125: Blackthorn siblings' blame

Blackthorn siblings' blame

Anastasia's unease grew upon hearing the maid's answer. She doubted Gabriel would have put Theresa in trouble, which was why he had likely brought up the guard to Dante so that the woman wouldn't be dragged into the unfolding chaos. 

But what if Dante managed to extract Theresa's name from Gabriel?

She stepped closer to the maid and inquired, "Where is Theresa? Is she alright?" All she needed to know was that the woman was safe and well.

"She must be… milady," the senior maid answered. Only a few weeks ago, this young woman had been a junior maid, but now she was serving this woman as the king's woman. "I haven't seen Theresa since this afternoon, and Mr. Gilbert ordered me to assume her duties in serving you."

Anastasia felt like everything was falling apart, and the more she struggled to grasp control, the more it slipped away. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she uttered, "Can you do something for me?" 

"Anything you want," the maid replied, wondering what it was she wanted to request. 

"I need you to locate Theresa. See that she's fine and doing well." Anastasia's heart refused to settle down and maintained its restless pace. "Right now," she urged, as the maid continued to stand there.

"I shall go see her right away and report back to you, milady," the maid bowed before exiting the room, leaving Anastasia alone again. 

Anastasia didn't leave her room, choosing to stay put as she could already imagine everyone gossiping about her. The memory of Dante's rejection of her when she moved closer to him to prove herself caused her to clench her hands involuntarily. She sat on the edge of her bed, lost in thought. After a few minutes, a knock echoed at the door, prompting Anastasia to rise to her feet. 

"Come in," she uttered, anxiously waiting for the maid to deliver the news. 

However, it wasn't the maid who entered, but rather Emily, who had stepped inside her room. The princess said, "I heard about what happened and thought to check on you… How are you doing, Anna?" 

Anastasia shook her head and drew in a deep breath before saying, "Not good. Did you see the king?" 

"Only briefly," Emily replied, and she made her way to where Anastasia stood. "I haven't had the chance to talk with him yet."

Anastasia nodded, her eyebrows knitting together, and inquired, "Is the gardener… still alive?" 

Emily's eyes softened, and she replied, "Yes, it appears he is. Why did you meet him in secret, Anna?"

"A guard truly approached me and informed me that the king was waiting for me. I wasn't there to meet Gabriel," Anastasia clarified in a low voice because she didn't know if people would believe her. "It's like someone deliberately set us up."

The princess heaved a troubled sigh before remarking, "Perhaps, once Brother Dante calms down from his initial burst of rage, he might come to realise the truth. Do you know about his past?" 

"About his wife murdering him?" Anastasia asked, and the princess gave her a nod in response. 

"Even after their transformation, demons carry certain wounds that persist, gnawing at them, which is what initially corrodes them. At least, this is what I like to theorise based on what I know and have read on the subject," Emily explained to her slowly. "Perhaps the pain, the anguish, and the sense of rejection still lingers, and that is why he acted on impulse. However, I am confident that the situation will change within the coming hours, Anna," she added, grabbing Anastasia's hand to express her compassion. 

"I hope so," Anastasia murmured, hoping that once Dante's rage subsided, he would realise that there was nothing between her and Gabriel. 

"But on another note," Emily began, her lips tightening for a fleeting second, before she continued, "Brother Dante specifically requested a seamstress instead of a tailor for you. You should know how protective and possessive he is of you, to the extent of not even allowing a male tailor to take your measurements. Don't be sad, Anna."

Anastasia offered a grateful smile to the kind princess, though it quickly faded as her mind remained burdened with concerns. She expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for coming to see me, Princess."

"You should address me as Emily, Anna. Despite the formalities of the palace, I have always wanted our relationship to be akin to that of sisters, but only if you want to, of course. And I will always be here to help you," Emily smiled at the younger woman. 

When the door swung open once more, Anastasia's new maid reentered the room, offering respectful bows to both women. The maid informed her, 

"Milady, Theresa is working in the kitchen now." 

