"So, do you—"
"There is no soup, Aytao!" Imova rushed in, gasping for breath and interrupting Aytao.
Blessed be Muktury.
"The Kitchen Head said that he ensured to put it in the trolley."
Aytao frowned. "Really?" She headed to the trolley immediately and found the small bowl of soup there. "Oh, it is here. Forgive me, Imova. I don't know how I didn't see it."
Imova nodded and smiled. "Rfugrajong." (Forgiven).
Thankfully, from that moment on, the morning went on as peacefully as it could, not for Ki'tory though, she had a lot to think about and she had to ensure she wouldn't be alone with Aytao until she had come to a decision.
*************************
"Are there any forbidden places in the castle?" Ki'tory asked.
"None for you, Milady. You may go anywhere you please," Aytao responded, and Imova giggled like she found the idea of forbidden places in the castle ridiculous.
They were on a tour of the castle, one that Ki'tory had requested. It was noon, but the sun here was never bright enough to banish the cold. Ki'tory wondered if she would forever have to wear foreign clothes.
The hallways of the castle of Rf'Guztak were long. It was easy for anyone to get lost here. Ki'tory was hoping that she would run into the Prince and not the Queen. Through the windows, Ki'tory could see the white rain falling outside, and men clad in warm clothing shove it off the road for horses and carriages to make their way back and forth. It looked very busy.
"The Castle is already preparing for the Sun ball!" Imova declared with excitement.
"Sun ball?"
"Yes, Princess." Imova began to explain. "When the second moon appears in the sky, the snow will leave to return again on the sixth. We will then have the Sun for four moons. It is always the happiest time, not that we do not like the snow, but it goes on for so long, conceals our crops and—"
"Snow? The white rain?"
"Yes, Milady," Aytao replied. "The Sun Ball is one of great importance. It is a night where everyone, no matter the family or status, is allowed into the castle to celebrate."
Ki'tory smiled. Hopefully, she would live long enough to witness that.
They took a turn, while Aytao kept explaining things to her. "The Queen's floor is at the top, the second floor belongs to the Crown Prince, the third for Prince Bihmang—"
"Prince Bihmang? There is a second Prince?"
"How can you not know, Milady? He was the one who married you on behalf of the Crown Prince and brought you here. Only close blood relations of royal blood can marry one on behalf of another. "
In Yarma, it wasn't thought of, and if it had been, Ki'tory was certain that it would be forbidden. It was wrong to carry one on behalf of another; it felt deceitful. But her concerns were drawn elsewhere.
The young boy was the Prince's brother then, and if they were brothers, then he was the Queen's son, and the Queen certainly wouldn't want to hurt her son, not to talk of killing him. Except maybe he wasn't her son but the King's son. That was highly unlikely, though; royal families tend to hide their bastards, ensuring they would never be able to claim the royal status. Also, since the King was dead, if he was a bastard, she would have cast him away with no consequences to face.
Then there had to be someone else that the Prince was protecting.
Who was it?
If she could figure out who it was, then she could use it to her advantage.
"I heard the Princes got into a huge fight because of that." Aytao continued.
"Oh, poor Prince Bihmang, caught in the middle. He can't say no to either of them." Imova said. "I feel so sorry for him. He is only a child."
Well, that sounded unfortunate, but none of these were giving her the answers she desperately needed.
"This floor is for the royal family's guests," Aytao said as they went down the stairs. "It is my hope that the Prince takes you to his floor soon enough, Milady."
Imova missed a step, and Ki'tory was quick to help her regain stability.
"Stop your stupid clumsiness! Are you intending to kill her Highness?!"
"Forgiven— please, Princ—"
"Forgiven, Imova. The hallways are a little dark."
"This floor is the general one for the entire family. The servants live in the servant quarters, and the floor below is for the balls and many events—"
As they approached, though, Ki'tory could hear noises. Then she saw the servants talking in hushed voices in a circle; she could hear some of the things they were saying.
"Tahmogo ptikz—" (Three days—)
"----zhmo az rungo—" (---- she is gone—)
"Pk Imigo, hmiz ata taigtao iring?" ("By Imigo, has it started again—)
Aytao stepped forward and yelled at them. "Scatter! Back to your duties at once!"
One hissed. "Do you have a death wi—" She stopped abruptly just as immediately as the others became silent.
They bowed. "Forgive us, Princess." Then, they immediately went to continue their duties.
"Moving on, these stairs are very tricky—"
But a scream from outside cut Aytao short, and Ki'tory turned to the window in time to catch a woman pulling the Prince's clothes by the collar as she cried out in devastation.
"What have you done with my daughter?! Where is she? Where is Hmiri? Three days and she hasn't returned! Have you eaten her!? You cursed monster! Give me my daughter!"
Monster? Cursed monster? Was her mother right?
Ki'tory's heart was racing, she could hear the servants mumbling around her once again, just like some of the guards downstairs were doing as the woman rained profanities and curses on the Prince, screaming that he provide her daughter.
He didn't push her away; in fact, he did nothing. Instead, he looked up and stared right at her as if he could feel her gaze on him all along. Those grey eyes stilled her. They dared her, questioned her. A slow smile crossed his lips, and his gaze stayed fixed.
Did she believe the rumours?
Did she think that he was a monster?
Those were the silent questions.
Ki'tory frowned. What exactly was the meaning of this?
Was he finding her dilemma amusing? What kind of sick creature was he?
Focus, Ki'tory!
This was the first time she would be seeing him since she made her offer last night. None of this act was relevant to her. She needed an answer, and she kept her gaze locked with his like something in those eyes would give her the answer she desperately needed.
A curse? It was just a rumour, it was uncertain. What was certain right now, though, was her need for an answer.
She refused to look away until he did, until guards dragged the woman away and he turned away from the growing crowd, to a man who arrived on horseback with another horse behind him.
Immediately, she turned and started running down the stairs. Imova and Aytao ran behind her, calling her name, frightened and confused. But Aytao was right, the stairs were tricky, and by the time she got to the door, he was gone. Something about this made her uneasy, and in a couple of days, she soon realized why.
The Prince was not coming back anytime soon.
After the third day of waiting, Ki'tory turned to Aytao and asked her about her plan to help her, but Aytao denied ever saying that she had a way to help her.
"Conspire against the Queen?! I would never! You should be very careful, you could get killed for those treasonous thoughts, Milady."
What?!
It was strange, but what was even more strange were the marks she tried to hide with her excessively long knitted brown dress with long sleeves and thick neck. Something was certainly wrong, and Ki'tory was sure that the Queen was the one behind this. She handed Aytao a letter to send to her parents though.
On the fifth day, Ki'tory got even more desperate. She wandered off to the Younger's Prince's floor intentionally, hoping that now that the truth was out, she would be able to, at least, speak to him, and if she was lucky, gain him to her side. However, the Prince only had chilling words for her before having a guard escort her downstairs to the guest floor.
"I am sorry for bringing you into this mess. Please, die quickly. Free me from this guilt and you from the suffering that lies ahead." He had spoken with so much guilt and sadness, it terrified Ki'tory to her very bones.
What suffering lay ahead that could be so great that death was even better? By Muktury, what suffering was this that she didn't know of?