Chapter 3: The Pendant Nobody Was Supposed to Find
The palace doors closed before midnight.
Heavy iron bolts slid into place beneath the grand entrance. Armed guards took positions along the corridors, and servants were ordered to remain in their assigned quarters until further notice.
Inside the royal apartments, the golden pendant rested on a velvet cushion.
No one touched it.
Queen Eleanor stood beside the table, staring at the five stars engraved across its surface.
Adrian paced behind her.
Serena had been sent away under guard, though the queen had refused to say whether she was a suspect or a witness.
Elia remained in the sitting room, accompanied by two women from the royal household.
She had asked three times to explain that the pendant was not hers.
Nobody had accused her directly.
But nobody had allowed her to leave.
Adrian finally stopped pacing.
“Mother, we need to talk to Serena again.””
“No.””
“She brought a royal object into this room and claimed to find it in Elia's chamber.””
“Exactly.””
“Then why are you protecting her?””
“I'm not protecting anyone.””
Eleanor picked up the pendant using a silk cloth.
“Look at the back.””
Adrian leaned closer.
The small inscription was nearly invisible beneath the warm candlelight.
He read it slowly.
“For the child who carries the dawn, from the two hearts that will always find her.”
He looked up.
“Father and you?””
The queen nodded.
“Your father had it made after Liora's birth. It was supposed to be her first birthday gift.””
“Then how did it end up in Elia's room?””
“I don't know.””
“Could someone have placed it there?””
“Yes.””
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“Serena?””
“Possibly.””
“Or someone who wants us to believe Elia stole it.””
Eleanor placed the pendant back on the cushion.
“Your sister's disappearance was not an accident, Adrian.””
He went still.
“You told me there was a fire.””
“There was a fire. But the child was already gone before the flames reached the nursery.””
Adrian stared at her.
“What?””
“The royal physician examined the nursery after the fire. The cradle was empty before the roof collapsed.””
“Then why did Father tell everyone she died in the fire?””
“Because someone had convinced him that the person responsible would kill her if the search continued.””
Adrian's voice dropped.
“Who convinced him?””
The queen looked toward the sealed door.
“Someone he trusted.””
Meanwhile, Elia was sitting in a narrow chamber on the servants' floor.
The two attendants who had been assigned to watch her had finally stepped outside to speak with a guard.
She had not slept.
The events of the evening played through her mind in fragments.
The crystal hand.
The light.
The queen's tears.
The pendant.
She pressed her fingers against her forehead.
None of it made sense.
A knock came from the door.
Elia looked up.
“Who is it?””
“It's me.””
The door opened.
An elderly woman entered, carrying a folded blanket.
Her name was Mrs. Hawthorne, the head housekeeper. She had worked in the palace for more than thirty years and rarely spoke to servants unless she had a task to assign.
Tonight, however, she looked unusually troubled.
“I brought you something warmer,” the woman said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hawthorne.””
The housekeeper placed the blanket on the chair.
Then she locked the door.
Elia looked up sharply.
“Is something wrong?””
Mrs. Hawthorne studied her face.
“How old were you when Mara died?””
“Fourteen.””
“Did she ever tell you why she left the palace laundry?””
Elia shook her head.
“She said she had become too old to work there.””
“That was not the reason.””
Elia frowned.
“What do you mean?””
The older woman moved closer.
“Mara was not an ordinary laundry maid. She worked in the royal nursery before the princess disappeared.””
Elia felt the blood drain from her face.
“What princess?””
Mrs. Hawthorne glanced toward the door.
“Lower your voice.””
“But—”
“Listen to me. On the night of the nursery fire, Mara vanished. She was accused of taking the royal child. The king ordered the guards to search for her.””
Elia gripped the edge of the table.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“I don't know.””
“Are you saying Mara stole me?””
“No.””
The older woman answered so quickly that Elia looked up.
Mrs. Hawthorne's eyes filled with tears.
“I am saying she may have saved you.””
Elia struggled to breathe.
“Who was I?””
