been no improvement with her condition.” He placed a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

A tight lump formed in the back of her throat as she nodded in response, unable to form words.

“I’ll have to let you go,” King Cygrus said, removing his hand. “I have a meeting with my council.”

“Of course,” Louisa said, curtsying again. “I’m sure Her Majesty is expecting me.”

The ghost of a smile tugged at King Cygnus’s lips. “I’m sure she is.”

Louisa wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but she wasn’t going to ask.

When she entered Queen Cordelia’s receiving room, she found it just as cold and quiet as it had been for the last few weeks. The Queen was seated by the window, an untouched cup of tea steaming beside her as she stared out the window.

Louisa curtsied but Queen Cordelia paid her no mind.

“It’s not a good morning,” said Mira quietly as Louisa made her way over to where the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting sat. Since Neve’s attempted murder there had never been a good morning, but Louisa felt it wasn’t necessary to point that out.

“The King was here before you came,” Mira went on. “He didn’t have good news.”

“Yes, I saw him in the hall,” Louisa said, accepting the cup of tea Mira handed her. At this point, Louisa had been with the Queen so often that her ladies knew how she took her tea. Lots of milk and lots of sugar. Neve had always declared how disgusting she found that. The memory of the princess making mock gagging noises at the sight of her friend’s cup made Louisa’s chest tighten painfully.

From Queen Cordelia’s chambers, one could see the gardens in all their snow-covered glory. The pavilion where Neve liked to sit was topped with a thick layer, making the building resemble a cake.

Louisa cautiously approached the Queen, and idea forming in her head.

“Perhaps we could go for a walk in the gardens,” Louisa suggested. “Get some fresh air.”

Queen Cordelia glanced tiredly up at Louisa. “I don’t know. I’m feeling rather tired.”

“The doctor did say some exercise would do you some good, Your Majesty,” Mira cut in.

The Queen rubbed her stomach, which was growing rapidly by the day, and said nothing.

Suddenly feeling rather bold, Louisa said, “Neve would think it was a good idea.”

Queen Cordelia blinked in surprise. She glanced out the window and then back at Louisa and Mira.

“I suppose I should get out of this room for a bit,” she said, biting her lip. Around the room, the other ladies-in-waiting could barely conceal their relief. It was frightfully boring sitting about in the Queen’s chambers all day.

“I’ll fetch your cape and gloves,” Mira said, a tad too cheerfully.

An hour later, Louisa walked a few paces behind the Queen through the gardens, the hems of their long, woolen gowns sweeping along the frozen ground. Thankfully the groundskeeper had shoveled away most of the snow from the walking path. The skies were gray with overcast, but a few rays of light managed to peek through as the winds shifted.

The group made their way into a maze of hedges, the Queen coming to stop at a snow-covered bench. She swatted the seat clean and sank down, motioning for Louisa to join her before dismissing the other women.

“How are the Princess’s other ladies?” Queen Cordelia asked, shifting slightly to make herself comfortable on the cold wooden bench.

Louisa thought for a second, before settling on, “managing.”

The Queen hummed in response. “You heard Prince Asher left today.”

“Yes, I watched him leave.”

“Good riddance,” Queen Cordelia muttered, pulling her fur-lined cape closer to herself, a puff of her breath visible in the air. “The heartless bastard couldn’t even be bothered to look upset.”

Louisa hesitated a moment before turning to the Queen. “Do you really believe he was innocent?”

Queen Cordelia shrugged as she wrapped her arms around herself. “I think he’s an unfeeling asshole, but I doubt he’s a murderer.”

“What of the theories one of his lovers commissioned it?” Louisa pressed.

“It’s possible, but even if that’s the case it’s unlikely we’ll ever know for sure,” Queen Cordelia said. “Lord Abbot said none of his daliances were allowed to come, for obvious reasons.”

“Lord Abbot?”

“Cendril’s senior foreign trade officer. I met him the night of the engagement ball. Sadly he’s left now too.” The Queen actually looked rather put out by this. Louisa’s cheeks turned pink, but it wasn’t from the cold.

The Queen bit her lip and looked around to make sure the other ladies were far enough away before leaning in and whispering to Louisa, “Lord Abbot did say that Auric was having issues with a local gang. The Night Stalkers or something like that…”

“Oh?” Louisa blinked in confusion. She wasn’t sure what some thugs thousands of miles away had to do with Neve.

