I stayed where I was, watching the guards move around the hall.
The palace looked completely different from the place I remembered, and I knew I had to be careful.
One wrong move and someone would spot me.
I waited for the right moment until one guard suddenly stopped.
“I need to pee.”
The other guard frowned.
“Now?”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
He walked away quickly, and I almost smiled.
Finally.
The second guard stayed behind, but just as I thought I would have to wait longer, a maid appeared carrying a plate of hot water.
The guard started talking to her, and I didn’t waste a second.
I slipped past them, my heart beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.
I moved through the palace, keeping close to the walls.
I knew this place.
I knew every hallway, every turn, and every room.
At least, I knew the old palace.
Even with all the changes, the basic structure was familiar enough for me to find my way around.
I had planned to search until I found Josephine myself, but the women at the market had saved me the trouble by telling me exactly where my sister was.
That was probably the only reason I hadn’t already walked straight into my father and stepmother.
I didn’t want to see them, and I didn’t want them to know I was back.
After everything they had done, they had made it clear they never wanted to see me again.
They had thrown me away, and I wasn’t going to give them the chance to do it twice.
I kept moving until I noticed smoke coming from somewhere ahead.
I stopped and frowned.
“What are they roasting?”
I kept walking as the smell of roasted meat grew stronger.
I looked around in disbelief.
“They’re roasting meat here?”
I shook my head.
“Even near the queen’s chambers?”
Things had really changed, but then again, what did I expect?
I was the only one who had been stuck on an island for five years while the rest of the world kept moving.
I continued until I reached the area I remembered as the queen’s chambers.
I opened the door and found the room empty.
I frowned.
“This isn’t right.”
I stepped inside.
The room was filled with books everywhere.
Old books, dusty books stacked on tables and shelves.
I stared at them.
“What happened here?”
This definitely wasn’t how I remembered the queen’s chamber,which was a place filled with flowers silt cutton and vanilla smell.
I slowly backed out and closed the door.
The moment I turned around, I bumped right into someone.
The maid gasped, and the things in her hands almost fell.
“I’m sorry.”
I instinctively reached out and caught them before they hit the floor.
My heart nearly stopped.
They almost caught me.
The maid stared at me, but I didn’t give her time to scream.
I grabbed her mouth and pulled her toward the darker side of the hallway.
She struggled fiercely.
“Please don’t kill me,” she whispered.
“Shh.”
“Please…”
She was trembling so badly I could feel it through her whole body.
I lowered my mask slightly so she could see part of my face.
Her eyes widened, and she froze.
For a second, she simply stared at me, and then her breathing slowed down.
I looked straight into her eyes.
“Where is the queen’s chamber?”
She said nothing.
I raised my hand.
“Tell me.”
She still didn’t speak, and my patience ran out completely.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you.”
Her eyes filled with fear.
She quickly raised a hand and pointed down the hallway.
“There.”
I followed the direction of her finger.
“That’s where the queen stays?”
She nodded.
I released her and struck the side of her neck.
Her body went limp, and I caught her before she hit the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
I dragged her into a dark corner where nobody would easily notice her.
Then I stood up and looked at the teddy bear still in my hand.
I had almost forgotten I was carrying it.
I smiled.
“I’m coming, Jo.”
I hurried down the hallway with the teddy bear pressed against my chest and a little pack of cherries tucked safely in my other hand.
Finally, I reached the door and stopped.
My heart started pounding hard.
This was it.
After five years, I was finally going to see my sister.
I adjusted my clothes, pulled my nose mask down properly, and took a deep breath.
“Okay.”
I looked at the door.
“When I open this door, I’ll tell her I’m angry.”
I nodded to myself.
“I’ll tell her she made a terrible decision.”
I paused.
“Then I’ll apologize for what happened at the psychiatric institution.”
I smiled nervously.
“Yeah. That’s what I’ll say.”
I reached for the door, but then I stopped.
The door was already open.
I frowned.
“Why is the queen’s door open?”
I looked around.
Maybe things really had changed.
Maybe queens had more freedom now.
I slowly pushed the door open, and darkness greeted me.
I stepped inside.
“Josephine?”
No answer.
I closed the door behind me.
The room was completely dark, and I was almost certain my sister wasn’t inside.
Still, I didn’t want to leave without checking.
I moved slowly, running my hand along the wall to find my way.
There was no switch.
I frowned.
“Of course.”
I reached into my pocket, touched the small stone lighter I carried, pulled it out, and struck it.
A tiny flame appeared, and I raised it in front of me.
The weak light barely showed me what was around.
Where could I hide?
I couldn’t stay in the open.
If someone came in, I would be caught immediately.
Then I remembered the queen’s main bedroom,there should be a bedroom around, looked around until I found it.
I moved toward it, opened the door, and slipped inside, closing it behind me.
The lighter was still burning in my hand.
I turned around, and my boot stepped into something.
“Huh?”
I froze.
It felt wet.
Very wet.
Even through my thick boots, I could feel it.
I slowly lifted my foot.
“What is this?”
I lowered the lighter.
The floor was wet, but it wasn’t water.
My stomach tightened.
The light flickered over the floor, catching a deep red shade.
My breathing stopped.
“Blood?”
I slowly raised the lighter and followed the trail.
One step.
Then another.
The blood continued across the floor.
My hand started shaking until the light finally reached the source.
Someone was lying there, covered in blood.
A body.
I gasped.
The teddy bear slipped from my hand, and the pack of cherries fell with it, rolling across the floor straight into the blood.
“No…”
I rushed forward and dropped to my knees beside the person.
“Hey!”
I reached toward them.
“Can you hear me?”
The person moved slightly.
My heart jumped.
“You’re alive.”
I leaned closer.
“Do you need help?”
The person slowly turned.
The lighter shook in my hand, and then I saw the face.
My entire body went cold.
“Josephine?”
It was her.
My sister was lying on the floor, bleeding.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“Jo?”
Her eyes slowly opened.
She looked at me, and her lips moved.
“Jessica…”