The weight of the crown

Chapter 18

It was very early. I took advantage of the opportunity that almost everyone in the palace was still sleeping and I walked toward the kitchen so that I could take something to eat.

I went down carefully, always making sure to look around for someone to appear behind me.

I stopped when I noticed the light coming through one of the doors. I approached the same door, surprised to discover that this was one of the rooms where the discussions had taken place.

I walked slowly until I reached the door, hiding behind her but peering inside, surprised to find my father and Thomas sitting opposite each other, with some papers on the big wooden table.

The two of them were still wearing their fancy clothes, a sign that they probably did not rest the night.

"Are you sure about what you're saying?" Asked Thomas quietly.

"You can never be sure, all the recent incidents make me realize that we don't have much time, that we were too complacent"

"That's why you sent Ally to Ireland?" Asked Thomas, which made me look at them both suspiciously, my eyes moving between my father and Thomas.

"Alexandra is in danger, and I think the smartest thing right now is to keep her away, in Ireland, she'll be safe"

"I don't think there's a place that's safe for her, not until we win Scotland"

"She must not be in the palace, her curiosity may endanger her"

"Did you tell her?" Asked Thomas, with a slight hesitation in his voice.

"She doesn't know that there is someone spying on us in the palace, and we will make sure she wouldn't," my father said in a cold voice, and while they continued to talk, I felt my heart pounding, a mole?

"I'm afraid we've discovered it too late, they're probably already planning their next action," said Thomas.

"So we'll have to find him before they carry out their next plan," said my father. "In the meantime, I'll make sure to strengthen the defenses on the palace in case anyone tries to break into the palace again.

"Don't worry father, we won't let them win, not this time," said Thomas firmly.

I felt my heart beating.

So that's why they did not want me to stay in the palace, they think someone out of the palace wants to hurt us, the only question is who?

Who would do anything to hurt England like that, and why would he do that?

"Alexandra" I heard William say while I looked at the book, but I didn't really concentrate on the words on the paper.

"what?" I said, running my hand through my scattered hair.

"I'm trying to explain to you how to pronounce the words in Portuguese, and it doesn't look like you're listening to me," he said, and then surveyed my face, "Are you sure everything is all right?"

"Yes I'm fine, why shouldn't I be?" I said, I picked up the book William was holding and began to read the words, though I didn't really understand what I was reading.

"You can trust me, you know that, right?" He asked, trying to look into my eyes as I looked at the page.

"I know," I sighed quietly, "but I can't share it with you, it's just too.. complicated "

"I understand that Alexandra, but I want you to promise me you won't do anything reckless without telling anyone, I wouldn't want you to risk yourself again"

"William .." I sighed quietly as I put the book down beside me and looked up at him, looking at his brown eyes.

"Alexandra," he said in the same tone, which made a little smile appear on my face.

"I promise," I said. "Satisfied?"

"Very," he said when a small smile appeared on his face as well. He leaned forward a little and took the book beside me and opened it on the page where we stopped.

I walked through the servants' rooms wearing plain clothes that would not betray my identity.

I decided that I had to find the mole in the palace. I wandered through the rooms but found nothing suspicious.

Then I took some folded clothes and walked around the noblemen's rooms, careful not to look at anyone and to check that I was not staying in any room for too long.

I kept wandering through the rooms until I reached the room at the end of the corridor. I opened the door carefully and then went inside.

The room was large and wide, a large bed lay in the center of the room, a brown-colored wardrobe leaned against the wall, and the window overlooking the garden hid a long, pale yellow curtain.

The room looked quite ordinary and I did not find anything particularly suspicious about the closet. I turned to the drawers in the room as I passed over them all.

I stopped at one of them when I saw a white envelope lying at the bottom of the drawer, among all kinds of notes and pages.

I picked it up slowly because there was nothing written on the back of it, I turned it over to the front. I gasped a little when I noticed the red stamp on the envelope.

My hands carefully caressed the letters that were crystal clear, it was Scotland's stamp.

I got to see her several times when my father received letters from the king. The envelope was open, I was curious to see what the letter said, but at that moment there was the sound of footsteps.

I put the envelope back in the drawer where I found it and closed the drawer tightly.

I tried to think about where to hide, but I had no idea. I closed my eyes for a moment trying to think calmly.

I ran to the big curtain and stood behind him just before the door of the room opened. Voices of footsteps and familiar voices filled the room.

"Your Excellency, I assure you that all the assets we have talked about will move to England by the end of the month. I talked about it with your father and he promised to take care of it." There was a deep male voice that I recognized, but I could not connect the face with the voice, which was frustrating.

"I know he's taking care of it, but it's important to me that it happens soon, because of the situation in England I feel the need to help what I can." I heard another voice, which I certainly recognized, it was Charlotte.

"Without undermining your decisions, Your Excellency, you don't think it's too reckless to move assets to England, especially because of the situation with Scotland"

"I think you should trust my decisions," Charlotte said, and by the cold tone she now used, it seemed that the same man had managed to irritate her.

"I don't doubt your Excellency or your decisions, I just think that at times like this one should be more calculating"

"I think I know what I'm doing and how to act, and so is Thomas," she said, and I heard her footsteps move away until the door opened and closed again.

With a little apprehension, I moved the curtain slightly to look at the person she was talking to.

He stood at a stool in the book he was holding, his bright eyes focused on the book for me so that he could not see me or the shock on my face.

I thought things would suddenly make sense, but on the contrary, I didn't understand how it was the French ambassador who was standing just a few meters from me.