Albeit reluctantly, her sister had made sure to use the last cheap mask they had to change her smell before she followed the direction Agnes had told her. They promised to meet each other again the following week and swap back.
Agnes had been so scared to send her sister off. She hadn't been able to sleep the entire night, afraid they would catch her. Thankfully, she showed up the next time, looking a lot better.
Matilda had liked the feeling of working for the first time in her life. And was sad to give it up. She had also been happy about accessing so many free medicines and meals.
That was how everything had started.
She promised to let her switch back the following week, and it happened again. But when her sister returned that following week, she noticed she was beginning to act strange.
At first, the thought that occurred to Agnes was that they had been caught, but Agnes had assured her that everything was okay and they were going to be making a lot of money, enough for them to be able to afford everything they wanted and get married.
Agnes noticed she also became secretive and tried to stop Matilda from doing the switch again, but that caused problems between them when Matilda threatened to show up at the palace and reveal what they had been doing.
At that point, Agnes was put in a tight position. It continued like that for several months until the period of the banquet. Agnes had been given her day off to go home for a day before the banquet. They both knew there was no way Matilda would be going to the palace in her place during that period because she was definitely going to get caught no matter what. But her sister had stubbornly deceived her and gone to the palace.
And now... she was dead.
Agnes rounded up her story with a sob.
"Have you ever had a personal encounter with Princess Amber?" Alvin asked when Harold just continued to look at her blankly, wondering who in the palace had been controlling her sister and even made her testify against Alicia. He was sure it wasn't the queen. He didn't think it was Damon either. Was it Ivan?
Agnes nodded to Alvin's question and looked down. "It was... when I... accidentally... spilled pig blood on her dress."
That seemed to get Harold's attention. "So that was you?" He asked, remembering that incident had made Alicia bathe in the lake and asked Alvin to keep watch for her instead of him.
"I am sorry, my Lord. It was an accident. I... never met her privately again. That was the first and last time!" She said nervously while crying.
"It's okay. People make mistakes." Harold said nicely as he stood up, making Alvin look at him suspiciously.
That was certainly not from Harold's mind, and the girl seemed to think so too because she kept her head down and sobbed silently.
Agnes shook her head as she stuttered an answer in between her sobs, "We... always made sure to tell each other about... everything that happens while we... are on duty. We... leave each other notes," she responded.
Harold continued to look at her without saying a word while Alvin continued the questioning.
"Did you notice any changes in the way any member of the royal family treated you afterwards?" He asked, and she shook her head after pondering it for a few seconds.
When Harold stood up immediately, she almost jumped from where she was kneeling and her sobs grew louder.
"You will be needed soon. When that time comes, you will only do as you are told." Harold said as he made for the door and left the room, ignoring Agnes, who couldn't believe that she was still alive.
Harold had a lot on his mind as he made his way to his next stop. He needed to see Princess Tyra before going to the pavilion where Alicia's 'support team' was waiting for him. He needed to get a full grasp of everything from their different perspectives.
At the moment, the most prominent thing on his mind was what had happened the previous night. He wasn't even thinking about his conversation with the maid like Alvin was suspecting as he walked behind him.
How was Alicia able to hear his thoughts and communicate with him that way? He understood that Amber was from a lineage of witches, but how was Alicia able to do that? Harold wondered.
Although he had wanted to continue with the mind link and ask her some more questions, he had thought it best to let her sleep. He could always do that after she was well rested and recovered.
"That is not the way to the pavilion," Alvin said when he noticed that Harold was walking in a different direction.
"I should first hear what Tyra has to say," Harold said without stopping.
"But they are waiting already," Alvin reminded him.
"This won't take long. You can let them know that I will join them soon," Harold said, and Alvin gave him a nod before walking away to do as he was told.
As Harold made his way to Tyra's chamber, he saw the royal physician coming from there, and immediately the physician saw Harold, his heart skipped a beat and he stopped in his path as he bowed deeply.
"I suppose you are coming from Princess Tyra's chamber?" Harold asked, and the man gave him a nod.
"Y-Yes, y-your highness." He stammered in fear.
"How is she doing?" Harold asked curiously. "Try not to stutter," Harold warned.
The man opened his mouth to talk and shut it before preparing himself mentally to speak freely.
"She has a hard time accepting that she almost got Her Highness killed after her conversation with Lady Susan was overheard. She doesn't speak to anyone and is always crying," the man said with his head down.
Harold's brows pulled together when he heard that.
"Have you noticed anything strange about her since you started treating her?" Harold asked, and the man considered Harold's question.
"Anything strange?" The man repeated more to himself than to Harold and quickly shook his head when he met Harold's gaze.
"If you ever suspect or notice anything strange about her or anyone who visits her, let me know," Harold said and was about to walk past the man when the physician remembered something and told him about it. Something that made him more suspicious and confused.
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