The housekeeper reached into her apron and took out a folded piece of old paper.
“This was given to me years ago. Mara asked me to keep it if anything ever happened to her.””
Elia opened it carefully.
The paper was yellow and fragile.
There was a short message written in faded ink.
If the five stars awaken, tell the queen that the child was never lost by accident.
Beneath the words was a name.
*Mara Venn.*
Elia read it twice.
“Why would she write this?””
Mrs. Hawthorne shook her head.
“I was hoping you could tell me.””
Elia looked toward the door.
“Does the queen know?””
The housekeeper hesitated.
“She may know more than she is willing to say.””
Before Elia could ask another question, a loud crash sounded in the corridor.
The door handle twisted.
Mrs. Hawthorne pushed the paper into Elia's hand.
“Hide that.””
The door flew open.
A palace guard stood in the entrance.
“Mrs. Hawthorne. Her Majesty requests your presence immediately.””
The housekeeper turned.
“And the girl?””
“She is to be brought to the royal chapel.””
Elia frowned.
“The chapel?””
The guard nodded.
“The queen has ordered a second examination.””
In another wing of the palace, Lady Serena sat across from her father.
The door was locked, and two servants had been dismissed.
Lord Malcolm stood beside the fireplace, holding a small glass of brandy.
Serena had removed her jeweled necklace and was twisting it between her fingers.
“I don't understand why the queen reacted that way,” she said.
“I gave her the pendant. Surely she should have been grateful.””
Lord Malcolm took a slow drink.
“You should never have shown it to her.””
“You told me to find something suspicious.””
“I told you to investigate the girl. Not to place a stolen royal heirloom in front of the queen.””
Serena stiffened.
“You knew the pendant was stolen?””
“I knew it was missing.””
“Then who has it?””
Her father walked to the window.
“That's the question.””
Serena put the necklace down.
“Do you think the maid really has royal blood?””
Lord Malcolm did not answer.
“Father?””
He turned.
“Do you know why your grandfather never allowed anyone to mention the nursery fire?””
Serena frowned.
“Because the princess died.””
“No. Because there were people who wanted the princess to disappear.””
Serena went pale.
“You mean someone in the palace?””
“Someone who had access to the nursery. Someone who could open the private corridors. Someone who knew exactly when the king and queen would be attending the winter banquet.””
“Who?””
Lord Malcolm looked toward the dark corridor.
“Someone whose name is still written on the royal payroll.””
A knock interrupted them.
A servant entered with a sealed envelope.
Lord Malcolm took it.
There was no name on the outside.
Only a small symbol stamped into the black wax.
A serpent wrapped around a crown.
The duke's expression changed.
He dismissed the servant and broke the seal.
Inside was a single sentence.
The crystal has awakened. The girl must disappear before the second ceremony.
Serena stared at the paper.
“Who sent that?””
Lord Malcolm folded it carefully.
“Someone who has been waiting seventeen years.””
The royal chapel was illuminated by hundreds of candles.
Its walls were decorated with stained-glass windows depicting the first monarchs of the kingdom. Golden pillars rose toward a vaulted ceiling where five stars had been painted in silver.
At the far end stood a circular altar.
Queen Eleanor waited beside it.
Adrian stood to her right, while the royal physician, Master Edmund, arranged several instruments on a velvet-covered table.
Elia entered between two guards.
She looked at the queen immediately.
“Your Majesty, I swear I did not take that pendant.””
Eleanor crossed the chapel.
“I know.””
“Then why am I here?””
The queen's expression softened.
“Because there are things about your past that we must understand.””
Elia looked at the physician.
“Am I ill?””
“No,” Adrian said.
“This is not a punishment.””
The young maid glanced between them.
“Then what do you want from me?””
Queen Eleanor took a deep breath.
“I want to know whether you remember anything from before Mara raised you.””
Elia shook her head.
“Only small things. A song. A smell of flowers. Sometimes I dream of a room with golden curtains.””
The queen's eyes widened slightly.
“What kind of flowers?””
