That night, Annabella fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. The journey had been exhausting enough on its own — but the moment she glimpsed the possibility of never having to marry the Crown Prince, the relief was so complete that all the fatigue she had been carrying came crashing down at once.

Hilda, however, was called away by the King and Queen, and had to slip out for a time.

“I present myself before Their Majesties.”

The royal couple, who had been waiting in the sitting room from earlier, quickly waved for Hilda to rise.

“Sit down.”

“You are too kind.”

The Kingdom of Elaise observed its distinctions of rank as clearly as anywhere — but that did not mean those of lesser station were treated carelessly. And so Hilda was able to take her seat across from the royal couple with ease.

“Now that matters have come to this, I understand you have something you wish to tell us.”

“Yes.”

Hilda’s face was resolute.

“What I have to tell you will be painful to hear — but I will not stop.”

Milton gave a nod of permission.

“There were suspicious circumstances surrounding Aubrey’s death.”

Those words turned the sitting room to ice.

“Aubrey weakened after giving birth to Annabella and died three years later — that was what we were told…….”

“I was there at Aubrey’s side until the very end. It is true that she had grown weak — but not to a degree that should have been fatal. The physician himself said that with proper rest and nourishment, she would recover before long.”

“And yet?”

“Even as she took the physician’s medicine, Aubrey only continued to worsen, losing strength by the day. By that point she had gone past pale — there was a blue tinge to her face and lips. And in the end, she began coughing up black blood.”

Thud.

Milton’s hand slipped from the armrest of the sofa. However long ago it had been, hearing the details of his beloved daughter’s death was an agony for them both.

“Afterward, when I tried to look into it further and went to find the physician, he had vanished — gone without a trace.”

Grace bit down on her own lip until it nearly bled. Milton reached over and took her hand tightly in his.

“I disguised my identity and sought out another physician, described the symptoms — and he told me it was poisoning. Someone…… had given Aubrey poison.”

A hollow, broken sound escaped them. Their daughter — raised with such tender love, as though a breath might scatter her, a touch might break her — had been poisoned to death.

“At that time, the woman who is now the current Duchess was already the Duke of Lates’ mistress. I…… cannot put the suspicion from my mind.”

“Is there any other evidence…… is there no evidence at all?”

“I attempted to obtain the medicine she had been taking, but I failed. After that, my conduct must have aroused suspicion — they made certain the physician could not come anywhere near me.”

“Which means you have nothing beyond a strong suspicion.”

Milton exhaled a long, heavy sigh. Grace’s face had gone dark.

“Even if we were to investigate now, so much time has passed — there may be no way left to act on it.”

“……Yes. I am deeply ashamed.”

“Don’t say such a thing. We know you did everything you could.”

Milton managed a bitter smile and laid a gentle hand on Hilda, who was sinking into self-reproach.

“Let us keep this between ourselves. I have no wish to see Annabella grieve over something she has no need to hear.”

The royal couple were devastated — the sort of sorrow that draws blood rather than tears — but for the sake of the granddaughter still living in this world, they resolved to endure it once more.

Hilda bowed her head low and swallowed her tears. Grace moved to her side and gently stroked her back.

Milton watched the two women in silence for a moment, then curled both hands into fists and spoke.

“When Annabella said she did not wish to return to the ducal estate — that she did not wish to become Crown Princess — I was genuinely relieved.”

The Crown Prince had attended a handful of diplomatic events over the years, but his reputation was poor at best — a severe narcissist who thought of no one but himself. And with the persistent rumors about his conduct with women, it was all but certain that marriage to him would make Annabella miserable.

“As for the Duke — we need only send him a sum in consolation and word that Annabella has fallen ill. That will be the end of it.”

The thought of sending that man so much as a copper coin made his blood boil — but it was the surest way to make the Duke relinquish Annabella without a fight.

“When the time is right, we intend to confer upon Annabella the title of princess.”

At those words, Hilda’s face brightened.

“That is a truly wonderful idea.”

Annabella was their granddaughter by blood — the grounds were sound, and conferring the title would be straightforward. And now that they had no children left, Annabella could step into that role herself. To find a warm-hearted man to marry and carry this kingdom forward.

“We had better say it was smallpox. Tell them the scarring left on her face is disfiguring, and given the Crown Prince’s character, he will naturally want nothing to do with her.”

“Yes. That should resolve everything without difficulty.”

