Remain silent.
"Your highness, " the king's aid was waiting outside the door. He knew that the Princess might disobey the king's dying wish, but he was only a subordinate at the end of the day. He was loyal, so he could only make plans to protect her.
"Old Grey, what do you have to say," princess Jessica was not surprised that he was waiting for her. She felt that he might want to remind her of the king's last words.
"His highness left you something," old Grey replies. The king knew he could die suddenly, so he left something behind for his daughter. Although he hoped to train her to become capable, he still made other plans.
No one knew when death would come knocking. Moreover, he did not dare expose some information to his daughter because of her close relationship with Benedict. He did not believe that Benedict would continue to fool his daughter forever. He just hoped it would not be too late before she realised.
"where is it? Princess Jessica asked. She knew a battle awaited her due to her father's sudden death. Many lords still did not want to bow to a woman. They did not dare to challenge the king, so they could only swallow their displeasure. The bold once were secretly supporting Benedict's brother. To sit on the throne, she would have to win or suppress these people.
The emblem of authority was in her hand, but she knew there would be blood to hold it firm. Robin Tait, Benedict's brother and General Daiz would not let her sit on the throne. She knew the type of person her uncle was. The father and son did not put a woman like her in their eyes. She did not know that Benedict was no different from the two. She believes that since she treated her well, and Benedict was also a woman, she would understand that a child, male or Female, was not inferior.
"walk with me, my princess," old Grey did not give the location. It is known that the walls have ears. The second household had a few spies in the Palace, so he could not be careless with his words.
Princess Jessica did not ask for more details; she was not a fool, and she knew the danger of sitting on the throne. They walked their way to the king's study.
Jessica felt a stab in her heart when she looked at the empty chair. She could remember her father sitting down when they had serval conversations and arguments. It hurt to know that such a day would never come again.
Old Grey walked over and opened a small cabinet. He brought out a small notebook. "His majesty wanted you to use this as a guide to the throne," old Grey said as he handed over the book to her.
"Thank you," princess Jessica smiled. She knew that her father had good sight for choosing trusted aids. Old Grey could have betrayed her after the king's death, but he handover things as instructed by the king.
Old Grey bowed and walked out of the study; princess Jessica sat down and read through the pages. Tears ran down her eyes as she saw what was written there. It was like her father knew he would die suddenly.
She felt guilty; if she had never kept a relationship with Ramsey, then her father would not have gotten into an argument with the petty crown prince. King Lorenzo had been nothing but a good father to her. Even if she blamed herself, she still wanted to take Revenge. Of course, she understood that the crown prince would not want his brother to marry an unclean woman, so the argument was justified, but to attack him for this reason, she was unwilling to overlook.
As a member of the royal family, this would be a slap on the face, but even if she loved Ramsey, she knew her identity as a princess and never crossed the line with him. So she did not think she did anything wrong. As long as she remained pure in her body, she did not know why the prince could act so petty. After all, the second prince was not necessarily pure in body, so why should she be pointed out for loving someone?
Sometimes it is easier to blame everyone else and make excuses for oneself; this is human nature, and the princess was no different. After all, one could not hate himself to death, especially a proud princess like Jessica. She was guilty of wanting to switch marriages; if she had never thought of doing so, then the crown prince would not have argued with her father or acted pettily.
Outside the study.
"Old Grey, several elders, lords and generals are waiting at the grand hall demanding to see the princess," a guard reported to old Grey, who was standing outside the study. Since the palace was mourning and the nobles came over, the guards could not deny them entrance. The king's death was sudden, and since he died from assassination, it was only expected for the kingdom to be in a state of panic.
"The princess is paying her respect to the king; let them wait," Old Grey was calm.
The guard was not suprised by old Grey's words, but he voiced out his opinion. "But, the king suddenly died; they need to hear something to hold on to. The commoners panic that Dumbi will be attacked," the guard said hesitantly.
"The gates of Dumbi are shut; the kingdom is mourning its king. As for the lords, nobles and elders, they should follow the customs of Dumbi and remain silent in respect of the king until the princess comes out. Call the Eunuch and tell him this. If he can not do his job, then his life is meaningless to the palace," Old Grey replied. His voice was calm, but the guard could tell that old Grey was not joking. Even the guards who could not control the people in the hall might not escape.
The guard bowed and walked away quickly. Old Grey should have instructed the Eunuch himself but did not dare leave the princess at such a time.
The second household had their eyes for the throne, and Old Grey could not tell if they would play