The Wicked House of Caroline

She opened the container of birdseed and sprinkled a bit on her windowsill, then tore apart a piece of bread she brought back from breakfast for the larger birds. Once there looked to be enough, Beks closed the window and put the container away. She waited for a moment, looking out the window for any sign of birds.

She heard a slight giggle behind her. “My lady, if you watch for them, they won’t come.”

“I’ve been feeding them for years, but they always fly off when I get too close,” Beks said with a slight frown. “Why do animals dislike me?”

She could count the number of pets she tried to have in her twenty years in Kadmium on two hands, none of which she’d had longer than a few months. Laurence and Eleanor once got her a cat when she was five, but the cat grew attached to her maid and when the maid left to get married, the cat wouldn’t eat, so Beks gave her up to the maid so that she could live happily.

She had tried to take care of the Second Prince’s wolf dog when he left for military school, but Melon Cake ran away. Laurence later showed her a letter from his brother; Melon Cake had followed him to military school. The dog would rather trek through the forests alone to find his master than live a comfortable life with Beks.

It was a blow to her seven-year-old ego, especially after she spent two days sewing and embroidering his name into a light green ribbon for Melon Cake to wear. In retrospect, perhaps that was why the dog ran away.

The Third Prince heard that she wasn’t having much luck with traditional pets, so he sent her a snake. It was all white with red-pink eyes and Beks had been in love. Unfortunately, the snake was as thick as her arm and frightened the maids. While cleaning Snowflake’s terrarium, they’d left the door open and Snowflake got out.

They never found Snowflake, which terrified the palace staff for a few months, but Beks still hoped that Snowflake was doing well, even if she hadn’t found him yet.

She didn’t have a horse of her own. She just rode whatever horse was available and even then, there was no particular horse that seemed to bond with her. In fact, they wouldn’t even let her brush them. At most, they’d eat from her hand and then shun her when they were done.

She was sent a few birds by her parents, but they flew out of their enclosure, living around the area like wild birds instead. That was why Beks left food on her windowsill every day. She didn’t know where her parents got such colorful birds; they weren’t native to Sagittate.

After taking one last futile look out the window for any birds, Beks moved away from the window and held out her arms. The maids helped put on her final overcoat and buttoned her collar.

There was no month-long mourning period, as per the late Queen’s wishes, so she no longer had to wear white. She returned to her normal brightly colored and elaborately embroidered dresses and overcoats. Her hair was up in a neat bun with nectria metal pins. Beks had plenty of jewelry, but tended not to wear them on a daily basis.

She walked out of her room, gliding across the worn stone floors of the old castle to emerge into the rest of the surrounding palace. When she arrived in Kadmium, she lived in one of the villa courtyards within the Gilded Palace. When she wasn’t studying or having some sort of lesson, she was under the watchful care of Uncle Timur until he died.

Laurence wasn’t that much older than her and had his own busy schedule as heir, so he had little time to spend with her. The twins were sent away, as well, so her former playmates were gone.

The Third Consort and Luther lived in a separate courtyard. Beks had been there twice and wasn’t allowed in unless otherwise invited. She was not the late Queen’s biological child, so she couldn’t live with the late Queen.

When given the option, Beks chose to live in the Old Tower. It was still being cleaned regularly and aside from its old age and normal wear and tear from everyday use, it was a fine place to live. It was somewhat secluded and there were plenty of rooms. It was still one of the tallest buildings in the palace, so she had some good views. It also reminded her of home.

Of course, few people knew that living in the Old Tower was a personal request. There were rumors that the late Queen sent her there because she was just a foster daughter and didn’t deserve to live in the Gilded Palace like the rest of the late Queen’s children.

The Old Tower had few servants and most royal guards patrolled outside. Few people knew that the inside had been redecorated with items sent from her parents in the north. There were animal furs, wool rugs, and tapestries bordered with Sagittater script.

Beks didn’t study her ancestral language when she arrived in Kadmium. Everything was in Jasper, the standardized common language of the kingdom. Beks instead studied two classical languages as ‘prestige’ languages and two more modern languages of the more influential trading partners.

