After reconvening in the library, it was time to share their findings.
Ash had been particularly cold on her way back. Perhaps Lyida had hurt his pride more than Saffron realised, but regardless it had served as the reminder she needed. She had almost begun to feel some sympathy for the Crown Prince, but he was rotten and temperamental. She had to remember that, and she had to remember the vow she made. They both sat in stony silence, refusing to look at one another. The sound of the second prince awkwardly clearing his throat drew everyone's attention.
"Since you two are so quiet, I suppose we'll go first," Prince Blaze said, his eyes flicking between Saffron and his eldest brother, "We spent some time talking to the staff. It seems that only two staff members were here when the Queen was still alive. All of the other servants joined the household after her death."
"Who are they?" Saffron asked, leaning forwards curiously to rest her elbows on the table.
"Your nursemaid, Madam Pine, and the knight, Silver Quinlea."
"Silver? But he is not much older than I am," Saffron said, raising her eyebrows in confusion.
"It appears that his mother was the Queen's handmaiden. She passed away not long after your mother did, and Mr Quinlea was raised by one of her relatives and returned to the palace to train once he turned thirteen," Blaze explained, writing as he spoke.
Saffron tapped her lips curiously. Silver had always been a very stoic man, which was one of the reasons she chose him as her mentor. He didn't seem to sneer at her the way the others did. She first encountered him when he arrived back at the palace when she was eleven. She had been captivated by his blue eyes and shaggy silver hair, and he had been her first love, though it had been wholly unrequited, of course. As time went on, her infatuation fizzled out and became admiration instead. He was a strong and dedicated student and very efficient with his magic. He had even agreed to train her. Whether that was out of pity or a genuine desire to help her, she didn't care. As long as she could become stronger too.
"Do you happen to have a close relationship with Mr Quinlea?" Prince Conley asked curiously.
Prince Uri jabbed Conley in the side quickly, clearly telling him to shut his mouth. Prince Ash leaned back on his chair and sneered.
"No, go on, I'm curious to hear her answer."
Saffron stared at the Crown Prince for a moment, struggling not to let the irritation show on her face. He disliked her so, yet he was needlessly jealous... No. Jealous wasn't the word. He was possessive. It was clear to Saffron that Ash considered her an extension of his property, and how dare someone even consider laying a hand on something he 'owned'.
"I've long considered Silver a friend. He was too focused on earning his knighthood to look down on me like the rest. He is the only knight I would pick to become my personal guard, but no amount of pestering so far has made him yield." Saffron explained, choosing to ignore the Crown Prince's sharp gaze.
"Hm, I see," Blazed murmured, tapping his lips as he thought, "and considering you weren't aware of Mr Quinlea's mother, then I assume you have never spoken to him regarding his mother's death."
"You think there is a connection?" Saffron asked curiously.
"Well, it is a little strange that they died so close together. It could just be a tragic circumstance, or it could be something more. It's even more suspicious that the entire staff roster has changed, except for your nursemaid," Prince Conley interjected.
He was right, of course. It did seem odd...
"But it's been nigh on twenty-one years, surely it's natural for the staff to have changed?" Saffron pointed out, fiddling nervously with her fingers.
"You're correct, but we have many members of staff in our place who have worked for thirty or more years. Twenty-one years is a long time but for all but one staff member to have changed? Something isn't quite right."
Saffron nodded slowly. It definitely was suspicious.
"We need to speak to Silver," Saffron said firmly.
"Alright, now, what did you two discover?" Blaze asked, raising an eyebrow.
Saffron glanced at Ash for a moment, his face was as cold as ever. She sighed and turned back to Blaze, placing her hands on the table in front of her.
"When we checked the entry for my parents, it listed my mother's parents as 'Lord Bramwell Solstice' and 'Lady Idalia Solstice of clan Oriel'."
Blaze paused for a moment.
"Did you say 'clan Oriel'?"
Saffron nodded firmly, making Blaze lean back in his chair and tap the tip of the quill to his lip.
"Huh... So that makes you what, a quarter phoenix? A little weak of a bloodline to still retain the rebirthing abilities..." Blaze pondered aloud.
"Then... Perhaps as I do not lack the ability, my rebirths are limited?" Saffron offered, tilting her head.
