"Where have you been?" Kidaya asks him tucking her hand around his.
"My shoe lace went undone, I had to find a place behind the flowers to fix it, but then I saw a lady crying there."
"A debutante?" Kidaya asks.
Shrugging, "I wouldn't know, you lots are quite numerous."
Kidaya laughs. "I hope she is okay now."
"She is. Where's Eddna and Joan?" Ralph asks.
"Making themselves comfortable," Kidaya says nodding him to where the two stood with Aunt Erskine who was probably introducing them to the Lord in front of her.
"And you?" Ralph asks turning to face her.
Her eyes were scanning the crowd. "Looking for someone," Kidaya says.
"Hmm! I wonder who that is. My soon-to-be brother-in-law?"
She finally sees who she has been looking for. "There he is." She says pulling her brother in that direction.
"Park Edgare? Is he your choice?" raising his free hand up, "I as your brother, object."
"Oh please Ralph, don't go dramatic on me," Kidaya says rolling her eyes.
"Why are you approaching Parks? Not possibly to ask about the missing guest, Lord Reyes, is it?"
Smiling. "Of course, that is what I will be doing."
~
The second Prince sighs after taking a look at the two bodies on the table.
"We shouldn't have come here. Lord Reyes is missing, not dead. These are his guards." his right-hand man, Harlane, says.
"And I came to see their bodies. They were both killed in one stroke of the sword, a skilled swordsman. But the sword mark and point are different. Come take a look and tell me what you think." Prince Vaughn says to him.
Harlane walks over and inspects the bodies with his gloved hand. "This one was killed with a single stroke by the neck, while this one was killed by a slash across the neck. It is two swordsmanship." Harlane says
"Exactly. Which means two different people killed them. Now the question is, were they working together or it was a clash?" The second prince wonders.
"It could also be the same person with different swordsmanship."
"Let's head to the scene." The second Prince says exiting the room.
"The place has already been sealed off, I am not sure we will find much. It happened down at Lumber Street."
When they arrived at the scene, Harlane shows the Second Prince's badge to the officers around and they let them pass.
"Everything we observed has been written down here." The officer in charge says handing a scroll over to Harlane who gives it to the Prince.
Prince Vaughn reads through everything and hands it back to Harlane. "I will take a look around." Prince Vaughn says crossing over the red rope. "Has any of the Princes been here?"
"Only the first Prince, your Grace."
"Hmm!" was all he said waving his hand for the man to leave. Taking his time, he went through all the marked places marked as evidence while trying his best to stay out of the main scene, so he did not include his footprint in the other ones. So far, he has seen four prints. Two have been identified as the dead guards' own, while one has been identified as Lord Reyes's own, leaving one as unknown. Vaughn believed it would belong to their killer, the assassin. He has seen where one of the guards had been killed and it also had that footprint from the unknown person, but getting to where the second guard was killed, he saw nothing, just the dead guard's footprint.
Prince Vaughn raises his eyebrow. This means there was another person here, and the person had intentionally covered his own footprints. A smart move. Prince Vaughn was leaving, eyes still on the ground when he finally saw a different footprint close to a tree. This one was different. Small and strange. Squatting next to it, Vaughn takes a closer look. He was standing up when he saw a mark on the tree.
An arrowhead! He thought. He saw blood spill close to the tree, and beside the blood was the fourth footprint he had seen earlier, with the fifth footprint close to it.
Vaughn stands close to it, imagining what could have happened at that spot.
A clash!
~
Kidaya was still trying to get more information from Park Edgare when the Second Queen arrives, and everyone had to turn and bow in her direction.
With Lana and Venetia behind her, the second Queen heads for the spot reserved for the royals, eyes scanning the crowd for the diamond. She had heard the diamond and her brother had arrived, and just as she took a turn, the queen finally saw her standing with her brother, hands wrapped around each other hand. Broadening her smile, the second queen walks forward and stops in front of them.
Princess Venetia walked behind her mother into the garden where the party was being held. Head bowed and her hand holding tightly to the piece of cotton in her pocket, she smiles. Looking up, she begins to look for the gentleman she had met at the other side of the garden earlier. She saw him even before her mother stopped in front of them. Smiling, she looks up at him, only to find him wrapping his hands with another lady. Was he married? Or courting this lady? And slowly, her smile falters.
"Diamond!" the Second Queen calls in a fake sweet voice.
Kidaya lets go of her brother's hand and gives the Queen a curtsey. "Your Majesty."
Smiling, she uses her right hand to tip up the Diamond's chin, assessing her face. "You are as radiant as they say." The second queen praised, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw her brother smile. Perfect! So he was one who cherished his sister. Turning slightly to look at him as if just taking note of him. "And who is he? Is he courting you already?"
At the question, Princess Venetia looks away with a sad look.
Smiling, "No your Majesty." Kidaya answers.
"Why? You are beautiful!" turning to her brother. "She is beautiful, is she not?" she asks him.
Head bowed, he smiles. "I dare say, the most beautiful Lady, Your Majesty," Ralph says.
"So why are you not courting her?" the second queen asks.
Smiling, "He is my brother, Your Majesty." Kidaya says.
Princess Venetia turns to look back at them when she hears the words from the debutante's mouth, a slow smile creeping up her face.
The second queen fakes a surprise. "Now is he?" smiling. "My apologies, Lord?"
He offers another bow. "Vanderburgh. Lord Ralph Vanderburgh here, Your Majesty."
Turning to her Head-maid. "Why does that name sound quite familiar, Mona?" The second queen asks.
Bowing, her Head-maid moves closer to her and pretends to whisper, while answering loudly. "He is Lord Vanderburgh, the owner of Centico, Your Majesty."
Venetia was speechless. He wasn't courting the debutante, neither was he married to her. They were brothers and sisters, and above all, he is the Lord Vanderburgh her mother was trying to pair her off with. Venetia smiles. Well, the season just got interesting for her.
Faking a gasp. "The Lord Vanderburgh! The famous owner of Centico?" the second queen questions.
Head still bowed, "You praise me, Your Majesty." Ralph says.
"It is well deserved." Turning to the Diamond. "Have you met my daughter, Princess Venetia?" The second queen introduces, and Venetia steps forward and stands beside her mother.
Kidaya curtseys. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Princess."
Smiling, Venetia stares at the Diamond. Now she was looking carefully, she recalled this face from the first Queen's courtroom that day when she was pronounced Diamond of the season. Still smiling, "You are beautiful." Venetia says to Kidaya.
Smiling back, "So are you, Princess." Kidaya acknowledged.
The Second Queen smiles cheerfully at how things were working out. "Come join us at the table, Diamond." The Queen says.
Head bowed. "Am afraid I must say no, Your Majesty. My brother –
"Can join us too, right, Lord Vanderburgh?" the second queen asks.
Ralph bows. "It would be an honor, Your Majesty."
Smiling, the Queen turns to leave, but meets Lady Weatherby and her daughter Margery who curtsey in front of her with a smile.
"Your Majesty, permit me to –
"Not today, Lady Weatherby." The Second Queen says waving her away as she walks past. At this gesture, the other Mamas laughed silently.