To show her affection to Uncle Timur, she learned Langsher. Before he died, she’d proudly read him a storybook in Langsher. He’d picked her up, swung her in the air and kissed her chubby cheeks with pride and affection. Then, while holding her in his arms, he glared at his two sons and asked why they never bothered to learn their family’s ancestral language. Letters from the twins told her that they did eventually learn.

In addition, there were many accents and dialects within Kadmium itself. As the capital of the kingdom, many people came from all over to work and live in the city, resulting in pockets of diaspora.

When Beks and the late Queen went out to do work incognito, Beks was exposed to the commoners she’d otherwise be sheltered from.

Now, as an adult, Beks acknowledged that the late Queen didn’t take her out to do work solely for the sake of learning how to plan and organize various mundane tasks, but to familiarize herself with the people she’d been in service to themselves.

“Everything starts with listening. That is how you get information. When you have enough, you can really begin to plan,” the late Queen had told her. “Do not underestimate the power of information.”

Past the inner walls of the Gilded Palace were government buildings, including the East Throne, where the monarch would listen to this people’s grievances, and the West Hall, where nobles would argue amongst themselves and then present to the monarch the various laws and policies they’d produced for approval.

Beks was no stranger to either room.

The side entrance to West Hall was well guarded, but when the royal guards saw her approaching, they opened the double doors to let her inside. She gave them a small nod and entered the hall, turning to her right to make her way towards the royal booth. The only royal allowed on the floor of the West Hall was the monarch, or in this case, soon-to-be monarch.

Today was the first time Laurence held court since the late Queen died and it was bound to be a long morning.

As she walked around the inner portico surrounding the West Hall, she could look out towards the floor, where voices were ringing out regarding concerns during transition of power. Laurence was seated on the hearing throne, leaning forward and eyes narrowed as he listened to the nobles, occasionally nodding as if to sympathize with their words.

Beks climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the royal booth, where she and Laurence had sat to listen in when the late Queen was on the floor. Two royal guards were standing by the wooden door. Two royal guards had also been stationed at the entrance to the stairs. Two more at the door to the room meant that someone was inside.

She pushed open the door, keeping her face neutral as she saw the wooden chairs occupied.

“The one who is speaking now is Lord Grifton. His family’s land is adjacent to Lord Montgomery. The two are rivals. The Griftons focus on dairy and the Montgomery family on grains.” The Third Consort leaned towards Luther, pointing out the man with the receding hairline now speaking on the floor.

“Then...of the two...Lord Montgomery,” Luther said in a hesitant voice. “He would be a better partner. Grains can be stored longer than dairy, so they can be traded further.”

“Yes, good.” The Third Consort seemed pleased by his son’s conclusion.

Beks didn’t move from the entrance as she took in their conversation. She then made her own analysis. If it were her, she would choose to focus on the Griftons. Dairy was perishable, but cows also provided labor, fertilizer, and meat. There were also plenty of fiefs that grew grains, but few with cows. The Montgomery family had plenty of rivals whereas the Griftons worked with other dairy farmers, as well as sold fertilizer to other farms, earning them a good reputation.

One had to look at relationships, not just the end product.

If she wanted stability, she’d go with the Griftons.

“Your Highnesses, good morning,” she said, remaining where she was as she closed the door behind her.

Luther rose from his seat and gave her a bright smile. “Good morning, Beks.”

“Lady Rebecca.” The Third Consort gave her a curt nod of his head. He didn’t rise from his seat nor turn back to look at her. “Take a seat, Luther.”

“Oh, but Beks arrived-”

“You are the prince.” His father’s voice was sharp and Luther tensed. “Sit. Down.”

Luther’s brown eyes looked towards Beks with apology and he returned to his seat. He almost slumped his shoulders forward as she approached the chairs. She stood to Luther’s side and peered down onto the floor.

Laurence was now responding to some of the concerns brought up. He had been doing this work on behalf of the late Queen for the last few months and was relatively used to it by now, as could be seen by his calm demeanor and the firm, but neutral tone of his voice. Most of the concerns had been sent to him to review already, so now, he was just giving his final decisions on the matter.

Beks didn’t bring up her occupied seat. It was fitting for Luther to sit. Until Laurence had a child of his own, the de facto heir would be Luther. However, the spouses, or widowers, of the late monarch had no place in the royal booth. Spouses were not part of the line of succession.

