Ell had not expected to meet Versan’s twin daughters first thing in the dining hall. Since it was the first time she was meeting them, she activated Impersonator. It was not that she feared being caught anymore, but she wanted insights into this family’s overly complicated dynamics. Each member seemingly held a secret more life threatening than the other.

  Gryn and Heli, one dressed in fiery red robes the other in tamer soft blue, respectively, balanced trays overfilled with pastries.

  Heli greeted gently, “Hello Ilai.”

  Gryn extended a tray towards Ell. “Fancy a cheese bun little sis?”

  ‘Ilai’ glanced between them lightly. Ell expected her next move to be a reprimand, or maybe entirely ignoring her stepsiblings.

  Contrary to her expectations, Ell found herself reaching for a bun, nodding amiably at the twins, then heading towards Selin’s siblings seated next to the floor to ceiling windows.

  Soft sunset warmed their cheeks as they dug into creamy chicken soup. Selin’s sister noticed Ell first. In her excitement, Ren eagerly waved her hand, forgetting that she was holding a spoon. Warm soup splashed on her brother’s face.

  Ren glanced at him guilty. “Sorry.”

  The older brother, five years older at eleven, calmly reached for the handkerchief in his pocket, wiping his face as he patted Ren’s head comfortingly. Ren beamed again. “The Princess is here!” she told him excitedly.

  Dan looked up at Ell who slid into a seat opposite to the children. “Is the food good?” Ell asked as she bit into her own bun.

  The kids nodded, their blond hair bobbing with their movements. “Very good!” Ren declared with a grin.

  ‘Ilai’ could not resist squeezing little Ren’s plump cheeks. Ell deactivated Impersonator and continued to converse with the kids, inquiring about their studies and Ren’s latest antics in pranking her teachers. Selin gave her a reprimanding knock on the forehead, but it only made Ren giggle louder.

  Once it was time for the evening stroll before bedtime, the children filed into the grass field of the orphanage. Dan politely bid Selin and Ell farewell, while Ren gave them enthusiastic hugs before leaving hand in hand with her brother.

  Ell and Selin prepared to retire to their own rooms when the twins blocked their way.

  Gryn flashed a toothy smile. “Let’s talk, sis.”

  A servant poured tea for the four women sitting in the study before tacitly leaving. The twins sat on one side on a long sofa, while Ell and Selin sat opposite to them.

  Ell rubbed a thumb over her forefinger. “Versan sent you.”

  Heli sipped at her tea while Gryn laughed, both not refuting. “You’re the only person who can make Mom nervous. I call that talent,” Gryn said, amused. She wet her lips with some water, activated a sound blocker, and cut to the chase. “What are you planning?”

  Ell was not planning anything in particular. She had questions. Once those questions were answered, she could formulate a plan. As for Ilai, Ell could not guess what she would have done. Activating Impersonator could tell her, but she was not keen on knowing at the expense of hard earned DVPs.

  She spoke honestly, “You can reassure her; I have no plans.”

  Gryn glanced at Heli who nodded in confirmation.

  With a glance at Heli’s mark, an encircled dot, Ell understood their exchange. “Your Blessing must be convenient for rooting out traitors.”

  Heli smiled softly, voice tinged with melancholy as she said, “Unfortunately, it is.”

  Ell lightly swirled her cup. Green leaves floated on the rippling tea. “Your Father was an Unholy.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The statement gave the twins a pause. It was something they heard often between snickers and taunts, meant to drag their pride through the dirt, to humiliate them for their ‘dirty’ blood. Ilai had never said it to them. Maybe it was pity, maybe it was understanding. But she never said it.

  And now Ell was saying it, but it was not an insult. It was a neutral statement. A fact.

  The twins exchanged a glance. Heli spoke, “Yes.”

  There was a longer story to it, Ell was sure. About how Versan left the army and married an Unholy. About how Versan’s first husband died and how she ended up marrying Byrun. ‘I have never lost a battle in the war,’ Versan had said in the carriage after ‘Ilai’ fought with Byrun. It meant too many things, but Ell’s plate was full of her own new husband.

  Right now, she wanted to find answers, not more questions to ask.

  Ell buried the rest of the questions she thought to ask the twins. “If there is nothing else, you can see yourselves out.”

