"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY CHILD." Queen Arianna smiled at the young princess.
Princess Cassandra hugged her mother as she thanked her. This was her 15th birthday and all the important people in the kingdom were invited. The princess smiled as she was greeted by the other guests.
There were countless gifts only named for her and a grand banquet prepared just for the princess. Despite the lavish things served in front of her, the princess still felt a hole in her heart.
Queen Arianna must have noticed the sadness illuminating her green eyes. And she knew the reason behind that.
"Don't worry, dear. Your father's quite busy these days because of the economic affairs he has been working on together with the council. Surely, your father had prepared something for you," the queen whispered to her child, an attempt to soothe the sadness accompanying her.
Princess Cassandra forced a smile on her face as she looked at her mother. "I know, mother. I hope he'll be there before we start with the lantern festival."
The Lantern Festival was a tradition of Corona Kingdom. It was normally celebrated in the second autumnal equinox. But after the birth of the princess, the king and queen decided to move the festival permanently on the same day as the princess' birthday.
Cassandra glanced at the guests enjoying her birthday banquet. Truthfully, the princess doesn't want any other gifts. The only thing she wanted was for them to be completed on her birthday.
She was eight when she first realized the king's indifference towards her. Cassandra did everything she could to make the king notice her.
She studied well in her subjects. She practiced endlessly on her swordsmanship until she was the best one in their kingdom. All that she knew that could make her father proud of her, she had done it already. However, the king never looked at her with adoration.
Cassandra was 12 when she eventually accepted her father's treatment of her. And somehow, this made her feel as if she wasn't the real child of her parents.
"Dear," the queen called her, pulling her back from her reverie.
"I'll go and greet the other ladies, mother," she said. Cassandra kissed her mother's forehead before she left to welcome the other noble ladies. She didn't want her to give another excuse for her father.
Queen Arianna watched her child silently. There felt like a stabbing pain on her chest. Seeing her daughter this way was making her recall her younger days.
She had talked to her husband about this every night for the last 15 years, but nothing has changed.
"Mary," the queen called her chief lady-in-waiting.
Lady Flemming bowed as she stood beside the queen. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
The queen took one last glance of her daughter before she turned around. "I need you to look after my daughter. I will come back quickly."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Lady Flemming acknowledged her queen's orders, bowing her head to her.
Queen Arianna left the banquet hall with her royal guards and other ladies-in-waiting following her. With heavy footsteps, she ventured to her husband's office room. Arianna needed to force an answer to her husband's reason for treating Cassandra with indifference.
"Your Majesty–" the royal guard quickly bowed his head as he saw the queen.
Queen Arianna immediately stopped him from announcing her arrival, and silently ordered all of them to leave her. She wanted to speak with him alone, and she need not anyone to listen to their arguments.
She was about to knock on the door when she heard voices inside the office. Queen Arianna's heart pounded in fear as she heard a woman's voice inside.
'What is this? Is he seeing another woman?' It was her initial thought based on what she first heard.
Arianna carefully pressed her ear against the door. She wanted to confirm if he was truly having an affair behind her back.
"THERE WAS A LETTER from the guild, Your Majesty," Faith announced, a handmaid of the castle, as she handed the sealed letter to the king.
King Frederic's hands were shaky as he took the letter from her and read them. Captain Gainey, who was present in the room, was silent as he watched his king digest the information they got from the guild.
"This means we can track her down," the king whispered as he slowly placed down the letter he was holding.
Captain Gainey instantly bowed his head as the king turned his gaze to him. This prompted him to share the report he got from the guild as well.
"They found sightings of the witch you are looking for at the central market. I've dispatched five of my best royal guards to the location, Your Majesty."
The king somehow felt a torn slowly being pulled out of his chest. After he managed to change the law and views of the kingdom towards twins, he started tracking them.
And after all these years of searching, and searching, and searching for them, finally, they found information that might lead him to the witch.
"Make sure to follow her first before taking her with you, Captain. We need to ensure that we get the child back," the king declared.
"Which child?"
They froze as they heard the queen's voice. Queen Arianna appeared devastated as she heard their conversation. She was confused and hurt, even though she couldn't understand what her husband meant.
"Did you have another child with someone else?" Her voice came out like a whisper laced with sorrow.
The king's heart throbbed painfully as he watched his wife. "Leave us," he ordered them as he went closer to his wife.
"Answer me, Frederic. Who was she? Where did you meet her?"
Frederic cupped her cheeks, and in spite of the pain filling her heart, Arianna didn't push him away.
"My love," the king called her softly. "I must confess something to you." The king let go of her cheeks and he slowly knelt in front of her.
Queen Arianna watched him breathlessly as he lowered himself to her.
"Remember the night when our precious Cassandra was born," King Frederic started. He forced a bitter smile on his face as he looked up to her, tears forming on his eyes. "You gave birth to two beautiful babies that night."
Queen Arianna staggered to her feet, swaying upon hearing his revelation. She almost fell on the floor, fortunately, the king was quick on his feet and had caught his wife in his arms. Frederic guided his wife on the chair placed in front of his desk.
"Where is she?" Arianna mumbled under her breath, her gaze on the floor.
She couldn't feel her body, nor her head. It was like her soul was floating away from her mortal body. Hearing that she had another child that night, and knowing that she's nowhere near her was more painful than any heartbreak she had experienced.
Arianna's breath hitched. Her mind was in shambles. She couldn't breathe properly, and her words were stuck on her throat. She wanted to ask more questions about her child, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.
"Hah," she exhaled loudly, a hand clutching her chest in an attempt to calm the raging emotions invading her heart.
"My love," Frederic called her anxiously. He squeezed her hand gently, and soothed her back. "I'm sorry, Arianna. I'm really sorry."
Silence accompanied them. The queen didn't speak, nor did she make any sound. She only gazed on the floor as she silently digested her husband's confession.
'How can he do this to me?'
'What was he thinking when he took our own child away from us?'
'What was his reason for doing this?'
'Where is my little girl now?'
Those were the questions she wanted to throw at him. But the queen remained motionless.
"My darling. . . Please speak to me," the king begged as he went down on his knees again.
Arianna let out an exasperated chuckle before she eventually cried. His heart broke for her as he watched his wife wailing in front of him. This was something Frederic wanted to avoid.
If he had chosen to reveal the truth to her before, would he have avoided breaking her this much?