XV

DAE

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Dae remained on the floor for a few more minutes, staring at the marbled floor of the princess, her mind blank, she was incapable of thinking any other things, except the sensation she had just felt.

Her face burns at the humiliation she felt, after reaching her completion only for the princess to left her there feeling empty and confused... Weren't they supposed to be friends? Was it just that? Does even loyal friends do this? Wasn't she supposed to somehow

.... Comfort her? Tell her that it's alright, tell her that she did a good job? Dae slowly turns to look a the open door of the bathroom, waiting... Perhaps the princess would return to her? Perhaps she just did something?

So she remained, kneeling.

She remained like that for a couple of minutes until someone enters... She thought it was the princess, but she was surprised to see lady Odette, at first the senescent woman looked at her startled, before shaking her head and releasing a sigh, she stepped out of the bathroom only to come back carrying a dry towel, she pulled Dae up to her feet. Only then did Dae seems to notice her wet mouth and neck, she tried to wipe it using the sleeve of her dress but Odette stops her.

"Tis is not proper for a lady to do." Odette gently wipe her mouth and neck with the towel, while shaking her head.

"She shouldn't be doing this, even if she despise her father so much." The woman spoke more to herself as she helps Dae with cleaning herself.

"If he ever notices this, he will quickly pull her to the gallows." Dae paled at the notion, she stared at her wide eyed. And upon seeing her reaction, she felt pity to this young lost soul.

"Just.... Just be careful. If you care for the princess, be careful." The woman then tuck a lose strand of hair behind Dae's ear... She fixes her hair, then her dress once more, she looks at her from head to toe... Dae stared at her for a moment... Is this how it felt.... Having a mother?

"There... You're all good, now go and head to the library, your Instructress is waiting for you." She gently usher Dae out of the bathroom, Dae walk out of the room... Mind still swimming from all the had happened in span of an hour and a half. She reached the library in a blur, and finished her lessons in a blur. Everything was a blur... Until her brother visited her and pulled her with him to take a walk.

" Father is inquiring about your current status." He began as they take a peaceful walk, a peace that she knows wouldn't even last.

" What did you tell him?" She asked curious.

" What do you think I should tell him? When you're not even doing anything?" Dae flinch at his words and cowers when he glares at her... Dae knew that he would hit her at any moment, just one wrong word coming out of her mouth.

" T-the king hasn't returned yet... I don't what to do." She admitted, because her focus in this mission is to get the king.

" Well why don't you begin by murdering his wife?" Dae's eyes widen.

" That wasn't what Father told me to do-" She couldn't finish her sentence when his palm made contact with her cheek, the slap was hard that it echoed around the silent garden, she got dizzy and felt like she's going to fall. She wasn't give enough time to recover when his hand grab her arm, squeeze it hard making her cry.

" Do you take me for a fool you cunt? Do you think I have no idea what conversation you had with father? Didn't he tell you to kill his family? Hah?" He asked while shaking her, she began to sob as his nails dig into her flesh.

" Or have you forgotten it? Would you like me to remind you again? Perhaps a good beating will beat some senses to you?" Dae didn't answer, she was just staring at his a tears continue to stream from her eyes, she bit her lip trying to stop the sob that threatens to come out, she knew how they hated it when she cries loudly, it is often the reason why they beat her harder.

The sound of unsheathing sword was what made her brother loosen his grip on her. He too tensed when he felt a sword's tip pointed at his neck.

"I was pretty sure that you have already been warned by the princess not to touch the lady Dae.... Lord Frederick of Lysos." He slowly let go of Dae, but the imprint of his grip and the wound from his nails had already done the damage.

"We were merely speaking." Her brother stated with a clenched jaw.

"That's not what I saw Lord Frederick." Dae looked behind her brother and saw sir Alastair, with his companions.

"Is it proper of you to point your sword at a guest?" His brother sneered, he didn't move, his glare remains on her.

"Is it also proper for you to do that to your sister?" Dae saw how he pulled the sword back.

" Let go of the lady. We will take it from here." He told her, her brother clenched and unclenched his jaw before turning away from her.

" Fine, take that stupid cunt with you." They watched him as he storms out of the place, leaving her with him.

" Are you alright my lady?" Sir Alastair asked as he approached her, he gently touched her arm and checked her wound and bruise.

" Tsk... This would stay there for another week... Let's just pray that it'll be close to healing when the king returns. " He stated before gently ushering her with him. Together they walked.

