Prince Marcus POV
Looking into Rebekah's tear-filled eyes I couldn't help but feel a little part of me break inside. What started as a happy evening had spiraled out of control the minute, she had met detective Adams. The revelation of that earring was the end of the tiny of hope within her eyes as she cried bitter tears yet again at the hands of her mother's secrets.
Had it not been for the fact that detective Adams had claimed that he must meet Rebekah immediately. I wouldn't have let him ruin a special occasion had I known what he would do. I would have waited until after the coronation to meet with her. And given her prior notice to prepare herself for the onslaught of questions he had prepared.
He had even failed to report a crucial piece of evidence to me and instead chose to use it to treat Rebekah like a suspect in her sister's murder. My initial shock upon seeing the piece of jewelry was concealed behind my straight face.
"You are Rebekah Amelia Northwest. The youngest daughter of a great man and an even greater house. Your father will be nothing but proud of the daughter he has raised. For you are stronger than you know. Even when you've been betrayed, humiliated, shunned, and accused of acts you've never committed you kept moving forward. You've seen the good and the bad of this world. And yet you still choose to see the good in others. Even the ones who have wronged you. You've stood tall when in the presence of your bullies and grew stronger with each encounter. Where many women would be driven to madness, you prevailed. You kept moving forward. And you'll continue to do the same in the future. I know it will be hard. You will want to cry and blame your misfortunes on those who have harmed you. But you will not let it break and bend you to its will. You will overcome it and be stronger than ever. You will not suffer in silence. I will be here with you every step of the way. So, if doing the right thing makes you a bad person. Then I say it is better to be the villain in their story than to perish alongside the wolf hiding in sheep's clothing." I said.
Each word was spoken with the sincerity and confidence I held for the woman falling apart in front of me. The woman I love was stronger than any I had encountered throughout my life. Her bravery and kindness were qualities of her that I have always admired. Her strength to move past the bad and look for the good in every situation was inspiring.
It had shown me that she was willing to bring about a change in the lives of those around her. She was the light this kingdom needed to move forward. The hope our citizens need. Yet she was cast aside by everyone for my choices. Making her believe that she was not fit for the role I knew in my heart she was meant to have.
Had I not been pushed towards the choice I regrettably had to make I would have done things differently.
She deserved better. And sadly, I could not change the past. But I can try to make things better for her from now on.
Starting with solving the mystery of her sister's death. I could see it had greatly affected her throughout the weeks. Often the sadness she felt was kept hidden behind her smiles. No doubt what she had seen was a contributor to the look of disgust she had displayed moments ago. Her imagination running wild with the new information she had received.
Her frantic rambling and panicked expression left me worried as she revealed what she thought was the truth. Piecing together a logical explanation of what might have happened during the period of her sister's disappearance and her untimely death.
While I was skeptical of her reasoning there was no doubt that what she had said was worth hearing. Her mother's ability to fool the eyes of the public with her charm and grace was undoubtedly impressive and one that could trick many. Had it not been for Scarlet's lack of tack when dealing with sensitive matters and the small mistake she had made during our return, it would have never dawned on me that the eldest women of the Northwest household could be cunning.
Their greed for power and wealth had shown during their attempts to force Rebekah to their side. Backing her into a corner with no escape.
Luckily, I had learned the truth before any tragedy could befall her. Putting a stop to their plans for now. If they were the instigators of the brewing rebellion, they would suffer the consequences of their actions at the hands of the crown.
With all my being I hoped that they had no part to play in the death of Lizzy Northwest. For that would be the final blow to Rebekah's shattered reality. Ruining the image, the kingdom and herself had of the great house of Northwest.
It was one thing to want the end of the current royal family but to have own your flesh and blood brutally killed for your cause was beyond cruel. A mother who sacrifices her daughters to fulfill her goals was a monster who should not exist. One who should have never birthed a child into this corrupted world, to begin with.
My eyes softened as I wiped a stray tear gliding its way down her cheek. Her eyes held a hint of the hope they once harbored. Wishing she could recover from the misfortunes she continued to endure.
