Chapter 74
Chapter 74
I cleared my throat and recited the passage from the fairy tale, a story I’d read so often I knew every line by heart. “Finally, spring arrived. The ugly duckling looked at its reflection in the lake.”
It was the final chapter. Cesar, equally familiar with every phrase in this book, replied, “Ah, I am a beautiful swan.”
“The swan, once an ugly duckling, soared high into the sky, overjoyed.”
I smiled sadly. The story ended there. He slowly lifted his head. I gazed at him fondly and quickly kissed his cheek.
***
The next morning, I had to ask Delphina, who had come to help me dress. I gripped her hand as she wrung out a sponge. “Delphina, I need to know.”
“Yes?”
The series of dreams—there were too many suspicious details to ignore. More than that, I now had a certainty. These dreams were not mere fantasies.
I just needed more confirmation, and for that, I needed Delphina’s help. “I want to know how the previous candidates for Crown Princess died.”
“Th-that’s…” Delphina looked deeply troubled by my question. She lowered her head and bit her lip.
To uncover the story she was hiding, I needed something more concrete—something from last night’s dream.
“Did any of them drown in the pond?”
Delphina’s head shot up in surprise. I didn’t need her answer to know.
“H-how did you… know?” A shiver ran down my spine.
“Delphina, I want to know the truth.”
“Th-that’s…” She hesitated, her head bobbing slightly, then lifted her chin with a newfound resolve. “As Your Highness suspected, one of them died in the pond.”
“…Is that… true?” I stumbled. The dream was real.
“Yes, the third candidate for Crown Princess.”
“Why did she fall into the pond?”
“That’s…”
Delphina hesitated again, then closed her eyes tightly. She made the sign of the cross and quickly answered, “It was said she took her own life.”
“Took her own life…”
But last night’s dream told a different story—a story of a desperate decision, a change of heart, and then… “Actually, those who were betrothed to the First Prince…” Delphina trailed off, her lips pressed together. I knew what she meant to say. It wouldn’t be surprising if they’d chosen suicide rather than marry the monstrous prince.
“That’s not it, Delphina.”
“Yes?”
“She… didn’t kill herself.”
That was why I had to tell the truth about her death. I might be the only one who knew. “People must have called it a curse.”
“Yes…” My heart ached. I realized something. If this dream truly showed the past, then what about the dream before?
“What about the fourth candidate, the daughter of House Peregrino?”
“I don’t know much about that. Only that she was found dead…”
“Then who found her body first?” Delphina hesitated before answering. “The Captain of the Guard at the Jasper Palace.”
“I want to meet him.”
More than anything, I needed to confirm the truth. Perhaps their appearances in my dreams were caused by the resentment of those wrongfully killed. A sense of mission settled upon me. Perhaps this was my purpose—to clear Cesar’s name of the curse. But more than that, I needed to know the truth for myself, to escape this vivid threat of death.
***
“I don’t know.” The Captain of the Guard was a grizzled man who looked to be about fifty. He was a large man, his face flushed as if he’d been drinking, and I thought I could smell alcohol on his breath. Even his beard and hair had a reddish tinge, making him look like a crimson pillar from afar.
“Be honest with Her Highness.”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.