Still, Beks didn’t have the Third Consort removed. Part of it was because she was also not part of the line of succession, so she had no power to do so. At best, she had an advisory role. In such a case, the Third Consort could be said to be advising his son. It wasn’t worth making a scene to remove the Third Consort, whom she knew would become argumentative.

The Third Consort had never been the most welcoming towards her.

Lady Eleanor had once joked that the man was already like an evil mother-in-law in those festival plays, and Beks had yet to marry his son.

“What do you think of Brother Laurence’s decision?” Luther asked her in a quiet voice.

“It’s well thought out and in line with the late Queen’s wishes to further strengthen the infrastructure of the kingdom, in particular the trade routes. Lord Grifton has a personal stake, as a paved road near his land will make travel much more efficient, allowing his products to go further faster. Brother Laurence has reviewed the geography of the proposed region, who will be affected, the estimated cost, and reviewed construction requirements in accordance with Infrastructure Regulations, volume two, roads and traffic. He has specifically cited section eight on rural roads and section five on trade.”

Luther’s eyes widened, impressed. He gave her a lopsided smile. “I always enjoy your ability to cite references down to the section and number. Kadmus is lucky to have you.”

She glanced at him and offered him a small smile in return. “My purpose is to do what I can for the kingdom. All I can do is memorize things.”

“You can do more than that,” Luther said, knowing. “Don’t think otherwise. You are brilliant.”

Her smile pulled up a bit more and she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Your Highness. You have also been working hard.”

Luther’s face brightened even more at her praise.

He didn’t seem to notice his father’s indifferent look when Beks was around. A new topic was announced and Luther looked over his shoulder towards the door.

“Bring Lady Rebecca another chair.” Before she could look surprised, Luther looked up at her with a smile. “You have more experience than me up here. Guide me through the process and explain to me. You are the best reference I have.”

She gave him a small nod and stepped to the side as a wooden stool was brought in. The royal guard looked embarrassed. “My apologies, Your Highness, my lady. This is all we could find.”

“This will suffice. The stairs are narrow and a full-size chair is difficult to bring up,” Beks replied in a calm voice. The royal guard placed the stool beside Luther and bowed to them before stepping back.

Beks adjusted her robes and sat down. Though the stool was a bit shorter than the chair, Beks was tall and had no problem seeing over the side of the booth. She carefully re-introduced each speaker to Luther and what their interests were before explaining Laurence’s answers once they were given.

Luther nodded, appearing focused, and asked a few questions to help further understand the situations. Beks was pleased that he was eager to learn. She’d long known that somehow, Luther would have to provide some support to the crown, but he never formally studied as they did.

She could only do so much as his fiancée and later wife. If she overshadowed him too much, it would reflect badly on both of them.

“You should continue to attend the meetings to learn more and support Brother Laurence,” Beks told him.

Luther nodded. “I know. I have much to learn.” He smiled and took her hand. “I am lucky to have you to help me.”

Beks gave him a small nod of her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll always be here for the kingdom.”

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“There are over a thousand men in his battalion.” Beks frowned as she stood by the desk and looked at her eldest foster brother in the center of the study. “How could they go missing?”

As part of her training, she was familiar with military organization within the kingdom. She had reviewed military budgets, arranged pensions, and, at her foster brother’s encouragement, assisted in the retraining of injured and retired soldiers and guards. Her work in the last five years had brought the royal family a lot of goodwill and support from the military.

While she knew the names of the Legion Generals, she didn’t know every single battalion leader’s name. The most familiar name was the Second Prince and the battalion that he led, the Wild Dogs, a Prime Battalion with more than the average number of men. They didn’t cause much, if any, trouble, so she never had to worry about them.

Until now.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know how Laz got word that Cian’s pilgrimage caravan was attacked.” Laurence paced the room and lifted his hand to run it through his usually carefully combed hair. “Laz’s battalion wasn’t supposed to be near the attack site, either.”

“It appears as if he strayed from the original route,” Lady Eleanor looked over the map. Her brows were knit together as her eyes never left the paper. “He should’ve been at least several days travel northwest of where the attack happened at the pace he was going when we last contacted him.”

