48: Existence of the soulmate

Existence of the soulmate

Music Recommendation: Golden glass- Johannes Lehniger

—

As Dante stared at the wilted rose, thoughts raced through his mind, and his jaws clenched. 

Was it the ember of the deceased woman that had initiated his Crux? Dante's eyes narrowed further, and he murmured, 

"That can't be right." 

That was because many months before the courtesan had become Maxwell's concubine, she had been sent to his room by his family. He remembered the night clearly, as it was the same night the physician mentioned that his mother didn't have many days left to live. 

To gain his attention, the woman had placed her hand on his wrist, which resulted in him drawing his dagger. Ready to slit her throat for her actions when he was already in a foul mood. 

'Please don't kill me! I have someone who needs me!!' The courtesan had quickly begged for her life. 'I was only following orders!'

When he retracted his dagger, the courtesan had bolted out of his room, never appearing anywhere near him again. 

Dante believed the woman had nothing to do with his Crux. Though it had turned glaringly obvious only a few minutes ago, his hands had bothered him since this morning. He had come across many people since he had woken up, not to mention the guests in the palace who had been living here for a few days since Queen Sophia's birthday celebration. 

But could it be possible… that it wasn't a random trigger but one which had begun because of his soulmate? 

"Prince Dante?" Aziel appeared at the entrance of the corridor. The minister wore a quizzical look on his face, not knowing what the prince was doing here. He informed him, "The court proceedings will be starting soon." 

Dante turned and gave a nod to the minister. Leaving the Blackthorn rose alone, he stepped back into the corridor and said to the servants, "There are no snakes in here. Finish cleaning the corridors and leave." 

The servants bowed, watching the first prince and the Mother Queen's minister leave. 

Once Dante reached the royal courtroom, he walked through the entrance and took his usual place, which was at the front of the room, and beside him stood Aziel. The ministers were gathered in the room, their murmurs continuing as they discussed what was going to happen to Versailles. 

Queen Sophia stood on the other side of the throne, and next to her stood Prince Aiden and Prince Maxwell. While on the floor above, Lady Maya, Lady Noor and the prince and princess stood waiting for the court meeting to start. 

"Everyone rise! Mother Queen Ginger has arrived," The Vizier announced. Those sitting on chairs quickly stood and turned to look towards the entrance. 

The Mother Queen walked through the entrance of the royal courtroom, her head held high with a solemn expression. The people in the room offered their deepest bows while she walked through the centre and reached the front of the throne. She turned around and raised her hand for everyone to stand up straight. She said, 

"Versailles has suffered a great loss with King William's death. He wasn't just a king but my son, and as a mother, I feel it weighing heavier on my heart," the Mother Queen paused for a moment before continuing, "Whoever murdered him will be charged with a public death and won't be able to hide the crime that was committed last night. My grandson Maxwell even lost his concubine yesterday."

"It is a horror that a king was killed and no one was there to protect him, or even witness it," one of the ministers, who belonged to the Elders, said. "The palace isn't as secure as we thought it was."

The Vizier responded to the minister, "When King William was murdered, his servant wasn't with him, as he and the guards had been dismissed from his side. It is only unfortunate that this happened. 

"Mother Queen, if I may speak," the elderly minister spoke to her with a bow, "The throne now sits empty. A kingdom cannot survive without a king, as it becomes susceptible for others to attack." 

Soon the ministers began to discuss who was suitable to sit on the throne. Another older minister remarked, 

"I believe this calls for the Elders meeting, where I and the other seven ministers will bring forth whom we believe seems fit to take the throne, as the king didn't appoint his heir. This means the candidate doesn't have to be someone from the Blackthorn family. A meeting should be held."

Some of the Blackthorn family members couldn't believe that the throne was free for others to grab as no heir had been appointed. 

"There won't be any meeting held," Dante remarked, his voice loud enough to reach the edges of the royal courtroom, receiving everyone's attention in the room. He continued, "The Mother Queen still holds a higher position than all the Elder ministers in the court. The decision is still hers, and goes to the eight of them only if she is incapable of making one."

"You seem too eager to overlook my existence, Messiah. Unfortunately for you, I have many more years to live." The Mother Queen looked at the minister.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, Mother Queen. I wasn't sure if you had decided or if you would need our help," the minister named Messiah replied with a bow. 

The Mother Queen spared him a second more, staring at the minister before turning her gaze to the others in the room. She said, 

"I have already chosen the one who will be sitting on the throne. Being the legal offspring of King William, Prince Aiden will be taking the throne." 

Queen Sophia, ready to object, looked stunned on hearing the Mother Queen's decision. Soon a look of relief spread across her face, knowing that her son would be taking the throne, while Lady Maya pursed her lips as she had hoped for her son to take the throne. Lady Noor's eyebrows rose as she had expected the Mother Queen to pick the first prince; she always showered her affections on him. Her eyes subtly moved to look at an unhappy Lady Maya. 

