Crack
Ignis's eyes flew open. The sound of the whip landing on its prey echoed in the dark room for a long time. It took her time to realize that she was in the Mari Palace. She got up and looked around, the room was still pitched dark. Ignis walked to the glass window and opened it. A cool night breeze blew on her face. She waited for her racing heart to calm down.
Ignis saw the moon and realized there is still 3-4 hours for the dawn to break. She saw Domi sleeping on a couch. Her position looked uncomfortable but nonetheless, she was in deep sleep.
"Who is sleeping like a log now?" Ignis whispered and gently brushed her hair from her face.
I am jealous
She looked around the room again, everything was still and silent.
***
Albert knocked and looked inside.
"Your Majesty, I got you breakfast" He placed a plate full of food on the desk.
Adrian was looking for something on his bookshelf. He got the book and placed it beside the food tray.
"When is the representative coming?"
"I have asked him to come in the morning. Post lunch your schedule is packed. Also, I met Princess early at dawn. She asked for your audience. When shall I ask her to meet you?"
"Dawn? What was she doing so early in the morning? Wasn't she tired?"
"She did look tired, but, she said she cannot sleep in an unfamiliar place. So she was strolling in the garden"
Adrian thought for a moment.
"Does any of our maids work in her chamber?"
"No, Lady Domini doesn't let anyone come near her"
"Albert, does anyone of our Knights used to be a mercenary?"
"Yes, Sir Alan was a mercenary before joining the Royal Knights as an apprentice"
Adrian remembered a young Knight who ran towards the carriage to escort the Princess. He smiled bitterly.
"Ask him to meet me post our meeting with the Lumin"
Albert nodded "And what about the Princess?"
"Tell her I am busy today and I wish her to take more rest"
***
"Your Highness, I am honored to meet you" Max placed his palm on his heart and made a light bow.
"Welcome Maximus Celeste, please make yourself comfortable" Adrian led the merchant to the sofa and sat opposite on a chair. Albert poured tea for Adrian and Max on the long coffee table, settled between the two, and went to stand behind the King.
"So Celeste, was escorting the Princess your 'big mission' for rejecting my request?"
"Your Highness, please call me Max. As you know, we accept requests from the first person to make one, irrespective of the status and class. Princess Ignis requested for an escort around half a year back. Hence, we had to give her priority. On behalf of the Lumin Guild, I apologize for the convenience caused to you"
Half a year back? That was way before I received her first letter.
"Can you really provide any details that I need? from anywhere?" Adrian asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. As long as you pay us, we will keep giving you the information you need. If there is any information we do not have at the moment, we will procure it through our spy network and deliver the details as soon as possible". From the moment Max has entered, there was not a single emotion on his face.
"We will pay you fairly, do not worry about that" He waved his hand dismissively. "Tell me what you know about Princess Ignis"
"Princess Ignis was born to Queen Ruby Calid and her Baron husband, who later became King, Pyrrhus Jasper. The Princess was born with a weak constitution. Everyone blamed the Queen as she went to war when she was pregnant. Though the Fyre Land won against the odds, soon the economy collapsed due to insufficient funds. Baron Jasper, along with other Barons of the Kingdom pooled their savings and donated to the Land. Seeing this, the Duke and many Count and Viscount reluctantly came ahead and donated their riches. Baron Jasper earned the favor of the nobles for saving the Kingdom and Queen Ruby was cast aside for not taking care of the Royal bloodline. After Queen Ruby's death, the King married the daughter of a Count and gave birth to a boy who will mostly take the throne in future. This is what everyone knows in Fyre Land" He took a break then continued.
"The following information is what the Guild has researched. After the great war against the monsters, Queen Ruby started losing her elemental power, for reasons unknown. Princess Ignis showed affinity to magic at a very young age. But, her physical form couldn't take the pressure of the magic, hence, the magic never grew. On top of that, King Pyrrhus provided her with enough utilities to keep her alive. This would make sure that her power will never return and the throne stayed with him. Every year, the budget allotted for the Princess was far less to take care of her daily needs. She tried running away, but, they would catch her every single time. Once she is caught, she will be imprisoned for weeks. Princess Ignis never even received any formal education, but, she would spend a lot of time in the library to learn about politics, warfare, management and magic. A few years back she met Lady Domini and through the lady, she contacted us. Since then, she has been our top customer."
Adrian let out a sigh and pushed his hair back in exasperation.
"If the Princess was denied basic utilities, how was she able to save money to get your services?"
"Oh that... Princess Ignis made a deal with us. She doesn't do that anymore but in the initial days, through Lady Domini, she worked as a strategist for the guild. She would plan and we would execute. Whatever we earned was split as per the pledged ratio"
A Strategist? Adrian arched his eyebrow.
"Can I trust your sources for the information you researched?" Adrian looked grim.
"Half of the information we have received was directly from the servants working in the Fyre Castle. And, the other half was provided by the Princess herself"
"Why would she share this with you? Many would find themselves embarrassed to share something so private" he was confused.
"I asked her the same thing many years back. She said that in future there must be someone who would be curious about her and they might reach out to me. She requested that I share the stories with only those who ask for it. For many years, we have dealt with so many requests, but, not a single request was made to know more about Princess Ignis. She is considered insignificant not only in the Fyre Land but in the entire Empire. Your Majesty is the first person to ever ask about her"
Damn it