“If he was able to get to the attack site so soon, then he must’ve already been on his way when we last spoke to him,” Laurence said with a frown. “He didn’t mention diverting his battalion.”

Lady Eleanor shook her head with dismay. “This isn’t like Laz. He’d tell us if he’d make such a large move.”

“Military protocol volume one, section one, article one: the orders of the reigning monarch are absolute. Refusal to comply or deliberate misunderstanding or misuse will result in detainment, discharge, or death in accordance to the severity,” Beks said from the desk as her eyes were downcast.

Laurence’s lips tightened into a line and understood Beks’ words immediately. “He didn’t tell me to avoid the possibility of being ordered to return instead of going after his brother.”

“Returning to Kadmium for the late Queen’s death and your coronation is not a royal order, but a matter of course,” Lady Eleanor said in a quiet voice. By simply veering off route now for the sake of aid, the Second Prince was not breaking any royal orders. “Neither he nor his battalion can be punished for refusing an order if there is no order to begin with.”

Laurence ran a hand down his face. “Quite a loophole he found....”

“But how did the Second Prince know about the Third Prince’s attack?” Beks asked. To her knowledge, it was a well-guarded secret. After all, no one told her until just moments ago when they found out that the Second Prince failed to reach his next fortress check in point.

“I don’t know,” Lady Eleanor said with a frown. “My father’s people still haven’t found the Third Prince’s whereabouts.”

Beks raised her head. “What about the rest of the caravan?”

The room felt colder in an instant and Beks looked from Laurence to Lady Eleanor. The two met each other’s eyes and seemed to have a silent conversation. Finally, Laurence nodded his head once. Lady Eleanor looked towards Beks with an exhausted, pained expression.

“Upon the attack, many attendants, guards, and a few escorting clergy were killed. The attack was an ambush and there were dozens of bodies found at the site. The Third Prince, as well as his attendants, were not found.”

Beks took a deep breath to quell the surge of anxiety. All they told her was that the Third Prince was missing. “He is presumed alive?”

“I believe he’s alive. I won’t accept that he’s dead until I see a body,” Laurence said in a low voice.

Lady Eleanor looked at Beks and put her hands on her shoulders. “My father’s people are combing the area near the attack site for any sign of the Third Prince-”

“Does anyone else know?” Beks’ eyes met Lady Eleanor’s with question as the discomfort spreading through her grew stronger.

Lady Eleanor looked towards Laurence with furrowed brows. “Just us and some of my father’s men we’ve charged with searching.”

“What about messengers? How did you find out about the attack and the Second Prince’s detour?” Beks pressed on as a nagging thought kept tugging at her.

“We were first informed through urapearl that Laz didn’t report to the next checkpoint as expected,” Laurence told her.

Beks narrowed her eyes. “That explains the Second Prince, but what about the Third Prince? Was a messenger sent to call for help at the nearest village or fortification?”

Laurence shook his head. “Yes, but they weren’t related to Cian’s caravan. Another pilgrimage caravan enroute to the holy grounds found the remains of Cian’s caravan. They recognized the banners on the wagon remains and the seals and went to the nearest fort, which happens to be overseen by the von Glassers.”

Beks further narrowed her eyes until they were squinting down. “Can you show me on the map where it was found?”

They didn’t ask questions or refute her. Lady Eleanor immediately fetched a map and laid it across the low table between the sofas in the study. Beks recognized the strip of land along the coast that made up most of Kadmus, which then seemed to fade inland. For a kingdom with such a long coastline, it was surprising that Kadmium was situated two days inland.

However, the sprawling fertile fields of the massive valley did help support the population of the capital city. A half dozen rivers cutting through the valley from the Eastern Mountain Range keep the valley fertile before draining to the sea.

On the other side of the Eastern Mountain Range was a drier with fewer mountains. The Great Steppes was the heart of the continent with snowy tundra north and tropical jungle south, all neatly divided by a series of jagged mountains.

Beks’ eyes ran through the map and settled on the continent’s eastern area. Uncle Timur’s family was from that region. As the youngest son of the Langshe Royal Family, his domain was the grassy flats below the mountains, as given to him by his father. Before Uncle Timur died, his favorite eldest sister ascended the throne. When he passed, they received an entire caravan full of mourning goods.

