The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 34: Mort du Prince

“After that the young man never came to the Queen's Palace again. The servants said he was so busy that he didn't have time to visit me. But he sent me several times to make sure me and Alexis were okay at Palace.” The Queen said after recounting what she had been through all this time.

“So the one who saved Mother was Crown Prince Xavier?”

“True. Anastasia says that she is Crown Prince Xavier. I don't know why he helped us after his father killed King Edward. But he doesn't seem like a bad guy.”

“I'm sorry, Mother. But I still cannot trust the son of the King who has killed the King I served.” Said Leon.

“I understand. It was me who felt strange because I could believe it. You probably won't understand, but looking at it is like seeing someone I've known for a long time.”

“Is it because of his emerald eyes that are similar to those of General Irene?”

Queen Isabella was silent for quite a while before she could actually answer him. “Maybe because of that. I don't know.” The Queen looked at Leon affectionately. Staring at him as if Leon was really his son. “Leon, about General Irene... Do you know who he is?”

Leon was confused by the question. Of course he knows who General Irene is. Although the story of the female General was not in any book in Schiereiland, it was quite famous among the soldiers. Leon himself heard it from his senior a long time before he was appointed General. All the warriors in the Schiereiland Palace knew about the legendary hero who managed to cripple Orient and showed the other kingdoms that Schiereiland was not a Kingdom that could be underestimated. Unmatched sword skills, a perfect war strategy as if he could predict the future and a leadership that could move an entire army. The first female general to successfully command hundreds of male knight troops and win many battles in the reign of King Eustacius. General Irene is a woman whose name is remembered as one of the heroes as well as one of the great traitors.

“I think I know as much as others know about him, Mother.” Answer Leon.

Queen Isabella smiled at the answer. There was something she was hiding behind her smile, but she was unable to say it yet. “Not yet. I'll tell you everything soon when the time comes.”

“What do you mean—“

“Now, I want to hear your stories. How could Anastasia be Crown Prince Xavier's personal bodyguard? And what has happened to you all this time?”

Leon began to tell them everything that had happened to them since that night. About how they got through the first week after that incident. About Princess Anastasia who lost her light and was unable to speak for a week. About how the Princess led the villagers to fight the Nordhalbinsel who wanted to seize the waters of the Scheine and how Louis ended up on their way. The Princess, who has not stopped practicing swords day and night in order to be chosen as the personal bodyguard of Crown Prince Xavier to enter the Palace and rescue Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis. Leon told me everything and the Queen listened carefully. Sometimes the Queen looks so sad that she will cry especially after hearing what has been passed by her daughter. But the Queen does not interrupt Leon's story and asks Leon to continue the story even though tears begin to flow down the Queen's cheeks. Louis offered his handkerchief to the Queen who thanked the boy for his kindness. They share stories about their journey.

***

A week after the departure of Crown Prince Xavier and his troops, the Kingdom of Nordhalbinsel was shrouded in grief.

The palace was closed and received no outside guests other than members of the royal family. Tightened guard. White Crystal Tulip Flags were hoisted at the Palace and across the streets of the capital as a sign of the death of one of the royal family members.

Last night the Palace announced that Crown Prince Xavier and his entire army were killed in an attack by the Black Mamba bandits while on a search mission for escaped prisoners of war.

All the people of the entire kingdom wore black clothes as a form of their deep sorrow for the passing of the Son of the North Sun. The shops were closed and everyone was not traveling out. The lights were turned off and they only lit candles at night. All of that was done as part of a mourning ritual for a very unfortunate death.

The Crown Prince's body could not be found. The search party sent by the King only found the bodies of the soldiers who went with the Crown Prince. They all died in terrible conditions. Their bodies were found on a cliff in a forest. So the Palace concluded that the Crown Prince's body may have fallen into the ravine and washed up in the river. But there is much speculation circulating among the people regarding the death of the Crown Prince.

“I heard that in addition to the body of the Crown Prince, the body of his personal bodyguard was also not found.”

“The new Crown Prince's personal bodyguard? If not wrong she is a young Female Knight who comes from Schiereiland right?”

“No. From what I heard she was even just a young girl who came from among the common folk like us. But he has such amazing sword ability that he can become the personal bodyguard of the Crown Prince.”

“Could he be the real mastermind behind the bandit's attack?”

“What do you mean?”

“That girl is from Schiereiland. Maybe he wanted revenge on the King so he killed the Crown Prince by cooperating with the Black Mamba group.”

“Wah... Also true. Maybe you're right. Maybe that's why the girl's body wasn't found either. Because he's not actually dead. Because he was the mastermind behind the attack on the Crown Prince and his army.”

“Both the personal bodyguards of the Crown Prince as well as Empress Selena, the women in the Palace, they are all slick snake.”

“In case you think the two of them have something in common.”

“What's the same?”

“You forgot? Maybe the younger ones don't know this. But we who are very old know.”