A wave of relief washed over Anastasia's mind, as if half of the weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I shall see you at supper, Anna," Emily informed her, and she stepped out of the room. As she approached the corner of the corridor, Aiden unexpectedly materialised in front of her, almost scaring her. "What are you doing, Aiden?!"

"I was waiting for you. How is Anna doing?" Aiden asked his sister as they rounded the corner and continued on their way. 

"She's scared and worried," Emily exhaled, pausing her footsteps as she grasped her brother's hand. "Aiden… You haven't done anything, have you? Because—" 

"Firstly, it is rude of you to suspect me. Secondly, what would I have possibly achieved by doing something like that, Lily?" Aiden countered, slightly appalled at his sister's accusatory question. He continued, "If there's anyone whom you should suspect, it should be Niyasa. She was there, grinning as if she were quite unhinged." 

"She was there before Brother Dante arrived?" Emily frowned, and Aiden's eyes scrunched in thought. 

"I arrived when the guards were already assembled, and Grandmother was there too. I heard her voice," Aiden replied, his shoulders lifting in emphasis. "I am telling you, she was up to no good." 

"Aiden, Niyasa might plan elaborate schemes, but she wouldn't stick around to get caught at the scene of the crime," Emily discussed with her brother at the side of the corridor. When a maid entered the corridor, they fell silent, resuming their conversation once she had departed. Emily continued, "Moreover, if what you are saying is true, Brother Dante would have identified her as suspicious and taken action. And she would be spending time in the dungeon by now. And if Brother Dante hadn't detected the gardener's lie, you might have found yourself subject to questioning too."

"I am innocent in all this. I am busy doing my own stuff," Aiden huffed, though he couldn't shake the thought that the blame could shift towards him at any moment. With that in mind, he then proposed, "There is a way to catch Niyasa."

"How?" Emily asked, looking at him with curiosity. 

"Follow my lead, and in no time, we will expose her schemes," Aiden promised her, leaving Emily unsure about his plan's potential success. He asked, "Where is Mother?" 

"She's gone to pay a visit to Lady Noor because Victor has fallen sick. Lady Noor is worried that he caught something similar to what Lady Lucretia suffered from," Emily replied in a low voice. "I wish no more lives would be lost."

At the front of the palace, Prince Raylen returned from his sightseeing excursion around the nearby towns, stepping into the wide entrance hall. His gaze swept over the servants, who murmured in hushed tones to each other. Upon catching sight of him, they promptly fell silent and offered respectful bows. 

"What cute little mice," Prince Raylen remarked before proceeding on his way. As he continued to walk, he overheard a maid whispering to another, 

"… long has it been going on?"

"She's always been strange. Silent one moment, then climbing up the ladder the next," the other maid responded. 

"But to pick the gardener of all people?"

"Who picked the gardener?" Prince Raylen questioned, prompting the maids to abruptly turn their attention to him with eyes wide in surprise. "It has been so quiet here lately. I think I could use a little gossip," he added with a polite smile. 

"T—That, it was about the gardener and…" one of the maids stuttered. 

Fortunately for the maids, the Mother Queen entered the corridor, offering a greeting, "Good afternoon, Prince Raylen. Good to see you are back."

"Has something happened that I missed?" Prince Raylen inquired, his eyes shifting from the maids to the older woman. 

The Mother Queen turned to look at the maids and questioned, "What are you doing standing here instead of attending to your tasks?" The maids quickly dispersed, and she then redirected her gaze to meet the Storm Prince's eyes. She asked with suspicion in her voice, "Where have you been?" 

"Gazing upon women," Prince Raylen replied in an amiable tone as the Mother Queen's eyes narrowed. "So that I can find my soulmate. What happened? You look a little pale." 

"Things got a little out of hand. A nobody, a gardener, embraced my granddaughter-in-law to be, and Dante is seething with anger," the Mother Queen summarised for him. 

"Well, if you are looking for a solution, it is quite simple. Kill the gardener, and you'll have a happy ever after," Prince Raylen remarked in a nonchalant manner. 

