LATE QUEEN

CHAPTER 3 LATE QUEEN

Will the future be different this time? Will she die much earlier? Tons of questions lingered in her mind and only then did she realize that she was wasting time after the Queen's attendant cleared her throat, indicating that she was taking too long.

"Princess, shall we change your clothes?" Hannah asked. It was a good idea, however, she doesn't have many clothes anyway and most of them are shabby or too big for her small body.

"No, it's fine, we won't stay out for long. I will only congratulate the first prince on his graduation and welcome him home, that's all."

Amongst all her siblings, the prince was the kindest to her, he was always fair and loved all of them equally. He does not favor anyone and respects each sibling regardless of their flaws and imperfections.

The walk to the Royal Garden near the Gazebo was not long, and as she was closer to the meeting place, she heard fits of laughter from a group of people. Then the image of a perfect family enjoying each other's presence came into view. The family that she was supposed to belong to but ended up as a stranger as time passed by.

"Princess Candace has arrived," the servants announced respectively, the joyful smiles on the people's faces died down, especially the Queen's and Princess Irene's.

"Candace, come here, it's been a while sister, you look thinner than the last time I saw you, are you even eating properly?" Candace curbed the need to nod her head and agree to this, or else it would bring huge chaos to this warm family gathering.

"Prince, please do not mind me, I have been bedridden for days now and only came here to congratulate you on your graduation at the academy. Also, I welcome you home, your highness." she curtsied elegantly, which earned her the Princess' annoyed glare.

Elegance and Princess Candace never mixed. As she had her head down a little, some strands of her long white hair fell to her face, making her look more frail yet beautiful. She was never one to have her hair down, since the Queen hated her white hair because it was an eyesore in her opinion.

Unlike Princess Irene who had golden eyes like the King, and emerald hair like Queen Eloizabeth. Fair skin and a well-mannered beauty. Princess Candace had white hair and gold eyes. If she hadn't had gold eyes, white hair, and some similar facial features to the King, people would have doubted if she was part of the royal family at all.

Every child of the royal family had gold eyes. It is a great legend that the first-ever royalty of the Soulcross empire was blessed by the Gods, who granted him gold eyes. An eye that can see through lies.

It was just rumored, but instead of the King, the late Queen Adelaine, mother of Prince Theodore, and the late Princess Tamara had these eyes.

But no one believes this, not even Princess Candace.

Queen Adelaine was a beautiful woman, a kind and fair Queen loved by many. It is unknown how people started to hate her, but Candace thinks it all started when a rumor broke out that she was cheating on the King.

This rumor then became true when the King brought home a concubine he accidentally impregnated when he and the Queen fought. People's speculations came like wildfire when the Queen was rarely seen in public and the King's second wife revealed her pregnancy.

People's hatred towards the first Queen was strengthened when the Queen was rumored to have poisoned the second wife of the King and thus, leading to her early birth. It just happened that the first Queen's stomach was also due.

The two gave birth on the same day and the first Queen's daughter was proven not the King's child after having eyes as dark as the night and hair as fiery as fire. Meanwhile, the second Queen gave birth to a princess who had hair as white as snow and eyes sparkling like gold. This princess was Princess Candace.

King Cedric loved his wife more than anything, but what he could never accept was betrayal, even if it was hard for him, he had to banish the Queen out of the kingdom along with her illegitimate daughter. Unlike what people expected, the queen did not beg nor cry, her eyes were as cold as ice and she did not even look back at the King as she left carrying her newborn daughter.

Prince Theodore was only 6 when these things transpired and yet he was mature enough to understand that the perfect happy family was no more.

The king was heartbroken by Queen Adelaine's betrayal and he had to banish her to repent. On the way, the next day, news came that the carriage had been ambushed and the Queen fell off a cliff, dead, along with the child.

The King became bedridden for a couple of months, his heart was too wounded and he could not forgive himself for somehow helping the enemies kill his beloved wife. He thought that if he hadn't banished her, she would still have been alive.