"As much as it breaks my heart to interrupt such a touching moment between a newly engaged couple, I must insist that you keep your affections in check while the palace is filled with hungry gossipers. We do not need more rumors circulating the kingdom, now do we?"
Our moment of silent comforting was interrupted by none other than my brother. His ability to read the room was non-existent as he leaned against the frame of the door. His signature mischievous grin plastered on his face.
I reluctantly removed my hand from Rebekah's cheek and tilted my head in my brother's direction. Hiding a part of Rebekah's tear-streaked appearance from his view with the help of the dim lights.
"Arthur, state your business or leave," I grumbled in annoyance.
"You need to relax brother, or your new fiancée may think you're a bully and a bore," Arthur said in mock pity.
"Arthur behave..." I said in a warning tone. I was in no mood to tolerate his childlike behavior. Not when many things were weighing heavily on my mind. And his attitude was not one of them.
Arthur raised his hand in defense. The small movement drew my attention to the figure peeking out from behind him as it did with Rebekah.
"Who is that behind you?" Rebekah asked. Her eyes squinted to get a better view of the hidden figure. Although I had no doubt, that he had picked up another plaything for the night. His rebellious phase was still intact.
"No one special just a palace maid wondering the amongst the guests looking for her master. Luckily for her, I found her before Lord James and his sons could notice an innocent maid roaming without her owner. She said she had an urgent message to relay to you on behalf of your father." He said. Grabbing the woman's wrist and dragging her in front of him.
With a small squeal, the woman was thrown into Rebekah's arm. The trembling figure dressed in a maid's uniform held onto Rebekah for dear life.
I recognized her as one of Rebekah's trusted maids whose name I could not remember.
Rebekah released the hold on the young woman who had been roughly handled by my brother. And glared daggers at the nonchalant Arthur standing at the foot of the door.
Her irritation with my uncaring brother grew with each second. Hoping to lessen the anger she had for him I gave her shoulder a soft squeeze as a reminder to be calm herself. While I would love nothing more than to see her put Arthur in his place- a usual occurrence when they are together- this was not the time for them to start bickering.
Concealing her displeasure, she gritted out the most sensible response she could muster at this time. "While I appreciate you helping her find me, I feel it necessary to remind you that she is not a dog off its leash. She may be a maid of the palace, but she is not a toy to be flung at your demand. I suggest you treat your people more kindly soon prince Arthur."
I tiredly rubbed my temple as my brother responded with a mocking bow and fake remorse for his actions.
"I apologize your majesty. Thank you for pointing out my wrongdoings. I will take your words to heart and fix my behavior to suit the crown princess." He lied.
Like water on a duck's back, her words meant nothing to him. Not even one taken to heart.
Ignoring his childish behavior, she removed my hand and began to examine her maid's wrist for any signs of a bruise. Her trust in Arthur to not leave a mark was as big as an ant. Her knowledge of his previous interactions with other staff had probably compelled her to ensure that the young woman wouldn't have any lingering reminder of his roughness with her.
Arthur snickered behind Rebekah as he watched her eyes narrow at the young woman's hands.
"You don't honestly believe I would harm a woman now, do you? I barely applied any pressure on the hand of your precious maid." Arthur whined.
While she paid him no mind Rebekah looked into the still scared eyes of her maid as she said. "Are you alright Rachel?"
Avoiding our gaze, the woman stiffly nodded as Arthur rolled his eyes in the background. Pulling him aside I let Rebekah have her talk with the maid.
"Must you always tease her when you're around?" I slapped the back of Arthur's head. He hissed from the impact.
"What else is there to do in this boring palace? Besides you're the serious one in this family. Someone must be the fun one around here. If not me then who?" He grumbled. Rubbing the spot, I hit him.
Drowning out Rebekah's conversation I focused on my brother and why he had remained here. If this was a simple gesture of him showing the maid, the way he would have left already.
