I tense when I hear the door to my bedchamber open but relax when I see Raya and I sit up "You okay?"
"Could I perhaps sleep with you, mother?"
"Of course, sweetheart" I hold the covers open for her and she climbs in, snuggling up against me and I wrap my arms around her.
We lay in silence for a while before she says softly "I miss him"
"Father or Rome?" I ask gently
"Both" she sighs "Why does everyone is my life die? First grandfather and grandmother, then father and now Junior"
I find myself stiffening at her words but I try to remain calm "Everyone is bound to leave some day, Raya. It's just part of life"
She frowns "I don't want you to die."
My chest tightens and I don't want to make promises I can't keep, so instead I just press a kiss to her head and says "I love you so much"
"I love you too" she pauses and asks "Is uncle Lincoln planning to hurt us?"
"Yeah" I say softly "But I won't let him hurt you, Raya"
She nods "I know, mother" she's quiet for a moment before saying "If you don't want uncle Lincoln to get into the castle then you should close off the secret gate"
I frown in confusion "What secret gate, my love?"
"The one in the garden. It's hidden behind the red bushes, father showed it to Rome and I."
"Oh? Tell me more"
"Well father said him and Lincoln found the secret gate when they were younger and used it to sneak in and out of the castle grounds without anyone knowing"
Interesting.
I hum in approval "Thank you for sharing that with me, Raya. I'll be sure to close off the gate" she nods and I ask gently "Have you and Junior ever used it to sneak out?"
"No" she rushes to say "Never! Father said we should use it in case of emergencies"
"Oh okay, that's good"
Once again I'm reminded that even though Romero wasn't the best husband, he was the best father. I glance at Raya as she stares up at the ceiling and my heart breaks knowing that I only have one child now. I realised way too late that sheltering Romero Junior and Raya was not the best thing to do, because look where that got us. He's dea-
"Are you quite alright, mother?"
I clear my throat and nod "We should get some sleep"
"Okay, good night"
"Night, sweetheart." I try to fall asleep but I cannot for the life of me and I glance at Raya "How would you feel about helping me?"
"I don't mind"