As King Wilhelm was abreast of his daughter, he lifted his hand, signaling to the men to halt their advance. He nodded down at his daughter, pleased with her solemnity.
"Daughter, I trust you are well?" The question in his voice hung in the air. Cordelia glanced up quickly and tried to smile, but Wilhelm noted that it seemed forced.
"Aye, Father, all's well," her voice trembled slightly. Almost imperceptibly, Cordelia lifted her chin, and her voice was steady as she spoke again. "I am most pleased to see you well, father."
Wilhelm was somewhat mystified at his daughter's behavior, feeling an ominous premonition that his world was about to be altered in a way that would make him quite unhappy. He pushed the negative impressions away, but they lingered just out of reach.
"I'm pleased to see you, Cordelia." Wilhelm said, again noting her sickly complexion. "Have you been unwell?"
Cordelia's face drained of the remaining color, but she shook her head quickly and replied in a small voice, "I am well, father."
Wilhelm's browns drew down in displeasure, but he said nothing more and continued his march into the castle grounds.
Friedrich, who had been riding beside the king, casually glanced over at the princess and sensing her discomfort, he smiled inwardly, gleeful at the thought that the king and his family would be suffering even the slightest of discomforts. He was about to look away when he caught, nearly on the wind, a sense of magical energy. Friedrich's eyes frantically sought out the source of this energy, but he need not look too far. At the princess' side, a small boy was standing, radiating magical energy as though he himself was a conduit. Friedrich caught the princess' eye and smiled maliciously, knowing that this would be the path back into the King's good graces, and if he could strip the boy away from her, he could be used as a valuable source of magic for many of his plans. If he could not, 'twould be a pity, but he need only separate the young woman from her father for his plans to succeed. Friedrich held the princess' gaze long enough to force her to look away, he held his gaze on her even after she looked away and smirked when her eyes flitted back and forth, meeting his occasionally. He would get to the bottom of who that child was and his connection with the princess, and Friedrich would do so before the King was made aware of him which, he realized, meant he would have to find out within the hour. He tore his eyes away from the princess when the king resumed his march into the cattle grounds. His plans were falling into placed without much of his own interference, and he was delighted at the ease with which they were being realized.
Having not been looking for anything more than his daughter, King Wilhelm had completely overlooked the young boy, standing straight and tall beside his mother, hoping to finally meet his grandfather, the King. He missed the flash of sorrow that crossed the boy's face when he was ignored, but Cordelia, noting her precious son's dejection, placed her hand on the back of his head, hoping that she could infuse her comfort into him. Unlike John, Cordelia was relieved that her father had not noticed her son, hoping that it would ease his wrath if he found out about the boy without the gaze of the kingdom on them.
While relieved to not have had to go through the confrontation over John's existence publicly, her nervousness had not only not abated but was increasing as it was also accompanied with the feeling that she was hiding a gross wrongdoing. Cordelia was immediately angry with herself at her own discomfort and worry. Why should she feel guilty? She had done nothing wrong! However, what she should feel and what she did feel were two separate things, and no amount internal arguing would change the way that this whole debacle made her feel.
"Come, my darling," Cordelia whispered to her son, pressing against the back of his head to prod him to begin walking. "We will have to introduce you to your grandfather at dinner."
He looked up at her with standing tears in his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again and seemed to attempt to will his sadness away.
"Oh, John," Cordelia said wanting to hug him, but as the kingdom had its eyes upon them, she simply stroked the back of his head. "Let's go in, sweet."
"Yes, mamma," he sniffed, wiping his arm against his face.
The two walked slowly behind the promenade, signaling to the rest of the formal court that they were free to follow into the castle proper or to be on their way.
Fortunately for her, the family would be dining alone, and she would be lambasted in relative privacy. The servants would spread the news of course, but that was still better than having the entire kingdom witness her perceived shame. With every step that brought Cordelia closer to the castle, however, she felt as though her heart sank lower in her chest and breathing was becoming more difficult. Each step weighed her down and felt like it was bringing her nearer and nearer to her imminent end.
"Ah, my darling, it has been too long!" Friedrich smiled down at one of the scullery maids, delighted that some of the servants he had formerly known were still working in the castle.
The higher powers must be smiling down upon him after returning him to his power. He was achieving all he had wanted with minimal effort. In fact, his power seemed to have increased ten-fold since before the revocation. The magic seemed to flow to him and encompass him in its embrace. With every breath, he felt stronger in it, as though it had entered into his very being through his lungs. The effect was an inexplicable feeling of invulnerability.
The maid threw him a flirty glance as she led him to his old room in the castle, and he made continuous, innocuous small talk with her as they strolled through the familiar halls of the castle. When the finally arrived at his old room, he smiled rakishly at her.
"You're not going, are you?"
"Aye, I was. Unless…" she trailed off, the implication clear in her voice.
His grin widened, "'Tis tempting, darling, but I have a few questions first."
She stepped closer, the top of her head almost fitting cleanly under his chin, "You know you need only ask."