" Let me introduce you to my fellow knights and friends. This is sir Adrien Frost... Son of a known merchant here in the city of Kings, and here is Dame Adela Lynch. She came from a family of a well known knight producers." The two bowed, greeting her with a smile. Which is something new to her, rare are the people the greeted her with a smile, most people in the castle ignores her.

" Where are you headed? Would you mind if I accompany you?" He asked with a light smile on his lips.

"I... I'm headed to the queen's garden. I would like to stay there for a moment. And no... I don't mind." She answered him, which seems to please him more. Alastair turns to his companions and asked them to leave him alone with her... Once they are gone, the two of them continued to walk in silence.

At least it remained like that until he spoke.

"So... Was he always like that to you?" He asked her as the two of them continued to walk.

"Not always, most of the time they paid me no mind. Father was the one doing the disciplining most of the time." She told him, telling a little bit of lie.

"Does your father always beats you close to death?" The question is a bit too personal for her. But she doesn't want to appear rude, and so she answered him.

"He does that because I misbehave." The two of them stops when they reached the queen's garden, the two of them stood and looked at it. Admiring it.

"I misbehave too princess, but the king never beats me, nor my mother. It is only natural for a child to sometimes misbehave. Like a man, it is in their nature." He spoke, Dae looked at him and admire his beauty for a moment, Sir Alastair unlike her sister has a silver hair. But he got the King's golden eyes, he too share the same thick eyebrow as the king, but his eyes and lips as well as his nose must have come from his mother.

"I guess, not all parents are the same... I know my father only does that because he loves me." That's what her father made her believe. He loves her that's why he is disciplining her, she's imperfect that's why as her father, he must do everything so she would be perfect.

" Hmmm... You are right. But still, that's too much." He spoke again. The two of them were silent for a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the song of the wind.

" You are to be a king's wife... You shouldn't let them do that to you." He told her, before grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles, the action made her cheeks reddened.

" If he ever did that to you again, please tell me, as a loyal knight it is my job to protect the Royal Family, and you are going to be a part of it. And I will protect you myself." That was his parting words before he left her there, standing looking at the knuckles of her hand that he had kissed, Dae felt warm.

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PRINCESS ROSHANNE

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She arrives at the temple that just a few hours, usually it will take a whole day trip from the city of kings to the temple of Imyrill by land, but she managed to travel that far through the means of her dragon.

The people in the temple were surprised by her visit, because rare was the day that she visits the temple of Imyrill, it isn't her home, but this is where the Cardinals and the Archbishops gathers.

"Sainte... What brought you here?" Archbishop Whistler asked her, he was the one who greeted her, while the young deacons are scurrying to prepare the place.

"I need to talk to Cardinal Francois. This is an urgent matter." She told him, there are only 28 cardinals in the Kingdom, the rest serves under the temple of Sol and Solvira in the city of kings, the other two serves under the temple of Riahanon, the other one, Cardinal Sefer is the only Cardinal serving under the God Aelius and the remaining three serves under Imyrill.

"But, his eminence is in the holiest of Temple, he is in a three days fasting your highness." Roshanne's jaw clenched.

"Tell him that this is urgent." She demanded him.

"But..." Roshanne cast a glare at him making him shut, with a defeated sigh he turns around and left.

The temple of Imyrill is the temple where royal weddings are held. It was because Imyrill is the sun Goddess of love, it was through her divine power that she blesses the union of two people. Her father wed his mother here, but his concubines were wed outside the temple. It wasn't blessed by the Goddess and therefore it was not sanctioned by the temple.

If they wanted Dae to be a legitimate queen she must wed here, inside this temple so that no people will question her when she is placed beside the queen, and her authority will not be question.... Hopefully.

Roshanne stood there for another hour, waiting. Usually they don't make her wait, but since she disturb a three day fasting she knew that the Cardinal would not be pleased.

"Sainte? Cardinal Francois is waiting for you in his office." A young servant approached her. She nods her head and walked where the Cardinal's office is. Upon entering she saw him sitting by his desk looking grim. Cardinal Francois is a relative of hers, he was her mother's cousin. He is an old man, with a shoulder length hair that is always tied neatly, he had been a Cardinal for 50 years, and was fighting for the position of the pope in the temple, but he hasn't won, all because he lack influence, and a lot of people don't like him..

"What could be so important that you had to disturb my fasting?" He asked grimly, Roshanne looked around his office, full of books and documents, paper lay scattered on the ground and dust covering most of his furnitures, cob webs could be seen at every corner of the four walled room that he calls his office.

"I'm here to struck a bargain with you." This made him raise his brow.

