Several months had passed since I left the palace, and today I was bombarded with news that Princess Margaret has given birth to a son, the future King of Terrawyn. King Edward was overjoyed, having sent crates of gold and intricately carved wooden toys for his first grandchild, while his own daughter was wasting away in a rural village.
The King of Terrawyn, Antonin du Terre seemed to be pleased as well, and this joyous occasion called for him to revoke all the Beauchamp estates and put it in his grandson's name. The title of Duke of Irakli was given to the infant, and an heirloom of the Beauchamp family was to be given to Princess Margaret. It was a simple necklace made of platinum, but the locket was made with an awfully rare and expensive blue diamond, which is said to be so beautiful that anyone who sets their eyes upon it would be swallowed by the desire to own it.
The locket had always been in the possession of the Duchess of Irakli, and rumors of the Irakli Blue Diamond has become a household staple in Terrawyn. However, the soldiers had ransacked through every crevice of the mansions, but they were unable to find it anywhere. In the end, they issued a statement:
The Irakli Blue Diamond belonging to Her Royal Highness, The Crown Princess Margaret has gone missing.
If you were to find it, please return it and you shall be rewarded handsomely.
If you were to conceal it and hide it for yourself, heavy punishment shall befall you.
I found the entire fiasco quite comical. How could someone who has never even seen or touched the locket have the audacity to call it hers, and not to mention, the locket was illegally seized from a family that was annihilated on the king's own orders. I was certain that the locket was in Claudie's possession, and I smiled to myself, knowing that Princess Margaret will most likely never see the locket in her lifetime.
For these past few months, we have had peace, but the tension between the king and Edmund has yet to cease. My fiancé and my father cooperated in trying to find the Dowager Princess Consort, but they found no records of her whereabouts. It has been over fifteen years since she was sent into exile, and she was more likely to be dead than alive. However, Edmund was determined to find his mother, so I never made my assumptions known.
"I don't understand," Edmund said one evening while marking off multiple castles and regions on a map. "My men have infiltrated all the institutions, all the prisons and dungeons in this kingdom, and they even looked into places one would most commonly be exiled to. How come my mother isn't in any of them?"
I saw desperation in his pale green eyes, and the whites of his eyes started to become red. "I don't understand," he repeated, slowly this time. His body was slumped over the table, and I saw clear droplets of water falling down on the map, mixing together with the ink that has yet to dry.
"Edmund?" I called out cautiously while gently touching his shoulder. He has never cried before, not in my presence at least. I was alarmed and I did not know how to ease him, so I rested my head against his back and patted his shoulders lightly.
"We will find her Edmund, so you mustn't worry like this. Your mother is waiting for you somewhere, and she will be so proud to see the man that you've become," I said with a smile, and I felt his shoulders become less tense.
"Why are you still by my side, Annie?" he suddenly asked, and without waiting for me to answered, he continued, "If I fail to overthrow him, I shall go to the guillotine for treason. But it won't be just me. It will be you and your family as well, Annie. Are you not afraid?"
I shook my head swiftly. "In such things, there mustn't be any room for error. We cannot fail."
Edmund straightened his back and turned to face me, cupping my face in his hands gently. "You could've easily become the Queen if you accepted his offer, Annie. That Jane Ainsworth is no match for you, and I know that the King will depose her for you in a heartbeat. But why do you still remain true to me, even after knowing about Lacey and my bastard child?"
He was standing so close to me, and I felt his breath fanning my cheeks softly. I was unable to reply, as I had no answer. Indeed, I was unsure as to why I am still loyal to him after all that happened.
I wanted power, which he could give, but he could also die while trying to get that power. I could have become the queen by accepting the king's proposal, but I was quick to reject him. The thought of anyone other than Edmund was alien to me, and I could not imagine being married to anyone but him.
In my notebooks and diaries, I had begun to style myself as Lady Anne de Chauvelot, Duchess of Cindertrappe, and I never considered the possibility of another man's title to decorate my name. It was always Edmund, and I shall be the Duchess of Cindertrappe and nothing other than that. But why was I thinking like this? I was far from a loyal person, and my heart was as fickle as it could get, so why was I still standing right beside him?
"I don't know," I admitted truthfully. "I never considered marrying anyone else, and all this time I was simply focused on my future with you, as Queen of Phoenicia."
Edmund's lips curled slightly as the melancholy faded from his eyes. "Anne, do you love me?"
In an instant, I felt as if all the air was sucked out of the room, and my mouth felt horribly dry. It was as if the cat has caught my tongue and I had lost my ability to speak. However, Edmund was eager to hear my answer, and he leaned closer on me, his pale green eyes meeting mine intensely.
"Well, do you Anne?" he insisted, and I saw his pale eyes turn darker, as if he were a predator that was excited to see his new prey. Edmund then seized my chin with his rough hands and tilted it upwards, bringing me closer to him than ever.
"I don't know," I stammered, my words all jumbled up due to the erratic beat of my heart. My hands were trembling and my knees were shaking, but he did not seem to mind.
"That is not an answer, Annie," Edmund laughed, and he began to stroke my cheek, his smile growing even wider. "Why are your cheeks so red, Annie dear? You are never shy with me, so why are you blushing so furiously?"
His incessant teasing made my ears burn, but I was still too flustered to muster up a response. I looked down at my hands in my lap, not wanting to see his smug face.
