I hurry to the door, pulling Grace after me. “Murdered? How? By whom?”
No one has been murdered within the castle walls for centuries. We have guards everywhere. We are supposed to be safe.
“We don’t know.” Grace stops a tear with her free hand. “A guard discovered her body in the courtyard. We think she’s only been killed recently.”
“So there’s a murderer free in the castle?”
“I guess.”
Doormen wordlessly pull the doors open for us, exposing us to the cold night air. Pebbles embed themselves in my bare feet as we stumble over the cobblestones. A small crowd gathers in the far corner. More shadows join the group each second. It’s a mismatched collection of crying servants, sleepy royalty, and anxious guards.
My eyes fall on the corpse.
She was young, maybe only eleven or twelve. She probably worked in the kitchens or on the cleaning staff to help support her family. She might have been her family’s only source of income.
A thin stream of scarlet traces its way from her throat. There are no other bruises or cuts on her and her uniform appears to be in perfect order.
I find Violette in the crowd. The servants step respectively aside as I make my way to her.
“Do you know what happened?” I ask.
She shakes her head, “No one does.”
“There are no witnesses of any kind?”
“No one has come forward.”
Emilienne and Alexanne break through the crowd. “Have you heard anything?”
“No,” I say, “have you?”
“Nothing,” Emilienne groans.
William marches towards us without looking at the body. “You must all go back to your rooms immediately. We will have a private meeting first thing in the morning regarding this issue. It was unnecessary for all of you to come here, and especially in your nightgowns.”
“But it was an emergency and we’re—” One look from William convinces me to close my mouth.
“Your rooms. Now.”
I drop into a grudged curtsy and fume out of the courtyard with my three sisters following. I whisper my apologies to the teary servants.
We reenter the halls. I wait only for the door to close before I begin my rant, “I can’t believe he just spoke to us like that. One of us is going to be Queen within two months. Nothing will ruin our people’s respect of us more than him shamelessly bossing us around. A servant has been murdered and he’s trying to silence us.”
Emilienne nods, “If one of us is going to be Queen, when is he going to start treating us like one? Does he expect us to patiently wait around in our rooms after someone’s been murdered?”
“It is our duty to go to see what happened. We could have comforted all those people.” Violette agrees.
“William needs to start…” My words die as William pushes through the doors.
He scowls at me, “What do I need to start doing?”
“Nothing. I…nothing. Come on, Grace, I need to get to bed.” I gather up my skirts and escape down the hall. I expect William to stop me, but he’s silent. I relax once we reach my room.
“I think that went well.” I mutter as I crawl back into my bed.
“Very well, my lady.” Grace smiles. “Your greatness continues to surprise me every day.”
“I’m sure it does.” I try to relax, but my muscles insist on staying tense.
“Did you know her?” I ask.
“No. I talked to her once while passing in the halls, but that was the only time I ever saw her.”
“Do you know where she worked?”
“No, I think she was new, but I can’t be sure. It’s not good to dwell on the things you don’t know about. Hopefully William will answer most of your questions tomorrow at the meeting.”
“I doubt it. If William won’t give us the answers, I’ll find them out on my own.” I promise not only to Grace but to myself.
“Would you like me to play something for you now?”
I almost turn her down, but I decide thinking about what’s happened tonight is the last thing I want to do. She’s right, I’ll just have to wait for tomorrow’s meeting. “I’d love that.”
Grace picks up her viola, and runs her bow over the strings. Notes soar into the air, twirling into a beautiful melody. I slowly drift off into a restless sleep.
●◊●◊●
Grace twists the last of my hair into the intricate braid and brushes away the wrinkles on my dress. “There you go, my lady, perfect for the day.”
I rise from my chair, “You know not to call me ‘my lady’. It makes me feel like an old women when you’re the same age as I.”
Grace nods, and absentmindedly rolls the brush in her fingers. A crease forms between her brows.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her. Grace never allows thoughts to distract her from her work.
“I just…” she shakes her head, “No, I can’t say it. It’s disrespectful.”
“To me? You’re my lady in waiting. You’re supposed to be honest with me, no matter how rude it could come off. I’m supposed to trust you to keep me from making a fool of myself. So please, if I’m doing something stupid or annoying, do not hesitate to let me know.”
“It’s not disrespectful to you.”
“Then whom? You know I won’t tell anyone and if it’s worrying you this much, you probably should address it.”
Grace twists her fingers together, “It’s about the competition…and William.”
I clap my hands together, “Oh, I would love to hear anything that’s disrespectful to William. After last night—”
Grace manages a laugh, “Okay, okay, I get it.” She takes a deep breath. “I just thought it was strange how the murder occurred the same night that William announced that there would be a competition. I thought, and I know how crazy this sounds, so please pardon me, but…what if the death was part of the competition?”
“You think that William killed a servant as part of the contest?”
Grace pleads, “I know I shouldn’t have said anything at all, but—”
“No,” I interrupt, “you might be right. I wouldn’t put it past William to murder someone for part of this. It’d make sense, too. He’d be able to measure how we respond to crisis situations and fear. He would be able to see how close the four of us are to one another. It’s horrible, but genius.”
Grace bites her lip and nods, “Please don’t tell anyone that I told you this. I’d easily lose my job, if not my life.”
“You know I wouldn’t let you go that easily. I need you more than you need me. I can’t imagine a better lady in waiting. Besides, I could still be accused of treachery. I certainly wouldn’t escape would a reprimanding from William.”
Grace stands, “Speaking of William, you need to get to the meeting room so you’re not the last one there.”
I groan, and make my way to the meeting room. Despite my efforts to get their earlier, I’ve still arrived last. I sigh and offer an apologetic to William. He stands in front of the our father’s throne, not bold enough today to sit. His eyes follow me all the way to my own throne.
Within two months, one of us four will be sitting there. Fantasies of queenly parties and ceremonies fill my thoughts. Of course, I’ve experienced most of them being princess, but to be the queen…
If I were to lose, who would I want to be queen instead? Emilienne would rule with a certain haughtiness, but is smarter than most people realize. Her intelligence is often hid beneath a wild imagination and her sharp tongue. Violette is sympathetic enough, but considers things to carefully. Sometimes she misses her chance to improve something, due to her over thinking. Alexanne would be smart and kind enough to rule for the best of the people, but she’d be too quiet and timid to make proper decisions. How could the people have faith in a queen who rarely speaks up for herself?
William snaps me from my thoughts. “We are here, as you know, to discuss the fate of poor Miss Evette.”
Evette. What did she do that deserved her fate? The thought of William killing her as part of the contest sends chills dancing over my skin.
“Evette worked in the kitchens, simply to help wherever she was needed at any time. Her work ended after the final cleaning and morning preparations were made. She was on her way out of the castle to her home in the city when she was assaulted. The murderer is still not known.”
A soft gasp escapes my lips. How could they have not have found the murderer yet? The castle is crawling with guards and servants. Surely someone most have found something. My hands shake in my lap and I have to remind myself how lucky I am. I have the privilege of being a princess. Guards watch my every move. A murderer would never be able to hurt me.