Chapter 2

Agatha was so furious that she let out a sharp, incredulous laugh.

"Rosamund, have you had enough?" she hissed, her fingers flying over the rosary beads in her hand.

"This is the royal palace. How dare you make such outrageous claims here? Guards, escort Lady York out of the palace!"

The royal guards stationed outside exchanged uneasy glances, but none of them dared to move.

Alexander stepped forward, placing himself between me and the guards.

"I believe in Rosamund!"

The moment he made his position clear, all eight princes drew the swords at their sides and formed a protective circle around me.

Charles stepped forward.

"Grandmother, if Rosa says something has happened to Mother, then something must've happened to her," he said coldly. "Anyone who dares stop her from searching for Mother will answer to my sword!"

Agatha was so enraged she nearly fainted. She pointed at her grandsons, but for several moments, she couldn't utter a single word.

The queen leaned against the headboard, deliberately allowing two tears to roll down her cheeks at precisely the right moment.

"Alexander, Charles, what are you doing?" she cried. "If Rosa truly suspects me, then let her search.

"If she finds nothing, I only ask that she show me some mercy and leave me a little dignity."

My expression darkened as I picked up the coins from the floor once more.

For the first time, I found myself wishing my divination had been wrong.

Back at Ravenvale, Eleanor had always been the timid one.

I had held her hand as we made our way through the Valley of Serpents, and she had trembled so badly that she practically clung to me the entire way.

Yet when we were fleeing through the chaos of war, she had willingly taken a fatal arrow meant for me.

We had promised each other that we'd live to see better days together. How could she have died here without a trace?

"Wood feeds fire. Fire overcomes metal. Northwest… water tainted by evil!"

My eyes flew open as I turned toward the doors.

"The royal lake!"

Without hesitation, Alexander raised a hand and ordered, "Drain the lake now!"

The entire palace erupted into a frenzy.

Thousands of royal guards and attendants worked through the night, carrying buckets and hauling water from the lake.

The queen was helped there by her attendants as well, wrapped in a thick fur-lined cloak. She watched the water level slowly sink, yet there wasn't the slightest trace of panic in her eyes.

I kept my eyes fixed on the mud at the bottom. The place marked by my divination couldn't be wrong.

As the last of the water was drained away, a pile of debris emerged from beneath the mud.

Charles didn't even bother removing his boots. He jumped straight into the muck and began frantically digging through the spot I'd indicated.

Mud and water splattered all over him, but the prince who normally cared more than anyone about his appearance didn't seem to notice at all.

"Rosa, I found something!" he shouted.

Charles held up a mud-covered bundle and stumbled back toward shore. Alexander hurried over, his hands trembling as he took the bundle from his son.

Once the mud had been washed away, everyone froze.

It wasn't a skeleton.

It was an old dress embroidered with gold thread.