Chapter 16

Delina couldn't sleep all night, not only thinking about her origins, but also having nightmares about witches and wolves and persecution.

When Martha and Sofie knocked on the door to help Delina get ready for breakfast, she was already sitting in the chair near the porch, with dark circles under her eyes.

"My lady!" Martha commented, horrified. She quickly went to the kitchen to get some ointment to put under Delina's eyes to smooth out the dark circles under her eyes. Meanwhile, Sofie laid a beautiful green and white dress on top of Delina's bed.

"Good Morning! I'm going to take a shower before I get dressed. I sweated too much that night." Delina said and Sofie bowed before leaving the room to fetch water to deposit in the tub.

Martha came back from the kitchen and asked Delina to wash her face before applying the balm.

"After you take your bath, wash your face. This will have given time for the preparation to take effect on your dark circles." The young girl told Delina, who did as instructed. She saw how to put on her underwear last time and didn't need help with it, calling Sofie and Martha just to put the final touch on her hair and face. Looking in the mirror, Delina noticed that her dark circles really did look a lot better.

"This balm is wonderful, Martha! Thanks!" Delina thanked her and Martha smiled in return. "And I already asked to be called Delina."

"It's just that Master Suindara believes that this is not right." Sofie said in a low voice, her head down.

"Well, it's my name and it's me you're talking to. I'll solve this matter with Suindara." Delina said and smiled at the girls. Sofie hadn't liked Delina very much at first, let alone having to serve this stranger, but she could see how humble the girl was. The two girls didn't know that Delina looked like the late queen, as the painting was in a wing that only special servants could enter, which was not the case for those two girls.

Once again, Petrus was there to take Delina to the place where she would have a meal. She thought they would go to that hall again, however, Petrus took her through the gardens.

"How was your night, my Queen?" Petrus asked and Delina widened her eyes at him. "I believe Master Suindara already told you that, right? I have met the Queen and it is undeniable that you are blood-related. The first day we met, I didn't realize it until it was too late, for I was blind by my own ego."

"Yes, Suindara told me that I am the Princess. And you can stop it with that guilty look on your eyes. This is water under the bridge!" Delina smiled and Petrus, despite having his face covered except for his eyes, smiled too, which was clearly visible in his eyes.

"Queen, not Princess. Your parents are no longer here, unfortunately, and you own the crown. Master Suindara should take care of the preparations soon." Petrus said, looking straight ahead.

"Petrus, when will I see your face? It's very strange to talk to someone like that." She asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

"It is forbidden for me to show my face, my lady." He said.

"Why is that?"

"Master's orders. He thinks it's more difficult for enemies to know us that way. It makes us less vulnerable and also protects our families."

"How are you going to have a family if no woman is going to see your face? Well, that's assuming you're straight, sorry. I meant possible partner." Delina tangled up the words, turning red.

"I do not like men!" Petrus said, offended, when he understood what she meant.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Where I come from...well, where I grew up, that kind of relationship is acceptable. So I didn't want to assume it had to be a woman you would have for a partner."

"I understand. But I really don't like men." He gave a low smile. "And we can show our faces when we're out of uniform."

"Aaah, now I get it!" Delina said thoughtfully.

"And that also makes it difficult for a guard and a lady to be romantically involved. It does not make it impossible, but it is more difficult."

"That's not fair."

"It is not against the law, but it would be degrading for a lady of good family to fall in love with a simple army man. Even though he has the highest rank." Petrus explained.

"This is ridiculous!" Delina was beyond upset.

"But that's how things are. And now, let's wrap this up, shall we? We're almost there and the Master wouldn't be happy to hear this kind of conversation between the two of us." Petrus whispered and Delina nodded, even though she didn't agree. Apparently, Suindara was indeed a man of status.

They went to the part of the garden that the Queen, Delina's mother, liked to walk around when she was alive. She recognized the little table and the flower in the center. But there was a table next to it, laden with food.

"Good morning, my Princess Katrina!" Suindara greeted her, getting up from his chair. He bowed and kissed Delina's hand.

"Good morning, Suindara!" Delina answered him and bowed awkwardly.

"With your permission, I shall leave." Petrus said, bowed and walked away.

"Let's have our breakfast. Then I can tell you everything you need to know about this kingdom and your parents. And, of course, we will have to discuss the coronation ceremony."

"Yes, sure." Delina said, sitting down at the table.

"As I said earlier, I came to this realm when I saved the King's life and then met the Queen. Your father was a man very connected to traditions, responsible and knew how to value everything that was good for the kingdom and the people, in general. Exactly how a King should be. Your mother was a woman of fiber, courage and very kind. The people loved them both. The kingdom prospered with them." Suindara said and Delina could feel the pride and sorrow in his words.

"And how exactly happened what happened?" Delina asked. Suindara sighed deeply, showing immense regret.

"Our kingdom was very well protected, only those who were already from here or whoever was invited to, could enter. No possibility of invasions. I was called to an emergency in another location and, with the King's permission, I went absent. Your father asked me to use magic only in extreme cases, so I traveled to the other land by chariot. When a messenger finally reached us to warn that the kingdom was being invaded, the damage had already been done. The queen was pregnant and due to all the stress she ended up giving birth. She took you away, but she couldn't resist her injuries. We found her body near where you emerged yesterday." Suindara said, raising the cup of tea to his lips.

"Hmm. I was found inside the forest, in the other world. They said it was near a big tree." Delina said and Suindara immediately knew that she could only be referring to Heilig, the great sacred tree.

"Well, when I got here, the King was still fighting and was badly injured. We found some wolves here and many rebels who believed they could take the kingdom down."

"But how did they get into the kingdom?" Delina asked, her voice weak.

"Someone from within allowed entry. And we know who it was. He was locked up. This man said that there was someone behind the plot, a man who changed into a wolf. This prisoner had met wolves, once, and was in love with one of the females. So he did everything her pack leader told him to do. They intended to take Erfreut and make it their new homeland, expanding their power. Hamza Dum was the name of the pack, that I clearly remember." Suindara said and the world around Delina turned upside down. She hadn't been brought into the pack for nothing. They were responsible for the death of her parents.

"Are you sure?" Delina asked, and Suindara noticed how pale she was.

"Yes, but we'd better talk more later. I see the Princess is not well. You must rest."