The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 31: La Reine

Meanwhile, at the Crown Prince's Palace shortly after Xavier left, Anna woke up. Her fever had gone down and she had never felt that healthy. She didn't really remember the whole incident of how she could have been in her room at the Crown Prince's Palace and wearing a nightgown, but she recalled Prince Ludwig's words. It was the first thing he remembered when he woke up.

Anna made sure the servants were asleep and neither Xavier nor Eleanor were in the Palace. Furtively, Anna hurriedly left the Crown Prince's Palace, wearing a robe with a hood. Anna walked towards the Queen's Palace a short distance away from the Crown Prince's Palace.

He didn't really expect Prince Ludwig to still be there, because it was past midnight. But he just wanted to make sure what he meant. Although Anna was actually still afraid to deal with the man again. But her curiosity overcame her fear.

When she reached the back garden of the Queen's Palace, Anna saw her. The man with snow-white hair was sitting on the garden chair. He was wearing white royal clothes with a fur coat that was as colorful as it was. The view from a distance seemed very unreal. A prince in the middle of the snowy garden in white clothes and snow-white hair that was illuminated by the silvery moonlight seemed to wait in silence. When Ludwig saw Anna looking at him from a distance, Ludwig smiled kindly at him and hinted to get closer to him. It was as if he was trying to look good in front of Anna. At that time he did not look as threatening as before.

Anna ventured to walk towards him. "Your Majesty, what are you doing here? It's late at night."

Ludwig laughed. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that Miss? A young girl wanders outside in the middle of the night alone wearing only a nightgown. I know Miss is the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard and courage is included in his qualifications, but isn't Miss too brave?"

Anna covered her nightgown with the long robe she was wearing. "I'm just walking around looking for the wind."

"Wind in this cold place?"

"I like the cold at night." Anna lied, which was obvious because she looked cold. His fingers began to feel numb and his voice trembled from the cold.

Seeing that, Ludwig took off his fur coat and put it on Anna. "I'm immune to this cold." Ludwig.

The words bring back Anna's memory of what happened a few hours ago in the crystal Tulip Park. Somehow he almost forgot about it. Xavier had said the same thing to her.

"You're really brothers." Anna said in a very slow voice more like a whisper.

"What?"

"It's nothing, Your Majesty." Answer Anna directly. Slowly the pieces of memory of what happened a few hours ago filled his mind like pieces of a dream he remembered. Anna doesn't understand how she could have almost forgotten all that, but now that she's touched her neck and felt Xavier's rose necklace, she's starting to believe it wasn't just a dream. She also remembers Xavier calling her Princess Anastasia. Suddenly his heart almost stopped when he remembered that.

Did he know everything from the beginning? If so, why did he hide it? Think Anna.

"So Miss decided to believe my words?" Ludwig's question awakens Anna from her daydream.

"No. I don't trust anyone. Not to His Highness the Prince nor to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Ludwig sighed. "Then, find out for yourself who Miss should trust."

Prince Ludwig took something out of his pocket and gave it to Anna. A golden key decorated with gemstones. The key seemed to sparkle under the moonlight.

"What is this, Your Majesty?" Ask Anna.

"key."

"I know. But what key?"

"Just try to find out." Ludwig gave a small smile as he saw Anna looking puzzled looking at the key. He drew closer to Anna and whispered, "It looks like someone put some memory-removing magic on Miss. But I just lost that magic. In any case, I am also the son of a witch although not as great as the Crown Princess.”

Anna looked at Ludwig, considering whether the man was truly trustworthy. But Anna did regain her memory. She clearly remembered Xavier calling her as Princess Anastasia. And he remembered about the kiss. His heart pounded and his face flushed red as he remembered it.

He also recalled that his leg was injured due to Eleanor's high heels, which made it very painful to walk. Anna looked back at her feet which strangely did not hurt at all. His feet are fine. No scarring or anything. Makes her doubt that memory might just be a dream.

“Nona?”

“Ah, yes?” Anna regained consciousness from her daydream.

"I will help Miss to enter because the Queen's Palace is magic-fixed by the Crown Princess. My sister-in-law's candidate was truly one of the greatest magicians in the kingdom. The magic is really strong. So, I can't go in there. You could say our magic was opposite each other so he would definitely know right away if I went inside. Miss has to go in by herself. After that..." Ludwig hung his words. He was silent for a while, wondering whether or not to say it.

"After that?"

Ludwig seemed hesitant before saying so. It was as if what he was about to say was something he should not have done. Even so, he decided to keep saying it. He ascertained the surrounding situation before speaking in a very slow voice as if he did not want to be heard by anyone. He looked at Anna seriously. From such a close distance, Anna could see just how similar Ludwig was to Xavier.

