29 Chapter 6.3- Maria's POV

A knock came at the door and Orion walked in, pulling her from her thoughts. He loudly cleared his throat and spoke. "Your majesty?"

The queen pulled herself from her musings and looked up distractedly. "Ah yes. Captain Orion." She gave a slow blink as she came back to reality. "How is our young prince doing?"

The Captain frowned. "To be perfectly honest, not well." He gestured to a chair somewhere behind him. "May I sit down?"

The grimace the Captain offered indicated nothing good. "Permission to be blunt, your majesty?"

Offering a regal nod of the head, she gave her permission. "Of course, Captain."

He took a moment to pull a chair forward before sitting stiffly, sword clicking against his hip. "Haven is putting in as much effort as he can, but he lacks the temperament and passion required to master the art of swords. If you hadn't asked me personally to oversee his training, I would have let him go by this point." He sighed. "I doubt he'll ever get past the basics and there is a low likelihood of him ever mastering those.

This news was not unexpected. Despite the prowess shown by both Haven's father and his brother, he had never presented with the slightest amount of talent with a sword. His abilities centered firmly around the mind. He would never be a master, but if her worst fears ever came to pass a cursory knowledge would hopefully offer enough for him to survive. She could only hope that he would never have cause to appreciate this gift she had given him.

Sighing her own, Maria changed the subject to a less depressing topic. "Do you have any other news for me today?" It seemed only prudent to distract herself at this point in the discussion.

To her surprise, Captain Orion nodded. "We have evidence that the thief known as Cinder has struck again, this time at a small private house party at a manor off of the Southern Border. The only things stolen were an emerald necklace and a gold ring, but the party was attended by the matriarch of the Draxton family and four of her closest friends. They are all rabidly demanding answers, but we don't know anything conclusive yet. All we know is that she appears to have been disguised as an extra temporary housemaid, and had already disappeared by the time anyone realized anything was wrong. We don't have anything conclusive as of yet, but we are fairly sure it is the same person from the given modus operandi."

His tone was professional and courteous, and the news offered the distraction the queen needed. She nodded and prompted him to continue. "Did the description match this time?"

"Not in the least. The maid in question was described as short, plump, and blonde. However, the methods seem to match up with a disturbing amount of similarities. There remains the faint possibility that this is a team working together, but I believe that it is likely the same woman with different disguises."

He paused. "There is one thing out of the ordinary, however. There was one thing left behind, and it seemed to be intentional. The investigators found a single black shoe placed decoratively on the lawn, one that remains unclaimed by any of the staff or residents."

Based on what was known, the queen had to agree. None of the physical descriptions matched, but the consistency of the methods spoke for itself. The shoe was new, though. Perhaps she was developing her signature?

It was unfortunate how obsessed Haven had become with the case, but it seemed only wise for him to remain distracted for the time being. His attempts to fool her were less than convincing, and she could see the lovestruck look in his eyes when he talked about that night. She just hoped that he wasn't too broken up when the fantasy ended and he was left with only the truth that the thief he was so enamored with was simply a common criminal, nothing more. In the end, she would be caught and tried, just like any other.