The room broke into whispers before the Vizier called, "Prince Aiden, if you will please come forward." 

Prince Aiden's cheerful demeanour had gone since learning about his father's death. Right now, he looked surprised, as he hadn't expected his grandmother to pick him. He slowly made his way to where his grandmother stood. 

One of the ministers at the back said in a low voice, "I thought she would pick Prince Dante. Looks like her affection doesn't overrule common sense when it comes to what is the right thing to do."

"Or it could be something else," said another minister, before whispering, "Maybe she suspects he had something to do with King William's death. The priest had mentioned, when they realised he had no Crux, that he was a cursed child." 

The Mother Queen then announced, "There will be a change in the events that were supposed to happen. To secure the throne, the corona—"

Hurried footsteps echoed outside the royal courtroom, which caught everyone's attention, and soon a minister appeared at the entrance. He made his way over to the Mother Queen and bowed, 

"Pardon me, Mother Queen, but this needs to be read urgently."

Dante made his way to the front and took hold of the rolled parchment. Once he finished reading what was written there, he walked to his grandmother and whispered into her ear, while she stared into space with a serious expression. 

"So that is how it is," the Mother Queen murmured with a thoughtful expression on her face, and she nodded. She turned to the minister named Messiah and said, "It appears that King William had already chosen which son of his was going to sit on the throne before his death. He sent it to one of the Elders and had it sealed under the conditions that Prince Maxwell had his Crux and met his soulmate." Her gaze shifted to Prince Maxwell and she said, 

"Take Aiden's position, Maxwell," she brought her hand next to her. 

Prince Aiden returned to his mother's side, whose countenance had fallen, replaced by a look of horror. Suddenly Lady Maya's mood brightened at the news, and she turned to her daughter, who returned a quiet smile out of happiness.

The Mother Queen let everyone know, "With King William's wish and the conditions met, Prince Maxwell will be taking the throne. The coronation will be held in two days; until then, I will be in charge of everything here. The court is now dismissed," saying this, she walked away from there with her minister Aziel following her closely. 

Once they were out of the courtroom and in a deserted corridor, the minister looked around them. Noticing no one behind or ahead of them, he said, 

"Mother Queen, there is something that has been bothering me." 

"Speak," the old woman said, as they continued to walk. 

"Why did you choose Prince Aiden and not Prince Dante?" The minister asked her, with curiosity in his eyes. It was glaringly obvious that Prince Dante was a better fit even though he didn't have a Crux, not to mention that the woman loved the first prince, and it was no secret to anyone. "Do you not trust him?"

The Mother Queen glared at him and said, "It was Dante's idea to have Aiden on the throne, not mine." Her eyes were serious and her walk was steady. She continued, 

"Unfortunately, as capable as Dante is, the rule states clearly that the person who sits on the throne needs his Crux, and even he knows it. My late husband's father was reckless for giving that much power to those Elder ministers, who cannot wait to seize power back under their control, rather than leave it to the royal family. Looks like the old palace needs to be cleaned because people will be occupying it soon." 

Aziel wondered if he should perhaps start packing his things, in case he and the Mother Queen would be moved to the old palace too.

By the time of night, everyone hovered around Prince Maxwell, building better relations with him as he was soon to be king. Lady Maya and Princess Niyasa received no less attention. 

At the time close to midnight, Anastasia followed Princess Emily, who had just finished visiting Queen Sophia in her room and was walking back to her bedroom. The princess's footsteps were slow, and she was about to hit a wall when Anastasia stopped her by pulling her back. 

Princess Emily awkwardly laughed, "I wasn't looking where I was walking." She paused and then said, "Since Father is gone, everything feels so different. I wanted to talk to my mother, but she seems stressed about other things," her voice cracked at the end. "It's so strange, isn't it?" 

Anastasia could understand Princess Emily's loss and pain because she was going through the same thing. 

There wasn't a moment when Anastasia had stopped thinking about her sister. After seeing her sister turn into ashes, the little hope of her return had been destroyed. 

"One moment they are there, and you don't even realise that it will be the last time you will talk to them. I didn't even get to say goodbye," Princess Emily whispered, her eyes teary. 

If only she knew, Anastasia thought to herself. If she knew that the moment in the dark alley with her sister was their last, she would have never looked away from her sister. A tear slipped from her eye, and Princess Emily suddenly felt guilty. 

"I didn't mean to make you cry, Anna," Princess Emily said, misunderstanding Anastasia's tears to be for her deceased father. 

Anastasia shook her head and wiped the tear off her cheek. The princess said, "Let us get through this together. Why don't we visit the library? There might be something in there to occupy our minds." 

Anastasia carried a candle stand which held five candles burning in a row. Heading towards the library, Anastasia walked in front of Princess Emily so that the princess could follow the light. 

