The Eternal Queen

Chapter 27: Ardele

I trudge down the corridor, trying to get my heart under control. What was he thinking manhandling me like that? I am not a toy to be thrown around. 

Before I can think further into the matter, I spot Coralie coming out of the kitchen. She is talking to the cooks, and the head cook gives her an indulgent smile. The maids do not want the princess in the kitchens as it is improper, but Coralie could care less.

After she finished her conversation, I take the large plate of sweets from her hands, and she laughs.

"Hi, Ardele. I was going to call you down for dinner."

I crack a smile. "No need. We can share the sweets you have here. It is a lot of desert to have before dinner."

"Are you sure you do not want dinner? I already ate earlier. I have been craving sweets for a bit. Meaning, I am not sharing."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Oh, princess. That is not a virtue your mother would appreciate is it?"

Coralie rolls her eyes, snickering. "My mother is notorious for sweet tooth. But by all means, take the full plate."

I laugh, and Coralie joins in. She is a ray of sunshine for everyone. She hooks her arm with mine, and we walk down into the sunroom.

Nikolai pulls out a plush white chair, the edges carved beautifully with floral patterns, for Coralie. She waves him off, and I sit in the seat adjacent from hers. Nikolai bows before closing the French doors, leaving us.

I place the tray on the glass table, and I pour her a cup of tea. Sitting back, I glance out the large windows, sipping the fragrant liquid. The sunroom is covered from head to toe with windows, letting in a lot of sunlight. Sitting here is an easy target, but there are enough guards stationed outside to make me feel comfortable.

I take a bite of a pale pink macaron, loving the delicious rose flavors of the delicate desert. Coralie loves macarons, but that is saying little as she adores all sweets. Coralie is eating a piece of chocolate cake, and we talk about frivolous topics for a while. It is nice to talk to someone for enjoyment for a change. I desperately miss Nora, but she has been quite busy.

"Why were you coming from the weapons barrack, Ardele?"

"I wasn't. I was in the weapons room."

"What for?

I debate on whether I shall tell her. Coralie tends to her emotions get in the way of work and important matters. But she is valuable in the area of negotiation as her rhetorical skills are unrivalled. Coralie will have to be kept in the loop if she will be needed in the future. And she definitely will be.

"Last night when your brother and I were gathering blood flowers, we were attacked. It was not until an hour ago, I was taken in to inspect the attackers."

I pause to see if she is following. She drops a cube of sugar into her mint tea stirring before looking up.

"Okay. Continue."

"The attackers were corrupted by a magic user using dark magic."

Coralie's hand stills. "What? There is a dark magic user here in Arcana?"

I shake my head. "Not particularly. Your brother and I were on the outskirts of Arcana in the forests that meets the kingdom walls. It is possible that the attackers were corrupted outside of the kingdom before coming into the walls."

"This is really bad. They are dead now, are they?"

Slowly tilting my head down, I sigh. "Yes. So we cannot question them. And it gets worse. The weapons used to attack us; I am familiar with."

Her eyes sharpen on me, but she remains mute.

"The weapons are similar to the ones I used in the kingdom of Clairemont, where I used to reside."

Coralie leans her elbows on the table to place her head into her hands. "Are we declaring war?"

"Not quite. We need more evidence. I would advise the townsfolk to not go far into the kingdom's outskirts. The surveillance there is not the best. I will talk to the crown prince about that."

"Good. I will tell my father to make an announcement tomorrow morning regarding that matter. But I am sure Fallon has already informed him."

I nod as I nibble on a spoon of strawberry jelly. That is so true. Fallon is probably gathering an army right this moment.

We continue to talk and soon, Nikolai knocks the white French doors. He clears the tray and tells us that the maids will be cleaning this wing now. Coralie and I exit the room, and we bid goodnight before heading our separate ways to retire for the night.