Lysandra stared quietly at her mother who kept pacing for the past thirty minutes. It was 2pm and the sun was high in the sky. Both ladies were yet to leave the room due to fear.
Lady Victoria silently prayed in her heart that the King should not find out about Caspian's disloyalty towards him. If that should happen, their hopes of escaping would be thin. Meanwhile, there was a reason why people dreaded the Eastern prince. No matter how hard it would be to escape, Lady Victoria has made up her mind that Lysandra must leave the castle tonight.
Tucking her hand into her dress pocket, she brought out the paper the King's hand had given her. Unfolding it, Lady Victoria stared wide-eyed at the handwriting and stamp in the paper.
"Mother, are you alright?" Lysandra asked when she saw her mother acting weird while staring at the paper.
Lady Victoria looked towards Lysandra, "come and take a look at this."
She immediately ran towards her mother to take a look at the paper. To her surprise, it was an access grant letter. "Seems good."
Lady Victoria then folded the paper back and handed it to Lysandra. "Remember that tonight, no matter what happens–you have to run as if your life depends on it, of course it does." Placing her hand on Lysandra's head, she smiled tentatively. Then she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "You're special Lysandra, always know that."
"Yes, mother." Lysandra smiled and snuggled into her mother's embrace like a cat. "I won't let you down no matter what."
***
Meanwhile, the three legal-born princesses were attending their daily study class with their Governess, Lady Isabelle.
"Lady Isabelle, how does a woman get pregnant? I saw a maidservant two days ago with a baby bump." Pandora asked.
The Governess stared at the Princess awkwardly as her face turned pink from embarrassment. "Well, Your Highness, I can't tell you about that as it's not yet time for it…."
"But I'll be twenty in the next five moons!" Pandora drawled annoyingly. She already knew the answer but it was fun watching the Governess struggle for words.
"I also heard you have a son. How did he come about?"
"Pandora!" Riona scolded her sister's intruding words. "You can't ask such a thing. According to Lady Isabelle, it's not yet time." She puffed her cheeks in frustration. "Lady Isabelle, please continue with the lore." Riona urged the woman.
Pandora pouted her lips and looked to Albertina who was quiet the whole time. "Perhaps Tina can tell us more about it. I saw her last night with the stable boy. How could I have missed telling father about it," she folded her hands across her chest in jest of her sister.
Three pairs of eyes fell on Albertina who was now red as a boiled shrimp.
"I–I don't know what you're talking about," she answered. Her figure immediately turned small upon the curious eyes of others. A tear slowly fell from eyes as she stared at Lady Isabelle's disappointed gaze. "I love Hayden." She murmured.
"Oh dear," Lady Isabelle sighed and comes to where Albertina was sitting. It's normal to have affection for someone."
"My mother said so too," she replied sheepishly while fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
"Does your mother know about this?" Lady Isabelle whispered. It wasn't something she wanted the other princesses to hear as they might report to their mothers.
"Yes. She gave reprimanded and gave me something to drink. It was bitter," Albertina replied.
Lady Isabelle then nodded her head. "Then you have nothing to fear. But don't attempt such acts again. It's shameful for a Princess and also, choose a more discreet place," she added before turning to look at Pandora.
Albertina nodded her head before wiping the small droplets of tears on her face.
The former was grinning so mischievously. One could tell that Queen Remi has heard about it. Lady Isabelle knew about the girls' attitude. She knew Pandora even better than others due to her open cunning nature.
"That's enough Dora, except you want me to tell the Queen about what I saw at the Beckett's Soiree."
The silly grin on Pandora's face fell and was replaced with a shocked yet predating expression.
Later when the girls were done for the day, Lady Isabelle escorted them to their quarter before looking for the last princess Lysandra. Five years ago, Queen Remi had stopped Lysandra from attending the same class as the other princesses because she was born out of wedlock. The Queen felt it was a waste of resources. Lysandra had spent two years without any lessons.
In the third year, Lady Victoria hired her to be the Governess for her daughter. This time, Queen Remi had no way to stop Lysandra's classes because Lady Victoria was the one to pay and not from the King's treasury.
When she got to Lysandra's room, the girl wasn't there which was rare of her. "Perhaps she's at the physician's quarter," Isabelle mumbled to herself before walking away.
Meanwhile, Queen Remi had also heard from her personal servant that Lysandra had been in her mother's room since the morning after their unfinished breakfast.
Just as Lady Isabelle was about to enter the next corridor, she came face to face with Queen Remi who seemed to be coming from the physician's quarter.
"Your Highness," Isabelle quickly bowed to the Queen who was elegantly dressed in a dark green velvet gown. The dress hugged her body perfectly and her fine makeup was graceful. Her blond hair was styled and gelled perfectly. Diamonds adorned her neck and wrist while a small trinket rest on top her head.
"Rise," Queen Remi ordered the Governess.
Isabelle stood up but didn't look at the Queen's eyes because it was seen as a disrespect.
"I find it interesting to see you here. What is it Isabelle? Looking for someone? I thought you were supposed to be lecturing the red-haired bastard," Queen Remi sneered. For a queen, she was acting lofty and unrefined.