"It might be a little scary because of the lack of light, but there are torches of fire that can be lit in there," Princess Emily said, driving away the uncomfortable silence of the dark. "Sometimes I come here to pick up a book or two when I am unable to fall asleep. Reading boring books puts me to sleep quickly."1

When they reached the double doors of the library's entrance, Anastasia went to grab the handle of one door when it moved backwards, and air escaped from her lungs.

In front of her stood Prince Dante in a loose-fitting shirt and black trousers. His usual hairstyle was dishevelled but slightly pushed back. She felt her heart shudder for a second under his gaze, not forgetting the last words he had told her down in the dungeon. 

When Anastasia offered a bow, Dante's eyes shifted from her to look at his sister. He remarked, "I thought I heard some voices outside."

"Brother Dante," Princess Emily greeted him with a bow. "I was thinking of picking out a book. What are you doing here? Oh, Minister Aziel is here, too," she said, noting the minister far from them at a table. 

"We were working on something. Come in," Dante stepped back and turned around to return to where the minister was going through some open books that were spread out on the table. 

Princess Emily stepped inside the library, and Anastasia followed her in, closing the door behind her. 

"Princess," Aziel offered a bow, and Princess Emily acknowledged him with a nod. 

Anastasia noticed the two men flipping through one book's pages before moving on to the next book. Princess Emily asked, "Is it something for the court meeting?" 

"It is, Princess Emily. We are trying to find the books that have mentioned the Crux and the soulmate, to revisit the details. Just to make s—"

Dante kicked the minister's leg under the table, as the minister had said more than he was supposed to. He said, "Aziel has forgotten how and when the Crux forms. Also, how a person recognises the connection of a soulmate."

The minister nodded, "That is right. I was sure it was in one of these books." 

"Maybe we can help then?" Princess Emily volunteered, as she wanted to keep her mind busy rather than think about her father's murder. 

Aziel wondered if it was alright and turned to look at Prince Dante. Seeing the prince nod, he smiled at the princess, who looked happy to be useful now. Fifteen minutes later, Aziel and Princess Emily were still at the table, while Dante had gone to look for other books with Anastasia, who carried the candle stand. 

Standing in front of one of the many racks on the floor above, Anastasia watched Dante pull out a book and turn the pages to read it. 

"Do you know how to read?" Dante questioned, without looking up from the book. 

In the quiet library, with only the sounds of flipping pages and the voices of Princess Emily and the minister, Anastasia whispered, "Yes."

"When did you both find time to do it?" He asked her, turning to the next page before closing the book. When he looked at the maid, she looked a little lost, and he said, "I'm guessing your sister was the one to teach you."

Talking about her sister eased Anastasia's anxious mind, and she replied, "We sneaked around to meet each other. Sometimes in the night." That was also how she had ended up with her calloused hands. The lack of sleep was reflected in her work the next day, and she would be punished with more work. 

"Don't let people know that you can read," Dante stated, placing the book back in its place and muttering, "This is what happens when the books are not put back in their assigned place." They walked to the other rack, and he said, "It isn't because you are a maid that you will fall into trouble. So don't let anyone know. Not even Emily."

Anastasia didn't understand his reason, but she nodded anyway. 

She asked him, "Prince Dante… did they find out where my sister was an hour before she was killed?" 

"Not yet. No one saw her; at least, that's what people claim," Dante responded. A sigh escaped from his lips, and he asked, "Did she ever mention her relationship with Maxwell?" 

Anastasia nodded, "She did. She was in love with him and he said he was in love with her too. Saying he promised to marry her. But when his soulmate appeared, she didn't exist to him anymore. She was heartbroken by it. Do you think her death might be related to him?" 

"I don't think it is entirely true," Dante murmured, and at the same time, he heard his sister call out, 

"Brother Dante, we found it!" 

Dante didn't wait for the light to show him the path, but instead walked away from there and down to the floor below. Anastasia made her way down the stairs and then near the table before stopping a few steps away from them. She saw the old minister point his finger at one of the book's pages and heard him say, 

"The sign of a soulmate is realised by touch, which allows one to witness a memory of the soulmate. Though it isn't often feasible to draw the soulmates near to each other, the males also have the ability to identify their soulmate by the woman's scent, which will stand out more than others." 

Princess Emily commented, "If it is an indicator of a soulmate, Brother Maxwell can tell you about it." She then asked, "What if the soulmates end up crossing paths, never to meet again?" 

"That would be sad, Princess," Aziel replied. "The heart will beat for the person with an ache. They are also called Broken Soulmates."

A few minutes later, his sister and the maid left, and so did Aziel, who carried some of the books out of the library, leaving Dante there alone. He was going through one of the old books when a piece of writing caught his eye, which said—

The missing Crux of the cursed cannot be restored alone but will be healed by the existence of the soulmate.

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