It was meant to show that they would keep peaceful ties with Kadmus and show the Langshe Empress’ backing of her nephews, Lazarus and Lucian.

For a moment, Beks considered asking Langshe for help in searching for the two princes, but there was a chance that Langshe would be suspicious of them. After all, of the four princes, why was it those two in particular who were missing? It was strange enough that Uncle Timur, a renowned equestrian, died from a horseback riding accident. She shook the thought out of her head and refocused.

“St. Cormac’s Trail goes from our shores inland, to the Great Temple, which is the fifth stop, then over the mountain range into the Great Steppes.” Lady Eleanor moved her hand over a marked trail. When she reached the area between the mountain range and the Shrine of St. Cormac - the end of the pilgrimage trail, her finger lingered. “This is where the caravan remains were found. It is confirmed that an ambush took place here.”

Beks knelt next to the table and silently traced the path. Her eyes flickered to the forts along the base of the Eastern Mountain Range. Kadmus’ natural borders were the Eastern Mountain Range. The territory they’d retaken were swaths of land just to the east of the range, but St. Cormac’s Trail crossed several kingdoms and principalities.

The ambush happened at Kadmus’ border and the closest fort was an old one from one of the earlier conquest periods. The town around it was used as a stopover for pilgrims, so it made sense that an ambush would be reported there.

“The attackers were too close,” she said. “Outside of the trail, this area is well protected with no skirmishes for territory since the Queen took over. In addition, pilgrimage caravans are hardly ever attacked.”

Lady Eleanor frowned. “Could it be that they’re giving us a warning?”

Beks raised her head a bit. “Who do you think is ‘they’?”

“Meskra.” It was a small kingdom along the trail with a stopover of its own. “Prince Zarios has been trying to expand his power as his father is ailing.”

“But the Treaty of St. Cormac’s Trail was signed by all five territories along the trail and a quarter day’s travel on either side would not be considered part of any individual kingdom or principality’s territory, but its own autonomous territory under the Temple. The Temple pays each kingdom and principality a set rent to keep this property and allows each to manage their own stops enroute to the pilgrimage site,” Beks said. “It is essentially free money and places to do lucrative business.”

“The money paid to the territory is based on how much of the trail goes through it. The longer the stretch of trail, the more Temple money received,” Laurence said.

“But in order to keep the territories from fighting over the trail, the rent is fixed based on the measurements from when the treaty was first signed. No matter how much land they take, they will only receive the same amount,” Beks told him. “There is no reason to fight for more....” She trailed off and frowned. “But if they have control of the pilgrimage stops they can use that to generate income. The more trails, the more stops they can have to utilize, even if rent from the Temple isn’t going to them.”

Both Laurence and Lady Eleanor nodded. “As you said, a lucrative business.”

“Meskra has five sons vying for power and the current crown prince is trying to solidify his position and needs some achievements. He can’t outrightly attack another kingdom or principality, but he can try to affect us while we were vulnerable during the transition period,” Laurence told her.

“Did they target the Third Prince?”

Laurence frowned a bit. “At first I thought so, but Cian does not often disclose that he is the Third Prince. Those close to him and the heads of the Temple are aware, but he does not advertise that he is the Third Prince. I believe his caravan was targeted simply because it is a caravan.”

She wanted to believe that as well. “Can we increase military patrols in the portion of the trail that is within our territory under the guise of pilgrim security?”

Her foster brother smiled and patted her head. “We’ve already done so.”

“We’ve also told allies about bandit attacks, so as to increase their vigilance,” Lady Eleanor told her. “This will also allow us to investigate without being obvious.”

Laurence took a deep breath and frowned. “Which is another reason I don’t understand why Laz made his detour so obvious. As a member of the royal family, it is likely that this was reported to him since we have some men searching.” She watched him run a hand down his face. “We’ll keep a close eye on this. I’m sure our brothers are alive, Beks.”

“I have faith in them,” she said as she straightened up. She left Laurence and Lady Eleanor in the study, her brows still furrowed and her full lips in a tight line even after stepping into the hall.

