Chapter Two

The Following Morning

"Anna!"

Her mother's voice woke her. Anna sat up at once.

"Mom?"

"I'm going to the market." Adele stood in the doorway, a small basket in hand. "I need your help with something."

Anna got out of bed. "What is it?"

"Vegetables and bread."

"Okay." She took the basket, and as she passed her mother, something caught her eye — Adele looked pale.

"Mom, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Adele said, and walked away before Anna could ask anything more.

Anna grabbed her shoes and stepped outside. The morning air was cool, the village already stirring — people heading for the market, children weaving through the narrow streets, merchants pushing carts loaded with food. For a moment she forgot everything else and smiled.

Then a voice called out behind her. "Anna!"

She turned. A young man stood a few feet away, waving.

"Where are you going?"

"The market."

He grinned. "Then I'll walk with you."

"Why?" she laughed.

"Because it's a long way from here."

They set off together, though Anna's mind had already wandered — back to the palace, to the opportunity she'd heard about, to the chance to earn enough to change their lives. And, perhaps most of all, to the chance to finally understand what her mother was so afraid of.

She had no idea the palace was already tangled into her life in ways she couldn't imagine — that her mother's past was waiting for her behind those enormous gates, and that somewhere within them, a secret from Adele's history was already stirring, one that would eventually bring Anna face-to-face with the very people her mother had spent years running from.

In Market Square

Anna was pricing vegetables when a familiar voice rang out.

"Anna!"

She looked up to see Blair waving from across the square, and the two met halfway, hugging warmly.

"Good morning!" Blair said.

"Good morning. How are you?"

"I'm good." Blair studied her for a moment. "What about the flyer — did your mother agree to let you work at the palace?"

Anna's smile faded. "No."

"What happened?"

"She said I'm not allowed to go."

"If I were you, I wouldn't let that stop me," Blair said gently. "You shouldn't give up just because she said no."

"But I really want to work there."

"You'll find another way."

Anna nodded, though she still looked deflated. "So you're going without me?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Blair smiled. "It's fine. You're still my only friend — I'll tell you everything that happens." She glanced at the vegetables in Anna's arms. "I should get going. I need to drop this off before I earn the beating of my life today," she added dryly, and Anna laughed despite herself.

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

They hugged once more and went their separate ways.

On the Way Home

Blair skipped along the road, swinging her arms, and greeted two elderly women sitting by the roadside as she passed.

"Good afternoon, ma."

"Good afternoon, beauty," one of them replied, smiling.

Once Blair was out of earshot, the women began talking.

"Can you see her?" the first said. "Smiling, despite everything her aunt puts her through. That woman treats her like a slave."

"Hmm. She's the kind of girl any mother would pray for," the second sighed. "Respectful, and still smiling through all that hell." She paused. "I pray she meets someone who makes her happy — someone who helps her forget these hard years."

"Amen."

"Amen."

They smiled and went their separate ways.

When Blair reached home, she stopped at the door — voices carried from inside. Her aunt's voice, talking to a friend. Blair went still and listened.

"Can you imagine — Blair told me she wants to try for the new maid selection this year."

"What? What did you say?"

"What do you expect? I told her to go." A pause, and her aunt's tone shifted. "But why would I even say that? Do you ever think about the fact that her mother once worked in that palace — and was killed there? We still don't know the real reason why."

"I know," her friend said, lowering her voice. "But I can't tell her something like that without proof. The only evidence we have is the necklace I found in Kieka's pocket. That's not enough. I don't even know whose it is."

"Maybe it could help us find who killed my sister — but—" Her aunt stopped mid-sentence.

"But what?"

A long silence. "I don't have the time to chase all this down," her aunt finally said. "I was thinking maybe I should sell it. It's gold — it would fetch a good price." Blair could hear the smile in her voice as she imagined the sum.

"No." Her friend's tone sharpened. "No, no, no. That necklace is the only thing Kieka left her daughter. Keep it — and tell Blair the truth about how her mother died, instead of pushing her toward that palace." A pause, heavy with worry. "It isn't safe there."

Outside the door, Blair stood frozen, hand still on the knob. She'd heard all of it — her mother's death, the palace, the necklace, and the possibility that the truth had been kept from her for years.

For the first time, the smile disappeared from her face. She didn't know what to believe. But one thing was certain: there was something about her mother's death her aunt had never told her.

At Anna's House

Anna arrived home that afternoon to find the front door standing wide open.

She stopped in her tracks, her heart picking up speed.

"Mom?"

No answer. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. The house was unnervingly quiet.

The parlour was in disarray — chairs overturned, clothes scattered across the floor, household items flung everywhere.

"Mom?" Still nothing. "Mom! Mom!"

Her mother was nowhere.

Fear crept in as Anna searched the house again, room by room, hoping to find Adele hiding somewhere. She found nothing. Back in the parlour, she stood trembling, taking in the wreckage.

"What happened here?"

Her eyes moved slowly across the room, and then she saw it — the unmistakable signs of a struggle. She covered her mouth.

"Oh God..."

A small piece of Adele's clothing lay on the floor. Anna bent down and picked it up, her hands shaking.

"Mom..."

She looked toward the open door, and for the first time, a terrifying thought took hold of her.