"Listen, Miss doesn't have to trust me. I knew very well it would be very difficult to trust Me because I was the son of Empress Selena. But don't trust the Crown Prince too much either. I'm not sure what the reason is, but she's hiding something Miss is looking for. If you find it, get out of here and never come back. Live hiddenly and as far away from my mother as possible. This place is too dangerous for Miss."

"I don't understand—“

"Miss' choice is only two. Trying to give me a little bit of confidence and get into the Queen's Palace, or forget this forever and I won't bring this up again. Quickly specify. We don't know when the Crown Prince will return here."

Anna looked at Ludwig who looked solemn with her words. He could almost trust Ludwig completely if he ignored the fact that the man was the son of the King who killed his father and the Witch who some time ago sent a shadow killer to kill him. Anna herself felt danger from Prince Ludwig. It was as if the existence of the Prince himself was a threat to him. But at that moment, when Ludwig asked her to give him a little confidence, inexplicably Anna felt his words were honest and sincere without any gimmicks.

"alright. I will try to trust His Majesty a little. I hope the choice I take is right.”

"Good.” Ludwig smiled triumphantly. Anna herself was not sure whether she really trusted this man before her or not. Or maybe he was under the influence of magic. “Nona, try to start looking from the far right wing of the Palace on the third floor. I think I saw it from a distance there. But Miss has to be quick. I can only hold the magic for fifteen minutes."

***

The Queen's Palace was much more luxurious and magnificent than the Crown Prince's Palace. The palace was dominated by pearly white and gold ornaments. The floor is made of marble coated with blue carpet. But different from the Main Palace and the Crown Prince Palace Anna had visited, the Queen's Palace looked closed. All windows are closed tightly and the curtains are not opened. There were no guards or servants to be seen there, but the Palace still looked clean and dustless. The palace looked so empty and silent that Anna could hear the sound of her own footsteps.

Anna walked down the stairs and the door-filled hallways. Anna recalled the clue Prince Ludwig had given her in his head. At the far right wing of the Palace on the third floor.

After arriving on the third floor, Anna did not notice anything different. Like the other floors, the place was also so quiet. There was no servant or guard. There's no one there.

Anna remembers Ludwig's message that she only has fifteen minutes. So Anna sped her way towards the far right. On the right wing of the Palace there are many doors that lead to various rooms. Anna tried to insert the key given by Prince Ludwig into the very door. But the key doesn't fit.

Door's open.

Anna opened it slowly. The room was dark, so Anna came in to light the light.

Just three steps into the room, someone from behind the door had already ambushed him. With a movement so fast that Anna could not dodge or resist, the man had already locked onto Anna's movements and put a fruit knife to her neck. The grip of her hand was so strong that Anna had difficulty moving.

"Who are you?" Ask the guy. But Anna recognized the voice. It was the voice of a woman with a typical Schiereiland speech accent that she had not heard for a very long time. "Don't move. The young man didn't say anyone would come tonight, so you're definitely not his man. Quickly tell me who you are or I'll—“

"Mother?"

It was the voice of her mother, Queen Isabella. Anna could not have mistakenly recognized the voice she had heard since the day of her birth. A voice she had longed for so long. A warm voice that always calms him. Unknowingly her tears flowed.

The woman, Queen Isabella, removed Anna and threw away the fruit knife she had been holding. He immediately turned on the room's lights.

For a moment Anna had trouble seeing clearly due to the sudden light of the lights. The room he entered was a very large room. Much larger than any room he had ever seen. In front of her stood Queen Isabella. The woman shed tears as she looked at him.

"Anastasia? My daughter? Is that really you, my daughter?" Queen Isabella did not believe what she saw.

Anna nodded. "It's me, Mother." She couldn't help but burst out in tears as her mother hugged her tightly and showered her with longing kisses on her cheeks and forehead. "I miss my mom very much." Anna said in her tears.

"God. My daughter. My dear daughter. I miss you too much." Queen Isabella said as she stroked the hair of her beloved daughter. Her tears were unstoppable. "Mom thinks you're dead. Mom was so devastated that it felt like she wanted to die when she heard the news. My husband and my daughter who I love so much, died at the same time, how could I survive? People say you were killed that night. But the young man kept saying that you were alive and promised that he would one day bring you to me, his words at that time became my only hope."

Anna wiped her tears to look at the face of her long-missing mother. Her mother looked thinner, and there was a black circumference under her eyes. But the Queen still looks pretty glowing with honey-blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes that always look at her gently and affectionately. She wore a typical Nordhalbinsel long dress that refined her graceful beauty. Look at those glassy eyes. Anna missed that look. "Mom's okay? Who locked mom up here? Is mom hurt?" Anna asked as she looked at every detail of her mother's face, looking for any signs of suffering she might have experienced.

"No, daughter. Mom is fine. The kind-hearted young man treated us like guests of honor. We were given a nice room in this palace and delicious food every day. There are a lot of waiters coming in at times and he always makes sure we're okay even if the last few days he hasn't seen us."

