The King's Mistress

Chapter 46: I Will Carry It To The Grave

On their way back to the Celestial Lodge, Sierra and Ida did not exchange any words. It was not until they were in the confines of Sierra’s room, did someone finally spoke up. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Ida, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep this from you. I..." Sierra bit her lip.

Ida had trusted her from the very beginning and yet she had been lying about her identity to her face. She did not deserve the praise Ida gave her. She felt like a fraud.

"If you do not wish to serve me any longer, I understand-"

"Your Highness, do you not want me to serve you anymore?" Ida asked in shock as she covered her mouth with her hands.

Before Sierra could reply, Ida got down on her knees.

"Ida! What are you doing? Get up," Sierra exclaimed in shock as she tried to help her up to her feet.

But the maid was persistent. She refused to budge.

"I won’t get up," she said with determination, "Not until you let me continue serving you, Princess."

Sierra was at a loss for words. She did not know what else to say. Actions spoke louder than words. Sierra leaned forward and embraced Ida in her arms. She hugged her tightly, refusing to let go.

"It would be my honor," Sierra croaked.

She was getting all emotional about this. Ida had tears running down her cheeks too. Despite knowing the truth about Sierra’s identity, she did not mind it at all. To her, Sierra was as much a princess as all the other candidates.

"Your secret’s safe with me, Princess Sierra," Ida reassured her, "I will carry it with me to the grave."

On the other side of the lodge, Sierra’s secret was about to be exposed. Princess Cassandra’s informant had also returned from their journey to Cair. But it would seem lady luck was shining down upon Sierra.

Unlike the Queen’s informants, who were much more thorough with their investigation and well connected, Cassandra’s were not. As she read the information they had gathered, it was confirmed that Sierra was in fact a princess.

She slammed the papers down on the table unhappy with the results.

"Just when I thought I had her in my clutches," Cassandra muttered beneath her breath as she paced around the room.

She took a moment to calm her nerves before returning to the desk. She was hoping to find some clues or crumbs she could use against Sierra. Perhaps a little secret, or scandalous affair back home.

But surprisingly, nothing came up. There was nothing.

"Is this all there is?" she asked coldly.

"Y... Yes your Highness. This was all that we could find," the truth of the matter was far more interesting.

As a Greywing flew into Sierra’s room, she got up to her feet. The bird had dropped a letter on her table before perching itself on the windowsill. She brightened up immediately as she sat down by the dressing table to read its contents.

Ida peered over her shoulder.

"A letter from your general father?" she asked quietly, curious at its contents.

Sierra smiled as she continued reading, "Yes. He sends his regards..."

As she continued to read her father’s writing, the smile she had on her face turned into a frown. Ida noticed it immediately and asked if something was wrong. But as she came to the end of the letter, Sierra heaved a sigh of relief.

She placed a hand over her heart and heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness."

The informant Princess Cassandra had sent was not discreet in their search for information regarding Sierra. As such, General Leon was alerted of it. As such, he concocted a plan. He left a trail of false crumbs for the informant to find. To their relief, he took the bait.

After explaining the matter to Ida, she too heaved a sigh of relief.

"To think Princess Cassandra is trying to gather information on you too... we need to be more careful from now on, Princess."

Sierra agreed with her, "Indeed. This could have all gone down in flame in the blink of an eye. I’ll have to be more careful from now on. Especially when I’m around the other princesses."

In the days that followed, the princesses were focused on preparing for the tests. They set aside time to hone their skills in each area, hoping to master all of them.

As for Sierra, she had chosen to focus on one specific area. Figuring out what being blessed by Dravin could do for her. A trip to the Royal Library proved fruitful as she found a few books written about the abilities granted by the Six Patrons.

But information on the Celestial Pair was much harder to find. Apart from the usual enhanced abilities, there were no mentions of anything else. Just when she was at her wits end, Sierra knew she had to ask someone.

Someone who shared the same blessings she received.

King Alistair.

But she could not ask him. She was sure she had attracted enough jealousy and attention to herself in the past with her many encounters with him. She had to figure this one out on her own. With the little information she had gathered, Sierra decided to research more on dragons.

"Your Highness, shouldn’t you be more focused on preparing for the tests?" Ida asked nervously.

She was worried Sierra would be unprepared for the tests. Rumors had already begun to spread around the castle. The tests were set up by the King and Queen, each more daunting than the last.

Sierra smiled, she was not worried at all. All she was intrigued about were the abilities she had been blessed with.

"I’ll be alright, Ida. Don’t you worry," she patted her maid on her back.

"But cooking takes practice and etiquette..." since Sierra was not a princess, it was unlikely she had received any etiquette training.

"I’ll be alright, Ida. Fret not," she reassured her once more.