“Nothing terribly important but…” The typically emotionless man let out an audible sigh. “If I may be so bold, I would like to recommend that you read the note with an open mind.”
I shot my attention to Marlon, but his expression was already stark again. “Oh? And why might you feel inclined to recommend such a thing?”
“You see, Your Highness, I saw the girl leave her note,” he stated smoothly. My eyes widened, but he continued before I could question him further. “The girl was clearly distraught and even shed tears. It didn’t seem like the actions of a manipulative accomplice to murder. She must have snuck the note into the garden while my back was turned, because I didn’t realize she was Daisy until I noticed the letter hours later. It was the same envelope though, so I’m certain it was her.”
I stared at him in disbelief for a moment.Hehad seen her, she was here, and she was crying. Was it from guilt? Did she regret the choices she had made?My heart twisted and squeezed in my chest, uncertain of how to process this new piece of information.
“I shall report what I recall of her appearance to the guard now that I have informed you,” Marlon said with a bow. “Thank you for your time, Your Highness.” He swept out of the room without so much as a backward glance, leaving me with a mass of questions and one very heavy envelope.
I took a deep breath, then gently pulled the letter open. My hands shook from both nerves and adrenaline as I skimmed across the page. With each line, I felt my heart wind a little tighter with newfound emotion. By the time I reached the end of the letter, I found my eyes lingering on the name at the bottom of the page.
Kalina Aristi.
I read the name over and over, as if practicing it in my mind.This is her. This was the Daisy—or the Kalina—who had stolen my heart so many weeks ago. If what she said was true… then she wasn’t involved with the attack, and she’s in trouble.I read the words over again, my mind fighting with me to sort out logic from my emotions. As much as I wanted to believe Kalina’s innocence, there was far too much evidence against her. Could this all be a farce? Is she planning a trap at the Aristi estate? Or maybe she’s trying to push the blame onto some other unsuspecting girl?
I stood from my chair, my bones creaking from my stiff nap earlier. My feet skirted across the floor as I paced circles around the vacant office. She said the evidence of her innocence was in her dress… What could that possibly mean? Had she hidden something inside it? Or perhaps she referred to the dress itself?
I inspected the note once more, then remembered what Marlon had said.It was under a daisy…This was an odd time to reference new beginnings, but she could have merely used the flower as a nod to her identity. Although… she had never neglected the opportunity to display her knowledge of flowers before…What else did a daisy mean?I wracked my brain for answers, thinking through the meanings behind the simplistic bloom. My eyes widened as I recalled the most obvious answer.
Innocence…
My thoughts tumbled around in my head when a sudden idea struck me. I summoned the nearest guard, who came quickly to my call.
“Tell me, have any confessions or information regarding Daisy come from the Aristi family?” I asked thoughtfully.
The guard paused for a moment to think through the reports, then nodded. “I believe so, Your Highness. If I’m not mistaken, Madam Sapphira Aristi attempted to report her stepdaughter this morning. We plan to investigate, but have been pursuing the more likely reports first.”
“I understand,” I nodded, “however, there has now been a change of plans. The Aristi household is now our first priority. Please wake the captain and inform him that I shall be attending to this investigation personally.”
“Right away, Your Highness,” the guard said with a prompt bow.
The moment he left the room, I exited behind him, rushing to my chambers. I was still wearing the gaudy attire from the ball and wanted to change into something a little less flashy before riding into the city. After I was dressed, I met up with the captain by the doors of the palace.
“Your Highness, may I ask why the Aristi household is so important all of a sudden?” the captain asked with a resounding yawn.
I placed the letter in his hands without a word, then threw on my cloak. As I fastened the strap, I watched the captain’s expression morph into astonishment as he read through the lines. By the time he finally looked up at me, my boots and cloak were both secure, and I looked to him with impatience.
“Shall we be off, captain?” I badgered with an ounce of humor.
The captain nodded swiftly. “Lead the way, Your Highness.”
chapter twenty-one
The gag in my mouth tasted vile. My hands and feet were bound in front of me by coarse ropes, but at least my eyes were uncovered. Although, part of me wished that they had blindfolded me whenever I looked down at Camille’s pale face. They hadn’t bothered tying her up since she was too weak to move from her injury. The two us sat in the back of a covered caravan, with six other men seated between us and the exit. One of the men was the all-too-familiar mage who I now had the displeasure of meeting both at the ball and the tavern. The other five men were completely new, but I thought I recognized a few of them as the fake guards who lit the palace on fire. Either way, they all held the same distasteful scorn in their eyes whenever they looked at Camille and me.
I tried not to look them in the eyes, but the only other place for my gaze to go was Camille’s pain-twisted face. Though they hadn’t bound her, they still stuffed a gag in her mouth. Her muffled cries of pain pressed against her gag each time the caravan hit a significant bump. I winced each time the wagon jolted, feeling sympathetic toward her pain. The patch of red on her side had covered the entire left half of her dress. The men had given her a rag to press against the wound, but it didn’t seem to help much when she had to apply the pressure herself.
Her eyes occasionally rolled back into her head as she fell in and out of consciousness. Every time she faded away, I grew terrified she wouldn’t reawaken. Fortunately, she was stronger than she looked, and each time her eyes fluttered open, she used her dwindling strength to press against the wound.
I would’ve screamed at the men to help her if I could, but the foul-tasting rag in my mouth prevented me from uttering a word. If only they would let me help her. She couldn’t last like this forever, and soon, she would be out of strength entirely. Her tired eyes caught mine for a moment, a look of desperation searing through them before they rolled back in her head once more. I kicked at my restraints, trying to catch the men’s attention. She was dying, and I had to do something.
My kicking caused two of the men to turn their heads for a moment. The first one only sneered at me, but the second grew irritated enough that he gifted me with his focus.
“Eh! Keep it down over there,” the man hissed in a stern whisper.
I looked him dead in the eye and stamped my foot even louder. This may have been the absolute dumbest time to be brave, but there was a life on the line, and I didn’t have time to consider the consequences.
The other men turned their eyes toward me, and the enchanter leaned forward. “You better cut that out, you little petal princess, or you’ll be looking like your friend here.” He gestured at Camille’s limp body.