Discovering secrets part 2

When they arrived at the end they were in a small basement. It was filled with more bookshelves filled with books and a desk as well. But what caught Dalia's eyes was the armour in a glass case. She walked towards it and touched it lightly, feeling the closest she has ever been to her mother.

"There's a journal on the desk" Dalia walked away from the glass case and looked at the journal instead. Everything in the room was filled with dust. This place hasn't been visited in ages.

"To my dear daughter Dalia… It's time you learned the truth. I'm not even sure I will be alive when you find this place, my health has gotten worse through the years… I'm not sure how long I have left. But I want you to know who I really was before I became queen. All the stories about female knights I read to you are true. I was one of them. We were chosen by our armour and were bound to it for life, similar to how a god or goddess choses their champion. We exist to protect them and everyone around us. When I am gone… I am passing the armour to you my dear daughter. It's your choice however." Dalia looked at the armour again before flipping to the next page.

"This might hurt to read but your father never loved me the way I loved him. His heart belonged to someone else. Sofie. But I didn't know that until after her death. I was asked for marriage when he realized there was no way for her to come back and he needed a queen to uphold the kingdom. What he didn't know was that I knew Sofie before I met him. I helped her give birth to a little girl. But she died a few weeks after. I couldn't take care of the child so I gave it to a trusted friend of mine, Mei Villot. Who then moved into a small unheard village." Dalia swallowed and Cashimir read as well.

"Mei Villot? But that's…" Cashimir's eyes widened. He did think the sculptures looked similar but he never thought it would be… Eris' mother. Dalia kept reading.

"When I first met your father he was incredibly charming and I fell in love with him. But after our wedding he changed. He wasn't the man he acted to be but merely a shell, acting as if he had emotions. He asked me to throw away my life to become his one and true queen. Foolishly I did. But I could never destroy my armour… Escapally when I got you. At times I wish I never met him… I loved him but with time, I grew to despise him. But there was no escape… He was still yearning for Sofie. If he ever found out she had a child with another man, it frightens me. If you take the armour my dear Dalia… Please, please protect Sofie's daughter. Please protect the world from Ronald's rage." And that was the end of the note. The two of them stared at each other before taking a deep breath. Dalia then walked towards the armour. Despite being down here for years it looked like it was newly polished.

"Do you know here? The daughter my mother wrote about?" Cashimir made a small nod and Dalia turned towards him before walking up the stairs again. He followed her soon after. They placed the book back on the shelf and the shelf moved back to its place. The two of them were silent before Dalia spoke up.

"When the time comes, I will help out and join you. You will let me join you right?" Cashimir smiled.

"Of course, princess."

"You can call me Daila." She smiled back then they shook hands before returning to their rooms.

Cashimir placed his father's journal back into his bag and then hid it away. He didn't want to risk anything… If the king found out about it wouldn't end well… Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He placed down his sword and tucked it away quickly then went and opened the door. To his surprise it was the king.

"Y-your majesty." A smile appeared on the king's lips however his eyes held no emotion.

"I just wanted to personally come and check on you. I know how hard it is to lose a loved one." Cashimir bit his tongue to refrain himself from commenting on it. The king then took a step forward and Cashimir let him into his room.

"How's the costume for the ball? I hope it alright what I have chosen for you. One doesn't really think about parties when they are grieving…" He walked around the room which made Cashimir incredibly uncomfortable, as if he knew he was hiding something.

"It's good. Your seamstress really is a talent like you said. I'm relieved that you understand my sadness" Cashimir sat down and tried to calm down his nerves.

"Why of course, I don't want to put too much pressure on a chosen one's shoulders. You already have the whole world on them. I have my whole kingdom on mine." He smiled but Cashimir didn't know if it was a mocking smile or more of a relatable one. The king kept walking around and ran his finger through the shelf, checking for dust it seemed.

"This room hasn't been used in a while. Were the other rooms not good enough? I'm sure the goddess would have approved of them."

"They were extraordinary and elegant, your majesty, I just felt too homesick and this room reminded me of home." Cashimir lied. He didn't want to say it was too uncomfortable and cold in there, or at least what the princess described. The king made an approved nod before making his way towards the door.

"Dinner will be served at six o'clock. I will discuss more about the dances and the guests at the ball." Cashimir nodded and the king finally left. He let out a huge sigh of relief as he looked towards where he had hidden the bag. If he would have found it… He probably would have been dead by now…