* * * *
"Where is the prince?" Irisa walked toward Samuel who was feeding his horse an apple, "he left, he is on his way to Venusa as we speak."
"What?!" Irisa glanced at Nancy and looked back at Samuel who busied himself with working on his horse.
"He left? Just like that?" she mumbled feeling disappointed.
"I am going back to bring my luggage from the palace, Anita has prepared me a room here and the prince has asked that I perform my duty and protect you at all cost," he stated and bowed before getting on his horse and kicking, leaning her presence.
Irisa slowly made her way back into the palace with her maid by her side, she said noting throughout the journey, that they entered the small garden that was now filled with growing crops.
"He left so early, is he avoiding me?" Irisa asked quietly, Nancy said nothing and sat on a bench as Irisa started her farming.
"I was angry the night before."
"That is no excuse m'lady, you hurt the prince. You said words that were truly hurtful and vile. Nobody deserves to hear those words especially not him your husband."
"I know! I know!" she stated squeezing her face and slamming the small how she had picked up earlier down.
"Knowing what he had been through, you should be patient with him, your temper has cost us a lot of things, princess and this might be the gravest." Irisa sighed and wiped the sweat off her face.
"I was going to apologize, he just left without even saying goodbye!"
"In the end everything...."
"Princess!" Anita yelled running toward them, Irisa frowned, standing to her feet, seeing royal guards as they marched into her garden, "What is it? What is happening here?"
"By order of Empress Agnes the First, you are summoned to the palace, you are to arrive as soon as the edit is read to you."
One of the guards said making Irisa glance at Nancy who watched the guards warily. They yanked her by her arms and pulled her out of the garden. She swallowed knowing she was going to suffer a great deal.
"M'lady!" Nancy called, she nodded at her maid, Nancy frowned as she pushed her into a carriage and set out for the palace.
* * * *
Irisa was chained and was brought through the servant's entrance. Many looked at her with genuine pity, some with curiosity, some with confusion others with disdain.
Holding her head high, she knew that being punished individually would save the whole manor. She followed them into the large quarters where the Empress resided.
This was the first time she was entering it, she fell to her knees and ceremoniously bowed remembering her manners. As soon as she brought her head up, her eyes flew to Beatrice, and Jessica who sat on the right side of the Empress, they looked excited by what they were about to do.
"Princess Irisa!" the Empress called taking a sip of her hot tea, Irisa's eyes flew back to the Empress, and she bowed her head not daring to look the fierce woman in the eyes.
"Do you know why you are here today?" she asked sitting up and folding her arm, Irisa shook her head, "I do not Your Highness, I was asked to come by an edit you have commanded."
Beatrice scoffed, "liar!" she yelled, making Irisa glare at her.
"Well, if you do not know I will tell you, you have been summoned by me because you have overstepped a boundary that has been set, you have humiliated not only the royal family but the whole of Hasten!"
"Insolence!" Jessica screamed, Irisa clenched her jaw, "I do not know what you speak of your Highness," she screamed as a soldier kicked her hard making her fall to the ground.
"You will not speak like that to your Empress knowing your lowly status as the bastard child of a duke!" Irisa took in a deep breath, she tried pulling herself back up but was given one more kick, this time harder by the same soldier.
"I am... I am sorry your... Your Highness!" she took in another long breath trying to ease the pain she felt.
"Donald's and Beatrice's marriage is in four days, I have heard of your insolence to your stepmother, I am not her. I am Agnes the first! I will not be disrespected by the wife of a crippled man!"
"That crippled man is your son!" the Empress nodded and the soldier walked to her front giving her a hard slap on the face, yelling and slumping onto the floor, she touched her now arching face and glared at the soldier who smirked at her.
"I think you have learned that where you are, you cannot act as you please. First, you planned with that assassin and faked the water-hemlock poisoning..."
"What?!" Irisa blinked in shock, Agnes smiled, "Oh I know! Do you think we are all like Donald? Fools? I do not know the game you and that crippled husband of yours are playing but know this! As long as I am alive you will never succeed!"
"I was poisoned! I wouldn't lie about that sort of thing."
"Oh please Irisa, the Empress knows better than to trust somebody who faked her death for the attention of our father!" Beatrice confessed smirking, Irisa clenched her jaw spitting out blood.
"I might have done all those things but why would I allow myself to be positioned by the water-hemlock poison? It is the most dangerous in the world!"
"For attention? Why else." Jessica shrugged unbothered.
"I have done nothing wrong! I saved the crown prince's life!"
"Okay, if you saved the prince's life, how do you know there was going to be an assassin?" Irisa's mouth clamped shut. Aaron had warned her never to speak of what she heard. Irisa looked down making Jessica's smile widen.
"I did no wrong to you! I should not be here! I am the first Princess of Kaley!" Agnes scoffed.
"You are more delusional than I anticipated, Irisa, you are nothing here! That title you hold, I gave and I can take back. I can make you become my servant at the snap of my finger and nobody will bat an eyelid, not even your crippled husband."
Irisa said nothing, she felt a headache coming on from the hard slap she received, "now," Agnes continued.
"You be lashed fifty times every day and thrown into the dungeons till the celebration of the crown prince's marriage is over." Irisa's eyes widen in shock.
"But your Highness! The celebration is in four days and it will last a full week!"
"It seems that you are intelligent but your intelligence has been used for the wrong reasons. This will teach you a grave lesson, take her away!" Agnes screamed our the guard who pulled her to her feet roughly.
"I have done nothing wrong! Mercy your Highness! Mercy! Please! I beg the gods and your ancestors please mercy!" I screamed and cried as they dragged her protesting body out of the quarter.
* * * *
Samuel stopped his horse and looked down at crying Nancy and a wary Anita, "What's wrong? Why are you crying, Nancy?" Nancy swallowed and broke down into small sobs that choked her.
"The Princess... She was taken to the palace like a criminal! We do not know what has happened and we did not know what to do!" Samuel's eyes widened hearing what she just said.
He turned his horse back and kicked it, the horse flew and landed before racing towards the palace. Samuel got to the palace in record time and looked around, it looked like there were ministers there. The court had stopped holding for too long, due to the prince's departure. The Empress did nothing but chase after her rebellious son and Donald did nothing but chase after women.
He walked toward the gate but the guards stopped him before he could enter, he frowned and looked at the both of them, "What is this?"
"You cannot go in."
"You know I work for the prince! I need to speak with him urgently."
"We have been directed to not let you into the palace until further notice." Samuel blinked not believing what he had just heard.
"I just told you I have an urgent message to deliver to the prince, and you are still stopping me, do you have a death wish?"
"We do not, this is why we cannot let you in," the other guard answered confidently, "I am not joking here! An urgent matter is to be brought to the crown prince's attention but you are stopping me from seeing him! Do you know you could have your head cut off because you have just stopped me?"
The guards did not move, they stared at him saying nothing, and he shook his head not able to believe what was happening.
"By orders of who exactly?"
"The Empress." the guard replied before pushing him from the pathway and bowing as a woman elegantly dressed, nodded and made her way into the palace. Samuel clenched his jaw. The Empress knew he was going to come and decided that she was going to make sure Irisa saw no help. What kind of wicked games was that woman planning?
He glared at the palace and then the guards who were not fazed. They continued their work, as more elite entered the palace. Samuel walked toward his horse and climbed onto it.
He needed to find a way to communicate with the crown prince, so he could be informed of the latest developments.
* * * *