“Apparently, this gang is incredibly efficient with poisons. Their leader is even rumored to be fae.”

“What?” Louisa asked, a little too loudly. The Queen’s ladies-in-waitings all turned and looked at them in confusion. Queen Cordelia waved a lazy hand as if to say they were fine. Lowering her voice, Louisa whispered, “what’s a fairy doing in Auric?”

The fae, as far as Louisa knew, all stayed in their own kingdom in Tenebris Forest in the far north of the continent. Never in her lifetime had a fairy been spotted beyond the dark woods.

“That’s what I said, but Lord Abbot didn’t know. He doubts this gang leader is actually a fairy, but whoever they are, the guards haven’t been able to find them for questioning.”

Louisa felt her chest constrict as she processed this information. Whether or not a fairy was actually in Auric, there was still a known set of criminals with an affiliation with poison.

“So that means whatever poison was used on Neve likely came from Auric,” Louisa said, more so to herself.

“So it would seem,” Queen Cordelia said.

“But if that’s the case… why were the representatives from Cendril released?”

“Because it’s been weeks and there is still no hard evidence that anyone from Cendril had anything to do with it,” the Queen said. “The physicians still don’t even know what type of poison it was.”

Louisa paused for a moment. “The wine Neve had before the ball…” she began, but then stopped as the Queen’s head snapped in her direction, her eyes glinting like daggers.

“What about it?” she asked, a harsh edge to her voice. Louisa felt herself go red.

“Was it possible that the poison was in that?” she asked, regretting the question as the Queen’s face became flushed with anger.

“Absolutely not,” she hissed. “The wine came from my own collection.”

“That’s not what -” Louisa began, but the Queen cut her off.

“It’s bad enough I’ve had to endure all the whispers about what a whore I am and how I’ll never live up to Priscilla, but now I’m an evil witch who tried to kill the princess?”

Louisa felt her face burning brighter and brighter as Queen Cordelia went on. “That’s not what I meant,” she tried, but the Queen didn’t seem to hear her.

“I’ve been questioned about that wine several times I’ll have you know. The physicians tested it themselves and it came back clean. But no, naturally the wicked step-mother poisoned her step-daughter so that her own child would inherit the throne.”

The Queen looked down at her pregnant stomach, resting one hand on it. The silence that rang between them felt like it had gone on for hours.

“I would never hurt her,” Queen Cordelia said finally, her voice barely more than a choked whisper. “We may not have a motherly relationship, but I still care for her.”

“I know that,” Louisa said quietly. The queen said nothing, letting silence fall between them again.

Of course Louisa had her suspicions of the queen as well. With Neve still set to inherit the kingdom no matter the sex of her new sibling, the thought had naturally crossed her mind that Queen Cordelia would want to pave the way for her own child to take the throne. If what the queen said was true, then Louisa wasn’t alone in that theory.

Wiping an eye, the queen sat up straighter. “I’m cold. I’d like to go back inside now.”

“Of course,” Louisa said, her voice an octave higher than normal. She stood with the queen, who immediately turned on her heel and headed towards the palace.

Falling beside her, Louisa mustered the nerve to ask another question. “The drink she had during the toast… do you know what it was?”

Louisa was half expecting Queen Cordelia to ignore her, but with an agitated sigh, she said, “blanchard apple cider. The Cendril congregation brought it with them as a gift.”

Her mind began to reel as she hitched in a breath. So the drink Neve had right before she had collapsed had also been from Cendril.

As they made their way inside, Queen Cordelia told her ladies to return to her receiving chambers without her before turning to Louisa.

“As much as I appreciate your company,” the queen began briskly, “perhaps you should spend some time with the princess’s other ladies-in-waiting.”

In other words, she was being told to fuck off. Normally the dismissal would sting, but Louisa found herself not caring.

“Actually, Your Majesty,” Louisa said. “I think I’ll be taking some time to travel.”

If the Queen was surprised or even cared she didn’t show it.

“Safe travels,” she said dismissively before turning and walking away.

Louisa hurried back to her own room. She had a lot of packing to do and a passage to Cendril to book.