Larisa woke up covered in sweat, did she perhaps have a nightmare? She wracked her brains for a while but couldn't remember if she dreamt of anything. Forget it, there were more important things to do.
"Greetings father, greetings Consort," Larisa said as she gave a small bow with Lifar supporting her.
"What brings here so early in the morning, you are still injured and shouldn't be moving too much" The king said worriedly.
"I feel better already, Father need not worry about me," Larisa assured. It was strange but true, when she woke up this morning her ankle wasn't hurting anymore, when Lifar was changing her bandages, that deep wound had almost completely scabbed over. Lifar didn't see the original wound so she wasn't surprised, but Larisa remembers that it was very deed and was bleeding badly, how it healed over night was beyond her.
"His Majesty is rightly worried, Princess shouldn't be moving around while injured," Consort Ari commented, she then told Madam Woo behind her, "Go and get a chair for the Princess."
"No need, come and sit beside Father so I can see how you are doing,"
Lifar supported her all the way without easing up until Larisa was safely sat beside the king, if she could, she wished she was a man so she can just carry the princess around anywhere.
Consort Ari looked up at the pair of father and daughter, her hands clenched around the embroidered handkerchief in her hands.
The kings asked a couple of common questions to Larisa, is she alright, does she still feel pain and should they call the doctor, has she been eating alright, is there anything she is lacking?
Larisa answered all the questions patiently and kept on reassuring him that she is always properly taken care of.
Why has he never shown such concern for her, Consort Ari thought. Never has he asked if she has eaten, if she was cold, how she felt. When he was still a prince and was sent to battle, she would stay up late praying and waiting for him to come back. She was restless every night when he was away, worried if he has eaten well or is sleeping well.
When he came back she would be so relieved to see him alright that she never minded that he never even asked how she has been. Three years into their marriage he was sent to the border they shared with Red Glabella kingdom as there had been rumours it was planning to attack them, those nights were the worst of her entire life.
After two months of sleepless nights, his return was announced, there would be no war. The whole country rejoiced. She would get to see him again. On the day of his return the servants decorated the manor grandly, chests of gifts kept on pouring in from many official households and the king himself had sent plenty as well.
Akari was confused, this wasn't the first time he had gone to battle, this time he didn't even fight before peace was restored and he was coming back, why was he being congratulated with gifts over a battle he didn't even fight.
Her questions were answered as she stood in-front of the manor gate waiting for that familiar black steed to come galloping down the streets, she saw the black steed from afar, but it was galloping beside a magnificently decorated carriage. It was like a scene from a dream but to her it was a nightmare.
The carriage covered in blue silks embroidered with gold thread, strings of crystals attached to the edges of the silk curtains shown in an array of colours when the sun hit them. Akira's breath got stuck in her throat as Heinrich got off of his horse and supported a woman coming out of the carriage, he looked at her with such care that she has never seen him show before, piercing blue eyes brightened as the woman smiled at him as she got off the carriage.
He had got married to a woman from Red Glabella kingdom and the gifts that came in earlier where wedding presents, Letitia Renato was her name and she was made his main wife. He was probably forced into this marriage, both his marriage to her and Mara were also forced so he never really gave them much attention, so this marriage was no different, she reassured herself .
She was wrong, Heinrich was very much in love with Letitia. The king died a few months later and Heinrich was made the new king and he made Letitia his Queen, they had a son not long after since Letitia was already pregnant when the King died. Her son was declared crown prince at birth, ignoring that he had two other older sons before this one, the scene of a prefect happy family tore at her heart everyday, he saw no one else in his eyes apart from his wife and child, he forgot he had two other wives and children.
Letitia got pregnant again a few years later, that fateful summer, her first son was assassinated, the shock sent her into labour, she gave birth to twins prematurely, one died after a month and it was later discovered that someone had been slowly poisoning Queen Letitia while she was pregnant.
Letitia's health never recovered after that and she died a few years later, Akira had never seen the great battle hardened Heinrich so broken as he hugged Letitia on her death bed and wept bitterly disregarding everything else.
After her burial, he left the state affairs to the then 16 years old Dario and was mostly always away on expeditions. When he comes back, all his concern is directed to Larisa alone.
Even now, he doesn't ask how she has been and yet she stills hangs on like a fool. What about her who fell in love alone.
She looked away as the king gave Larisa a pair of green Jade bracelets. "Here, I found these while on expedition, I heard they could nurture the spirit and have healing properties, so keep them with you."
"Thank you father," Larisa received them with a smile.
"Put them on," urged the King.
Larisa removed the sapphire bracelet on her left hand and put on one of the bracelets in its place, she kept the one Jade bracelet and sapphire bracelet in her pouch.
"Why not put on both of them," questioned the king, after all a pair of bracelets is meant to be worn together with one on each wrist.
"Ah….I want to keep one safe in-case I break this one," Larisa replied with an awkward smile. The real reason was because she didn't want to take of the ruby anklet on her right wrist, that was Maynard's first gift to her and she has never parted with it.
The king laughed, "I can get you new ones if it breaks, but it's alright, you can do as you please," He said as he parted her hair.
Dario came in and greeted the King and his mother with a small bow.
"Rise," said the king before he asked, "I assume if you are here then you have come to give an account of what happened to Isa yesterday?"
"Yes Father," Dario beckoned Brennon over who was standing behind him with a tray in his hands. He removed the cover on the tray, "I personally inspected the horse this morning and found a small needle stuck on the horse which might have been the cause for the horse going crazy, the only one with the princess at the time were the Wormwood sister--."
Dario was interrupted by the king's fist hitting the table beside him knocking off the cups of tea. "Absurd, they are truly fearless, I want them all punished." Yelled the King,
"Father!" Larisa shouted in protest.
"You disagree?" asked the king in a not too pleased voice.
"That is not it Father, the laws of our country state that family members are not to be punished because of a crime committed by one of their kin unless they were actively involved," She explained.
"Your point being?" urged the King.
"Not all three are responsible, it would be against the law to punish the innocent,"
The King calmed down and considered her statement, he asked for the sisters to be interrogated.