A Timely Knight

A Death in the Castle

Estella Rose Lovegrove climbed the steps of Chroniker Cathedral alongside her four sons. The five of them, plus Electa, led the procession, the coffin that carried Samuel just a few steps away. The entirety of Ivoryport had dressed in black to say goodbye to their beloved King, whose sudden and untimely death had taken all of Makina by surprise.

As she held on to her son, Edison, Estella tried to avoid the inquisitive gaze of the subjects that had gathered to pay their respects. They kept giving her this Oh, that poor woman kind of look that was completely uncalled for. The reality was that she felt close to nothing. The news of Samuel's death had indeed taken her by surprise, but no sadness had filled her heart, no tears had flooded her eyes. She hadn't felt happy either, as so many in the Cathedral probably thought she would.

Instead, she felt... nothing at all.

Her sons also seemed to be rather unaffected by their father's death. Buford was crying his eyes out, but Raynard, Edison and Hugo were as stoic as she was. The eyes of all three were covered by the goggles that had become a permanent fixture in their faces, as well as the mouth covers that made them look like dogs with muzzles. They were barely speaking and Estella wondered, or maybe hoped that they were somehow hiding their pain to try to cope with the situation.

Electa, the fragile little girl, was the saddest of them all. Her dainty body was shaking and her soft features were contorted in severe anguish. Nestor Lawrence Hammer, her future husband, walked beside her, a look of deep concern in his eyes as the girl seemed on the verge of collapsing. The two of them seemed to be getting along far better than she would've hoped and the thought made her stomach turn.

"Sweet little girl," Estella said, walking towards her step-daughter, who literally shrunk at her presence. "You look positively ghastly. Have you eaten anything at all?"

"Well, her father just died." Nestor's tone was defensive and he seemed to jump into protective mode as soon as he saw Estella approaching.

God only knows the stories this little girl had told him about the big, bad Withered Flower.

"Is that so? I hadn't realized." Estella said sweetly, before turning back to the little girl. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Viscount? I would like to speak to my step-daughter alone."

"I don't want him to leave," Electa whimpered, grabbing his hand and daring to look at Estella for the first time.

Nestor put his arm around the little girl and challenged Estella with his eyes. "I am her future husband. We do not have secrets between each other. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of me."

Estella clenched her teeth. "It seems you had no reason to fear, little girl. Young Nestor here seems to be quite in love with you."

He smiled warmly. "What's not love?"

"Give it some time, Viscount, and you'll answer that question for yourself. Excuse me."

Estella turned and walked away from the young couple, her fists clenched and her breath shallow. Now that Samuel was dead, there was no reason to deny her true feelings towards the silly little girl she was leaving behind. The truth was, she hated Electa. She hated her innocence, her calm demeanor, her bright and promising future. She had been expecting to find a destroyed little girl with no one left to comfort her. Instead, she had found a loved and protected future bride, safe in the arms of a dashing young Viscount. Now, Estella hated her more than ever.

"Your Grace, I'm so very sorry." The loud and shrill voice of Livilla Ada Goodenough took her out of her thoughts and she barely had time to react when the woman's petite arms surrounded her. "Is there anything I can do for you, my dear Queen?"