"Hm, that could be right. We typically have seven rebirths before a final death, perhaps you have a lesser number..." Blaze locked eyes with Saffron for a moment, a serious look settling in his usually cheery eyes, "Treat this as your last life, just in case."
"I understand," Saffron said, nodding solemnly, "I will endeavour to be careful."
"You've certainly acquired a special wife there, Asher," Uri said suddenly with a smirk, "She carries Fae royal blood and the Oriel royal bloodline. Your children would have a strong claim to both thrones. If you don't want her..."
"Uri, watch your tongue," Blaze scolded, seeing Saffron's expression morph into a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"Little brother, I ask that you think before you speak, not only because you say foolish things but because your voice irritates me," Ash said, glaring at his brother, "And you are barely a man of sixteen, yet you have the gall to made lewd suggestions. I will be having a talk with Father when we return home."
"Yeah and I mean, even if you weren't all pimply, you're like... The worst option for her, Uri," Prince Conley snorted, "You're even lower than me in the succession, you're gonna be like... A minister at best."
"Better than a pompous layabout who's going to live off of father's allowance for the rest of his life!" Uri snapped back, "Don't you dare think you're better than me because your mother managed to get her claws into father first!"
"What did you say about my mother?!" Conley roared back, "At least my mother is a noble, your mother clawed her way to consort from... What was it again? Oh yeah, a palace maid!"
"Woah, woah, there's no need to start arguing," Blaze said quickly, waving his hands.
"Shut up, Blaze, you're just interfering because you don't want little Conley the crier to get his feelings hurt," Uri scoffed.
"Uri, that's a low blow and you know it," Blaze snapped.
"Oh, be quiet," Uri snorted, "You always have to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, that's why you're cosying up to the Crown Princess Consort, and don't think we can't tell you've been sniffing around her since she arrived!"
Blaze's face turned red immediately, his anger boiling over.
"The two of you constantly drag others into your bickering, how dare you make such inferences. I don't care what you do to my reputation but leave the Princess out of your bullshit!"
Saffron lost track of their words as voices continued to rise. Her head was pounding. It felt like their anger was suffocating her. She could feel the rage burning in her own stomach. Why couldn't they just shut up?! Saffron stood quickly and slammed her hands down on the table with furious force.
"BOYS!"
As her hands hit the table, the room shook as if there were an earthquake. Saffron stood there, shocked and panting as if she had run a lap of the castle. The atmosphere had shifted from anger to a mixture of shock and bemusement.
"Holy shit... She's got a temper..." Uri commented.
"You haven't seen the half of it," Ash quipped, his lips twisting into a mocking smirk.
"I'm sorry, Saffron, we got caught up-" Blaze attempted to say.
"I understand," Saffron sighed, "but we've completely lost the subject here and now I've got a headache."
Saffron slumped back into her seat, rubbing her head. The pounding had started to subside now that the room was quiet again, but it still hurt. She looked up for a moment to glance at Uri and Conley. Although they had stopped bickering, they were staring at each other and seemed to be continuing their argument purely on looks alone.
"Right. Okay... What's our next move?" Blaze asked, shifting the conversation back.
"Do you know the official cause of your mother's death?" Ash asked suddenly, surprising Saffron.
She had assumed he would simply continue to ignore her for the rest of the day.
"My father told me she just gradually grew weaker after my birth and died."
"Hah, I see. That's a good tactic... To place the blame on you, so you'd feel too guilty to look into it."
"You think my father had something to do with this?" Saffron asked, sitting up quickly.
"Your father is in charge of the staff here, he's definitely the most likely suspect at this point."
Saffron looked down for a moment. Her father had never struck her as a bad man. He could be rude at times, a little selfish and he certainly favoured Blossom but... She did not want to believe he had anything to do with her mother's death. Seeing the look on her face Blaze spoke up quickly.
"Listen, we don't have any concrete evidence yet, so let's start with the cause of death. Why don't we speak to Mr Quinlea and see what he knows about his mother's death? If they're linked, we could find some sort of lead."
Saffron smiled warmly at Blaze, thankful that at least he hadn't condemned her father yet.
"Yes... Let's have a chat with this knight," Ash said, a strangely smug look on his face.
"Do you know where he's likely to be around now?" Blaze asked Saffron, ignoring his brother's remark.
"Yes, it's three o'clock, so he'll be training the squires," Saffron answered quickly.
Gathering their things, Saffron led the way towards the training grounds.