After organizing some thoughts, Sigrid finally stands up from her bed. "Amy!" she calls. She waited for a couple of seconds but no one came into her room. "Where could she probably be?"
She went into her bathroom to take a shower but when she eyed the room, she saw her bathtub full of water. She tried to feel the temperature by putting her fingers in it. "Huh? It's still warm," it seems like her plan of taking a shower won't happen because of the warm water in the tub.
"Ah..." the feeling of water embracing her body relaxed her. With that amount of relaxation, she once again, fell asleep.
***
"My Lady..." the calm and sweet voice wakes her up.
"Amy, how long have I been asleep?"
"Just for 20 minutes, My Lady," From that time, Amanda helped her to take a proper bath without her, falling asleep.
"Ah, do you know where Father is?" She remembered the things that she's going to ask when she met her father. "His Grace? I think he's still on his office, My Lady. Do you have a message you want me to send him?" she asked, worriedly.
"No, still, thank you for your efforts. I'm planning to ask him myself," the Sigrid that Amanda knew came back in just a short span of time, the lady was just so down earlier and now, it seems like something made her to be this okay.
"Then would you like me to send a notice?" At this time, the maid felt that this meeting wouldn't be an ordinary one so she came up with this idea.
She smiled at her, "Yes please," the smile that she gave was different. It's the same as the one she's giving whenever she's about to do something that would surprise people.
'Did she see right through me?' Sigrid wonders. But whatever it is, it's not like Amanda would do anything that would oppose her decision.
***
Duke Karim is still troubled because of what happened earlier. He kept on thinking of what his daughter's going to tell him, and because of that, he's still not ready to face her. But the idea of running away won't solve the problem either.
A knock outside his office made him jump a little, "This is Alex, Your Grace. Her Lady, Sigrid, wishes to have a talk with you," it's his assistant.
"Let her in." With that, he saw his daughter come in with proper attire. "I, Sigrid Novich, wish to have a talk with you, Your Grace. I hope this won't bother you,"
He coughed for a bit then offered the chair in front of him, meant for the guests that's going to visit. "Have a sit,"
"Thank you," she eyed the room first and the mood they're in doesn't seem so nice. The moment Alex, the assistant, made his way out, she began to talk with the duke.
With her courage mustered up, "Please, let me know who my real parents are," the bluntness that she showed didn't surprise him. Although this statement, the duke knows that she isn't asking for a favor nor help, she's telling him right at this moment that she wanted to know very clearly about them, her parents. Karim doesn't have any plans to tell her about them but when he looks at her, her looks are enough to be a threat.
"So it goes right through their genes, huh?" He mumbled.
"Excuse me...?" she didn't hear it very clearly, so Sigrid being herself, asked.
The duke seems to be awoken by that, "Oh, nothing. Is there anything else that you wanted to know?"
For her, this is an opportunity. "Will you tell me everything you know about them?" she knew that this duke might lie to her and not tell her everything, but she wanted to know the details.
"I know that I'm not in the position to ask this, but first, why would you do after knowing the details?" his shoulders are trembling, but not so obvious for her to notice. He's scared. He doesn't want to know his daughter's answer. He's scared that she might decide to leave them after finding out who her real parents are.
"This is a simple question, Your Grace," she builds up a strength to answer him politely, because after all this time, her mind won't change that this man in front of her is still the father he looked up to, and will look up to. "I will search for them."
The sorrow on the duke's face is obvious. He's not even trying hard to hide it. He let out a small air out of his mouth before answering his daughter. "Are you going to leave us... after you found them?"
His question just confused Sigrid even more. "Are they missing?" it's the first idea that came into her mind, she didn't even notice that she ended up blurting it out.
"Huh? No," he was confused because of her response. 'Did she misinterpret it?'
"Anyway, I don't know exactly how could I explain things to you clearly, but now, we're not talking about just any normal people,"
She's confused, "And by that you mean...?" she can't help but ask. 'I would like it if you finish your sentence, Father.' she said in her mind. There's no way she can say that loudly to her father.
He keeps on finding an exact word that can express the feeling and the meaning that he wanted to deliver. "You're the princess, Sigrid," but ended up saying it very direct.
After he uttered those words, an unfamiliar sensation that came in the window of his office made her whole body chills.
'Is he out of his mind? Is he joking? Right... I knew it. He's joking. The moment mother uttered those words... they're just joking.' She can't think straight. She doesn't know what is what anymore.
"Sigrid! Are you okay?!" He checked her forehead; it doesn't seem like she has a fever but his daughter's face was pale and the sweat was getting visible too.
"Sigrid... Hey! Sigrid!"
"H-Huh?" when she snaps out of her thoughts, her eyes drifted on his father's hand that's now holding hers.
---
lilithnov