"Why are you here, Arthur? I know you're not here simply because you were helping a lost maid find her way."
Arthur's face changed into a serious one. His previous mischievousness was replaced with the professional look we've been trained to maintain over the years. With his hands in his pockets, he looked in Rebekah's direction.
"Father sent me to get you. He wants you to meet him in the King's office. It appears he wants to discuss the Northwest matter with you before it progresses any further since Lord Edward will arrive tomorrow. And Rebekah is to retire for the night. By no means is she to attend this meeting."
He nodded in the maid's direction. "And it was by a stroke of sheer luck that I came across her maid."
Although Arthur's involvement in what has happened so far was limited, it did not mean he was unaware of what was happening. He was always well informed of any matter related to the crown. It was one of the reasons we were close throughout the years. It was even because of this brotherly bond that he had helped me with my disaster masquerade ball.
If it wasn't for him telling me about Rebekah's whereabouts when I had returned from my visit to District 3. I would not have known that her mother had intended drag her into their mess.
"If this concerns her family, I believe Rebekah should be there. Did he give a reason as to why she shouldn't come with me?"
Arthur shrugged his shoulders. "Father did not give a reason. But if I were to guess I would say he doesn't want to spoil the excitement of the night by discussing her family issues on the same night she gets engaged to you. Don't you think she's been through enough?"
Though I may prefer her to be there. He was right. There was no need to worry her more than she was.
Pinching the bridge of my nose I released a tired breath. Watching the once vibrant and carefree woman listen to the message her father had left with her maid. A flash of disappointment crossed her face before it was gone.
"Has Lord Edward been informed of his wife and daughter's arrest?"
"To my knowledge he has not. Father has chosen not to tell him until his return in the case that he's an accomplice to their plans. And tries to escape." Arthur looked away. A pained expression on his face as the words pass his lips. Unable to look at Rebekah without showing a shred of pity.
Hiding my own emotions at the thought I returned to Rebekah's side. Taking her hand in mine I heard the last few words of lord Edward's message."- I will be returning to the palace tomorrow. We have much to discuss." Rachel finished. Her head bowed and a small white paper in her hand.
"Thank you, Rachel. If that is all you may take your leave." Rebekah dismissed the maid who bowed before exiting the library. Arthur remained in the room. His previous expression was wiped clean as he silently stood in the back.
"Did you receive bad news?"
Rebekah forced a smile. "No, I haven't. My father will be arriving tomorrow and had sent his congratulatory message with Rachel. I'm fine. What were you discussing with Arthur?"
Her curious eyes looked into mine like a child excited about a new adventure. I chucked at the cute little expression she wore.
"Well don't you have sharp eyes my darling, Rebekah?" I tucked away a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Her cheeks blushed a soft pink as she looked away with a pout. "Not like I was spying on you. You were a few steps away and whispering to each other like teenage girls." She mumbled.
Her past worries were forgotten. The only signs of their appearance were the tiny trails left behind by her tears and her puffy eyes. Her hoarse voice was the aftermath of her sobbing.
Pulling her into my arms I kissed the top of her head. Inhaling the scent of honeysuckle shampoo. Her body molded against mine as I hugged her. "That is true. But I'm afraid I will have to cut our time short. My father has requested my presence in the King's office to discuss some pressing matters."
Looking up in my arms she said, "Should I be worried?"
"It is nothing you need to concern yourself with, my love. I will tell you everything when I see you later in the day. You should return to your room and get some rest. You must be exhausted." I softly replied. She slowly nodded as the weight of the night began to take its toll. The small droop of her eyes as she tried to fight the exhaustion, she felt made a smile tug at my lips.
Placing a kiss on her forehead I picked her up into my arm bridal style. A little squeal escaped her lips as she looked at me in shock and disbelief. "What are you doin-n-g?" she stuttered.
"I'm escorting you to your room. I can't have you sleeping in the halls now can I." I winked as her face grew redder.
Turning to my brother I said, "Let father know I will be there shortly."