"Who is this young man you keep talking about?"

"He wouldn't tell us his name. He also covered his face with a mask every time he came to visit us. But I can see she has a pair of very beautiful and rare Emerald eyes. Those eyes remind me of someone who used to be my foster brother."

Anna was shocked when she heard the description of the young man who had taken care of her mother and sister. "Eye Emerald?" Anna had heard stories about Grand Duke Smirnoff's eldest daughter who had no blood relation at all to Queen Isabella. Although never seen, Anna remembers her mother often telling about the figure of the woman with emerald eyes who was raised to be the son of Grand Duke Smirnoff and became the General who served King Eustacius, his grandfather Anna. But ever since meeting Xavier, the emerald eyes always reminded him of Xavier's eyes, as if he had never heard of anyone else who had emerald eyes.

"Yes. You knew her?"

Anna nodded. "He is the Crown Prince of Nordhalbinsel. The son of the King who killed father." Said Anna. Suddenly he remembered Ludwig's words not to trust Xavier too much. Ludwig may be right. Maybe Xavier was planning something but he didn't know what it was. And whatever it was, Anna felt she had to be wary of Xavier. "Mother, listen, we can't linger here. We'll have a few more minutes. Where's Alexis?"

"Alexis left a few hours ago, and still hasn't returned. That's why I was so alert and almost hurt you earlier for fear that someone might be intent on hurting us."

"It's okay, Mom. Do you know where Alexis went?"

"Mom doesn't know. He left without saying anything even though mother had already forbidden him from leaving this Palace. The young man, Crown Prince Xavier, delivered a message through the servants that we should not go out tonight because there will be so many people coming to the Palace."

Anna thought hard. Saving her mother and sister is her priority at the moment, but the time is not much. He must immediately take Queen Isabella out of the Queen's Palace at all costs.

"Mother, first we need to get out of here. Later when we come out of the Queen's Palace, there will be a Prince who can help us out without being caught with his magic. Then Leon will wait for us not far from the Palace gate. He'll take mom to a very safe place, in the meantime I'll stay here to find Alexis. Please trust me with all this. I can definitely get Mom and Alexis out of here as soon as I can."

***

The moonlight penetrated through the large window on the highest peak of the Tower. The building that is known to have existed since the time of Great Queen Zhenra is a building whose height exceeds the Palace. It was inside the Tower that witches gathered to strengthen their magic and learn things. At the highest peak of the Tower that only certain witches could enter, a young man walked with definite strides as if it was his own home. The guards of the Tower Peak who were mages with high magic power bowed respectfully at the young man whose age was not up to half their age. The young man did not even bother to glance at those who bowed to him because it was a common thing for him. Everyone in the tower respected him. But he only respects one person. And that man, that woman, was now standing before her in a purple dress that was the same color as her eyes. The woman, who looked as young as she was, smiled as she watched her enter the room.

“Salam salute me to Mother.” Said the young man while bowing respectfully before the Lady.

“My dear son, Prince Ludwig, what good news do you want to tell me?” Ask the woman in a sweet voice. The woman is the leader of the Tower, the greatest witch in Nordhalbinsel, Empress Selena.

“I have done what Mother told me.” Prince Ludwig said.

“That's great, My son. Now we just have to wait for the movement of the Crown Prince." Said The Empress. His smile was full of intrigue. His purple eyes flashed in the moonlight. Makes her look very beautiful and vile at the same time.

"Argus." The Empress called someone. Within seconds, a man dressed as a General appeared from the other side of the room. "Oh, or should I call you General Orthion?"

"I'm facing His Majesty Empress Selena." Said the man, kneeling before Empress Selena.

"I have a job for you."

"After killing the real General Orthion, who else should I kill now Your Majesty? I, Argus, the Chairman of the Black Mamba will do anything for His Majesty."

Selena smiled with satisfaction. "You might be a bit of a trouble for this task. Bring all the Black Mamba. This time there can be no failure. Kill the Crown Prince and the red-haired Princess of Schiereiland's.”

Hearing that, Ludwig was shocked. Although he knew he was not allowed to interrupt his mother, he spoke up. “Sang Putri too? But Mother had not previously said that she should also be killed. Why dia-”

“Why are you questioning my orders, my son? He would only be a hindrance if left alive. I didn't expect the little princess to have grown up and she could use her sword well enough. He would be a dangerous barrier if left alive.”

“I think—“

“Ludwig!" Selena looked angry, but instantly changed her tone to as sweet as honey, "Do you want to refute the orders of the Mother who gave birth to you and raised you with great difficulty? Anyway I did all this for you, my son. Later you will be King of this Kingdom. Don't be weak, son. Remember how cruel those people were when they massacred my whole family and took my kingdom. Take revenge, my son. Then everything will be yours.”

Ludwig could not dispute his mother's words. With full of guilt and a quivering voice, she replied, “Good, Mother."

***