le of the royal archive
d. "You cannot simply order people
d his golden ey
That is exactly
ry disappointed when
d his head, clearly tryi
der no
g amusing
our Ma
stop looki
o understand why people feared this man. H
n't one of
he didn't t
home," sh
re st
h me
r, but two guards immediat
a st
got to b
owards her, his ex
me appears in a royal record, y
anything about your royal family, and I
d. "But someone went to considerable trouble t
someone mad
ds do not ma
ngs
m becam
r for several second
s. Make sure she is comfortable, bu
a guard," El
eed se
before she c
-
er was larger than E
d windows overlooking the castle gardens. Everything
ing had turned into a nightmare involving a king, a myster
errupted he
me
n entered car
r, kind eyes, and
I'm Martha. I look af
. I'm
kno
d the tray o
that you be given
oked at
sk that I be l
a hes
ty can be
ite way of de
st time, Ma
s fell on El
le disa
you get t
looked
there since
oser, her expre
I see
d before exten
d at the sil
, d
ou know wha
ickly ste
ny years. I have seen many things, but I n
rt began to
mething abou
nced towar
walls in this c
a fr
ing someone
ould be careful ab
other question, footsteps
tely picked up
t your din
d towards
rth
er woma
before she became
at her for a
mother was once known as P
the floor had shi
er is a
opened
our voi
she
-
r stood before a large table surrounde
d the documents p
Marcus began, "we mu
discus
ears ago. If that girl is truly the surviving
s expressi
e afraid of a young woman who
at her existence c
lder lean
the matter of
r's jaw
thing to do with
monts escape. If the accusation was true, th
m fell
ced both hand
r next word
us lowered
t to protect
ect your positions. T
s the captain of
ort, every letter, every witness statemen
Your M
to the girl witho
xchanged une
oticed but
and strength. He trusted very few peo
about Elena's arriva
he might be a
archive had recogniz
-
hed her dinner when t
ntered with
oked a
gs ever
ver follow i
rstand why your castle
ment and noticed t
shoul
not h
stop arguing
stared
to ask question
ou that your moth
ion changed
ill she
oo
she
nder
g escorted b
sn't my
es met
is
leased a
ered what Marth
my mother real
sion chang
old yo
iately regr
t's t
my que
mething about Prince
urned towar
at that name
hy
castle who would do anything to
espond, a guard appe
y, the woman
looked tow
other i
ushed p
-
ed exhausted when sh
nd her shoulders. But the moment she saw Elena, she hurr
le
um
for several seconds
re we here? Why are peopl
s moved towar
the fireplace,
alone," Re
er didn
is my
is my d
, neither of
er gestured
outs
ft, but Alexa
oked direc
know w
ca Ben
I chose after ev
expression b
me your r
osed her e
ca Val
red at he
u k
urned tow
ell you when y
et me grow up believing we
, Elena. That par
you hide eve
with tears, but she
life that belonged to you. Not
r steppe
ped you
looked
r fa
o change the atmos
face becam
died twenty
kno
ed of betrayi
not a
he helped your f
ook a slo
e Valemonts were not outsiders. The
r stared
u have
ooked tow
ing your fathe
it?" El
ide pocket of her coat and r
gnized it
her mother had told he
ced it in E
ped. He said that when the time came, you woul
r steppe
me se
shook
t y
es nar
hy
promise that I would only g
oked bet
an someone please explain w
mbled as she touched
open it, the pend
n Elena's wrist answe
mmediately
ena had met him, his expres
red, "It has r
echoed throug
nt bell r
n t
oked towards
ung since the nigh
a turn
h
the penda
oes tha
looked at
one knows she
r's voic
ho
a swal
ordered the Va
e castle walls, a horn
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