Bab 48: Piecing Everything Together

After everything was settled she was exhausted, but one by one the people had to go and so did she, much to her own happiness on the matter. Waving off the kids she joined the four to walk towards their carriage, Rosalyn excited. "I feared you'd forget but you really did well. Did you invite him to your tea party?" She questioned, making her silently scream.

Why did she have to invite the ravenette to her tea party? Was he really that important? "No, he disappeared before I could." It wasn't a lie or a truth either. He disappeared, sure, but she had no interest in inviting him. Shaking her head Rosalyn insisted they find the boy asap and invite him, it was an absolute must they do it now in front of others that remained.

She wasn't sure how she knew the boy didn't get picked up yet but looked over at Isaac, tugging at the hem of shirt. "Would you help me find him, Eins?" She asked, knowing he would do the hard work for her. In an instant she was lifted into the air in his arms as Nyx was handed Theron's leash, the two looking at the garden from overhead.

She had to admit his magic was always so fun high up in the sky, she could see the entire garden from that height. "There he is." Isaac muttered and pointed towards a large tree with legs sticking out like a sore thumb. He really hadn't gone that far, huh.

Setting her down on the ground he went to fetch the boy, Rosalyn insisting they needed to do it where people would see them, a crowd already forming as Isaac used his magic. Bringing him back she could see the boy had quite a few bruises, something she'd wish would never happen to her. She was being a villainess precisely to avoid that fated ending.

Taking out a handkerchief she almost threw it at him, looking him in the eyes as people stared at her. "Return it when you attend my tea party. I'll have the invitation addressed to you and sent to your family when I return home." Turning on her heel she walked off to the carriage with an uneasy feeling, something didn't add up.

She didn't pause to think about it before, but why was Rosalyn going this far for an illegitimate child. She wondered if his mother was even in the picture, did his father even care about him? Why is she so invested in the child that much younger than her rather than his parents.

Red eyes were certainly uncommon, but was that really enough of a reason? She was beginning to regret the invitation she gave as Nyx joined in a scheming look on his face, an annoyed Isaac and an ecstatic Rosalyn. Of course nothing was free in the Argyris family, what did she wrap herself into?

"How perfect, father will be so pleased." She heard the woman giddily say, raising a fan to her lips while staring at her with sparkling eyes. From the looks of it both her brothers knew what was going on except for her.

Raising a brow, Rosalyn practically confessed her worst nightmare. Ever. "This will be the perfect opportunity for the Argyris family to support the third prince." The who to the what now? Is this why Rosalyn never stated his name?

That was impossible, that was definitely not the third prince. It had to be an impostor. "I thought the third prince had white hair." She questioned but it more came out as a shocked statement. Quirking his brow Nyx looked over at her.

"What are ya talking about? The third prince has always had black hair." Was she missing an incredibly big plot line or did something happen before he had white hair? She thought she knew the prince, but maybe not as greatly as she thought!

The third prince was suspected to not have any connections to the king because he looked nothing like him and his mother came out of nowhere one day, simply bringing him to the castle and claiming him as the king's child. He had red eyes and white hair, an ominous sign according to the people as no one supported him. Theia was supposed to marry him but she was executed after he became king.

She'd remember that huge detail about the hair if there was one. Everything else added up… except it didn't. Why was he, a prince from the capital, here in the south. Why was he, a prince known for tyranny, here in the south being a crybaby getting pushed over? Was this just a happy plot point she skipped or was never explained? She wanted to smack the author.

Her body felt empty. He was the very person she told herself to avoid and yet she unknowingly met him, invited him to her tea party, and basically just publicly announced the Argyris family would be supporting the third prince. The reason Rosalyn insisted on it being this one must be because of the gossipers. There was no doubt some would say it weren't a coincidence they met but rather preplanned.

"Really?" She hummed, fingers running through Theron's fur as she pet him to calm her mind. "Though isn't our family neutral?" She decided to probe a bit more, what was with the sudden change of heart that caused this. Tapping his foot slightly aggressively, Isaac explained it to her.

"On the night I returned I looked into it and first sister had already spoken to the Duke. I'm unsure how myself but she successfully convinced him to have the Argyris family support the third prince for unclear reasons." That cleared absolutely nothing up, but she had to thank him for the effort of trying to explain.

Turning to Rosalyn she decided to hear her part of the story. "The king's always asking father each year if he's going to support one of the princes, the king was beginning to annoy him. I merely persuaded him into seeing things from my point of view." She wanted to call what a lie that was, it must of been too perfect for her to just randomly know the host and the attendees of a tea party like that in just a single night, no matter how influential she was.

If it happened a few days after or even the day after she could believe it, but in a single night to get the names of all the attendees or people with invites? That's got to have been impossible for her, and it sounded like Isaac knew it too as Nyx was quite into it, she could easily believe he simply liked the fun of it.

Sighing, she brought her hand to her temples, massaging her head lightly. Just why is the plot going so awry already with all these unexpected twists? Slumping against her seat, Theron, Isaac, and Nyx spent their time panicking and trying to make sure she's okay and not sick as Rosalyn smiled, completely entertained by her misery.