Chapter 27

He was walking across the long hall with a trail of guards and servants following him. The atmosphere in the lounge suddenly became stagnant as the bystanders whispered among themselves. He was the picture of perfection from head to toe, and I could not help but gawk in shock when our eyes finally met.

"You look as though you have seen a ghost, Fati." He said in a soft tone as he stopped before me.

The people's gaze turned towards me while I struggled to wrap my head around the situation. At first, I thought he was merely posing as the crown prince, however, that does not seem to be the case based on everyone's reaction.

To be honest, the glaring truth had always been there. Nathan, or rather Prince Nathaniel, has been the crown prince all along. Aside from the fact that he did not blatantly admit it, everything about him was different ever since we met. Besides, I can't even accuse him of deceiving me, since I myself am doing the same exact thing, and I am about to get caught very soon.

"Your highness?" suddenly called the voice of a woman from behind him.

She was incessantly tapping his shoulder, yet he remained motionless with his gaze focused on me. He was looking at me with expectant eyes, as though he wanted me to react in a certain way. 

"Haaa!" I sighed loudly.

"Ha? Is that all you wish to say to me?"

My mouth moved on its own, and I do not know how to rectify what I just said. I meant to say 'Hello' but only the gibberish part came out. It seems I am still in shock. What should I do?

"Your highness, please turn around and face me." whined the woman, while she continued to tap on his shoulder.

He drew a frown on his face, let out a deep sigh, and finally turned around. Only then was I able to see who had been pestering him this whole time. It was none other than the woman we met outside of the hotel earlier.

"Enjoy your meal, everyone."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" shouted the knights as they bowed to him.

They walked away together while she clung to his arm. He tilted his head backward, and rolled his eyes to the side, only to smile in my direction. It was the first time I had ever seen such a pleasant grin on his face. What could it mean?

++++++

Ever since I was a child, the people at the palace treated me as the crown princess. My parents, as well as their subjects, all regarded me with great respect and affection. My father doted on me so much that he would often permit me to partake in important meetings all the while sitting on his lap. However, that only lasted until my brother was born when I turned eight years old. Everyone's attention suddenly shifted to him as if he was the only child of the crown.

"Come Loraine, say hello to your little brother." 

I hated him the very first day I beheld the sight of him. I wanted him to disappear from the face of the earth. However, three years later, my mother gave birth again, and this time to a girl with silver hair and red eyes. She did not inherit father's blonde hair and blue eyes, nor mother's dark hair and brown eyes. Her features were so rare that the queen was instantly accused of promiscuity, which is illegal in Ecchelon. However, those allegations were soon proven wrong when a paternity test revealed that she was indeed my father's child. 

On his tenth birthday, my brother was to be baptized as per custom. It was during this event that the priests discovered his special ability. At first, they thought he was a Sant; however, God's mark was nowhere to be found on his body. Based on his powers alone, he was instantly placed on a pedestal.

"All hail the future king of Ecchelon." cried the priests as they bowed at his feet.

From that day onward, my sole mission was to eradicate my brother, who had dared to covet what belonged to me. I was born first; hence, it is only right that I inherit the throne. Because of the church's declaration, the king and queen had decided to appoint my brother as the crown prince before he came of age. Hence, three years later, my thirteen-year-old little brother's coronation day was upon us.

"Hold Charlotte's hand, Loraine, and do not let her wander. You know how friendly she is; therefore, you must not let her out of your sight under any circumstances. Understood?" 

"Yes, mother. You have said this countless times already." I grumbled.

"Today is a very important day for the royal family. Everything  must be perfect."

Right…Everything must go according to plan.

"Sister, you're hurting my hand." She whined as she struggled to pull her hand out of my grip.

She pulled so hard that she fell when I released her, which alerted the guards that were following us. Thankfully, we had already left mother's side and strayed into the nearby garden, hence, no one could hear her annoying wailing.

"Are you quite through?" I questioned with an angry glare.

She continued to cry while rubbing her eyes until a few maids came to escort her away. I hated how irritating she was, yet her existence did not pose a threat to me, so she was tolerable, to a certain degree. As I admired the scenery of the yellow rose garden, an unexpected announcement reached my ears. When I rushed to the assembly hall where the supposed coronation was to take place, I was met with a commotion.

'On his way back from parading the streets of the capital, the prince's carriage mysteriously caught on fire'. An accident in which he did not survive. This news shook the kingdom to its core and caused an unsurmountable amount of grief for the monarchs. 

Two years later, the throne was finally mine for the taking. That was until the wretched day that my little sister decided to save my life from the vicious bite of an aracnocrobe. As a result of successfully extracting the deadly venom from my body, she suddenly collapsed and was immediately taken to the temple. That is the day when the mark of God was discovered on her arm by the priests who were tending to her. 

-Present Time-

"Your highness, a small package has arrived for you. I shall place it on the dresser as usual." said the maid before darting out of the room.

"Ha! Right on time."

This little thing will decide the fate of my doubting parents today. 

+++++++

"Father, mother." 

My voice echoed in the air as I knelt before the king and queen. Guards dressed in complete armor were posted on both sides of the room. The atmosphere here feels as intimidating as I remembered it from my youth. However, I am no longer the scared little princess I once was.

"Speak, princess." Scowled father while glowering at me.

It seems I came at a bad time; however, I cannot leave here without accomplishing what I set out to do. A few days ago, the queen went to visit the place where my sister's alleged corpse was being preserved. Although I gave specific orders not to let anyone in under any circumstances, they could not defy her command. I'm not sure what she saw, but I was told she was screaming so much that she had to be escorted out. She kept yelling that the corpse was fake, which aroused many suspicions. Even that of the king.

"I have brought something that will help us cope with my sister's passing. While our men were scouting the area where Char's body was discovered, they found this." 

I extended a piece of cloth containing Charlotte's amulet over to them with my head bowed. I forced myself to sound as if I was weeping, when in reality, that was not the case at all. The queen quickly rose from her seat and ran towards me, and the king followed her in haste. When she grabbed the pendant from my hands, I finally raised my head, only to be met with her sobbing face . Then father took the item from her hands and held it in the air, towards the reflection of the sun.

"Loraine." He called in a sinister tone.

"This amulet is a fake, Loraine. How could you have been so easily fooled that you can't even recognize a replica?