“What?” Daniel was shocked. “What is this crap? El?”

Elizabeth felt like she was in a dream. “After all these years...” She then took a deep breath “I don’t like to talk about this, so listen well. It won’t happen again...”

"I am a Great Descendant," she continued, "Before I took your name, I was known as Elena of House Sitwell. My father is Grand Chancellor Sebastian Sitwell. My mother was Lady Maria Sitwell. I am one of the survivors of the Gloria Palace Incident. As you probably know, among the public, Elena Sitwell was pronounced dead. They said the accident was due to a broken mechanism in the palace’s steam chamber. That’s not true.

My sister and I were walking in the halls of the palace. The sound of Victoria’s music box ruled us into one of the rooms. There we found a dead man with the assassin sitting on the chair. All he asked, “Which one of you is Elena”. We ran away. He followed us. Then when the hall went part, I shouted, “I’m Elena”, told my sister to go. No, I promised her that I would find her later. Only then she would leave me. So I ran as fast as I could. Hid myself in the machine chamber. He came after me, but he didn’t have enough time to find me because the guards were on their way already. So he threw this device in the room and locked the door. This thing started to tick and I became nervous. The guards were on the other side, and I told them he threw in something before I got locked in. They said it was an explosive weapon so they tried to break to door but they couldn’t. The guards agreed that if they stay longer, Victoria would die too. So they left, leaving me abandoned. I started to panic and charged at the tiny window, breaking through it just before the explosion. A hot steam pipe hit me when I was falling into the canal beneath. That’s how I burned my face and my arm. Then I made my way out of the canal, wandered on the street until Mr Harrison found me. That’s how it happened,” Elizabeth stopped,

Daniel and Emily were speechless. They couldn’t get their eyes off Elisabeth. The Ghost of Haldan…is Eleana Sitwell. Since the beginning.

“But why didn’t you go back?” Emily asked. “You could be with your family, you could be in better places, maybe even claim the throne. And…” her voice vanished as she was trying to finish.

“Sixty-one people died that day. The whole palace burned down to ashes, and they still haven’t found the responsible. Whoever wanted me dead, is still out there to get me.”

Daniel continued “Deep beneath layers, where the White Circle can’t reach, right? So the real you must have been kept dead, because someone up there is plotting against you. Which further means, possibly against the New Kingdom. Well shit, this is indeed ugly…”

Elizabeth took a sight “Yes, I quietly watched if anything would happen. I concluded that whoever is the enemy of this kingdom, has tangled the Upper Circle in its webs already. Nobody is trustable, or safe…unless I’m a dead girl,” she than looked at Lord Gregory “You know…I’m afraid. To be honest, I’m terrified. Not that I would die, but that my whole world dies around me. Not even knowing why.”

“You should fear nothing, Elizabeth,” Gregory confronted her. “The ghost you are now, you aren’t exposed any longer. You can strike from the shadows, where the guilty resides. You must prevent the chaos that would follow your true death. I know it, in the core of my skull, that you are special for a reason, and dangerous to a higher force that wants to consume this country. For good. And mark my bloody grave, you will find your answers. I made sure of it,”

Lord Gregory started to cough violently. Crimson blood rushed up from his mouth. His breath was heavy, thirsty for air. “Almost time to go…” he thought.

“Elizabeth, Emily...Daniel. You stay aware. Stay together and stay very aware. I almost found out who was behind the Gloria Palace Incident! It’s someone from the Upper Circles. In the moment they find out you’re still alive, the family is in danger. The whole New Kingdom is in danger, and they can’t do crap about it. I’m afraid something enormous is coming, and you three must work your way to handle it. Trust this judgement of mine, for one last time.”

“Father..” Emily cried out loud. Her voice was soul shattering. Daniel rushed over to the bed and silently sat next to his father, to hold his hand.

“Elizabeth. Take this,” He gave a coin to the girl, “The coin can advise you…” the old man’s voice was crackling “…it will! For you can not escape a forgotten past,” 

Elizabeth couldn’t keep her eyes off her stepfather. She was petrified. Yet her hand reached out for his chest, to be gently placed on it. As a single running tear marked her cheek, she delicately nodded.

Lord Gregory closed his eyes, and leaned back with a satisfied expression. The wheels of time stopped for all three.

“Good” that’s all he said in tiring tone.

“You’re all good. I can go,” Lord Gregory thought then he released a last breath. The man was moving no more.

Emily hugged the lifeless body, spreading pearl like drops, all over the covers. Daniel’s shiny eyes were lost somewhere in space, still holding hands with his father.

Elizabeth rushed out the room. Her hasting steps pierced the wood beneath. As she tried to walk through the second room, thoughts about Lord Gregory and her past began corrupting her mind. “He is no more…he’s dead…this is my fault…” she furiously kicked the chair that got into her way, shattering the large mirror it landed on.

She stared into the mirror. Her reflection was mangled, much like her thoughts. In that web of destruction, all but one tiny fragment of her face remained clear…the metal, hiding her scars.

“No,” she thought, “This is their fault.” she sat on the floor, with her back leaning to the wall.

“This is all their fault,” she whispered.