Chapter 7

Princess Ellie, sensing the unwavering support of her friends, felt a surge of strength course through her. Knowing she wasn't alone in her quest for justice provided a profound sense of comfort and empowerment. The weight of her grief remained, but it was now balanced by a fierce determination.

"I want Prince Michael involved," Princess Ellie added, "He's resourceful, and he has access to resources we don't. He can help us investigate properly, and discreetly."

Without further delay, Princess Ellie dispatched a trusted messenger to summon Prince Michael. The gravity of the situation demanded swift action. They knew the path to justice would be fraught with danger and deception, but they were prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead. The quest for justice was no longer Princess Ellie's burden alone; it was a shared mission, a testament to the powerful bond of friendship forged in the crucible of grief and loss. They were ready to uncover the truth, to expose the perpetrators of this heinous crime, and to bring them to justice. The hunt had begun.

The two stepmothers, Queen Roselyn and Lucy, felt a chilling wave of fear wash over them as the investigation into Isolde's death intensified. Their meticulously crafted web of deceit was unraveling, their carefully concealed evil plot on the brink of exposure. Panic gnawed at them, fueling a desperate scramble to protect their secrets and maintain their precarious positions within the court.

Whispering amongst themselves in a secluded corner of the castle, they voiced their growing apprehension. "What if they discover the truth?" Lucy hissed, her voice laced with anxiety. "What if Ellie and her friends uncover our involvement?"

Queen Roselyn, her face pale with fear, wrung her hands. "We must stop them," she declared, her voice tight with desperation. "We must ensure our secret remains buried."

Unbeknownst to them, a young maid, Rachel, stood hidden behind a tapestry-covered door, her heart pounding in her chest as she overheard their frantic conversation. Every word, every whispered threat, painted a chilling picture of their culpability. She learned of their plot to poison Isolde and Ellie, of their calculated cruelty, and of their desperate attempts to silence anyone who might expose them. She heard them plotting a new evil—a plan to eliminate Ellie's friends, to prevent them from uncovering the truth.

Overwhelmed, Rachel attempted to escape, to warn Ellie, to bring their wicked scheme to light. But as she fled, she stumbled and fell, her cry stifled by the impact. Roselyn and Lucy, emerging from their hiding place, saw her fall. In that instant, they knew their secret was compromised. They seized the terrified maid, their faces contorted with a rage that surpassed their fear.

"You heard everything," Lucy snarled, her eyes gleaming with a sinister light. "And if you breathe a word of it to anyone, you and your entire family will pay the price. We'll make sure your mother dies a slow and painful death. You'll be left alone in this cruel world, with nothing but your grief and our vengeance to keep you company."

Rachel, terrified beyond measure, knew the threat was real. Her family was everything to her—her only remaining connection to a life she thought she could survive. With tears streaming down her face, she whimpered a promise of silence, her heart heavy with the weight of the terrible secret she was forced to keep, the chilling knowledge of the evil she was powerless to stop. The weight of their threat was crushing, her own life, and the lives of her loved ones, hanging precariously in the balance.

The weight of the stepmothers' secret pressed down on Rachel like a physical burden. The chilling threats echoed in her ears, a constant reminder of the danger she was in. Sleep offered no escape; nightmares plagued her, visions of her mother's suffering fueling her terror. She was trapped in a web of fear, her every waking moment consumed by the agonizing dilemma: betray the stepmothers and risk the lives of her loved ones, or remain silent and become complicit in their heinous crimes.

During the day, she moved through her duties like a ghost, her eyes darting nervously, her ears straining for any hint of danger. Every shadow seemed to conceal a threat, every whisper a potential betrayal. The once-familiar corridors of the castle now felt like a labyrinth of fear, her every step fraught with a nameless dread. Her appetite vanished, replaced by a constant knot of anxiety in her stomach. She found herself starting at her own hands, wondering if they would ever be clean again, forever stained by the knowledge of the stepmothers' evil.

Evenings were the worst. The darkness amplified her fear, the silence broken only by the frantic beating of her heart. She would lie in bed, eyes wide open, replaying every word of the stepmothers' conversation, each chilling detail sharpening the edge of her despair. She would clutch a small, worn wooden doll her mother had given her as a child, seeking solace in the tangible reminder of her love, a desperate attempt to find comfort in the face of overwhelming fear. The small wooden doll was now her only connection to the life she desperately wanted to protect. Would she be able to protect her mother? Would she be able to bear the weight of the terrible secret? Would she ever find a way out of the nightmare? The questions gnawed at her, the answers hidden in the treacherous darkness of her terrifying situation. The fear was all-consuming; it was a heavy cloak she could not remove, a prison from which she could not escape.

Queen Roselyn took the maid to a secluded place and murdered her to keep their dark secrets. it shows just how ruthless and desperate they are. The image of the maid, alone and terrified, facing her death is particularly upsetting.

It's clear these Queens will stop at nothing