"I would have intervened earlier, but the man is somehow important enough for Anastasia to meet him in private, and they've been deceitful. Which, in turn, has fuelled Dante's anger. Don't think about killing him, even by mistake," the Mother Queen warned the Storm Prince against taking matters into his own hands. "I am sitting on pins and needles. It's making me consider having them put to sleep and then waking them up in seven days."

"If only such a thing were feasible," Prince Raylen hummed in response. He then murmured, "I specifically told her the story in the hopes that it would dissuade her, yet she walked straight into it. I wonder if, somewhere deep down in his bones, even though it's unbeknownst to him, his anger is rooted in his history with her, tied to who she is. Do you know how vengeful a spirit can become after its demise, after it is murdered? Returning to annihilate all it once held dear."

"Personally, I'd rather not know. The murdered spirit, that is," the Mother Queen replied, causing the prince to raise an eyebrow in response. "What is your point again?" she asked. 

"If things are meant to be, they will happen, or… perhaps they were never meant to be."

"Talking with you has only increased my anxiety," the Mother Queen mumbled. 

Far from the entrance, Niyasa strolled along a corridor, searching for her mother. Her mother had temporarily left the palace to visit her brother in the mausoleum, and word had it that she had finally returned. Happiness bubbled within her. 

She caught sight of her sister, who had just stepped into the corridor from the opposite direction. 

"Niyasa," Emily greeted her briefly, as if she were in a hurry to be somewhere. 

"Did you hear what Brother Dante's concubine did, Lily?" Niyasa stopped her sister. "Caught in the west wing with a gardener. How shameful."

"It is probably a misunderstanding. Something like this happened in the past too… if you know what I mean," Emily subtly alluded to what had happened with Niyasa's mother. 

Niyasa laughed with glee before replying, "Sure, the gardener is her long-lost brother. Sometimes, you just have to trust your eyes, and Brother Dante certainly didn't disappoint."2

Emily regarded her sister with suspicion. Maybe Aiden was right? Yet she remained sceptical, particularly considering Niyasa had spent hours scrubbing the bloody corridor and wall. She asked, 

"Where are you going?" 

"To see the only person I can rely on. My mother," Niyasa replied with a hint of haughtiness and jab at her sister. 

"I heard that Lady Maya left the palace and has since returned a while ago. She's in the sitting room. Is everything alright?" 

"She lost her son, and wasn't able to attend his funeral. You tell me, if everything is alright," Niyasa threw the question back at Emily. 

"You know that's not what I meant—"

"Whatever, I should be going. Have a good day, Lily," Niyasa remarked, before she pivoted and walked towards the sitting room. 

Emily watched her sister walk away with a hurried stride, and she let out a sigh. Her family was turning on one another, and she could only try to untangle the situation without exacerbating it. 

The hem of Niyasa's dress skimmed along the carpet in the long corridor before she came to stand before the sitting room. The maids standing outside opened the door for her to allow her entry, and she saw her mother sitting on the couch. 

A kettle rested on the small table in front of the couch, accompanied by an already-poured tea in a delicate teacup. Niyasa greeted her mother with a bow, saying,

"Good afternoon, Mother. How was your visit?" 

Lady Maya watched Niyasa as she entered the room and took a seat beside her, but not before picking up a biscuit from the tray. With a bemused smile, she asked, "How do you think it went?" 

"Pardon me, Mother. You should have taken me along with you, it's not like I have anything to do here. At least I would have visited Brother Maxwell," Niyasa said, leaning back against the couch.

"We can go together next time," Lady Maya proposed, to which Niyasa nodded in agreement. She said, "It is difficult to accept that he's gone."

"I agree, Mother. I still believe it was a setup," Niyasa replied with narrowed eyes. She then added, "I think there is something that might cheer you up."

Lady Maya frowned as she asked, "What is it?"