Isabelle swallowed uneasily as sweat formed on her skin. "Of course Your Highness, I was having a stomach upset earlier and decided to see the royal physician," she lied through her teeth.
"Is that so?" Queen Remi asked. She was so sure that Lysandra wasn't in her room. That's why the Governess decided to check the physician's quarters. But the Governess was a tight-lipped one.
Isabelle hesitated for a few seconds, "yes,, Your Highness."
Queen Remi smiled at the response and said, "unfortunately, the physician left to pick up some goods. As you can see, I was just coming from there."
"Oh, that's sad. I can manage then. I'll see another physician after lecturing Princess Lysandra," said Isabelle. "I shall take my leave, Your Highness."
Just as Isabelle turned, Queen Remi rushed to speak. "I shall accompany you to the girl's room. It's been a while since I moved my legs. Isn't that right Cara?" She asked her personal maidservant who usually feeds her information about the castle.
"Yes, Your Grace," the girl replied with a seething smile.
Isabelle internally gritted her teeth as she stomped forward, not caring if the Queen was on her tail or not. She quietly prayed in her heart that Lysandra should return to her room else the Queen would start suspecting her.
When Lysandra's door came into view, Queen Remi's anticipation rose to its peak. She already has a well spun lie to tell the king if the girl was absent.
Isabelle was about to knock when the door was pulled open from the inside. Shock and relief lined her face and she quickly bowed. "My Lady. I'm sorry for meeting you this late. I was having a stomach upset."
Lysandra shook her head. "It's alright Lady Isabelle." When she spotted the Queen, Lysandra immediately bowed. "Your Highness," but the woman ignored her and marched away with her maidservant.
When both ladies saw that the Queen was gone, they both sighed in relief.
"That was close,"Lysandra muttered to herself as she let the Governess into her personal room.
Her mother had figured out that the Queen might be spying on them. Lady Victoria didn't want anything or anyone to disrupt their plan tonight. So it was best to kill suspicions. The plan was to act normal. When it was time, they would go through the kitchen to the back gate, mount their horses and flee Asta.
***
1825 March 23; 9pm
Albertina sat quietly at the back of a tall bookshelf at the castle's library. Being the quiet one, she loved reading fairy tales and folktales at night when everyone was asleep.
After Pandora had openly told her secret, she had come here sobbing. Albertina didn't want to cry like a baby but she couldn't restrain herself.
While she was enjoying the story she was reading, a loud noise came from outside the library door. She immediately turned off the oil lamp so no one would know someone was inside. If her mother find's out, she might be grounded for a week.
"Any news Cyprian?" The king asked a man in shiny gold amour with the Flynn's royal family emblem engrave on it.
"No Your Grace, but my guards spotted something in the castle," the man said with a cold expression.
"What could that be?" The king looked towards the Head commander of the King's guard.
"It was Caspian. He was acting strange this morning. My guards had noticed because I personally told them to keep an eye on him. He went to Lady Victoria's room and came out twenty minutes later. From what they told me, Caspian believed no one saw him."
Owen frowned hard as his fists clenched in anger. "What else?"
"Lady Victoria was with her daughter at that moment. They spent hours together before the girl left for her room."
Albertina who was now close to the door heard everything they were saying but what was bad about the king's hand visiting Lady Victoria? Also, it wasn't wrong for a daughter to be in her mother's company. Specifically Lysandra who didn't have anyone to talk to at that period of time.
"Caspian must have told them about my plan to marry off Lysandra to the Eastern prince. That old snitch. I'll slit his neck and hang his head at the gate of Asta!" The king fumed.
A pale white Albertina froze behind the door upon hearing her father's words. The Eastern prince?. No!. She was hearing it all wrong. "Perhaps my mind is playing a trick on me," she whispered to herself.
"Send your guards to fetch Lysandra and her mother. You bring me Caspian. Slay his wife and children and anyone of his household present." The king commanded.
"Yes, Your Grace," Cyprian replied and marched away.
If someone had told Albertina that her father, the king, was this cruel, she would have laughed it off. The King's guard was going to kill an innocent family and her father just made the orders. Now she knew where Pandora got the heart from. A cruel father and mother.
"I must warn Lysandra even if I didn't get to Lady Victoria on time," she said to herself and stealthily sneaked out of the library.
***
Lysandra has changed from her dress to a dull tunic she had borrowed from the stable boy, before heading to her room for lecture. Paired with a boot, she tied her red hair into a ponytail and grabbed the sack laying on the ground. It was time.
Staring at the mirror, she smiled to herself and ambled towards the door.
Albertina suddenly burst in with a pale white face. "Sandra, father's guard is coming to get you and mother. You'll have to hurry!" She shouted in a frenzy.
"He's found out," she whispered. Then Lysandra recalled that her mother was supposed to meet her here. "My mother, she's not here. I've got to tell her." She immediately fled the room with the sack in her hand.
"Sandra wait!" Albertina screamed and ran after her. This was crazy. Dramas like this happen only in stories, not in real life, right?
She ran into Lysandra's back without watching where she was going but her sister stood frozen.
"MOTHER!!!"