A Sprinkle of Stardust

Chapter 30 - Secrets

She missed that. She missed him.

If all went well, Lyrani would be home by the next evening, but where would that leave Nash?

If Lyrani left Vlitavia before she freed him from the curse that plagued him, what kind of existence was she condemning him to? What devastation was she unleashing on the realm?

Deep breaths.

Lyrani had about a day left before the king's birthday celebrations ended. Gazana would call soon. After that, Lyrani and Trelle still had enough time to act.

Lyrani lowered her eyes to Princess Livh's handwriting.

It was so elaborate that it had given her a headache when she started reading the diary, but she was used to it now. Within a minute, she lost herself, not in the elegance of the penmanship but in the meanings behind the words.

They wove a story of a princess stifled by her birthright, alone in a palace ruled by her mother's iron fist. They told a tale of a girl with a disposition as sunny as her golden hair, watching as her hopes were picked off one by one like petals from a flower.

A human princess was celebrating her birthday? Livh wasn't allowed to go.

She wanted to attend the opening of a home for orphaned elves? Her mother would conveniently forget to arrange her transport, and she would spend the afternoon in her room instead, wishing with all her heart that she could be anywhere else.

Lyrani could see it for what it was—an attempt to control Livh, to keep her under her mother's power so that she'd never realise her own—but the princess was blind to the truth. She withdrew more and more into herself until one day, when a certain Irylenian arrived at Vlitavia Palace.

Dundor.

Lyrani checked the date of the entry. It was written nearly 26 years ago, before Nash was born.

Her breath caught. She remembered the scene in the crystal cave and the way the princess had looked at the director of ECISI.

Perhaps Lyrani could show the king that he wasn't really alone in the world.

She turned the page, bursting with expectation.

Instead, there was nothing. The inside of the book binding was rough where pages had been ripped out.

Lyrani ran her fingers over it. There couldn't be more than twenty pages missing, but without them, she couldn't know what had happened between Princess Livh and Lord Dundor.

She flipped through the remaining pages frantically, but it was no use. The diary resumed at Nash's birth. It spoke of how beautiful and perfect he was, how big his eyes were, how adorable his little hands were, but there was no mention of his father.

Lyrani reached the diary's back cover, still hoping she'd come across something confirming her suspicion. That was when she saw it.

A thick corner of parchment peeked out beneath the jacket of the little golden book. Her heart racing, Lyrani unwedged it with her fingernail.

Unfolding it with trembling hands, she saw that it was a letter written in Princess Livh's distinct handwriting.

Dearest Dundor, it started.

Lyrani almost dropped it in her excitement.

Could this be the missing piece? Princess Livh had gone to such lengths to remove any incriminating mention of Lord Dundor from her diary. It seemed too good to be true that she had forgotten this, but Lyrani couldn't deny what she was looking at.

The past will always have its say. Lyrani's years of working as an agent had taught her that.

Chewing on her lip, Lyrani read the letter.

I haven't heard from you since you left Vlitavia. I've written to you countless times, but I don't know if you've been reading my letters. I don't blame you if you haven't been. The things my mother said to you were terrible, and I should've fought harder to show her how wrong she was about you.

I love you, and I haven't stopped thinking about you since you left. I don't care that my mother thinks you're too old for me or that you're not worthy of me because you work in secret intelligence. I've never met anyone who makes me feel like you do, not before you and not since.

Our son is one year old today. Can you believe it? I just— Lyrani squinted to decipher the smudged writing —wish you were here with us. Mother is as awful as ever, but the servants and I keep Nash away from her as much as possible. He has your smile

The rest of the page was warped with dried tears, but there was no conclusion or signature. Princess Livh had never finished this letter.

Lyrani dabbed at her eyes.

Reading this diary was a journey through time; standing at Princess Livh's side as she raised a child who couldn't know his father and crying beside her as she tried to write a letter to the man she loved.

This was why Lyrani loved solving mysteries. She lived to give voices to those who couldn't speak for themselves, even when their stories broke her heart.

Now that Lyrani thought about it, Nash did have Lord Dundor's smile. She should've seen it sooner.

Lyrani's heart clenched. Lord Dundor had sent her to kill his son. What if he didn't know about Nash? Livh hadn't sent this letter, but she must've sent others, must've tried to tell him.

But Queen Rayn had wanted to keep Livh and Dundor apart. She might have prevented Livh's letters from reaching him somehow, so terrifying had the reach of her power been.

The princess had mentioned that Dundor wasn't replying to her letters. She had assumed he wasn't reading them, but what if he hadn't received them?

Lord Dundor couldn't know. He wouldn't have sent Lyrani to kill Nash if he did. He put his job before many things, but he would've never put it before his own blood.

Before Lyrani could figure out how to tell the director of ECISI about his son, the call-crystal on her nightstand lit up. She tapped its surface to answer.