The logical part of her mind told her that the ambush on the pilgrimage caravan was a coincidence. It was likely targeted without knowing that the Third Prince of Kadmus was a priest traveling in it. It also made sense that the Second Prince, upon hearing that his younger twin brother was missing in an ambush, would utilize his resources to find him. The twins were always very close.

But such information should’ve been closely guarded by those who knew so as not to shake the majesty and illusion of power of the royal family. Who would’ve told the Second Prince, who was traveling from a different direction days away?

“Beks!” She refocused on the hall ahead of her and saw Luther walking towards her with a slight smile. “What are you doing right now?”

She kept her shoulders back and back straight as she gave him a small bow of her head to greet him. “I plan to work on my schedule and answer correspondence,” she said. At the moment, since Lady Eleanor and Laurence had not yet wed, she was the mistress of the family and had to deal with matters they’d usually take on. “You don’t usually come to this wing of the palace. Were you looking for me or Brother Laurence?”

“I’m looking for you,” Luther said. He caught up with her and took his place at her side. “I know you’ve been receiving guests who’ve come to give their condolences for Mother.” His lips pulled down into a frown. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been at your side assisting with this. Brother is so busy and you’ve had to carry the social burden for him.”

She gave him a small shake of her head. “I volunteered to do so as it is what is expected of someone in my position. My only regret is that I did not do so immediately.” During the first week after the late Queen’s entombment, it was the Third Consort who received mourners at his family’s manor in the city. Beks had insisted on receiving mourners at the Gilded Palace on Laurence’s behalf so as not to give the Third Consort so much attention.

Luther gave her a sympathetic look and grasped her hand. He gave it a warm squeeze. “We are all mourning the loss of my mother, Beks. You were particularly close to her, as her only daughter.”

She blinked and almost smiled at his observation. “I was criticized for not looking sad enough at the entombment.”

“You have never been one to show too much emotion,” he said. “It’s for the best. If you grow too anxious, you could get another flare up.” As he said it, there was a glint of worry in his eyes.

He’d been witness to one when they were children. Beks forgot the reason she’d been so panicked at the time, but she was little and couldn’t control her emotions well enough. Her heart rate and breathing had grown out of control, and suddenly, it felt as if she were on fire. She’d crumbled to the ground in front of the Fourth Prince, screaming in pain as she curled into a ball.

The Fourth Prince, around six at the time, had never seen her have a flare up and had screamed for help. Since then, he’d been very careful around her and would always try to remind her to breathe evenly whenever they encountered something particularly distressing. The shadow of her attack in front of him lingered to that day.

“Thank you for understanding.”

He turned to her and gave her a bright smile. “I am your fiancé. I should at least know that much.”

She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. “I will let you know when I will have guests again and you can come with me. It’ll be reassuring for visitors to see a united family front.”

His eyes sparkled and he nodded. He walked through the Gilded Palace and back to the Old Tower, reminding her to have dinner with him that evening.

“I’ll take you to the city. You’ve been on the royal grounds since before Mother passed. I should take you out to breathe,” he told her.

“Thank you, Luther.” When they were children and she first arrived, she called each prince by their name and the Third Consort scolded her in private, reminding her that she was not a royal family member, so she should not call his son by his name as if she were.

Beks started calling Luther ‘Your Highness’, though was given permission by him to be called by his first name in private.

She climbed up the spiral staircase to get to her room. The Old Tower had been turned into her private residence in recent years, so she had a formal office, dining area, as well as a place to sleep and rooms for the staff who served her. There was also the former great hall which had been transformed to welcome guests.

Though, aside from Lady Eleanor and Laurence, she rarely had any.

She’d had private tutoring all her life and rarely left the palace grounds. When she did it was under strict guard and with another member of the royal family.

Most people would think that she’d go with Laurence or Luther, but she left the castle the most with the late Queen. It was almost always incognito for their secret observation and charity outings.

The late Queen took the throne during a turbulent time. Turbulent times mean danger and poverty for common people, and the people who often surrounded the late Queen would only report positive things. In order to get a proper look at her people, she often left by herself, and when Beks’ health was stable enough, she began to bring her.