"A bargain? Since when did the Sainte learn to bargain?" He asked with a humor, he chuckled and shake his head before taking a seat, he grunted as he bend his knees and feel on his chair that squeak with his weight, The cardinal maybe a tall man, but he is fat. They said that he spends most of his day eating and drinking and lusting over young woman, her sources told her that he often times bring young maiden to his room. Saying he had the habbit of deflowering them.

"Since I have to live in the city of kings. I have to learn it in order to survive." She told him crossing her arm as she further more study his room.

" Ah... But this is no city, nor castle." She looks at him as he gobbles his drink from his cup like a pig.

" I'm sure whatever it is I have to offer will benefit you so greatly." She approaches him slowly. And when she reaches him, she placed down a golden ring. The ring of the future pope. Roshanne saw how his eyes quickly widens, he tried to touch it but she quickly removes it from the table. The Cardinal looked at her wide eyed. The pope is just below her, and the Cardinal knew that she had the power to choose whom the next pope will be during the reign of the next king, or in her Case, during her reign as queen.

"A bargain is it." He said taking a seat and composing himself.

"Tell me of it." Roshanne stared at him for a moment, before showing him the ring again.

" My father will marry his concubine in three days, after he returns from the golden hills... I want you to officiate the wedding right here. Inside this very temple." She told him, his eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

" But it is against the law of the Gods to wed someone out of the noble and Royal family here. And besides, you mother is still alive, wedding your father here will make that concubine of his eligible for the position of queen if something happens to your mother and besides, it will make his child with her more eligible than you if that ever happens." Roshanne already knew of this, of the consequences she might face, but she had already planned this through.

"Just do as I say Cardinal, and in return I shall give you what you desire the most." He looks at the ring again and swallowed, he tried to compose himself, make it look like he isn't interested at all, but Roshanne had already ensnared him to her trap.

"But... I am a cardinal serving under the Goddess Imyrill, no Cardinal who serves under her has ever been made a pope." He told her, she smiles at him and grabs his hand before placing the ring on his palm.

"Then let's make you the first... Can I count on you?" She asked him, the Cardinal smiled willingly and nod his head too eagerly, too blind to see that he is walking right ahead of her trap.

"Of course princess, leave the rest to me." With that confirmation she turns around and left the room. On her way out she happened to pass by Cardinal Theo who's talking to Archbishop Whistler.

"Your Highness! It's great to see you." Roshanne smiled at him. Cardinal Theo is an old man, wise and been a Cardinal far longer than Cardinal Francois, his work has been noteworthy of her, he's been doing a great job lately, and it was through his work that several other temples of the Goddess Imyrill was build.

"Cardinal Theo, forgive me for my sudden visit, I just had some important matter to talk to with Cardinal Francois, how are you fairing?" She asked the old man, who's grown even more older by the year. Roshanne remember him as a loving man, when she was young and doing her training as a Sainte, it was him who thought her patience, and above all kindness. And to love her people.

"Ah, it's alright, are you leaving too so soon? Would you like some tea first before you leave?" Roshanne looked outside the temple and still the see the sun shining, it hadn't shine like that for the past few days.

" As much as I would, I'm afraid I can't, I'm in a hurry." Roshanne held his hand and bowed before placing it on her forehead as a sign of deep respect.

"But I will make it up to you in three days, I shall visit again." She promised him before leaving, outside she saw Wildfyre patiently waiting for her. She quickly mounted her and made her way back to the palace.

By the time she arrived it had already been dark. Some of the guest are still in the ballroom, enjoying the feast as much as they can. She quickly went to her room and ordered Odette to draw her a bath.

"Shall I call for lady Dae again?" She asked as the other servant filled her tub with warm water.

"No... I will require no assistance for today. How is she?" She removed her riding leather, she smelled like the sun.

"She did excellent in her study again, she took a walk in the garden with prince Alastair. And she met her grace again." Roshanne's brow raised, she hadn't visited her mother in a while, she didn't bother ever since she lost her mind.

"Tell me more." She demanded while wearing the robe.

"The two of them shared a tea, the queen.... Spoke to her about you and prince Khalil." Roshanne froze at the mention of it.

"Does she already know that I am the other child?" Odette shakes her head.

"No, but the queen enjoyed her company, her servant even said that they saw her laughing... She hadn't laugh in a long time you're highness." Roshanne looked away from Odette, the queen in all her existence never laugh, she always wore that strict look on her face, rare was the occasion she smiles. And to hear that Dae managed to make that miserable woman laugh had touched something deep in Roshanne.... At least, the queen finds joy in her last days. At least before she dies... She experience joy in the briefest moment. She should be thankful to Dae.