Chapter 21
At the edges of the capital city of Wisteria, between rural and the buzzing hub of town life, was a humble estate of Baron Reeve. In the early afternoon, the sky was clear and the day was warm. It was the perfect weather to go out on a stroll in the garden, and a young girl did exactly that.
Amelia’s pink hair flutters in the breeze as she hums softly to herself. She reaches out to touch a red rose with her delicate hand and admires it with a faint smile on her pretty face. She was just about to continue the walk-in her garden when a voice calls out to her.
“Miss Amelia!” Her new maid shouts frantically, looking distressed as she waves a letter in her hand, “There is urgent news from the capital!”
The older maid escorting Amelia and holding a parasol over the young girl's head frowns at the newer ones, “What horrible manners you still have. You must lower your voice and speak in a more respectful tone when you address Miss Amelia,” she says in a firm tone.
The new maid bows her head under the reprimand and shuffles over to hand over the letter.
“Mimi, what is wrong? What has happened?” Amelia asks in concern as she takes the letter Mimi hands to her. She would normally defend Mimi against as she likes it when the newer maid treats her casually, but she was alarmed at just how frantic the normally playful Mimi has become.
“It is just awful, Miss Amelia. I just heard that horrendous girl who poisoned you has returned!” Mimi says and makes sure to keep her tone even.
Amelia almost drops the letter. Her face grows pale, and her hands tremble, “W-what? H-h-how is this possible? Wasn’t she exiled?” She asks, her voice faint.
The older maid covers her mouth in surprise, “My goodness.”
“She was! Crown Prince Rodale has cast her out himself! But somehow, she is back, and I heard from the messenger that she was able to speak her piece and somehow was granted another trial by the king,” Mimi says, looking very troubled as she begins to tug at her braided hair.
“What? But how? I thought it was impossible to return from exile? I thought she would be gone forever,” Miss Amelia says, swaying.
The old maid steadies her, looking concerned but angry, “This cannot be true. That horrid woman should have not been able to return! Even if she had, she should have been arrested on the spot! How could she be granted another trial? And by the king, no less? This is utter madness!”
“What are we going to do?” Mimi asks, yanking on her hair, “She will come for me, I j-just know it! Everyone knows it was me who accused her! But I didn’t lie! She did do something with that glass! I saw it!” She shouts this last part, pacing around as she starts to mumble to herself.
“Hush, you. What have you to be concerned with after Miss Amelia took you in? You were not the one who was poisoned by that wretched thing,” The old maid says with a frown as she rubs soothing circles into Amelia's small back.
“What does the letter say?” Mimi asks, shuffling closer as if she was going to snatch up the letter and read it herself.
Amelia jumps a bit and blinks at the letter in her hand, “Oh, um.”
“Open it. I’m sure there are details regarding this matter in it,” The maid urges.
Amelia nods and opens the official-looking letter with trembling hands. She reads over it slowly, her mind slogging through the dry words before she slumps over.
“It is a summon,” She says, her voice wobbly as tears spring to her eyes.
“A summoning for what?” The old maid asks.
Amelia wipes at her tear and clears her throat, but it still sounds on the verge of tears when she answers.
“We are being summoned to the White Castle for commoner's court three days from now. Mimi and I are to give our testimonies as witnesses.”
Mimi nearly yanks out strands of her hair, “No! I can’t do it! Not again! You didn’t see the way she looked at me! I cannot face that witch again!” She cries instantly.
The old maid raises her voice over Mimi soft sobs, “This is good news. She was found guilty once, and she will be found guilty again. I do not know what kind of foolish stunt that little girl thinks she can pull, but it will fail in the end. Before you know it, she will be sent off again, and this will all be behind us,” She says, no doubt with the intent to comfort.
Amelia offers the older maid a brave smile as she pulls Mimi into a hug, “Yeah, I’m sure you are right.”
If only those words didn’t feel so hollow. Amelia felt like a stone has sunk into her stomach, and she could not shake off the dread that has fallen over her. As she looks up to the sky, petting Mimi head idly, she can’t help but wonder if Rodale would come to her defense once more? Despite her gloomy mood, she felt a spark of hope.
It has been so long she seen him after all. Amelia understood why he had to put distance between them, but it did not mean it did not hurt her. She missed him dearly, and desperately wanted to see him again. Orin as well. She was terribly lonely without her friends by her side.
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Duchess Valentine was in the middle of tea with an important guest when the news came to her in the form of two guards wearing the crest of the royal family who is escorted into the blue sitting room by her butler.
