The days that followed were arduous but eventful. Ely worked hard enough to clear her mind of her father's deteriorating mental health while adding more of his tasks to her own.
She managed to talk her father into taking a sabbatical while her brother went on with his adventures.
Her workload went from meeting diplomats, talking business with ministers, touring some regions of Elyptis, and lastly holding court sessions. The last being the most tiring.
Rumors began to spread that the King had decided to make Princess Elynuella succeed him, and the court officials also seemed to love her.
They showered her with endless praises and seemed to like her way of ruling.
That went without saying, not all the officials showered her with genuine praises. Most were against a female being the monarch, but because the second royal didn't seem keen on contending for the throne, they could only blame fate for the blemish in their perfect scheme.
Ely walked through the hallway with the clerk trailing respectfully behind her. She was a beauty in her own right but was a far stretch from the likes of Ely. She had auburn curly hair tied into a neat bun.
"...for the meantime, let me get to the Minister in charge of that place and then we will discuss this later."
She turned her head for a bit and glanced at the clerk from the corner of her eyes. She saw through her stony expression and what she saw was a young girl trying immensely hard to look professional. She chuckled.
"That's all for today, you can leave now," Ely said. She was tired herself and she also knew that the girl needed some time to formalize herself with the job. After all, theoretical jobs are quite different from practical ones. "And also, rest tomorrow, don't come," she said with an encouraging smile.
The young clerk stood rooted as she listened to her master. She was still in the throes of stupefaction when the clicking of the princess' shoes brought her back to reality.
Even though the hallway was well-ventilated, she picked up a handkerchief from her pocket and cleaned the beads of sweat on her face.
She didn't know that the pressure would be this great. Yes, she was a professional. A well-trained student of the current clerk. She worked hard enough for this position, but it seems that she had to work even more. She was thankful to the princess for understanding her difficulty and giving her a day off to familiarize herself with the job as she may become the next royal clerk.
Emphasis on the word "may."
"She truly is a good woman. Worthy of becoming the next Queen. Hopefully, she survives."
With these words, the clerk returned to her own house.
Ely slumped onto the couch when she entered her room. She was weary from the day's activity.
With a yawn, she picked up a book that was lying on the table and began reading.
Her back was to the balcony of her quarters and with such nice weather, she looked carefree as she read even though it was the opposite.
She had many things to think about. Her father's failing health meant that a new monarch would be chosen soon.
By all logic, she was supposed to be the next monarch, but logic isn't something needed now. The people liked her as a Princess and a regent monarch but about a monarch...she had to think again.
She could feel the undercurrents raging, and even though it was calm, she knew it was the calm before the storm.
She may be kind but she wasn't naive to not know what the officials were planning.
Well, they should make their scheme a grandiose one because they would be in for a world of shock if they got fooled by her gentle appearance.
After a few minutes of blankly flipping through the pages, she closed it with a sigh.
She couldn't focus on the book because her mind was wandering where it shouldn't be.
She got up and headed towards the drawing room. Shortly, she arrived at her destination and entered.
The room was a large one, decorated with canvases which had beautiful sketches on them.
Ely took in the floral smell of paint in the room and her eyes feasted on the captivating modelli.
As she stared at them one by one, her eyes fell onto a peculiar one.
It was a picture of a young lady sitting on the floor miserably with her hair sprawled on the cold marble floor. Her eyes were full of unshed tears and within them held emotions of pain and betrayal.
The art looked vivid but there was something about this which made her feel off.
It was as though that was...
"Quite intriguing, don't you think so, sister?"