Her death ensured the 2nd Queen's standing and his longing for his wife was so strong that he didn't want anything to do with anyone. Up until now, the King never truly loved Queen Eloizabeth and this was always the Queen's ghost and insecurity.

Even to a dead woman, she couldn't win his heart. To give his children a family, the King married Queen Eloizabeth officially and thus had twins, Prince Felix James and Princess Lizbeth Irene.

To the people's eyes, the royal couple was a perfect marriage, but amongst those who knew the secret, and the ones who are trusted aids, knew that King Cedric sleeps in the late Queen's bedroom every week and only visits Queen Eloizabeth for the duty of a husband and wife, and a king of a kingdom.

If Candace hadn't overheard this secret in her last life, she would still have believed that her father loved her mother dearly.

Somehow, she thinks that her mother and she were not that different, both unloved and uncared for by the person they devoted their heart to.

"Brother, while you are away, I always think about you and I miss you so much that my heart aches for you. I know you are doing this for the kingdom, but I hope you take care of your health. With that, I especially asked for tea that would increase your stress and help you sleep more." Princess Irene personally handed him a velvet box with three kinds of tea inside.

"I chose it myself and it was imported from the Revellus Empire." She was telling the truth, Irene thought of a perfect graduation gift for Prince Theodore, however, it was only until the Prince died 10 years later did she realize that this simple tea was just as poisonous as the one she was taking her whole life. It was more lethal for him since he hadn't drunk this tea for a long time, and with a high dosage.

Queen Eloizabeth's weapon was always poison. Of all people, Candace knew this. A lifetime was enough for her to realize that the Queen could even kill her own daughter,, what more, the prince who was in the way of her son's future.

Unlike Queen Eloizabeth, the second Prince Felix James never wanted the throne.

Aside from Prince Theodore, Prince Felix was quite close to her. She was the one who listened to his complaints about their suffocating mother and he, too, was a victim of her manipulation.

Feeling the cold touch on her forehead, Candace realized that she had been spacing out. Repeatedly stirring the tea in front of her absentmindedly.

"Sister, are you alright? You look…. Ghastly. I was asking if you have anything prepared for my brother, a simple gift perhaps?"

"I.."

"Don't tell me you didn't prepare anything? That's terrible."

"That doesn't matter, as long as you make sure you are healthy, then I would gladly take that as a gift." Prince Theodore warmly smiled at her and patted her head intimately.

"You're really out of it, are you that sick?" Prince Felix's worried voice silenced everyone and, as if on cue, all eyes turned to her.

"Pardon me, Prince Felix, everyone. Please don't mind me."

"Are you certain?" the king asked. "Maybe we should have the royal doctor check you out and prescribe you some medication. I want to know what happened and why you have been sick for a long time now." Hearing this, the Queen lifted a brow at her.

"There is no need for that, your highness, Count Stewart, especially looks after your health. There is no need to bother the man. It's just a simple flu, that's all." the Queen intervened.

"Nonsense, the royal doctor's duty is to ensure that each royal member of the family is healthy no matter what, that includes my daughter."

"I will have my people take care of her. Darling, why don't you return to your quarters and rest for now." if she hadn't known better, she would have fallen for the Queen's kind voice like always and thought that she did care.

If only she hadn't known that she was the cause of this, then everything would have been better.

"Thank you for your kindness, your majesty, I will return to my quarters and, once again, I congratulate Prince Theodore on his graduation. And welcome home your highness, may God bless you with eternal happiness and your bountiful life." A blessing and a prayer are one of the best gifts a royal family can make, it was said that because they are royalty, their earnest prayers are heard most of the time, contrary to normal citizens. As absurd as people think of it, but as hundreds of years passed by, the Dione royal Family's blessings and prayers from God were the most effective there were.

More effective than that of a priest in a church.

"Thank you sister, do expect the gifts I promised you in your quarters." he winked at her and smiled warmly.

TBC

Maple Writes

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