Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(9)
“Perhaps this will remind you of your experience.”
I open the book, though I already have an idea of the book’s contents. Like The Ugly Stepsister, which has now disappeared, and Twice Upon A Time, the copyright and publisher information pages are all missing. It goes directly into the story, as though the book was printed and hand bound by the professor himself.
“Once upon a time,” I read aloud from the first page. “There was a great and prosperous country, Athelia, ruled by a king named Leon.”
My heart stops for a second. I know who that king is.
“It’s my father-in-law,” I say, my voice trembling. “Edward’s father.”
6
Edward
It is quiet in the suite. Katriona Bradshaw left the sitting room an hour ago for a trip to the tailors. Apparently those days in Moryn had taken a toll on her body, and Kat’s outfits are too loose on her. While I am sympathetic to what she must have went through, at the same time I abhor the idea of her wearing Kat’s clothes.
If I had my way, I would preserve Kat’s room as it is, and have Katriona Bradshaw sleep in some other room, preferably as far away from my suite as possible. But my father had decided that we should not disclose Kat’s departure to the public. After Kat left, we discussed with the Bradshaws and issued a statement that the girl who claimed to be the princess was a fraud and the case was withdrawn. Katriona Bradshaw moved into the suite, and as far as I can discern, everyone believes that Katriona Bradshaw is Kat.
“The queen wishes to see you, Your Highness,” Amelie says in the doorway.
I glance up from the mountain of paperwork on my desk. “When and where does she wish for me to meet her?”
“Right now, Your Highness. She is in her receiving room.”
Mother usually reserves her receiving room for private sessions. Last time she summoned me to the chamber was when Kat and I quarreled. She had asked me why we were behaving like strangers to each other, and told me she had expected better of me, especially only a month into my marriage. I couldn’t tell her I lost my temper due to my fear of losing Kat, but now it is of little relevance. How petty I had acted then. No matter all my efforts to win her heart, she still ended up leaving me.
“Very well,” I say. My instincts forewarn that she is going to ask me about Katriona Bradshaw. It is hardly surprising; Katriona’s behavior could not escape anyone’s eye. I do not know if this is her true nature, or that her sister has instructed her, but Katriona acts like we have done her a great wrong, and everyone is obligated to acquiesce to her wishes. Whereas Kat listens, Katriona commands. I could not have a worse person replacing my Kat.
I tell others that the princess’s unusual behavior is due to the terrible trial she suffered, but I do not know how much longer this lie will last. The sooner I can divorce her and rid her of my sight, the better. I would rather be surrounded with my memories than look upon a face similar to Kat’s but with a character so different from hers.
Walking to Mother’s is a good thing. I haven’t stood up and stretched for a while. Kat had once massaged my shoulders, when she thought I was getting stiff in my muscles, telling me she had learned this trick from her mother. I cannot deny how much I miss her touch, her fingers working on the sore spots in my shoulders. What I wouldn’t give to see her face again…
The door swings open when I approach. My mother is sitting in a low chair, a pot of tea laid out on the table. Clearly, this is meant to be a long talk. I do not relish talking to her about Katriona, but this conversation is inevitable.
Mother indicates a seat near her. She tells the servants to close the door and go about their duties. “I shall not need your services for at least a few hours.” The servants look relieved. Kat used to do that as well. She insisted on giving the servants more flexibility and made sure they did not work more than eight hours a day.
Mother pushes a cup of hot tea in front of me. “I suppose you must know why I summoned you.”
I take a sip of the hot liquid and feel my senses relax. “Pray continue.”
“How are you getting along with your new wife?”
“She is not my wife,” I say without thinking. “She is only a temporary solution for our perfect public image.”
“I see.” Mother does not attempt to persuade me to let Katriona stay, and for that I am grateful. “Have you any news of Kat?”
How I wish I did. Even if I cannot see her in person, I wish the goblins could drop by and inform me how she’s faring.
“Unfortunately...no.”
Mother drops a sugar cube in her teacup and swirls the liquid, watching the steam rise from the cup. “I have always been intrigued by Kat. Not only because she convinced you to marry, but also of her extraordinary behavior. When she moved into the palace, there were times that I could not conceive of her being from Lady Bradshaw’s household. I wonder if she has ever told you this, or perhaps I am speculating nonsense—but did she arrive from another world?”
Hot tea sloshes on my arm. I stare at her, oblivious of the wetness seeping into my sleeve. Mother hands me a napkin. Since I was five, she has refused to help me with anything I could accomplish myself. “Apparently you already know about it. She is from an incredible world where women and children have more rights.”