Sir James sat in the drawing room. The room was decorated in soft hues of pink and white. There were numerous paintings that depicted botanicals and the royal family. A few objects were made of solid gold, while others were made of porcelain. All the vases contained flowers from the garden and were remarkably fresh. Princess Abigail’s quarters were remarkable compared to other areas of the palace. Even the King’s office seemed to have a strange stale odor, and the walls were tainted by smoke. He hoped that Abigail would be crowned as the new Queen soon. Otherwise, he was not sure if the main palace would be renovated in time before it came to ruin. The more time he spent in the palace and with the royal family, he felt that Princess Abigail would be the perfect Queen. Many members of the nobility were hostile to the ruling King and Queen. He wondered if more families would decide to join the southern duke in his quest to dethrone the royal family. The best way to prevent that, Sir James thought, was to appoint Princess Abigail as the new ruler as soon as possible.
Princess Abigail walked into the room and smiled at her distant cousin. She was thankful to have his advice and that he worked with her daily. Before her grandfather died, he told her that she would not be alone and that there would be people who cared about her just as much as he did. It took her almost a decade to see that her grandfather was right. Micheal may not have loved her, but there were still people who cared about her.
She sat down on a sofa across from Sir James. Cosmo, who had been trailing behind her, jumped onto the sofa and onto her lap.
“Princess Abigail, have you been well?” asked Sir James. He knew, just by glancing at her, that Princess Abigail, in fact was not well. She had dark shadows under her eyes, and she seemed nervous. However, he knew she would not open up to him. Princess Abigail was under the impression that if someone -especially someone in her position- was going through a hard time, they should never speak of it. Their family had a tradition of tending to their wounds in private. However, Princess Abigail took it a step further and never even exposed her wounds in the privacy of her home. Sir James knew it was absurd to ask her, but he hoped that this time it would be different. She was still a young lady, despite her numerous responsibilities.
“I’m doing well. I just didn’t sleep well last night,” said Princess Abigail. Sir James was surprised, but Princess Abigail’s admission made him think she was finally trusting him. That was surely a good sign.
“Please make sure to take care of yourself, Princess Abigail. I came by today with a few updates regarding your note. Due to the nature of what I found, I didn’t want to write down this information,” said Sir James.
“Sir James, can you apply a temporary seal to this room?” said Princess Abigail as she placed her cup of tea on the table. In order to receive a knighthood, knights had to be able to perform a few basic spells as part of their final examination. Some knights were exempt from this requirement, but it required additional training. Fortunately, Sir James was knowledgeable and adept at using his magical abilities.
Sir James performed two spells. The first spell prevented any unnecessary interruptions, and the second spell soundproofed the room. Combining these two spells allowed him to converse freely with Princess Abigail.
“There are a few things that I found out. I don’t mean to alarm you but Micheal, the gardener is the second son of Duke Armara,” said Sir James. To his astonishment, Princess Abigail was not surprised and seemed aware of this fact.
“You already knew about this?” said Sir James.
“Yes, unfortunately,” said Princess Abigail with the saddest expression Sir James had ever seen on her face.
“Duke Armara’s second son's real name is Victor Micheal Armara. He recently completed his education at the Aurum Kingdom. He studied botany and magic. He excelled in both disciplines and, according to the academy’s records, has the highest potential of mana recorded for its students. Many professors thought he would excel as a mage and seek a formal position within the magical tower. However, after graduation, not one of his acquaintances heard from him. I was also, able to find that he was acquainted with Mr. Townsend since he was a child since Mr. Townsend often travels to the Aurum kingdom as a guest lecturer,” said Sir James.
“I see. I know I didn’t ask, but did you find any information about Mr. Townsend?” asked Princess Abigail.
“Mr. Townsend’s actions are a mystery to me. I did not ask the information guild to investigate him, but I did ask my mother about him,” said Sir James.
“What did she say?” asked Princess Abigail.
“Mr. Townsend had a total of five children. Not just four. Three were daughters, and the other two were sons. While the four children are employed in the palace, his youngest daughter ran away from the palace, and no one has seen her since then,” said Sir James.
“Why did his daughter run away? If she worked in the palace, like the rest of her family, I don’t see why she would leave and lose contact with her entire family. Mr.Townsend and his children are kind people,” said Princess Abigail.
“Please take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. My mother does not know the full details, nor is she trying to be disrespectful to any member of the royal family,” said Sir James. Abigail saw that Sir James felt uneasy and attempted to reassure him.
“At this moment, any information you share with me is confidential. The fact that your mother decided we needed to know this information shows how valuable it is. Please feel free to speak, and don’t hold anything back,” said Princess Abigail. Sir James nodded in agreement and continued speaking.
“Mr. Townsend’s daughter was employed in your mother’s palace during her prior engagement. After your father reported his dream, the engagement ended. In a fit of rage, your mother struck several of her attendants and maids in the palace. Mr. Townsend’s daughter was one of the unfortunate victims. She managed to survive, but according to my mother, she was left with a hideous scar on her face. It ran from her left eye to the corner of her mouth. She covered her face but faced a lot of ridicule from the nobles and the rest of the staff. Mr. Townsend tried to comfort her, but she disappeared from the palace one day. She is still missing. Mr. Townsend travels to the neighboring countries in secret to find her,” said Sir James.
“What was her name?” said Princess Abigail. She had not known about Mr.Townsend’s child. She must be in her late forties by now, but Mr. Townsend seemed still hopeful he would find her alive.
“Xoco Jasmine Townsend. She was often referred to as Jasmine. I looked up the meaning of Xoco; it means “youngest” in the ancient Nahuatl language.” said Sir James.
“It seems that Mr. Townsend follows the ancient of naming children after their birth order. He values it, but I wonder why he is trying so hard to dismantle it with the help of the Armara family,” said Princess Abigail with a stern look on her face.
“Princess Abigail, can I ask what occurred between you and Micheal?” said Sir James.
“Sir James, please don’t ever ask that again. I’m afraid that if I tell you, I won’t be able to deal with everything,” said Princess Abigail. Sir James saw she was fighting back tears and struggling to maintain her composure.
“I understand, Your Highness,” said Sir James. The Armara family had hurt Princess Abigail. Due to her small confession, Sir James thought it may have been related to matters of the heart. Sir James knew that if he offered Princess Abigail words of consolation, it would be of no use.
After a short time, Princess Abigail said, “There is something I don’t quite understand about your earlier story. My mother was previously engaged to another noble, but why was she living in the palace?”.
“Princess Abigail, the other noble was the late king, your uncle. Your mother and the late king were engaged and even had an engagement ceremony before your father dreamt of her. He informed the court of his dream, and out of precaution, your uncle canceled the engagement with your mother. A few months later, your father and mother were married,” said Sir James.
“I didn’t know that,” said Princess Abigail.
Abigail was shocked because her father and mother told her siblings that her mother’s previous fiancee was unimportant.
“Sir James, please hire people you can trust to track the movements of the Armara and Townsend families. Be discreet. Also, please tell your mother that I will call on her soon,” said Princess Abigail.
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