The Courtesan

Chapter 42

The holidays tidied over and the guests in the palace slowly reduced. I spent the rest of it caring for Prince Miyon and hiding from Prince Kron, Prince Kalvin and Duke Erik. It was hard but I eventually achieved success. 

Right when I had given up on having the former queen on my side and waiting for my call for execution, her servant dropped in my room once again. He came when I was there this time and still gave me such a fright. 

“My master wishes to see you.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

It was still too early in the morning for anyone to be moving around but security was heightened because of the presence of the king and his dignitaries. Sneaking out of the west quarters to the cold palace, my heart beat so loudly in my ears, I was afraid I wouldn’t hear the guards coming. 

The man leading me looked so experienced, taking routes I never thought existed, even though I had lived in the palace for most of my life. Eventually, we reached the cold palace, unspotted by any of the guards around. It did say a lot about the palace security. 

She looked the same with an air that intimidated me. I didn’t know if it was on purpose but I tried to look like I wasn’t affected. 

“Where did you get this?” she asked, holding up the locket. 

“The locket is mine,” I replied, looking her straight in the eyes. 

“You’re Princess Ariana Stavenger?”

“Yes. I am the only living member of the last royal family.”

“And you… you’re taking care of Miyon. What… what is your purpose?”

“I came here with the intent of killing King Mival for revenge. Coming here to be Prince Miyon’s nurse was not something I planned. I initially wanted to come in as a concubine of Prince Kron but I couldn’t achieve that. Prince Miyon was convenient.”

“So, all you told me about loving him… was a lie?”

Her voice cracked and her hand gripped the locket with enough force that I feared would bend it, though it was pure gold. I sighed and stepped forward. 

“I wasn’t lying about that. As someone who has fallen from the very top, I know how it feels to constantly fear for your life and hope each day would not be your last, having everyone who loved you dead and having people who are supposed to care for you be your enemies. It doesn’t matter who his father is. He’s not supposed to live like that.”

“You expect me to believe that?!”

“If you don’t believe me, ask your servant. I’m sure you have him watch over Prince Miyon. It would explain why he isn’t dead yet.”

“... Is this true?” she asked him. 

“Everything she has said is true. She cares for him.”

Despite hearing that, it took her quite a while to calm herself. Her body trembled and the gaze she laid upon me chilled me to the bone. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened it. She tossed the locket back to me. 

“I’ll believe you for now. Hearing your reason, I cannot force you to leave the palace. However, you must have realized by now that King Mival isn’t too easy to kill. Even if you did kill him, it wouldn’t be easy to reclaim the throne. He is a man with huge ambitions.”

“Since he took over the throne, I was having doubts about my father being a good leader when everyone in the kingdom sang the praises of King Mival. However, meeting him in person quickly changed that. King Mival is a horrible person that needs to be removed as quickly as possible.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” 

“I need allies so I came to you.”

“Do I look like the type of person to have allies? I’m a prisoner.”

“You look like the type of person that could leave here anytime she wanted. I want you to help me get rid of him before he can do something worse.”

“... What do you know about King Mival?”

“If I had to admit, all I know is that he’s a horrible person.”

“He is not someone a person as naive as you can square up to, even with the allies.”

“I can’t give up now. I gave up my peaceful life with my husband, left my comfortable life, became a courtesan, I cannot go back now…”

“I understand. Can you leave the palace?” 

“Yes.”

“Go to the Horps Duchy and tell them about me. They’ll help you. From then on, you’re on your own.”

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you want to leave? Once I go, I’ll take the prince with me. What will you do?” 

“If the truth comes out that I’m still alive, there might be a repeat of the m******e that happened five years ago. I’ll stay here.”

“Thank you. I promise to come back for you.”

“Don’t bother, this is my cross. You need to leave as soon as possible.”

“Okay.”

By the time I returned to the palace, the sun was already rising. It still felt terribly cold and I was worried about the tracks we would leave in the snow. Still, we returned safely and the room was in the same state I left it in. 

Prince Miyon still wasn’t awake but he was getting better. It gave me a good idea which I acted on immediately. I walked to the quarters assigned to the people from the Horps Duchy. The guards outside the door were familiar with me so they let me in. 

The three ladies were already awake and fully dressed. Lady Geraldine paced the room, Dr. Rivers was bent over with her tools in her hand, taking care of a wound on Lady Miriam’s arm. 

“Elayne, what a surprise,” Lady Geraldine said, flustered. 

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. Is there a problem?”

“Looking at it now, it might not be that important. I should just go back. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Come on, you’re already here. Might as well say it.”

“Okay. His highness hasn’t woken up and it frightens me. Dr. Rivers is the only one I can trust to take care of him but you’re returning to the duchy soon. I was hoping we could follow you.”

The three ladies paused and looked at each other. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes. This would be good for both of us.”

“Alright. You can come with us when we’re going.” 

“Thank you.” I bowed, genuinely grateful. 

“It’s really no problem. What are friends for?” 

Friends. A simple word that made such a difference in this context. I wondered if we would be friends if I told them the truth about who I really was. If I said the words that would change how they viewed me. 

I gave them one last bow and left, returning to my room. I had made my decision and would see this one through the end. No more backing out or hesitation. I would see it through, right to the end.