The Mischievous Maiden & The Sleeping Prince - Chapter 270

The first snowflakes swirled behind Alexa as she looked ahead with a stone-faced face.

“Magnus is dead,” she whispered almost inaudibly when the door opened and Blue Eyes let her in.

His eyes reacted faster than the rest of his face, and Magnus’s older brother held his breath for a moment.

“So that was it. It had nothing to do with the emperor’s safety, or yours… I didn’t want to believe it… But he did it.” Agnello wiped away the tears that wet his lashes.

“And what now?”

Agnello de Borghesi looked at her for the first time as if his mental faculties were not sharpened enough to understand what was implied.

“I mean, Don Agnello di Borghesi… I don’t want to go to the tower right now. Know what happened to Alexander. Did he die? Didn’t he?” she took a deep breath, avoiding looking at him. In his mind, all he heard was the loud THUMP THUMP in his ears. “And Magnus… He’s at the lighthouse. I didn’t want him… to be found that way.”

The bishop looked at her for a moment and then nodded slowly. “Alexa. Sit down. Calm down.”

He called an assistant and asked him to bring some wine diluted in water for the Duchess. When the person left, he crouched down in front of her and took her hand.

“You have dry eyes and a hard heart because the pain was so great and you don’t want to believe what happened… It’s hard to accept but we don’t always understand what God wishes for us…” Noticing his words were making no effect, he completed, “But don’t worry about it now. I’ll take care of that. I will speak to Godiva. I’ll get everything solved…”

Alexa knew it was a lie. Agnello couldn’t solve everything. When the nobles knew that Magnus was dead … Would they really wait for the remaining von Wuttenfal to decide what to do? Especially after the harsh year they had? And… If Magnus wasn’t there, would the Emperor keep his word to protect Beatrix?

Alexa remembered her own life and experience. It was too common to lose one’s favor when you stopped being important enough. It was too common to have fingers pointed at you when you were on the weaker side.

Would the di Borghesis continue to support the von Wuttenfals without a strong, stable male heir with a direct connection to their family?

How long would it take for Alexa to have to find a protector for her and her daughter?

Her fears swirled in her mind as she sat there listening to Agnello speak, without really paying attention.

“Please,” she said. “Make sure his body isn’t found that way… Please.”

“Right. I’ll do it. I will send for your brother to be with you in the meantime. We are not going to spread the word for now, until we decide how to do it… I also have to find out about Alexander.”

“Yes,” she said simply, nodding. It was what she expected. May Magnus’s death be hidden as long as possible.

Christmas was a week away. According to local tradition, pine branches with apples and candles were placed on the tables during this week.

Days ago, Magnus had told her that he liked Christmas because of it. And that apples had been his favorite fruits for the same reason. It was a peaceful and joyful time at home.

A thick, stubborn tear ran down her chin, and her lips trembled. It was difficult to keep the revolt within this cruel and unusual destiny within.

Magnus had been disciplined enough to understand that the only way to challenge Fate was to face the enemy without fear of sacrificing himself.

He had trusted that she would be strong enough to handle it. And that the world would overcome his absence.

Wasn’t that what she had been taught? That attachment was the worst sin, and that after death, there was … life? After winter, spring would return. It was the cycle.

She sipped the wine they served her while watching Blue Eyes give instructions to his secretaries in a low voice. Then the Bishop took his hat and cape. But before leaving, he ordered them to take Alexa to the guest room of the episcopal house.

Alexa went, obediently.

But as soon as the bedroom door closed, she took out a small dark box under the cover. A muffled noise came from inside. Sitting on the bed and carefully opening the cover, she saw the yellow, bloody organ, beating steadily.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

She could hear Magnus’ voice in her mind, questioning her.

~ What did you do, Alexa?! ~

ººº

The Duchess kissed her daughter’s delicate forehead good night, with tears in her eyes. She could only hope and trust that everything would work out from now on. Mirna beside her, sporting a big pregnant belly, whispered,

“Don’t worry so much, Alexa … We will all be here, together and Narses and I will be with you!”

She nodded, looking at the pink-faced and kind-looking sister-in-law. Love had done the couple well. Love had made his brother decide to live. And love had made Iacintho decide to leave so as not to hurt whom he loved. For each ill, an ailment.

She lay down as recommended, and watched around. In addition to Godiva and Mirna at a distant point, whispering that the Duchess was apathetic due to the shock, she listened to the castle’s sounds with special interest.

She could have sworn to hear Alexander laughing and crying in the castle tower, like a madman.

Nobody else listened to it?

The thought of trying one last time to talk to him came to her mind. But the realization that it would be a huge waste of time was what convinced her to stay.

She hasn’t heard Romeo since Alexander was locked in the tower. For the first time, the suspicion that men did not even trust the immortal bird crossed her mind, and she narrowed her eyes in fright.

What she was about to do was so terrible and scary in itself that her head hammered insistently that it was a big mistake.

ººº

In the dead hours, when silence had fallen over everything, Alexa pushed the old door at the bottom of the secret passage. There was no resistance, no ghosts pushing her into narrow ditches. The long descending and wet path was not made for mortals to walk.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

She carried a box with Orcaius’ heart on her shoulder. Her hands were free to light the way as a Light Bearer.

A few steps ahead of her, the Black Queen’s Shade guided her, with her long black robes dragging and melting in the darkness.

It hadn’t been difficult. It was enough to call her once.

“I’m ready. Open the door.”

