THE SEARCH

Beatrix left the dining hall without even looking at me.

I felt her heavy heart when leaving the table.

"Your Majesty, I truly understand how we should follow the Royal Intermarriage. But don't I have the last say about my life? Oh I love Beatrix so much that I'm willing to give up my throne to Mikael... Please hear my plea! Mother? All my life I have followed your orders and request. I'm hoping that at this time, you will respect my decision." I earnestly expressed my appeal.

" And please let us go and enjoy our holiday! " I added.

" Stefan... We do understand how you feel right now. We will try to negotiate with King Charles on his proposal. Our son, you know how we loved you so dearly, we do respect your decisions." Queen Evi said fervently.

" Thank you mother... Thank you, Your Majesty! Please excuse me, I need to settle things with Beatrix. Thank you for the sumptuous dinner." I bow down and left the Pillared Hall.

And walked down the hallway to our room.

A faint sound of sobbing echoed in the hallway.

Beatrix?!?!

I rushed inside our Chamber to look for her.

The room is covered with darkness.

I turned on the lights and unveiled emptiness.

Where is Beatrix?

"My Love? Beatrix? Where are you?" I called out while searching inside the en suite bathroom and all over the Chamber.

And she's not around.

My heart is pounding hard and fear is starting to strike.

I swiftly go out in the Chamber to the hallway and trying to listen carefully to the faint sobbing sound.

When a military guard passed by for the rounds.

I called his attention.

"Your Highness! Is there something I could help you with?" the men blue crisp uniform asked.

"Yes, I need for you to call everyone! We need to look for Beatrix, the lady with soft silver hair and she's around 183 cm tall, I believed everyone had seen her when we arrived earlier. Quick!?! We need to search for her!"

The guard immediately attend to the order and left.

O Beatrix.. Where are you?

I closely followed the faint sound of sobbing.

I walked in the big hallway... The next chamber is the King's Chamber. I knocked on the door and my father opened it. He is already in his sleeping wear and beside him is the Queen.

"Stefan!?!?! What's wrong? You disrupted our rest." he annoyingly said.

"I'm so sorry your Majesty! I'm looking for Beatrix... She's not in our chamber. I'm just too worried of her. I heard a sobbing sound echoed earlier. And I'm trying to follow it but it's gone now. Oh God! It's freezing cold outside and she's unaccustomed to the Grand Palace."

The Royal Majesty are stunned by the news.

And the King and the Queen immediately called the butlers and the housekeepers around to help the search for Beatrix.

We are starting to search all of the Chambers.

The guards searched outside the vicinity of the Royal Chambers. While the butlers, the housekeepers, the maidservants and I, searched through the twenty Guest Chambers, the Banquet Hall, the Pillared Hall, the Palace Ballroom, the nine State Chambers, the four rooms of the Hall of State that's used for parliamentary meetings, the four Chambers of the Orders of Chivalry and we reached and the last Chamber...Vattern Gallery. The sound of sobbing is much obvious. I opened the doors myself and I saw Beatrix seated on the corner of room, bracing herself, wearing her sleep wear.

The butlers followed me inside then they saw Beatrix. I ordered them to leave the room and let the guards stopped the search.

"Beatrix... My love?" I embraced her and she raised her head and look at me with her puffy eyes.

"Hush now...My love.. Let's go back to our Chamber"

"Your Highness..." she said in teary eyes.

"Hush.. Hush.." and started to carry her back to our room.

Beatrix freshen up and slipped into her sleep wear, feeling distressed from the announcement of King Sven while we're in the dining table.

My world turned upside down upon hearing the news. I hardly breath and felt suffocating.

O God show me the light and bring forth clarity in my mind.

I need to breath.

I go out from the chamber and wonder along the hallway.

I opened the door next to the Kings Chamber and took a peek.

It's shown a big hall chamber with the silver throne at the center, long table, chairs and gold chandelier crystals. The wooden floors, the gold colors accentuate all furnishings inside the room.

Then, I closed the doors and started to walk back the hallway.

I keep walking until I reached the last chamber of the Royal Chambers its light is still on.

There's something on it that is drawing me to get closer and calling my heart.

I opened the door and too many portraits of nobleman and noble woman on the walls, paintings of different generations, portrait sculptures of the Royal family.

And...

The portrait of my father Tsar Dimitri of Oblonsky.

My tears fall down and started sobbing.

I bend down on my knees and position to a seat in the corner of the room, bracing myself.

O father... how are these things happening? Uncle Charles has found another Heiress of Oblonsky.

And Stefan will be marrying her.

My heart is turned into pieces from the news I have heard earlier.

Losing everything that's left for me.

Everything seemed unreasonable!

How could Uncle Charles determined the authenticity of the discovered Heiress?

I can't stop sobbing.

"Beatrix! My little Princess...cheer up! Always remember that even if the sun is not shining. You have the sunshine in you.. be the sun when it's winter and be the light when everything is in darkness." Tsar Dimitri gives me a peck on my cheeks and I hugged him in return.

Then, the doors opened.

I saw Stefan, he looks agitated.

I couldn't grasp everything he said.

I'm just too tired.

He carried me back to our chamber.

Then, he lay me down in bed, wiped my tears and helped me tucked in.

"My love... please stop crying. I promised you..everything will be fine. Sleep now My Love" he give me a peck on my cheeks.