Casting a quick glance at the door, Niyasa addressed her mother, "Brother Dante's concubine was discovered in an intimate embrace with another man, in a secluded place. And when caught, they chose to lie. You might have doubts about what I just told you, but it is exactly as I said."

"How and when did that happen?" Lady Maya inquired, one of her eyebrows arching in curiosity. 

"It happened a while ago when you weren't here, and Brother Dante is absolutely furious. He deserves it," Niyasa chuckled in delight. "He refused to speak to Anastasia, which is only fitting, as she deserves that as well, and that gardener she was embracing is currently imprisoned in the dungeon."

"With a gardener? I don't recall seeing them together previously, not that I paid any attention to her," Lady Maya remarked, bringing the teacup to her lips. "What a fool to meet the man, considering her newfound status. The weight of her position must not have truly registered with her."

"I have seen his eyes following her whenever she's around, and even her eyes move in his direction. I knew since then that something was going on between them. Almost as if they communicate in secret through their eyes," Niyasa stated, taking a bite from the biscuit before her expression turned into a frown, causing her to set it back on the tray. 

"She must have been prepared for this outcome if she wasn't concerned about getting caught. I am surprised that they haven't killed the gardener," Lady Maya remarked, before questioning, "I assume you didn't involve yourself in any of this?" 

"No, Mother. I had no involvement whatsoever. It happened purely due to their actions," Niyasa replied dutifully and continued, "The gardener orchestrated it all; I saw him dispatching a guard to summon Anastasia, using the king's name." 

"You did?" Lady Maya questioned in surprise, and Niyasa affirmed with a nod. 

"The whole situation is so scandalous, isn't it? The king's concubine entangled with a gardener. I cannot help but smile at the thought," Niyasa chuckled gleefully. 

"Damnit," Lady Maya cursed under her breath, catching the young princess's attention. 

"Mother?" 

All of a sudden, someone knocked on the door, diverting their attention towards it. When the door opened, Princess Emily entered the room, prompting Niyasa to demand, 

"What are you doing here, Lily?" 

"I am here for our brother," Emily replied, causing Niyasa's confusion to deepen. But when the younger princess's eyes shifted towards her brother, she let out a startled scream. 

"What the hell are you doing here, Aiden?!" Niyasa glared at him as he had shifted back to his usual form. She had been conversing with him the entire time, and not her mother?! 

"Our apologies, sister," Aiden excused himself, rising from the couch to meet his elder sister's gaze. "You were right."

"About what??" Niyasa snapped. She jabbed her finger at him and exclaimed, "I cannot believe you transformed into my mother. I will be sure to inform her about your audacity! How dare you impersonate her? I will tell Brother Dante that it was you who summoned Anastasia and the gardener, out of jealousy for not being able to be the king!"

Emily and Aiden fell silent at this. 

"Or, we could tell him that you were the one who set up the whole scenario," Aiden shifted the blame onto Niyasa, a proposition that didn't sit well with the young princess. 

"Go ahead, and I will say that you transformed yourself into the guard," Niyasa retorted, crossing her arms across her chest. "Two can play the blame game."

She would do it too, Emily thought to herself. Unlike her and Aiden, Niyasa was happy with the way events unfolded for their older brother and Anastasia. 

"We need you to find out which guard you saw earlier, Niyasa," Emily gently coaxed her sister, but Niyasa only stared back at her. 

"Unfortunately, Lily, my time here was wasted. Even if you did find the guard, it wouldn't negate the fact that the gardener had his hands around Anastasia. The law was broken, and it is only a matter of time before we find out who will die. I need to find my mother so that I can tell her what happened and what you two did." Niyasa glared at her siblings before storming out of the room. 

Niyasa claimed she had no part in it, Emily thought to herself. Aiden had denied his involvement when she asked him. Their mother was with Lady Noor, and Lady Maya had left the palace to visit the mausoleum. Her grandmother was hellbent on making the love ship sail, so she doubted she had any role in this matter. 

So, the question remained: who had sent the guard to Anastasia? Unless… it was the gardener himself who had orchestrated the situation, Emily speculated.

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