“My lady,” The butler greets, bowing low, “We have an important guest from the White Castle,” He announces.
The two women sitting across from her stare in shock at the guards then back at her. Lynette quickly sets down her delicate teacup after forcing herself to swallow a small mouthful with a loud clatter. She dabs at her red painted mouth with a napkin before folding it and setting it down by her tea. After running a hand down her dress, straightening it, she rushes to stand and greet her guest with a slightly nervous smile.
“My, what an unexpected surprise! Good sirs, may I ask why you are visiting my humble home?” She asks while her minds quickly backtrack to the past couple of months, trying to find anything that would be the cause of the visit.
One guard steps forward and hands the duchess a letter with the royal seal.
“This morning, there has been a certain incident at commoners court that is directly related to you, your grace. The king had sent us personally to escort you back to the castle. The letter will contain all the details you must know,” The guard explains calmly.
The two women say nothing as they watch the scene with avid eyes. The other guard notices and steps forward as Lynette breaks the seal on the letter and begins to read it.
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“It is highly advised that you keep this matter under wraps until all the details have been ironed out,” The royal guard says sternly and cuts a sharp look at the women who avert their eyes as they sip their tea.
Lynette barely hears the words. The duchess reads, then re-read the letter, her eyes disbelieving. She shakes her head before her face twists into a dark scowl.
“What is this?” She snaps, waving the letter, “What nonsense is this?”
The royal guards remain impassive and perfectly professional even as Lynette stalks forward and jabs a pointed finger into one of their armored chests.
“My daughter has been exiled,” The duchess hisses, “She could have not returned! It is impossible.”
Bland eyes stare her down, “The letter was written by the king himself. Or you suggesting that his highness is a liar?”
Lynette closes her mouth to bite back a nasty comment and lifts up the letter to scan over it. Indeed, the king's signature was at the bottom. The duchess just stands there, stunned.
“How is this possible?” She says after a minute, her face a mixture of emotions as her mouth pulls down in a frown.
“That matter will be discussed once we return to the White Castle,” One of the guards says.
Lynette presses her lips into a thin line before she turns to the two waiting ladies with a forced smile.
“Well, on that note, it seems I must cut things short,” She says to them as she gestures to her butler.
The two women are already putting down their teacups and dabbing at their mouths.
“Of course, Lady Lynette. It seems a more important instance has come up,” One of the women says with a sly look to the royal guards.
“It would be utterly rude if we impose on you a moment longer,” The other women say as she stands elegantly, her back straight and her chin tilts up to better look down her nose as the duchess, “We must not interrupt important family matters.”
Lynette does not drop the smile, “Thank you. Mr. Dean, please escort these two to their carriages and send for my personal maids.”
The butler bows and does as he is told.
Once the ladies clear the room, the Duchess turns to the two royal guards. She tries to soften the corners of her smile, her eyes scrunching up in the process, but given how the two guards shift, she doubts her expression is unbothered and delighted as she wishes it to be. Lynette pushes on anyway with a smooth, silky voice.
“Well, it seems I have a wayward daughter to meet,” She says, with a small laugh, “If you two good sirs would bid me the trouble of contacting my husband on the subject? I am sure he would prefer to hear this...wonderful news from me.”
She leans forward a bit as if she was sharing so great secret, “You see, he has taken my step-daughter to meet her grandparents in the countryside, and will not be able to make it back immediately. It was a long-awaited trip, so I should break the news to him gently.”
Lynette claps her hands once, her smile never wavering thought there wasn’t a trace of happiness in her voice as she says, “After, I will pack and be on my way to meet my sweet little girl who I thought I would never see again. Now, if you would excuse me? My maids are here.”
The Duchess gestures to the two maids who have arrived, looking to be the same age as her before she strides between the royal guards and out of the room completely with the two servants trailing behind her.
After a beat, one of the guards speak.
“That...was not how I expected that to go,” The younger of the two says, turning to stare at the door the Valentine Duchess just walked through.
“It was unexpected news,” The older guard says neutrally.
“Still, is that how a mother would react to hearing her daughter has returned? She looked angry, not happy,” The younger says, shifting his sword as his side, obviously restless.
“Enough. We do not gossip,” The older guard says and flickers his eyes over to the younger, “If you want to be treated seriously as a royal guard, you must act the part.”
The younger huffs, but straightens and puts on a bland face, “I know,” He says, his voice dragging.
The fall into silence as they wait for the duchess to return.
