Chapter Text
The carriage was coming back, and I struggled to keep my grin under control. Ney, Chartette, and Mariam were standing with me. Elluka was supposed to be here, but she had left a few hours ago for some unknown reason. None of those details mattered to me. The only one I cared about was the one in the carriage.
My older sister, Riliane.
She had been in Elphegort for a negotiations meeting, and she had written to me that her fiancé was there as well. In her letter, she had told me about the time they spent together and how much fun they had. It had made me smile, and I had written a letter of my own to my fiancée, Princess Michaela.
When the carriage stopped, Mariam approached it, but the young guard who stepped out first stopped her from getting closer and shook his head. “The princess doesn’t want to see anyone right now,” he said. “She’s upset.”
Mariam frowned. “For what reason?”
He shrugged. “I’m not allowed to say. I’ll escort her to her room.” When no one moved, visible annoyance flashed in his eyes as he snapped, “You may leave.”
All four of us were shocked, and Mariam physically recoiled. Her expression turned sour, and she walked back into the palace. Ney chased after her mother, shooting me and Chartette a silent apology.
My friend grabbed my hand and led me away. “C’mon, Alexiel. If your sister’s not feelin’ well, we shouldn’t bug her, yannow. She might just be sick.”
“That doesn’t help me,” I said, trying to fight her inhumanly strong grip. “Seriously, let me go. Don’t make me order you.”
Chartette only scoffed and kept pulling me.
Gritting my teeth, I turned to see the guard helping my sister out of the carriage. She was wearing a black veil over a ripped blue dress. If someone hurt her, I’d kill them in cold blood. That was a promise.
{*}
After four days of not seeing my sister, Ney and I decided to go check on her. Her bedroom door was locked, but I had the key she had given me. She had the key to my door, too.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked, fiddling with her sleeves. “If she doesn’t want to see anyone, then…..” She trailed off when she saw my face.
Once it was unlocked, I gently opened the door and went in. “Riliane!” I called. “Oh, my God!”
What my eyes fell upon……I couldn’t even comprehend it. It was too terrible.
Blood was splattered on the ground and the bed, swirling around the blue dress and blonde hair of the girl lying down. Her eyes were partially opened, and her lips were parted. A bouquet of lilies was held by her too-pale hands, nearly indistinguishable from her skin.
A silver knife rested among the flowers.
Riliane was dead.
Ney screamed.