Chapter 34

"MAY I COME IN?" Paula asked as she peeked from the threshold of Daniel's office.

"Of course, Aunt Paula," Magnolia answered, a bit surprised. "Is everything alright?" she added quickly, thinking of Daniel.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine," Paula reassured her. "I am here to kidnap you, though." She smiled. "I had them prepare tea for us in the garden."

"Ah." Magnolia's eyes traveled over the saturated desk. "I'm sorry but I have–"

"Surely, you can spare some time to have a cup of tea with your guest," Paula interrupted with a sweet smile.

Magnolia pondered for a few seconds. "Of course," she finally answered. Paula was their guest and she had been neglecting her for the past few days. "Shall we, then?" Magnolia pushed to her feet and left the mountains of documents behind, with a feeling of guilt.

Paula silently led the way to a secluded space in the garden. An umbrella had already been placed over the table to provide shade from the afternoon sun, and tiered plates of sweets and snacks decorated the table.

As soon as the two ladies took their seats, a maid brought a pot of freshly brewed tea. An aroma of ginger filled the area.

"I asked them to make ginger tea," Paula pointed out. "It will give you energy and help you focus on your work."

Magnolia stared at the golden liquid in her cup then smiled. She had been feeling tired these past few days.

With everything that had happened and her constant anxiety and worry, she could barely eat or sleep. Doing Daniel's work and trying to keep up the image that nothing was wrong has also been exhausting.

'I guess she was worried about me.'

"Thank you, Aunt Paula." She took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes as the sweet and spicy flavor tickled her taste buds.

They enjoyed their tea in silence. Magnolia relaxed her shoulders and listened to the birds tweeting and the breeze dancing with the leaves.

"I think I needed this," she confessed with a smile.

Paula placed her cup on the saucer and took a deep breath. She felt bad for the conversation she was about to have with Magnolia, but it was something that had to be done.

"Magnolia," she started, getting the duchess' attention. "I have been meaning to discuss this with you for a while now, but with everything that has happened, I haven't gotten the chance to."

Magnolia put her teacup down as well and met Paula's eyes anxiously, the latter shifted in her seat.

'Is it something about Daniel?'

"Your family–" Paula uttered.

"My family?" Magnolia repeated.

"I knew them," she continued. "I knew your mother since childhood, and I met your father when he married Olive."

Magnolia stared at her with unblinking eyes. 'Olive…my mother?'

"As children, Olive, my sister Elise, and I played together all the time. Our mothers were close friends," she explained. "Like most marriages in nobility, your parents' union was arranged between the two families of purebloods. Like Daniel's father's family and mine, your parents' families only married other purebloods." Paula smiled at Magnolia. "But your parents fell in love a short time after their engagement. I have never seen anyone so in love."

A small smile tugged on Magnolia's lips. "What is my father's name?" she asked.

"Conrad," Paula answered. "You have his eyes, but you are the spitting image of Olive."

Magnolia's emotions were in turmoil as she listened.

"Their wedding ceremony was so grand, it was beautiful," she told her. "After a year of being married, they were blessed with a baby boy."

"A boy? My brother?" Magnolia whispered.

"Yes, your brother, Killian." Magnolia's eyes watered. "And then two years later, they had you. They loved you both so much." Paula cocked her head to the side. "Now that I think about it, I believe you have met Daniel a couple of times when you were children."

"I have?"

"Yes, we were still close with Olive even after her marriage, especially my sister," she explained. "Since I was mostly in the Palace, I did not get to spend as much time with the family."

"I wish I could remember their faces." Magnolia looked down at her fidgeting fingers. "Or at least find a portrait of them."

"Daniel told me that you didn't find anything at the house, it's a shame," Paula tried to console her. "But he said that they are still looking for more information. I am sure they will find something, dear."

Magnolia was silent for a moment, lost in her thoughts. "Do you know anything about the accident?"

Paula swallowed hard. She knew the question would have come up at spooner or later. She was not sure if she should tell her directly, or maybe wait till Daniel was around so that they could all have the conversation together. She was debating whether to leave what happened in the past or not.

'But Magnolia has the right to know the truth.' She sighed.

"Magnolia, do you know the story of the current king?" Paula asked.

"The story? Do you mean how he became king?"

"I mean his marriages."

"Marriages? Plural?" Magnolia raised a brow.

"Ah, yes. No one speaks of the first queen anymore, so the younger people don't even know of her existence."

"There was no mention of her in the books I studied either."

"That's because of an order from the king himself," Paula pressed her lips together. "Her name was simply erased from history."

'It almost sounds like my family name that is not mentioned anywhere.' Magnolia frowned but did not say anything.

"It's an even more important tradition for the royal family to keep their blood pure. For generations, the royal family members, monarchs especially, only married purebloods," Paula explained. "It is necessary for both parents to have pure magical powers in order for their offspring to also have the purest powers. Since one of the criteria for becoming King of Malorenia is to have pure magic, the royal family took marriage very seriously."

Magnolia nodded with wide eyes, as if she was in a history class and Paula was her teacher.

"The king's marriage was arranged by his late father before his passing. It was to a daughter of a duke, her name was Petra Gottanlich, she was the first queen."

"Gottanlich?" Magnolia asked. "Isn't that–" Her eyes widened.

'I am related to the first queen?'