“Explain to us, Grandpa. What does Grandpa mean?”

“Just like the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard from Schiereiland, Empress Selena also came from a small kingdom across the sea that had been destroyed by losing the war with Nordhalbinsel. The previous king killed the entire royal family and took over their territory. Empress Selena used to work as a servant of the Palace after the destruction of that kingdom. But because he had an extraordinary talent for magic, the King allowed him to study magic in the tower and eventually become the greatest magician to date. That story used to be very famous. A beautiful servant girl who came from a ruined Kingdom, however, she managed to become the greatest witch in Nordhalbinsel and she also managed to conquer the heart of King Vlad so she was married by King Vlad a year after the death of Queen Irene. But ever since she became Empress, people have been forbidden to talk about her past so that the present generation does not know about the Empress's origin.”

***

That morning, Elias Winterthur came to visit the Crown Prince's Palace after hearing the sad news last night. But the main reason for his arrival was not because of the news of the Crown Prince's death, but rather the message sent by Jane, the Crown Princess' lady-in-waiting. In the letter, Jane explains the state of the Crown Princess.

"Young Master, welcome." Jane greeted at the entrance of the Palace, allowing Elias to enter.

"Where's Elle?" Ask Elias without further ado. Jane immediately led Elias to Eleanor's doorstep.

"The Crown Prince won't come out of his room. Since yesterday he had only cried all night and would not eat anything. The Crown Princess chased away the servants and did not allow anyone to enter inside. I dare not go against his orders."

Without knocking, Elias opened the unlocked door and entered the room. Her twin sister lay weakly on top of her bed while crying silently. Elias approached her immediately.

Her twin sister was the most beautiful girl loved by everyone. Now the girl looks broken. Her body had grown thinner since she last met him. His face was very pale. Her hair that was always beautifully arranged looked tangled unkempt. Her eyes were exactly like her eyes, the beautiful icy blue eyes of the Winterthur family pride staring at the ceiling with a blank look. Tears did not stop rushing from those beautiful icy blue eyes.

"Elle..."

Seeing the arrival of her twin brother, Eleanor immediately got up from her bed and hugged him. Now the only person he has is Elias. The only person he can trust and trust. The one who sees him as himself, not as anything that people expect of him. Only his twin brother.

Eleanor took off her embrace and looked at Elias seriously. "The news is a lie, right? That's not possible, is it? Please tell me that this is just part of the plan for the two of you and that Xavier is actually still alive and hiding somewhere."

"Why are you talking like that?" Eleanor raised her voice. There was frustration in that tone of voice. "He's not dead yet. You talk like it's a sure thing that he's really dead. He can't die this fast. He can't die now."

"If he's really alive, then why hasn't he called me? And why didn't he send us a letter at all?"

"But that's impossible..." Eleanor started crying again. When he saw Elias coming, he thought his twin brother would bring him the happy news that Xavier was still alive. Elias himself does not know whether Xavier is alive. "Our plan almost worked. Everything should have gone well..."

"Elle..." Elias saw a tray of food that his twin sister had not touched at all. "You have to eat." Elias said, stroking his sister's hair gently. "At least eat for the baby in your womb."

The words brought Eleanor's cry to a halt. His heart seemed to stop for a moment. The thing he had been keeping secret from everyone was already known by his twin brother.

"-you know? How's..." Eleanor's voice trembled. He could not continue his question. Afraid of what he will hear.

"The crown prince left his fiancee who was pregnant with a baby boy. The news had already spread among the nobles in the northern area along with the news of Xavier's death. I'm not sure who knows this. I also don't know who spread it. My mom and dad knew it too. That's why I'm in such a hurry to come here. They were on their way to the Palace, maybe three more days they would arrive. Dad looked so angry. He knows it's not Xavier's son."

A week ago, as Xavier was leaving with his troops on a prisoner search mission, which Eleanor was actually aware of as part of Xavier's plan, Elle experienced morning sickness and vomiting. Xavier asks her to allow the doctor to examine her, but Eleanor refuses because she already understands what is going on. It had been more than two months since her last period and Eleanor had never been that close. But Eleanor did not say anything to Xavier because she did not want to ruin Xavier's plans. He plans to tell Xavier after their plan is successful and Xavier returns home safely. He had also planned to resign from the position of Crown Princess and cancel their wedding plans if Xavier's plans had been successful. Eleanor never expected that it would be the last time she saw Xavier.

She was shocked when the doctor told her she was pregnant.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. This will soon be happy news once His Highness the Crown Prince returns home later. You'll soon have a son." The doctor who examined Elle's condition after she fainted on the second day after a day couldn't eat anything because everything she tried to eat would come out again. At that time there was only Jane, the trusted lady who was the Princess of a Count, and the Doctor. So other than herself, only those two people knew about the news of her pregnancy.