“White roses.””
Eleanor looked away.
The royal nursery had been filled with white roses on the night of Liora's birth.
Adrian noticed his mother's reaction.
“Continue,” he told Elia gently.
Elia closed her eyes.
“Sometimes I hear a bell. Then a woman says my name, but I can't see her face.””
“What does the woman look like?”” the physician asked.
“I don't know.””
“Can you remember her voice?””
Elia hesitated.
“It's like…”
She looked toward the queen.
“Like yours, Your Majesty.””
Silence.
Eleanor's composure broke for a second.
She turned away and pressed a hand to her mouth.
Adrian approached Elia.
“May I ask you something?””
“Yes, Your Highness.””
“Do you have the silver pendant you mentioned earlier?””
Elia nodded.
“It is in my room.””
“Bring it,” the queen ordered.
A guard was dispatched immediately.
While they waited, Master Edmund approached the altar.
“Your Majesty, we should proceed with the examination.””
“What examination?”” Elia asked.
The physician lifted a small golden basin.
“A simple test. The ancient royal records describe a reaction between the blood of the first dynasty and the sacred water kept beneath this altar.””
Elia looked uncomfortable.
“Will it hurt?””
“No,” the queen assured her.
Master Edmund prepared a small silver needle.
Adrian stood closer.
“Be careful.””
The physician pricked Elia's finger.
One drop of blood fell into the basin.
Nothing happened.
The physician frowned.
He added another drop.
The water remained clear.
Serena, who had entered the chapel quietly with a small group of nobles, let out a soft laugh.
“Perhaps the crystal made a mistake after all.””
Adrian turned sharply.
“Who allowed you inside?””
Serena smiled.
“The queen's household sent an invitation to the examination. Surely I have the right to witness it.””
“No one invited you.””
Lord Malcolm stepped forward.
“Your Highness, my daughter is a noblewoman. She has no intention of causing trouble.””
Adrian's expression darkened.
“Then perhaps she should begin by learning when to remain silent.””
Serena's cheeks burned.
She turned away.
At the altar, the physician lifted the basin.
“Your Majesty, I believe the reaction has failed.””
The queen stared at the water.
Her shoulders lowered.
For one painful moment, hope seemed to leave her face.
Then Elia noticed something strange.
A tiny golden thread was floating beneath the surface.
It moved in a slow circle.
The physician leaned closer.
The thread began to glow.
The entire basin trembled.
Five golden lines rose from the water and formed a shape above it.
A crown.
Surrounded by five stars.
The chapel bells rang once.
Then again.
Then all five bells began ringing together.
Master Edmund dropped the basin.
It shattered against the altar.
“Impossible,” he whispered.
The queen covered her face.
Adrian stared at Elia, who was looking down at her own hand.
The five golden marks were shining brighter than before.
Master Edmund suddenly stepped backward.
His eyes were fixed on the mark.
“Your Majesty,” he said.
“What is it?””
The physician swallowed.
“I remember this sign.””
“From where?””
“From the royal birth records.””
Adrian stepped forward.
“What records?””
The physician glanced at the nobles gathered near the entrance.
Then he lowered his voice.
“The child who carried this mark was recorded as dead seventeen years ago.””
Elia went completely still.
Queen Eleanor took her hand.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“What do you remember about the night Mara found you?””
Elia opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, the chapel doors slammed shut.
A guard fell against the marble floor.
An arrow was buried in his shoulder.
Screams erupted among the nobles.
Adrian drew his sword.
“Protect the queen!””
Two more arrows struck the altar.
One shattered a candleholder.
The other pierced the velvet cloth inches from Elia's hand.
A masked figure appeared on the balcony above the chapel.
He raised a crossbow.
His aim was not directed at the prince.
It was fixed on Elia.
“GET DOWN!”” Adrian shouted.
He lunged toward her.
The arrow flew.
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And just as Queen Eleanor threw herself between the young maid and the weapon, someone in the shadows cried out:
“Not the princess! Kill the witness!””