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The king made good on his promise to discuss the subject of Livia’s botched exiled in further detail. After dismissing the nobles, and even the old councilor Gibit, he summoned his personal secretary to help write summoning letters that were immediately sent off before he settled down into the room behind his throne. His secretary, with greying temples and deep green eyes, sat next to the king and pulled out a blank book to write down Livia’s official statement.
They talked far into the afternoon with the two princes listening attentively. Half-way through the discussion, Livia complained about being too hot in her cloak and removed it with the help of Sen. She made sure to look shy and even wary but continued on with the conversation as if nothing had changed. She ignored the king's slight widening of the eyes, and how Prince Orin openly stared.
The subject of her pregnancy was never broached, incredibly impolite as it would have been, but it was a heavy question that hanged heavily in the air.
The discussion comes to a finale halt after being thoroughly interrogated by the king himself and after her words were starting to dry on paper, a royal guard knocks and enters the room.
“Duchess Valentine has arrived,” He announces.
Livia stiffens, “You called for my mother?”
She does not direct the question to anyone, but King Grail answers nonetheless.
“Yes, I summoned her. I thought it would be in your best interest to have the support of your parents for this ordeal. I also tried to reach out to your father, but I quickly remembered he was away on a trip,” He says, and nods for the guard to let the duchess in.
Livia has to swallow the protests she wants to voice because her mother was already stepping into the room. Upon laying eyes on the Duchess Valentine's face, a sick feeling of disgust and anger nearly consumes her. She clutches at her stomach as she grimaces, and she has to look away in fear of spitting out the first hex she could think of at her own blood. Sen places a calming hand on her shoulder, and she leans into it feigning being comforted.
She has only seconds to get herself into control because the moment Lynette lays eyes on her daughter, she gasps and stumbles back as she clutches her chest.
“My sweet little girl,” The duchess practically croons in a wet voice, “Is that really you?”
Livia turns a menacing growl into a soft sob. She pinches subtly at her arm until tears spring into her eyes before she turns to her mother looking just as shock and emotional.
“Mum?” She asks, reaching out with a trembling hand.
Lynette rushes to her daughters' side, casting a quick appraisal to Sen, before giving all her attention to Livia, who practically throws herself into her mother's arms.
“Oh, mum! It really is you!” Livia cries into a small shoulder. Her eyes water further after practically inhaling the strong perfume her mother always wears and the familiar scent brings forth memories that she wishes to never relive.
Lynette's hands comb through her daughter's long hair in an imitation of a gentle, loving caress. Livia winces when nails scrape against her scalp and thin fingers easily become tangled in her purple tresses.
“My sweet baby girl! Oh, how I missed you, so!” Lynette says, squeezing her daughter close, but she freezes when something round and large brushes against her. She pulls back, all but yanking Livia away from her by her shoulders as her dark pink eyes fall to her daughters' stomach.
“Mum?” Livia questions, pretending to be confused.
“What,” Lynette starts to say, voice flat and hard before she stops and swallows. She inhales sharply and exhales shakily as she squeezes a new bout of tears to her upturned eyes that she shares with her daughter.
“What has been done to you?” She asks, managing to sound utterly distraught even as her eyes burn a hole through her daughters' skull through the tears.
Livia bursts into tears, hiding her face in her hands, “I’m sorry,” She sobs, “I’m so sorry, mummy.” She looks perfectly ashamed and devastated as fat tears streaming down her reddening face.
Lynette sharp nails dig into her shoulder as she is brought back into her mother's cold embrace, “It is alright, everything is alright now,” The duchess coos sweetly to her child as she begins to rock Livia, “You made it back. You survived and you will be stronger for it,” she says, and for a brief second, Livia almost believes her.
Almost.
As mother and daughter continue on their emotional reunion, the onlookers can only watch and say nothing out of respect for them.
Sen isn’t fooled but maintains his expression of disinterest even as he resists the strong impulse to rip Livia away from the claw-like possession his mother has on her.
King Grail wears a somber expression, while inside his mind was a million miles away. The King's personal secretary averted his eyes from the scene, going over everything he has written down with a troubled brow as he stroked his chin.
While everyone got lost in their own thoughts, and the scene plays on, Prince Orin and Prince Rodale share a loaded look between each other. Prince Rodale scowls at his younger brother and looks away while Prince Orin maintained his sympathetic smile, slowly turning his gaze away from his older brother, but that leaves it on a round belly, attached to a young woman whose watery gaze meet his own by chance.
And how cold and detached that gaze was. It was like a stone wall holding back something great by a single delicate chain that can snap at any moment notice.