"Doctor, can you keep this a secret? We're not even married yet, so if others find out, it'll be a little embarrassing. The palace will announce it officially soon after we get married." Pinta Eleanor at the time.

"Okay, Your Honor. I swear I won't say this to anyone."

After that, the Doctor gave a special meal menu that had to be cooked by the Palace Chef for Eleanor. And ask the Herbalist to give a special herb for her in order to make her body strong in the face of early pregnancy. So Eleanor thought maybe people started to suspect her because of the food and potions she was consuming.

"What am I supposed to do now Elias? I don't want them to hurt this kid." Eleanor said as she held onto her belly that had not yet been seen enlarged.

"You want to let her be born and finally let everyone know that the baby isn't a royal baby?" Elias looks upset.

"Why are your words so cruel? He is still my son. They won't know anyway. He probably wouldn't have Emerald eyes, but he definitely had ice-blue eyes. All of Winterthur's sons must have icy blue eyes."

"You crazy? you want to make him the successor to the throne when he has not a single drop of royal blood in his body? You realize what you're thinking right now, Elle?" Elias raised his tone but kept their conversation from being heard to the outside of the room.

"I know." Eleanor was sitting on the tea chair in one corner of her room, her body and emotions were too tired to deal with the current situation. Elias followed him and sat down on the chair opposite him. "I know exactly what I'm doing right now, Elias. I have no other choice. This is the only way to let this child live and to secure the throne that should belong to Xavier." Eleanor said, really.

"What do you mean?"

"Just think, King Vlad had twenty-three sons. Even so, all this time there was no visible seizure of the throne among the Princes."

Elias nodded in agreement. "Then?"

"That's because Xavier as Crown Prince has things they don't have. The title as the legitimate descendant of the King and Queen and the full support of the higher-ups of the State after himself proved that he was well-deserved to be the Crown Prince. Xavier has been trying hard all this time to maintain his position in the Palace which is full of competition."

"really. He's done a lot to make himself recognized in the eyes of the country's top brass." Elias recalls his first years as Xavier's personal bodyguard, he was overwhelmed by his busy schedule and the Crown Prince himself never seemed to rest.

"But after the news of Xavier's death was announced, the usurpation of the throne, which had not happened all along, was bound to happen soon. And for now, the strongest candidate is the second Prince, the son of Empress Selena, Prince Ludwig. Empress Selena must have planned all this to make her Son the successor to the throne and make herself Queen."

Elias gasped at the explanation. She was embarrassed to almost think that her own twin sister wanted to do something selfish and ambitious to be Queen. Even if Eleanor wanted the Queen's throne, she did it for the sake of her family. But Elias knew Eleanor longer than anyone. He knew the girl would not do anything selfish. The only selfish thing her twin sister ever did was fall in love with someone who was not her fiance.

"I understand." he said, "You're right. Maybe Selena had planned all this. The King's health condition is also deteriorating. So if people know Crown Prince Xavier has a son from his rightful partner..."

"Then his son was the most entitled to be the successor to the throne. And I'll be the Queen of the interim."

"While?"

"Yes. I'll wait for Xavier to come back. I'm sure he's still alive somewhere. I believe he will come back someday. When he returns, I will resign from my position, cancel the Grimoire agreement and accept my punishment."

Elias sighed. He knew what punishment Eleanor meant. If Eleanor were to resign from her position, it would mean that she had violated the terms of the Grimoire agreement and the punishment Eleanor, which Elias would have received in accordance with the terms of the treaty, would have been the agony of a thousand years.

"Well, if that's your plan. Although I'm sure, if Xavier comes back later, he will do everything in his power to keep you from needing to accept the punishment. We ourselves know that he will not really let us accept that punishment. But we have some problems. First, you're not the legal partner yet, even though your wedding ceremony was supposed to take place yesterday, but in fact you're not married yet. Second, the child will not have Emerald eyes although it will have ice blue eyes so people may be suspicious. Didn't you see Xavier's resemblance to King Vlad when he was young? Members of the royal family usually have very similar faces so that at the top of the country can be sure that he is indeed the King's son. Even Ludwig looks exactly like the younger version of King Vlad if his hair is black."

Eleanor agreed. "That's a problem right now. I might be able to use a little magic on my son later to make him look a little like Xavier."

"I'm not done yet. There's a third problem."

"What else?"

"If Mom and Dad knew what you were up to, you probably wouldn't be allowed to carry out your plan. Because this plan is very risky. If anyone finds out that the baby is not the son of the Crown Prince, you may be put to death for defaming the kingdom and being considered a traitor. Maybe not just you, but all of us and our families will be destroyed."

"I know that. That's why I need your help to convince Daddy and Ibu—“

"There's a fourth problem..." Elias interrupted.

"There again?"

"We don't know if Xavier's alive or not. Whether Xavier will come back or not. How long can we wait for him, Elle?"

***