Milton’s shoulders rose with quiet satisfaction. To think that after everything, there was finally something he could do for Annabella — Aubrey’s daughter — and the feeling was enough to fill his chest to bursting.

***

When Annabella woke from what felt like the most blissful sleep she’d had in ages, the ladies-in-waiting assigned to her chambers sprang into quiet, efficient motion.

They drew back the curtains on the bed, opened the windows, and set a silver-legged tray across her lap. On it sat an omelette, freshly toasted bread, bright fresh fruit, and an assortment of drinks.

“How wonderful this looks!”

She had been served breakfast in bed at the ducal estate too — but what sat before her now was in an entirely different class.

“Does it suit your taste, my lady?”

“Yes! I’m almost worried that if I go on living here, I’ll gain enough weight that my dresses won’t fit.”

The charming answer made Hilda smile warmly.

“My lady. The truth is…… I had a private audience with Their Majesties last evening.”

Annabella set down her glass of tomato juice for a moment.

“And?”

“They said they would send word that you had contracted smallpox, and dispatch a consolation sum to the ducal estate.”

Annabella’s mouth fell half open.

“They reasoned that if it were said the scarring had left its mark on your face, the Crown Prince’s vanity would make him lose interest immediately. And that the Duke, upon receiving the consolation money, would spare little thought for a daughter who had fallen ill with smallpox.”

It was a sad thing to say — but it was the truth.

“They are remarkably shrewd.”

Alexis was a man who despised anything he deemed unpleasant to look upon. Even a single smallpox scar would give him grounds to find fault for the rest of his life.

Her father was no different. To a man who had already built himself a new family, a daughter rendered plain by illness and no longer fit to become Crown Princess would hold very little value. So as long as the consolation money arrived, he would likely not care at all.

“To be treated so warmly by people I only met yesterday…… I don’t know how to express how grateful I am.”

“You need only be yourself, my lady. That is the greatest joy you could give them.”

Hilda had not yet mentioned their intention to confer the title of princess upon Annabella. She felt it was better not to overwhelm her with too much all at once.

“For today, you’ll rest until midday, and then take a stroll through the gardens with Their Majesties this afternoon.”

“Really? I wanted to go into the maze garden the moment I laid eyes on it. I wonder if I’d be able to solve it.”

“Shall I give you a hint?”

Annabella, deliberating with a fork between her lips, shook her head.

“No. I want to work it out myself.”

This was Annabella returned to her true self at last — bright, cheerful, and brimming with confidence.

Meanwhile, the morning of the royal couple was considerably busy.

Milton was already bent over a letter to be sent to the ducal estate, and Grace had gone into the kingdom’s dressing room, happily deliberating over which gown to put Annabella in.

“Oh, Sara — we’ll need to open the jewelry box today.”

“Yes, I’ll have everything prepared.”

Sara had devoted her entire life to serving as Grace’s head lady-in-waiting. Seeing her mistress this happy made Sara happy in turn.

“There are a great many jewels — will you be looking through all of them?”

“That’s exactly what I intend. More than that — what styles do young women tend to favor these days? There are quite a few uncut stones as well — shall I give them to Annabella and let her have them set however she likes?”

“That would carry a meaning all its own, I think.”

It was beginning to look as though every jewel in the kingdom would be brought out before long. But even with the extra work piling up, Grace felt more energetic than ever. All of it thanks to a granddaughter who was the very image of her daughter.

“Your Majesty, it will soon be time to go to the gardens.”

“Oh, that’s right. That comes first. Very well — let us go now.”

“Yes.”

When Grace arrived at the gardens, Milton and Annabella were already waiting for her.

“I present myself before Her Majesty the Queen.”

Annabella offered a shy curtsy.

“Have you been waiting long? I’m sorry, my dear. I’m afraid I lost track of time choosing dresses and jewels for you.”

The words were so entirely unexpected that Annabella’s blue eyes went wide and round. The expression was so perfectly Aubrey as a child that a smile rose unbidden to Grace’s face.

“I don’t need anything at all. As long as you’ll simply have me here…….”

“But we are family.”

Grace took Annabella’s hand gently in hers.

“From now on, a simple, light greeting is all you need offer us. Just as Aubrey used to.”

Milton gave a nod to show he felt the same.

“Even so, I really should…….”

“Of course you may — in fact, it should have been that way from the very start.”

Outwardly as gruff as ever, yet unmistakably tender — and at those words from Milton, Annabella broke into a radiant smile.