"A little bit," I choked out.
"A little bit of what, Annie?" he chuckled, now even louder than before.
"I love you, a little bit," I admitted.
Edmund smiled in satisfaction, and said, "I love you too, Annie. But a tad more."
I looked at him in shock, not at all expecting that those words would escape from his lips. For the past two years, I mostly viewed him as an ally, a friend, and a companion. Romantic feelings have yet to bloom inside my heart, and I assumed that Edmund felt the same. I was aware than most royal marriages were made just for the sake of convenience and love usually was not included in the package. It is a blessing enough if the couple does not hate each other, and love is awfully rare.
"Is this a competition? To measure who loves the other more?" I chuckled awkwardly, but Edmund shook his head while stroking my cheek softly.
"We will be married in less than a year, Annie. After that, we will spend the rest of our lives together. Our married life will not be an easy one, even after I claim the throne. There will be countless people who will try to tear us apart, but I won't let them. In the past, I fought for my mother and sister, but now I fight for you too.
And I am glad that you are fond of me too, Annie. My mother and father had a very loving relationship, and I had hoped for something similar to that. One day, I shall crown you as my queen, and we shall reign together for a hundred years."
My cheeks were awfully red at this point, but Edmund kept smiling, as if I amused him.
"After we are wed, we shall live at Sterling Castle, and I will provide you with anything you'd ask for. Just please don't wander off into the snow this time," he warned in a serious tone.
I let out a scoff and said, "Well, what if I want to?"
The atmosphere immediately grew tense, and I saw his warm expression gradually cool.
"Don't you dare. You aren't used to the cold, Anne," he scowled. The previous hints of amusement in his eyes were gone, and I shriveled under his scrutinizing gaze. Any mention of the incident would result in me being scolded, and even though I asked Claudie about what had happened, she would not tell.
"Edmund," I murmured softly. "Why wouldn't you or Claudie tell me about what had happened on that day?"
I braced myself for another scolding, but it never came. Glancing towards him, I saw that he was looking down at the map, his pale fingers crumpling up the edges of the map.
"I want to know," I insisted loudly. "It had happened to me, so I should have the right to know."
Edmund then let go of the map and gently smoothed out the edges before turning to look at me. "I was too late, Annie."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, confused.
He stepped away, distancing himself from me, and he kept his gaze on the carpet on the floor. "By the time I finally found you, it was evening. You were covered under three feet of snow, and you were frozen solid-"
I scoffed in disbelief. "What are you rambling about?" I chuckled, futilely attempting to rid of the fear in my own chest.
"You died, Anne," he spoke, and I quickly shook my head. He never played jokes on me, and now I was certain that his sense of humor was terribly bland.
"Are you blind? I'm standing right in front of you!" I laughed at him, hoping that he would stop this dry, humorless masquerade. But he did not, and his face became even more grim.
"I brought you back into the castle and held you near the fireplace all night, Annie. It was useless, as your heart had already stopped and you were not breathing, but I had to try. All night I cradled you next to that fireplace, hoping that you would suddenly breathe again, Annie," he spoke.
"If I died, then how am I still alive now?" I countered, still not wanting to believe his words. Edmund was not the kind who would tell fairytales, and this story of his seemed to be a product of his own fantasy rather than reality. Who has ever heard of a dead person being brought back to life?
"I invited physicians from all the three kingdoms, but they all said that you were dead. I could not blame them though, Annie. You were not only pale, but your skin had started to become gray. Your toes were blue and black, too.
At that moment, I had begun writing a letter to your father, and I ordered for a coffin to be built so I could escort you back home. I truly thought that you were gone, Annie. But then, my sister stopped me.
She gave me a vial full of green liquid and told me to pour it into your mouth. I fed you the entire vial, and I waited for you to wake up. I waited for an entire day, but you didn't stir. I thought that my sister had lied to me, that she was playing a cruel joke. But Annie, on the third day, you did wake up, and you came back to me."
There were tears running down his pale cheeks, and he trudged towards me, kneeling at my feet and grasping my hands tightly. I felt his warm tears against my cold skin, and his soft sobs broke the deafening silence.
"So, I did die?" I breathed, and Edmund's cries grew even louder.
"You are alright now, Annie. You will live for many years to come with me, and I will give you anything you want. I'll go and get the crown of Terrawyn for you if you want me to. All I want is for you to be healthy and full of joy, Annie. That night by the fireplace was the worst that I've ever felt.
Just the day before, we were sitting in the carriage together, and you were so thrilled to explore the city. And that night, I was cradling your corpse in my arms."
He brought my hands to his lips and kissed them incessantly, and his body was shaking due to his sobs. I knelt down next to him, watching his pale face now flushed red.
"Edmund," I spoke softly. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I was too impulsive, and I made the decision to go into the snow."
He shook his head again in between sobs, and he let go of my hands to hold my face. "Believe me, it was my fault. I never should've let that woman enter my home, and I was supposed to tell you about her, not you finding out about her yourself.
I do not ask for forgiveness, Annie. I only ask for you to be healthy, and for you to live a long life. I already watched you die once, and I cannot bear seeing it happen again."
Hi! If you liked this story, try checking out my other story, which is set in the early 1700s, Catarina and The Prince ! By the way, Cecily and Gilbert's story is coming soon!