Chapter 2: The Queen's Secret
The ballroom did not empty quietly.
It erupted.
Noblewomen whispered behind jeweled fans. Dukes gathered in tight circles, arguing about the meaning of the glowing inscription. Some called it a miracle. Others called it an elaborate deception.
Lady Victoria stood beside a marble column, her hands clenched around the folds of her gown.
Her father, Duke Ashbourne, approached with a rigid expression.
“Victoria, come with me.””
“But Father—”
“Now.””
Victoria glanced toward Elia.
The maid was standing between two royal guards, looking as confused as everyone else.
“I did everything correctly,” Victoria whispered.
Duke Ashbourne gripped her arm.
“Then someone has cheated.””
“But the crystal—”
“Do you think I care what a piece of stone claims?””
His voice was low, but the anger in it made Victoria flinch.
“The entire kingdom watched you fail,” he continued.
“And a kitchen servant succeeded. Do you understand what that means for our family?””
Victoria lowered her eyes.
“I am sorry.””
“Sorry will not restore our position.””
Across the ballroom, Lady Serena was having a very different conversation.
She leaned toward her father, Lord Malcolm, who was standing beneath one of the golden pillars.
“Did you see the queen?”” Serena whispered.
“I have eyes.””
“She looked as though she recognized that girl.””
Lord Malcolm watched Elia carefully.
“Recognition is not proof.””
“But what if—”
“Keep your voice down.””
Serena's fingernails pressed into her palm.
For years, her father had promised that she would one day become the woman standing beside Prince Adrian. He had arranged invitations, alliances, and private meetings with the royal council.
Lady Victoria had been their greatest obstacle.
Now Victoria had failed, but the victory meant nothing if a nameless servant could suddenly stand above them all.
Lord Malcolm adjusted his cuff.
“Find out who the girl is.””
Serena raised an eyebrow.
“And if she's nobody?””
“Then make sure everyone continues believing that.””
Inside the eastern tower, Queen Eleanor paced before an enormous fireplace.
The fire crackled beneath a golden mantel decorated with the portraits of dead monarchs.
Adrian stood near the window, watching guards escort Elia into the adjoining chamber.
His mother had ordered the girl brought to the private royal apartments instead of the dungeon.
That decision had already caused three arguments with the royal council.
“Tell me what you know,” Adrian said.
Eleanor stopped walking.
“There is nothing to tell.””
“Mother, the crystal revealed an inscription that has not appeared in four hundred years. You cried at the sight of that girl. Then you ordered me to keep everyone away from her.””
“I am aware of what I ordered.””
“Then explain it.””
The queen turned toward the fireplace.
For a long moment, only the crackling flames filled the room.
Finally, she spoke.
“Seventeen years ago, your father and I had another child.””
Adrian's expression changed.
He knew about the royal tragedy. Everyone in the palace knew it, although the details had been sealed in the royal archives.
His younger sister had disappeared during a fire in the old nursery.
Officially, she had been declared dead.
Adrian had been five years old at the time.
He remembered only fragments: smoke beneath a door, servants running through the corridor, his father carrying him away from the flames, and his mother screaming a name he had not heard since.
“Liora,” he whispered.
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
Adrian looked at the queen.
“I thought she died.””
“So did the court.””
“Was there a body?””
“No.””
“Then why was she declared dead?””
“Because the royal council demanded an answer. The fire destroyed the eastern nursery, several servants died, and the only person who claimed to have escaped with the child vanished before dawn.””
“Who was she?””
“A nursemaid named Mara.””
Adrian took a slow breath.
“Was she responsible?””
The queen's lips tightened.
“I never believed she was.””
“Then why didn't you search for her?””
“I searched every village, every port, every monastery. I sent soldiers beyond our borders.”” Her voice cracked.
“I offered fortunes for information. But every trail ended in darkness.””
Adrian glanced toward the adjoining chamber.
“And now a palace maid touches the crystal, and you think she is your daughter?””
“I think the crystal recognized something that should not exist.””
“That isn't an answer.””
“No,” Eleanor whispered.
“It is the only answer I have.””
She walked toward a cabinet and opened a small drawer.
Inside lay a delicate gold bracelet.
It was tiny, made for a baby's wrist. Five small stars had been engraved around a crescent-shaped charm.
Adrian recognized it immediately.
It had appeared in his mother's portrait years ago, resting in the palm of the infant wrapped in her arms.
“The bracelet was missing from the nursery,” he said.
Eleanor nodded.
“It was placed around Liora's wrist the night she was born.””
“Do you think Elia has it?””
“I don't know.””
“Then we need proof.””
The queen closed the drawer.
“We must be careful. If the wrong person learns what the crystal has revealed, that girl may never leave this palace alive.””
Adrian frowned.
“Why would anyone want to hurt her?””
Eleanor looked toward the door.
“Because a missing princess is a story. A living princess is a threat.””
Elia sat alone in a small sitting room.
A glass of water and a plate of untouched bread rested on the table before her.
The royal guards had not been unkind, but they had refused to explain what would happen next.
Her hands rested in her lap.
The palm that had touched the crystal was now marked by five faint golden lines. They had appeared after the light faded, forming delicate patterns beneath her skin.
She rubbed her thumb against them.
“What have I done?”” she whispered.
The door opened.
Adrian entered without his guards.
Elia immediately stood.
“Your Highness.””
“Sit down.””
She obeyed.
He studied her carefully.
