Saving Her Kingdom

♡ Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Immediately after getting the permission, I sent one of Ella's trusted servants with a signed note from me to the lodge where my father and the officials of the army were currently residing. While waiting for them to arrive, I elaborated the next step of my plan.

It would take the servant approximatively two hours to reach the lodge, and at least another three until my father and the army would have arrived. I had written in my note to my father to take the way behind the servants' quarter, where I would be waiting for him. It would be the early evening by then, which was right after the ending of the Council's regular meeting. Which I wanted to spy on.

While wandering through the hallways and corridors, reminiscing the games my sister and I had played in my childhood, I suddenly came to an idea that would simplify the spying considerably. I remembered a secret passage that was located behind one of the walls of the Council's room for an eventual evacuation, with a tiny door hidden in the wall. I had seen it from the inside of the room, and unless having the knowledge of its existence, it was indistinguishable.

I had a feeling that at one point in the meeting, the subject would land on the rumors of my return and the possible threat that was my father. I would be able to hear what would be said that way, so that I could prepare arguments against each of their own.

After eating a quick lunch in Ella's room, which she had taken from the rests of the Court's lunch, I quickly checked the presence of the sword under Ella's mattress, and made my way out of the room. I looked around, glancing at the few servants hurrying here and there and sneaked along the wall to the entrance hall, to check the time on the large clock I knew was located there. Seven minutes until it struck four. I pressed my lips together. I had no time to lose.

I had different options to reach the secret passages of the palace, which most were luckily connected with each other. I chose the nearest entrance, which was also the most inconspicuous one according to my memory.

Walking rapidly two lounges further east, one corridor and two hallways, I finally entered the smallest library of the palace, the score library. I knew it was decently filled, to say the least, with all the most classical and the latest music pieces the kingdom and a few neighboring ones too.

Glancing around for a split second, distracted by the number of memories the room possessed, I quickly noticed that I was alone, which wasn't very surprising. In only an instant, I crossed the space from the door to the opposite wall, and carefully pushed aside a part of the smallest shelf, that was disguising a tiny hidden door. It was just large enough to fit a person, but I knew that I would get through if I squeezed my skirts a bit.

I braced myself, letting out a breath. Let's do this.

Seeing the lock on the door, I rapidly searched through the shelf, finding not long after the book I remembered contained the key to the passage. Taking it out of the shelf with a bit of difficulty due to its weigh, I opened it at the last page and retrieved the old metal key, giving it a short, relieved smile. Thank God, it's still there.

I hurriedly inserted the key into the lock, and watched the dust fly around the edges of the door as it opened. I held back the urge to sneeze and quickly placed the key back into the book, and then the latter on the shelf in its place.

I looked inside the passage, seeing the oil lamp and the firelighter in the usual recess of the wall. At each entrance of these secret passages, those items were present to be able to see something while walking in them, and thankfully, this entrance was no exception. I carefully lighted the oil lamp and firstly looked inside to see the same old passage that I had always known. I smiled to myself and entered.