  “Touche,” Gryn said as the sisters rose. “No sleepover?”

  Ell quirked an eyebrow. “Aren’t you too old for that?”

  “You’re never too old for that—ouch!”

  Heli grabbed her sister by the ear. “Don’t stay up late,” she advised Ell as she dragged Gryn out. The latter waved in farewell while wincing. Ell couldn’t resist a smile as she watched them leave in amusement.

  A crunch brought Ell to her senses as Selin bit into a cookie. “Traitors?” the guard asked as her tail flicked the air behind her.

  Ell shook her head. “No.” Their Favorability was at eighty-seven each. Ell reached for a raisin cookie herself. “Any unusual movements from Klarn?”

  Selin dusted her hands and stretched them above her. “None.”

  There were too many unknown factors threatening Ell’s survival. She needed to get as many as possible clear before she went after her husband, or they might ruin her plans later.

  She left her seat and penned a letter from the stationary on Ilai’s desk. After sealing the inked parchment into an envelope, she handed it to Selin. “Deliver it to Tyra.”

  The reply came after breakfast. Ell read over the reply several times, sighed, and sent another letter to the palace.

  The guest she was expecting was not the Crown Princess, but she headed to the Emerald Gardens, nonetheless. The privacy it offered meant they did not need do use sound blockers.

  Ell waited in the pavilion until the sun rose to its highest. When it began to dip in the sky, the guest she had been waiting was guided inside by Selin.

  With a hand to her heart, Ell bowed in greeting. “Your Majesty.”

  The Queen paused slightly as she settled opposite to Ell. “Why the distant tone? We’re alone. Aunt is enough.”

  Ell smiled as she poured the Queen black tea. “All right, Aunt.”

  “You said it was urgent,” Isara said, hinting at the letter Ell had sent her requesting an audience outside the palace.

  The walls had ears, but it least those in the Emerald Garden did not belong to the King.

  Ell observed the Queen closely. “Tyra passed me your message.”

  Isara calmly sipped at her tea. “I see.”

  The nonchalance ticked Ell off. She continued, “At first, I didn’t understand why you didn’t give me the information yourself. Then, I realized. You wanted Tyra to see the papers, but you must not have wanted to give them to her deliberately. Here’s what I don’t understand: why? What do you want?”

  The empty cup gave a resounding clink as Isara put it down. The warmth she had shown Ell at the banquet appeared nothing but a mirage. Her eyes were cold as she spoke, “Tyra must become King.” The statement appeared out of the blue, and Ell blinked in confusion. “I have endured very long for that sole purpose.

  “I admit. If I wasn’t careless, my sister—your mother—wouldn’t have died. But it also meant that all I had worked for was for naught. I owe your mother, and you by extension. What I want is for you to have the best life possible. However, it cannot be at the expense of Tyra.”

  Ell was silent for a long while. “How did Mother die?”

  Amidst everyone’s riddles and crypts, Ell was yet to understand the circumstances of the woman’s death.

  The chill emanating from the Queen became less menacing and more melancholy. She took an emerald flower from the vase sitting on the table, plucking at the petals. “I told her how the King stayed King. He found out, so he…”

  Ell ran a hand through her hair, frustration rising as the picture was growing clear. “And how does he do that?”

  Isara looked at Ell, the latter’s displeasure clear. She smiled. “He has an eye for beautiful women. And the Emperor loves beauties.”

  “The Emperor? Dragon Emperor?” No wonder despite Byrun’s winged army and hidden Unholies he was not confident in taking down the King. To take him down, they had to be ready to fight Blessark’s Emperor. The Dragon’s chosen one.

  Ell supposed it was a good thing her enemy was a mere deputy minister, but even that one was a headache.

  “If you want us to take down the King and install Tyra in his place, you will be disappointed.” Ell rose from her seat. “You will have to wait till he dies of natural causes.”

  “I expected a stronger reaction.” The Queen chuckled. “But Ilai, I am afraid you cannot settle for time. Your husband is not the only one who knows about Byrun’s plans.” The Queen stood up, patting Ell on the shoulder. “I am not talking about myself either. The King will know sooner or later. I hope you will be more ready than your mother was.”