Page 13 of The Queen's Crown
Emotions overwhelmed her—so many that she had trouble deciphering and understanding them all. She forced herself to focus on what really mattered—finding the person responsible for murdering her sister.
“There is much to go over before you leave,” the king continued. “You must learn about Lynk and what will be expected of you as its queen. You must learn about its ruler, though there is little known about him since he’s only been on the throne for a short while. And I’ll feel better if you have a dagger and know how to use it. I’m going to talk to Rolf now and charge him with preparing you to defend yourself. Alina was woefully unprepared.” He shook his head, still focused on the farmland in the distance. “And since you are going to be married, your mother will need to prepare you for that.” He finally turned to face her. “Of course, I won’t force you to go in your sister’s stead if you don’t want to, but Karl said you’d offered. We really do need this union.”
“I’ll go,” she said, the words coming out softer than she’d anticipated. Somehow, she’d been so wrapped up in seeking revenge for her sister’s murder, that she’d forgotten about having to perform marital duties. Not only that, but she was going to be the queen of Lynk; a role she never thought she’d have. Not wanting to dwell on that, she picked up the basket again, clutching the handle and forcing herself to focus on helping her kingdom and bringing about justice for Alina’s death. That was all that mattered.
The king patted his daughter on her back before turning and leaving her alone in the garden.
Once her father was no longer in sight, Sabine headed over to the royal family’s cemetery. When she reached Alina’s grave, she knelt next to the freshly packed dirt. After running her hand lightly over the surface, she withdrew some of the lavender from her basket, setting it atop the grave.
Her tears dropped onto the chocolate-colored dirt, making a soft patter sound.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Alina didn’t deserve to die. She should have lived to be the queen of Lynk. She deserved the title, she deserved to have children of her own as she’d always wanted, and she deserved to be happy. How anyone could have killed her was beyond Sabine. Alina was the kindest, gentlest, and most wonderful person she’d ever known. All Sabine had ever cared about was herself. She should be dead, not Alina.
She laid a few more pieces of lavender on the grave. Since the day she’d learned of her sister’s death, there’d been a sick feeling in her stomach. A feeling of wrongness. If only she could find a way to undo what had been done. Oftentimes, it still didn’t feel real. It seemed as if Alina was in Lynk where she was supposed to be. Not dead.
She wiped her tears, wishing she could hold her sister one last time. Dance with her sister one last time. Laugh with her so hard they started crying happy tears. Heck, she’d even have an argument with Alina if it meant getting her back.
The wind blew softly. Sabine stared at the dirt, as if she could somehow see her sister lying below. “I swear to you I’ll discover who did this,” she whispered. “The person who killed you will be brought to justice.” Taking one of the white roses her mother had left on the grave, Sabine slid a thorn across her wrist, drawing blood. She let the blood drip onto the dirt. “With my blood, I promise to avenge your death.”
ChapterFour
Sabine sat at the table, six small mixing bowls before her. For the past hour, she’d been smelling their contents, trying to differentiate them. So far, she hadn’t managed to properly identify a single one. She let out a frustrated sigh.
“These are the most basic poisons,” Rolf chided her. “You have to know them.”
“I can’t figure out what I’m supposed to be smelling in the first place.” Leaning back in the chair, she stared up at the ceiling, wondering what poison had been used on her sister. Something could have been slipped in her drink, over her food, or even in the water she bathed in.
“Maybe I can help,” Queen Elsa said as she came into the room.
Sabine straightened. This was the first time she’d seen her mother since the day they buried Alina.
“Excellent timing,” Rolf said as he stood, placing a kiss on the queen’s cheek. “I have to meet with the soldiers who will be accompanying Sabine to Lynk. Given what happened with Alina, I am putting additional safety measures and protocols in place.”
“I think that is a wise idea.” The queen clutched her hands together.
Rolf left the room.
“How are you doing?” Sabine asked. Her mother’s face looked pale and her eyes bloodshot. She wore a demure black dress and her hair had been braided and wound atop her head.
“Your father told me you offered to go in Alina’s place to save the alliance,” she said instead of answering.
“I have.”
The queen nodded. “Good.” She approached the table and observed each of the bowls. She lowered her voice and said, “While you’re there, I want you to always keep your ears and eyes open. If you hear anything about the person who killed Alina, I want to know.”
Sabine’s heartbeat sped up. “That’s what I intend to do. I plan on finding the person responsible for her death and making them pay.”
The queen nodded as she sat on the chair beside Sabine, looking in her eyes for a full minute before responding. “You are not in a position to seek justice on your own.”
She thought they both wanted the same thing—the killer found. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want two dead daughters,” Elsa answered. “You are to act as a spy on Bakley’s behalf, but you will not execute anything. Any information you glean will be given to me, and I will make sure Rolf gets it. He will put a plan into place to make sure we capture the murderer.”
“Why don’t I just send any information directly to Rolf?”
“They might expect that, or someone could be reading your letters to him. However, correspondence between a mother and daughter is different. You can be discreet. Others won’t know what you’re saying or implying, but I will.”
Sabine nodded. “The person may very well be from King Rainer’s own court.” Though she didn’t think it likely.
