Secrets Untold

Chapter 3

The next morning was nothing out of the ordinary. I woke up quite early, got into my usual attire and was at the castle grounds by dawn. Only the servants were awake at this hour from what I could tell, but they were too energetic to my liking. Some took notice of me, made a face, and continued their way to their destination. Perhaps I wasn't important enough to even greet. A door down the hall opened and a male was thrown out, landing against the wall, his body unmoving.

"Your majesty! Please calm down! I'm sure we are to hear the words of their arrival soon enough," someone called out, seeming like the world was going under.

"If they were to send word of their arrival, they would have come by now," the queen's voice called out, firm yet loud.

I chuckled softly to myself as I approached the door, leaning against the doorframe and looking at the scene in front of me. The queen was pacing back and forth with a pile of papers in her hands, while her lady in waiting was holding her hands out. It seemed like the queen sensed me as she stopped, spun around on her heels, and took long strides towards me.

"Adriana, my dear. Have you heard anything of my cousin's arrival?" she asked.

She grabbed my shoulders gently and scanned for any signs that I knew anything that could ease her worry. I shook my head, not remembering any gossip from the maids I had passed earlier. But then again, they rarely spoke around me.

"He was supposed to be here by now. The same with the kings brother. How come both of them aren't here when they're supposed to?" the queen sighed.

The lady in waiting walked over and put a hand against her cheek as she leaned in close to my ear, "she has been like this the entire morning. The stress isn't good for the baby."

"Your highness, why don't you join me for a walk in the garden? Some air helps and maybe they're just delayed," I said softly, holding my arm out.

The queen stopped pacing, blinked a few times before slowly made her way over. She simply nodded as I led her towards the door, giving the lady a small smile. The lady in waiting smiled back in relief before continuing with her daily tasks.

"Tell me, your highness, how come you sent me the invite for the yearly garden party?" I asked, making sure to keep her pace and being wary of where we were stepping.

"Oh, you didn't get the other letter. It is our way of trying to show you that we still care for you even though your father..." the queen trailed off, her grip on my arm tightening slightly.

"I understand."

She smiled as we entered the garden. One of her hands moved to her lower belly as we walked around, talking mostly about my mother and how she had enjoyed her life in the queen's service. I nodded every once in a while, to make sure that she knew that I was paying attention to her words. Until she halted us to a stop.

"Dear Adriana, could I request something from you?" the queen asked, tilting her head slightly.

"What is it that you need, your highness?" I asked, smiling softly.

"It's the grand duke of Bridian. People does not want him to attend the garden party, but I insisted that he attend for once. So, my request for you is to accompany him in the game that will be held during the party. Nothing too serious of course," she asked, eyeing me carefully as to see my reaction to the matter.

"If it is your request, your highness, how could I deny? After all, you've been insisting that I come as well," I nodded.

"You're a life saver, Adriana Auclair. You know that? I will tell the king right away about the arrangements, you go get ready, it's due soon."