The morning sun cast a pale light over the Duke’s manor, doing little to lift the heavy atmosphere that had settled since the previous night. Estel sat by the window of her bedchamber, watching the white royal carriage meander down the manor’s driveway as she tried to quell the turbulent thoughts in her mind.
“My dy, the Captain of the royal guards is here to see you,” Adrianne, her dy-in-waiting, quietly announced behind the closed door.
“…”
She flipped the ‘phone’—a souvenir from the self-professed Witch in the woods, apparently—open and close in her hand absent-mindedly, finding the soft click of the hinge almost hypnotic. Though she shouldn’t be surprised that the Witch’s prediction turned out to be true, knowing what would happen next sent a wave of dread through her.
A soft knock on the door broke the silence. “My dy, are you awake?”
“Y-yes,” Estel called out, slipping the tiny phone into her bodice. “Please ask the butler to lead the Captain to the drawing room. I’ll greet him there shortly.”
“Understood, my dy. Then, should I come in to assist you with getting ready?”
She quickly got up from the windowsill and sat in front of the dressing table. “Please enter.”
Closing the door behind her, Adrianne carefully carried a basin of hot water to the dressing table and began combing her long, silvery blue hair.
“My dy…” She hesitated, the brush in her hand pausing mid-comb. “Are you feeling well, my dy? After the unfortunate turn of events that transpired yesterday… ”
Estel tried to give a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. The confrontation simply caught me off guard, that’s all.”
The look on Adrianne told her that she was still somewhat unconvinced. “But you were engaged to His Highness for almost half a lifetime…if it were me, I would feel like half of my soul had been ripped apart. You must be very strong to be able to endure this much, my dy.”
“I…”
Estel fell silent, not sure how she should continue with her reply. Adrianne, seemingly sensing her discomfort, didn’t push the matter further too as she powdered her hair and finished her coiffure.
“What would you like to wear today, my dy?” she asked while patting a wet cloth over her face.
“Something muted will do.”
“Then, shall I put on the maroon dress that the Lord of Mildeu gifted recently?”
Nodding her head, Estel looked at the mirror as Adrianne helped her put on the different yers of her gown. Her reflection returned her gaze, the bags under her ashen grey eyes noticeably darker than they usually were.
“Would you like me to apply some makeup on your face?” Adrianne asked, catching her staring at her own reflection intently.
“No, that won’t be necessary.” She hesitated, then asked, “Do you think that I have the face of a viliness?”
The dy-in-waiting suppressed a shocked gasp. “Who dared to make such a horrible accusation against my dy?”
She hastily shook her head. “N-no one in particur, don’t worry about it.”
Adrianne narrowed her eyes momentarily before letting out a sigh.
“You ought to ignore the hearsay, my dy,” she advised, carefully arranging the kruseler veil over her head. “I believe the captain is here to present his opinion about yesterday's events, you should talk to him and hopefully clear the air.”
-
Raven-bck hair cropped short and neatly groomed to military standards; steely brown eyes framed by a set of thick shes and slightly bushy eyebrows that remained ever so penetrating and mesmerising; the leather of his gloves taut across his knuckles as his fingers curled inwards into fists.
Sitting rigidly on the plush velvet couch in the drawing room, Captain Marcus cut an imposing figure that was a stark contrast to the delicate elegance of his surroundings. His royal blue and silver uniform was immacute, as always, the polished brass buttons and gold insignia of his Captain rank catching a glint of morning light filtering through the tall mullioned windows.
Estel subconsciously rubbed her wrist where Adrien’s fingers had gripped her the night before as she made her way into the room. The Crown Prince had summoned the guards to escort her out of the castle, and Marcus had been present—she dared not imagine how she could face the Captain if the Crown Prince had his way.
“You’re…here,” she began, her tone somewhat guarded. Which was strange, she thought, since the Captain was hardly a stranger in her life.
But then again, he was the man who showed up at the manor’s doorstep st night to take Father into custody.
“My sincere greetings and apologies, Lady Estel, for arriving here unannounced,” Marcus spoke, standing up immediately. “May I have a moment of your time?”
She shrugged and gestured for him to sit down. “Since you are already here, I don’t really see a point in sending you back. Adrianne, please serve a drink for our guest.”
The dy-in-waiting approached him with a porcein cup of freshly-brewed tea, setting it on the low table between them while giving a polite curtsy.
“Thank you,” he replied in a grateful voice, though he did not immediately reach for the cup. Instead, he continued to sit in silence, an undeniable flicker of conflict in his eyes.
Estel forced a strained smile. “Captain, what brings you here today?”
“So, um,” he started hesitantly. “I come with troubling news, Estel, about the Duke—I mean, your father. In light of the Crown Prince’s sudden decration, there have been accusations levelled against you, and your father has to answer to those accusations in the presence of the Crown Family.”
Biting her lip, she nodded her head weakly. “And those accusations you mentioned, are they so severe that the royal guards have to detain my father in the castle dungeon?”
“About that…”
Marcus took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
“I’m not supposed to divulge the specifics, but keeping you in the dark isn’t something I intend to do,” he whispered. “The nature of the accusations concerns treason, Estel. Treason to the Throne and the Crown Family.”
The lingering dread in her heart swelled.
“Because of that, I’m afraid your father won’t be able to return home until our investigation is complete,” he continued, his tone regretful but firm. “And…Estel, I think you should already have an idea, but your family won’t be able to escape this unharmed.”
Her dread gave way to a sudden, bleak despair.
“At the very least, your father will be stripped of his office and appointment,” Marcus admitted, his eyes of self-hatred betraying the fa?ade of composure he attempted to maintain.
“But considering the fact that the Crown Prince and his new fiancée are behind the accusations, I fear your father—” an expression of pain fshed across the Captain’s face “—no, not just him. Even your own life may be in danger, Estel.”