Her foster brother and fiancé would bring her to fine shops, fancy restaurants, and exciting festivals, but the late Queen took her to dilapidated parts of the city; places that were dirty, dark, and falling apart. Where there was violence and suffering.

This was the sight that made the late Queen rebel against her father to take over.

And she wanted Beks to know and understand what she was working for.

Since then, the situation in even the worst parts of the city had improved. The last time she went out, the school she’d organized for poor and orphaned children was doing well. It had been some time; she needed to check on the programs she and the late Queen had put in place.

Beks unlocked the door to her room and entered, locking it behind her.

She placed wooden changing screens over her narrow windows and took a seat at her vanity table. She had a music box gifted to her on her tenth birthday from the late Queen.

She turned it upside down and dislodged the small, fist-sized urapearl inside, then walked to her writing desk to adhere the glossy clear urapearl onto a wooden stand hidden beneath the writing surface.

As soon as the urapearl was in its stand, it began to glow. She lowered her head and kept her eyes wide as a flash of light came from the urapearl. It dimmed and turned black.

“Contact Nexus.”

The black began to turn silver, but no sound came from it. Beks waited, watching the silver and waiting for it to turn clear. As soon as it did, the face of an old man appeared and he bowed his head. Beks recognized the late Queen’s former advisor and current ‘chairman’ of Nexus.

“Good health to you, my lady.”

“Mr. Kesse, can you report to me the current status of Nexus.” It was the hub that organized and ran the various projects that she and the late Queen sponsored. It originally started as an information network created by the Queen that spanned the entire kingdom, but now it focused on charitable work.

“Yes, my lady. Have you read the letters from the late Queen?” the old man asked with calm eyes.

Beks looked down at her desk. She reached to the small drawer on the side and unlocked it with the ring on her thumb. The pile of letters the late Queen had prepared for her were there and while her mind told her to pick one up, her arm did not obey.

“No, Mr. Kesse,” she replied honestly.

The old man took a deep breath. “My lady, you must read the late Queen’s letters.”

Her eyes drifted back to the image of his head in the small urapearl. “Do they contain orders or instructions on how to keep Nexus working?”

As it was a private endeavor that the late Queen oversaw herself, the royal family would not be involved. In addition, it was her and the late Queen’s little secret.

Mr. Kesse’s old, wrinkled eyes looked at her with some sadness. “My lady, it should be your inheritance from the late Queen.”

As a foster daughter unrelated by blood, she had no legal right to an inheritance. “Then it should be given to Brother Laurence.”

“No, my lady,” Mr. Kesse said. He let out a tired sigh and gave her a weak smile through the urapearl. “The late Queen worried that you’d refuse. She informed me that those letters are for you.” When Beks began to hesitate, he continued to speak. “I am the aide who was with her up until she secured the throne and was her friend to her death,” the old man told her. “This is what she wanted.”

Beks furrowed her brows. When she had received the letters, she’d put them away. Since then, she’d been too busy to look at them.

Even if she weren’t, she didn’t want to.

“Must I read them now?” she asked.

“Yes, my lady,” Mr. Kesse replied. “I am afraid I have been instructed to wait until you’ve read through the letters.” Without another word or any encouragement, he gave her another bow of his head and the urapearl turned black before it became clear once more.

Beks turned her eyes on the neat stack she hadn’t touched since she placed it in her drawer the night the late Queen passed. A heavy sense of responsibility remained with her. Nexus and all things connected to it were a responsibility left to her.

When she was young, she had asked the late Queen why she didn’t bring any of the princes on their secret outings. The late Queen said that the responsibility of Nexus should go to the child of prophecy.

The weight of that title was suffocating, but knowing what it entailed, she could not bring herself to abandon the responsibilities given to her.

Beks took a deep breath and reached for the stack of letters. It was tied in a neat bundle and she flipped it over, pulling one of the ribbon ends to untie them. The letters seemed to be older the further down they were, so she chose the one at the bottom of the pile.

She removed the letter, using her thumb to slip between the folds and pry open the wax seal. She unfolded the parchment with the softened edges. She narrowed her eyes after reading the first few sentences.

My Dearest Rebecca: Beloved daughter, knowing your memory, I dare to write these to you. After you read these letters, burn them.