The long-dead Princess’s insane eyes showed understanding and perhaps concern. Alexa did not expect this.

But there was not much time. This was the last day of autumn, and in a few hours, the first winter night would begin.

Although, there in that long, winding descending tunnel, there was only night.

After everything they had discovered about Orcaius and the old city before Holstein, Alexa hoped that there would be a connection between the castle and the church, where an ancient temple probably housed the remains of Orcaius.

The church was built on top of the pagan temple, so … It had no solid foundations, metaphorically and literally…

She perceived the presence of spirits long lost and imprisoned in silent and static forms, along her path. The walls wavered as if they were not part of reality, and at the same time, were imprisoning … Alexa shrugged, not knowing what to wait.

After what felt like a long time, maybe a half-day walk, her legs wanted to give up. Logic made little sense in this tunnel. It was hot and hard to breathe. She was sure that she was no longer in this world.

But the Light Bearer had no alternative but to follow forth. To return was to fail hopelessly. She had already come too far to return.

Then she came to a gate with bars that resembled snakes. Due to her tiredness, and drying the sweat on her forehead, Alexa blinked and had the impression that they moved subtly, their scales undulating in the light of her torch.

“What is it?”

Letitia then stopped in front of her, and with a gesture, ordered her to go on.

As soon as Alexa touched the bars of the gate, feeling her hand burn and sting unbearably, everything shook and the gate opened.

Alexa bit her lip and grabbed her skirt with closed fists, trying to ease the pain. Beneath her damp lashes, she saw that the Black Queen had not passed through the gate. The Shade just stared at her. If Alexa wanted to come back without doing what she had proposed, she would have to go through Letitia.

It didn’t seem like a good idea. The witch cult had strengthened the Black Queen enough to be an annoyance even for Orcaius.

But Alexa didn’t intend to go back without doing what she had come to do.

The circular room had Ionic columns and reminded Alexa of a sort of atrium. For Alexa, there was a parallel between the gazebos in Alexander’s labyrinth and this location. The feeling of being inside this sort of temple was indescribable.

She slowly examined what was around her, in awe.

She could feel the antiquity. She could see the ingenuity. But unlike many old and dilapidated places where she had been, that place seemed long ago abandoned … As if a huge period of time, of lives and deaths, of knowledge and oblivion, interpolated.

It was as if the gods had already stepped on that very floor. Long, long ago.

Then, bored, decided to leave the realm of mortals.

It was like the last place before…

Before?

She didn’t know.

She was so ignorant. She just didn’t know.

She couldn’t help being consumed by a profound admiration and curiosity about everyone who had passed by, what they had done, and what they had lived. It was impossible not to be moved by the thought that life and death cycles passed and those columns survived that. She looked with respect at the past, without being able to really understand it.

In the center of the room, there was a marble altar. But instead of a chessboard, or a marble ephebe, there was a pomegranate on the altar. Red and fresh, cracked in half, with its red juice dripping appetizingly.

‘Hm, here you are,’ Alexa thought, dismissively. When she looked up she saw only darkness, and a bunch of keys hung over the altar as a chandelier of sorts, or a charm.

Looking around again Alexa saw that there were several doors beyond the columns. But only one was open.

She knew the legend. Kore, the maiden, sometimes called Persephone, accepts her fate after being kidnapped by Hades. Being his Queen she becomes the Mistress of the Underworld, the Mistress of the Keys.

But Alexa did not accept her fate.

She walked slowly to the open door, looking around with curiosity. So was that what she was promised?

Knowing what was behind the doors, knowing what the end of the journey was like?

The small chamber into which it entered looked nothing like the imposing atrium through which it had passed. Carved in the stone, a niche kept what she was looking for.

“Oh!”

Despite suspecting that she would find something like this, after everything he studied about Orcaius, Alexa’s heart reacted as if she didn’t know beforehand.

Instead of finding a single bronze statue, there were two.

A new type of awe confused her for a moment.

The bronze statues were side by side, and their sculpted external figures were just two ephebes, even younger than Alexander was. Alexa was admiring the statues for a moment.

Solemnly.

“I came for my half-life, Alexander. Or Orcaius, whatever. If it’s because of me that you are still alive, we will correct this error.”

Immediately the air in the chamber became oppressive, but Alexa gathered her willpower to resist fear and doubts. Hearing the flap of wings, she looked around.

Romeo landed on her hand, as if trying to prevent her from doing whatever she was doing.

‘So… Are you a messenger, all the time?’

The bird looked at her as if understanding what she said. But the nightingale didn’t reply as Alexander or Magnus. She felt like she was being observed by a God…

The time to hesitate was over.

Pushing the lid on the first sarcophagus chest, she saw the niche to a heart.

Empty.

And when opening the other sarcophagus, she saw a small human heart beating softly.

The heart that had been Magnus’s once, and now was Alexander’s, imbued with Alexa’s life. She had no way of recovering that, but she couldn’t allow Alexander to live while Magnus had died.

Putting the pulsating yellow heart in the first niche, Alexa took the dagger Magnus used.

With a sigh, she thought of her daughter and thought of her beloved Magnus.

If she did it right, he could revive.

If she had given Alexander part of her life, Magnus deserved the other half.

She just had to have the courage to do this twice, and then a third time.

“Yes, Magnus von Wuttenfal… I know that you would disapprove of that. I’m not doing the deal… I’m cheating…” A small smile appeared on her lips as she raised the dagger high. “But you know how mischievous I am.”