Homeless girl, Rosalie, is found on the cold streets of Crausley Sands with nothing but the clothes on her back and a black obsidian stone key around her neck, having no memory of who gave it to her.
When Rosalie is taken in by none other than Princ...
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"Whatever do you mean, Liliana?" Rosalie quizzed, "what is it that you are hiding?"
As Liliana's trembles ceased in the hold of Rosalie's embrace, she lifted her gaze and said, "if I am to tell you, do you promise my admission will not reach another's ears?"
An entourage of goosebumps raged across Rosalie's forearm like an armed ensemble charging towards their opponent on a battlefield.
"I promise."
Liliana swallowed, exhaling on a shaky breath. "When I was summoned to assist Madame Francine with her dressing, before I came to stand at her threshold, I heard her talking. But Prince Darick was nowhere in the mansion, nor the grounds for that matter."
"Could it have been another member of staff, perhaps?" Rosalie suggested.
Shaking her head, Liliana replied, "no. My mother is assisting Stanley in the kitchen and the other maids are preparing the guest bedrooms for some of the leaders who opt to stay for a short while during these gatherings. There was no one else in the room with her."
Instantly, Rosalie's mind veered to the ornate mirror which had her so enthralled the day before. But also emitted a shadow of vague recognition.
Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, Rosalie was familiar with the magnetism she felt, pulling her to that mirror; a thread so severely strong it had the ability to cut through thick solid walls of brick and mortar. That, and the reaction it evoked from the obsidian key hanging around her neck.
"Did you hear what she said?" Rosalie asked in an effort to distract herself from the pulse of yearning, telling her to run up the stairs and enter Madame Francine and Prince Darick's chambers.
"Yes," Liliana admitted, "very clearly ... but I ... I am afraid to say the words aloud."
"Why?"
"If I am to speak the very words, then it means I may have lost my mind."
Rosalie frowned at her younger friend, confusion sewing its way through the creases in her forehead.
Even with that fear, Liliana continued, "'in sixteen days, Crausley Sands will bow to its new Queen and my fallen souls will be unleashed to wreak havoc upon those that followed a ruler who spilled their blood,' that's what I heard her say." A pause followed and Lilana broke free from Rosalie's grasp as if needing space to breathe. She sighed, grateful to be unburdened by the weight she had carried since that morning? Rosalie suspected so.
"After that, it went quiet," Liliana added, "until I heard her mutter Jared's name."
"Jared? You have mentioned this person before?"
Liliana nodded, "yes, he was the Prince's cook before Stanley took over his position. Jared left his letter of resignation on Prince Darick's desk and wasn't to be seen again. Not one of us was given the opportunity to bid him farewell. No one even saw him leave the residence."
