I numbly hugged them in return, then asked them hoarsely, “What’s my true name?”
My mother’s eyes shone with tears. “You’re Princess Primelle Rose Everline Manafold, third daughter to the king and queen of Mistvale Kingdom, and Commander of Minds. You, my love, are our darling lost daughter.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Their lost daughter.
A princess.
Commander of Minds.
I’d heard of the royal couple’s fated third child over the seasons. Everyone had. Stories of her great power and vicious tricks still circulated through the kingdom to this day.
I’d always thought it was interesting that we shared the same first name and similar magic, even if she’d been hated, but I hadn’t thought anything of it because she’d died long ago.
But all along, our name had been the same, because she was me, and I was her.
The royals’ third daughter had never died.Ihad lived.
“I don’t understand.” I shook my head vigorously. “If all of this is true, ifI’mtruly Princess Primelle, and my entire life has been a lie, then why tell me this now? Why no longer keep my identity a secret?”
The king, my father, nodded. “It’s because of what happened. When we learned that Timith grew sick from an unknown ailment, we began to wonder if you were still safe, and we now know that you’re not and that someonedoesknow who you truly are. And if your true identity has been leaked, then carrying onthe farce that you died no longer serves its purpose. We only ever did that to hide you and protect you, but since your identity has been exposed, you deserve to claim your birthright and rightful place in your true family, and as our daughter, we can protect you better in the palace, much more than we could at Gwen and Timith’s.”
The palace.Of course.
That was why I was still in Whiteolf. Kole had simply transported me to the royal’s residence. It also completely explained the opulence and finery. And it confirmed why Kole had followed my father’s orders.
Just as fast, another fact hit me like a thousand bolts of lightning, and a hailstorm of hope surged through me. I jumped to my feet. “But if you’re the king and queen, then you can demand the Imperial Council return my Stone. I can still save Timith! The Council is required by law to listen to you!”
I looked at both of them wide-eyed, hope growing in me so suddenly that a smile bloomed upon my face, and a spark of my inherent joy flowed through me again.
“We can save him!” I nearly clapped in happiness. “But we need to actnow. You need to demand that the Imperial Council return the Stone to me this instant. Timith doesn’t have much time. Please, we need to hurry. We can’t let him become whatever that potion is making him. You have to help me cure him.”
The response I expected to see, the widening eyes as that realization hit them too, then their frantic agreement, never came.
Instead, Russem’s expression crumpled, and grief leaked into his aura.
Oleander’s did the same.
Knees buckling, I fell back to the couch, and my words turned wooden. “I don’t understand. Why are you not acting? Surely,you realize after what Timith and Gwenery did for you, and did forme, that you owe him that much.”
“Prim...” Opalin’s—no, mymother’svoice—shook. “The Imperial Council took the Stone upon our orders.”
I whipped my head back as though slapped. “What?”
My father tried to put his arm around my shoulders, but I scooted away. “You’rethe reason my uncle’s becoming a monster?”
“Prim, please,” my mother pleaded. “The Stone is the only way to guarantee we find who’s after you. Whoever it is, they’re back. We’ve learned that much from the questioning the Imperial Council’s done with Verin, but we need the Stone to reveal who’s at the heart of this.”
“How did you even know Verin was a part of it?”
“We didn’t at first,” my father replied, “but since Verin is relatively new to your household, as we’ve always done with newcomers in your life, we had her followed. And several things began to alert us to things being off. She would tell your aunt she was going to buy goods at one market but instead would go to another. She oftentimes would go out at night when it was harder to see details of her actions, and she was able to thwart the fae we’d employed to follow her several times. That’s something a normal fairy, without specific training, would not be able to do. We grew suspicious, and we were going to demand that she be removed from your household, but then your uncle grew sick, and Verin didn’t sneak off again. But when Jamie found that potion in Verin’s room last night, we realized our initial suspicions had been correct.”
I frowned heavily, shaking my head. “I don’t understand. If you have Verin, just make her tell you who’s behind it by using a truth potion on her. Save the Stone for Timith.”
My father ran a hand over his face, his expression haggard. “It’s not that simple. Believe me, I wish it was, but Verin wasinterrogated last night. As you already deduced, she was forced to ingest a truth potion and was also commanded by a fairy with mental magic to speak the truth. That magic made her reveal that she was at your home for an ulterior motive and that the servant who previously worked for your aunt and uncle didn’t decide to move away by chance. They were bribed. All of it was planned, and Verin even revealed that the fairy she’s working for is the same fairy who tried to assassinate you as a child. It’s all tied together.” His eyes dimmed. “But a block has been put in Verin’s mind. She’s unable to reveal who’s employed her or reveal any hints that would lead us to their identity. Not even truth potions and commanding magic can pull that information from her.”
“A block?”
