Eight

Arya hadn’t stopped thinking about Patrick since Kalen informed her about his disappearance. There were many possibilities that could explain his no-show. Arya couldn’t decide which was worse. Either he had ratted them out and received a huge amount of money to facilitate traveling to another country or something had to be done to him. Orianna was capable of doing anything for the sake of her and her son’s happiness. They’d been stupid to think Orianna could see her step son and let him out of her sights without harming him. Besides, that palace was not safe for anyone save for the royals. Remembering the attack on her on her first day, Arya could tell she was not safe and had to watch her back. Now more than ever, she had to be extra vigilant.

For the umpteenth time, she got up to recheck if her door was locked. Staying in the palace was already giving a mild form of OCD and she didn’t like it one bit. The door was locked. She ambled towards the bed side stool and picked up her phone. Unlocking it, she opened the dial pad and dialed Kalen’s number. He was the only person who could calm her mind at the moment. Hi, she began. When he answered, she walked towards the tiny window and looked out of it. She could see the fence on that side. There were security lights lighting up the outside garden. 

“How are you?” 

“I’m okay. How about you?”

“Haven’t stopped thinking about Patrick,” Arya confessed. “What if he ratted us out far away? Moving torch. Wondered what anyone would be doing in their late in the night. If he did, they’d have got us by now so stop worrying. What if they want to play us? Study us to see what we will do next.”

“I hope so,” Arya sighed, plonking herself on the bed. “I have to try to rest now.”

“Okay, goodnight and take care.”

“You too,” she said and hang up.   

***

“Hey guys, did any of you see a tall brown haired man recently?” Arya asked the other workers during breakfast time. Six girls were seated outside the kitchen under a small umbrella tree.

“No, I haven’t.” Cherry, a slightly chubby maid of honor to the queen said. She was seated next to Arya eating a sandwich. “Why do you ask?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Arya said. “By the way, has anyone seen Ann recently?”

“We were just talking about her yesterday,” Mercy said. “She disappeared hasn’t contacted anyone. She barely talks to us anywhere and when she is on leave, disappears like a cloud. I think she won’t come to work until the queen returns from her business trip. None of us have her number.”

“Can’t you just ask the queen for it?” Arya asked, wondering why it would be so hard to get Ann’s number.

“Ask the queen?” Cherry said, narrowing her eyes at Arya as if she had asked a very ridiculous question. “Are you kidding?”

“Ann acts like she’s too good to socialize with any of us. If she thinks she’s on a higher level why should we care?”

“Do you all feel safe in here?”

“What?”

“Wait a minute, who are you really? Are you undercover? You’re asking a lot of questions.

“Sorry, I’m just curious. Have always had a curious mind.

“Ha-ha, I hear curious mind.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What?”

Arya sighed. There was no point to this. As long as they still felt she was the ‘new one’, she wouldn’t be getting any information out of them. The only thing she would do was cast suspicion on herself.

After her breakfast, she stepped further away from them to speak to Kalen about her failure to get any useful information from the maids.

“You need to get out of there as soon as possible,” Kalen was worried. Typical. “If the maids suspect you, it could dangerous. They might tell the queen who will then investigate you.”

Arya could see reason in what he was saying. One of the maids could spill information in exchange for favors from the royals. But then again, Patrick’s life might be in danger because of her and Kalen’s plan to get revenge on the royals.

I know that but you know what, I did not know Patrick but I need to get to the bottom of this. I’m going to start my own investigation.

“If the royals did something to Patrick, you’ll never find out. All these years, they have done evil things and those have never come out. Can you imagine how many dark secrets they could be hiding? And you think you’ll be the one to unearth it all? Arya, you need to forget this. Get out of there and let’s go and build our lives elsewhere.”

“I’m tired of this, Kalen. I’ve told you before. If you want to get out of this, feel free to do so. Just leave and go live your life because I’ll take this to the end. I will not give up on what I have started.”

“I’m just worried about your safety.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. You know, it would be better for me to do this a lone so I don’t have to worry about you getting soft.”

“Have a nice day, Arya.” He said and hang up.

Arya sighed. 

She loved Kalen but was getting stifled by his softness. This constant over-protectiveness was robbing her of her independence yet she wished to be able to do as she pleased without feeling as if she was being controlled by anyone. 

She had just turned when she saw mercy standing in front of her. Arya’s heart skipped a beat. “Mercy!”

“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“It’s nothing,” Arya said, wondering if Mercy had been standing behind her long enough to eavesdrop on her conversation with Kalen. “I just received some not so good news from home. Nothing serious, though.”

“Oh, that’s sad. I just came to tell you that you’re needed by Candela.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

She needed to think of something that would make Mercy and the other household workers to trust her.