Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 103

Chapter 103: After the meeting
The room emptied quickly at the king’s instruction, leaving Trace alone to await the king’s return. There were muffled sounds from the other room, and it was some time before King Harold reappeared.

Trace looked about the chamber, fascinated by all the fancy things in the room and trying to occupy his thoughts while he waited… as patiently as he could.

Intense curiosity about the state of the queen’s health plagued him, especially as Anaisa was improving now.

When King Harold did return, his eyes were slightly sunken.

“Your Majesty,” Trace bowed again as the monarch reentered. “How can I be of service?”

“Oh, for tonight,” The king rubbed his eyelids with his fingertips. “I will keep Sapphira by my side as a maidservant. She won’t leave me, and my personal guards’ duties will include protecting her with their lives. As her bodyguard, you should be prepared to jump in and lay your life down, if they should fail. Most of the guards in the room will focus on the fake princess, of course, since everyone but you, myself, and the women know about the switch. Your duties will be to mingle amongst the crowd in order to overhear anything concerning. Dance with the double as often as you can throughout the evening–There will be stiff competition for that honor, so do not make it obvious that you are anything but another from the throng of hopeful suitors–so that you can glean information from her as well.”

Trace nodded. “Shall I leave the palace and enter with the other guests to complete the illusion of being one of them?”

“That’s a good suggestion, thank you. I’m rather tired, you see. I worry for my daughter…”

“Understandably so, but we will make sure she remains safe,” Trace smiled comfortingly. As far as he knew, the greatest threat to the princess’s safety was the quest to steal her heart and hand by deceptive means, not any sort of physical threat.

“That is a great relief to me,” King Harold sat in a grand chair and wiped his hand over his face. Trace hesitated before speaking again.

“May I inquire after the health of Her Highness the Queen?” He bit his lip, hoping he was not being presumptuous.

“She does not sleep well.” The king frowned. “The poison induced premature labor. The doctor says the child is not ready, and so he has made efforts to stop the coming.”

Trace swallowed, absorbing the information. “Will the queen and the child be all right?”

“The queen will be all right,” The king frowned deeply. “She always is.”

“Sire?” Trace blinked in confusion.

“This has happened before. Many times. I suppose it could have been poison each time, but since no one else became ill before, and the queen has a natural defense for poison for herself… we did not know. It must have gotten out of her system before the doctor came. We assumed it was a natural inability to birth children correctly, perhaps due to her magic.” The king’s jaw clenched.

Many times? Trace’s mind reeled with the information.

“Now that you know, surely the chances are better for this child’s survival?” He tried to sound hopeful, but his heart was breaking for the queen. Sarah, his brother’s wife, had once lost an unborn child. The pain of it still seemed to affect her at times, though she had three living children to enjoy.

No wonder the queen was reportedly so reclusive; she must be deep in grief after years of losses.

“It is unknown. She will insist on making an appearance for Sapphira’s ball, and I do not know whether that will worsen the issue. The doctor says she must be allowed to do what she feels is best, that a mother’s instinct is sometimes more important than a doctor’s wisdom.” King Harold looked down at his hands. “I do not know why I have shared all this with you. The Advisory does not even know of these matters. I must order you to keep it secret.”

“You have my word,” Trace nodded, but his concern deepened. If that had happened many times, then the Count could not be responsible for them all, could he? The Queen’s poisoning predated his rise to power…

“How often are the queen’s snack’s replaced?” Trace wondered aloud.

“Weekly. I have investigated the matter and come up with no good answers. I have banished everyone responsible for preparing the food, but of course, as that particular tray is kept in Her Highness’s quarters, the cleaning staff also would have potential access to poison the food. I can hardly fire everyone and bring in new staff; the new people might be assassins, and I haven’t the time to vet them all.” The king ran his hands through his hair.

“I suspect one of the guards may be at fault, but the two possibilities have been around so many years that without evidence, I cannot blindly accuse one or both of them of so serious a crime. They have been reassigned for now.”

Trace wanted to promise he would get to the bottom of it, but he couldn’t honestly make that promise. For one thing, his primary duties concerned the princess’s safety. He simply hadn’t time to chase down this poisoner.

For another thing, if this did happen to be some plot of Count Oakdown, he would be physically unable to attempt thwarting it… but did that only apply if he knew it was the Count’s plot and not someone else’s?

“I hope Her Highness recovers quickly and that the baby is healthy. If there is any way I may be of service, please let me know,” Trace offered like he would to a friend. Perhaps that was presumptuous, but the king raised his head slightly.

“Are you married, Trace? What, of course you are, you were a soldier.” Harold shook his head. “Have you any children?”

“No, Sire. No children,” Trace tensed. The conversation was headed in a direction where he might have to choose between lying and revealing more than he wanted.

The king sighed and looked at him. “There is much to be done. You may go, the ball begins in a few hours. Your costume should be ready for you to retrieve. It does not matter whether you like it or not, but even so, I hope you do. Someone should be able to find something to like about this day.”