“Are you hurt?””
“No, Your Highness.””
“Your hand?””
Elia hesitated.
“It feels warm.””
Adrian pulled out the chair opposite her.
“May I see it?””
She extended her palm.
He examined the five lines.
“Have you ever seen anything like this?””
“No.””
“Have you ever touched the Crystal Hand before today?””
“No, Your Highness.””
“Have you heard stories about it?””
“Only the ones the older servants tell.””
“What stories?””
Elia looked uncertain.
“They say the first queen had a hand made of crystal that could recognize a person's soul.””
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“Who told you that?””
“Old Mara.””
His expression sharpened.
“Mara?””
“She raised me when I was little. She used to work in the palace laundry.””
“Where is she now?””
Elia lowered her eyes.
“She died when I was fourteen.””
“Did she ever tell you about your family?””
Elia shook her head.
“I don't remember my parents. Mara said she found me as a baby near the old abbey road. There had been a terrible storm that night.””
Adrian leaned forward.
“Did she know who left you there?””
“No.””
“Did you have anything with you?””
Elia looked down at the faded uniform.
“Only a blanket and a little silver pendant. Mara kept it for me.””
“Where is it?””
“In my room.””
Adrian's expression remained controlled, but something inside him had shifted.
“Describe it.””
Elia thought carefully.
“It is shaped like a small crescent moon. There are five little stars around it.””
Adrian went completely still.
The bracelet inside his mother's cabinet had five stars surrounding a crescent.
But that was not enough.
It could be coincidence.
It had to be coincidence.
Before he could ask another question, the door opened again.
Queen Eleanor entered.
Elia immediately dropped into a deep curtsy.
“Your Majesty.””
The queen raised one trembling hand.
“Please. Stand.””
Elia obeyed.
Eleanor approached slowly, studying the young woman's features.
She had dark hair, delicate eyebrows, and a small dimple in her left cheek when she looked confused.
For a moment, the queen could almost see the infant she had held seventeen years ago.
Then the image disappeared.
“What did you say your name was?”” Eleanor asked.
“Elia, Your Majesty.””
“Who gave you that name?””
“Mara. She told me she had found a small piece of paper with the name written on it.””
“Do you still have that paper?””
Elia shook her head.
“It was destroyed years ago.””
The queen swallowed.
“Did Mara ever sing to you?””
Elia looked surprised.
“Every night.””
“What did she sing?””
“A little song about the moon and seven stars.””
The queen's fingers tightened around the embroidery at her waist.
“Can you remember it?””
Elia hesitated.
Then, very softly, she began to hum.
“Sleep beneath the silver moon, Five bright stars will find you soon…”
Queen Eleanor's face drained of color.
Elia stopped.
“Was that wrong, Your Majesty?””
The queen turned away.
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“Please, continue.””
Elia sang the remaining lines.
It was a simple melody. A lullaby with an unusual rhythm, one that seemed to rise and fall like waves against a quiet shore.
Eleanor knew every note.
She had written those words herself while carrying her daughter.
She had sung them beside the royal cradle every night.
Nobody outside the royal nursery had ever been taught the complete song.
When Elia finished, the queen sat down heavily.
Adrian looked at his mother.
“Mother?””
Eleanor did not respond.
Instead, she reached toward Elia's face, then stopped before her fingers could touch the young woman's cheek.
“Where did you say the woman who raised you found you?””
“Near the old abbey road, Your Majesty.””
“What year?””
Elia answered.
The queen closed her eyes.
It was the same winter in which Liora had disappeared.
Adrian took a step toward the window.
“I'm sending for the royal physician.””
“No,” Eleanor said quickly.
“Mother—”
“Not yet.””
“Why?””
“Because I will not allow them to turn this girl into an experiment before I know who I can trust.””
A knock interrupted them.
A royal guard entered and bowed.
“Your Majesty, Lady Serena requests an audience.””
Eleanor's expression hardened.
“Tell her I am occupied.””
The guard hesitated.
“She says it concerns the maid.””
The queen stood.
“What does she know?””
“She claims she found something in the girl's chamber.””
Elia's stomach tightened.
“My chamber?””
The guard nodded.
“She says there is a royal object hidden among your belongings.””
Adrian looked at Elia.
Then at the queen.
The queen's tears had disappeared.
Her face had become cold and still.
“Bring Lady Serena here,” she ordered.
A moment later, the door opened.
Serena entered with a small velvet box in her hands.
She curtsied elegantly.
“Your Majesty. Your Highness.””
Then she turned toward Elia.
“I believe this belongs to the royal household.””
She opened the box.
Inside lay a tiny golden crown pendant, set with five small stars.
Elia stared at it in disbelief.
She had never seen it before.
Serena smiled.
“Strange, isn't it? A humble maid carrying a royal treasure.””
Adrian stepped between them.
“Where did you find it?””
“In her room.””
“That is an accusation. Not an answer.””
Serena lifted her chin.
“I thought the palace deserved to know what kind of person it has invited into its most sacred chambers.””
Queen Eleanor looked at the pendant.
For one terrible second, she recognized it.
It had been missing from the royal nursery on the night her daughter disappeared.
But that was not what frightened her most.
The back of the pendant carried a tiny inscription, invisible unless the gold caught the light.
Eleanor remembered the words she and the king had engraved there.
A secret message intended for only one child.
She stepped closer.
May you like
And when she read the inscription, she turned toward the guards.
“Lock every door in this palace.””
