-DAY 3-

BLYTHE

"Don't worry much about it. This is just another way others play this game. They try to rattle you. They play with your mind," Logan assured me as we walked down the corridor the following day.

"I know. Stop talking about it," I said.

"Good. You did not do anything wrong." When I did not reply, he asked, "You didn't, did you?"

His voice was laced with judgment and I instantly hated it. For a moment there, he sounded like my father. "I did nothing wrong," I said with a roll of my eyes. "It was just a stupid note. They know I have it in me to get an ivy."

Last night, I decided to forget everything that happened since I got here. Whatever mistakes I made could not be undone. The best I could do was hope no one else knew about it.

"Now, tell me—How do I look? Pretty or nice or just fine?"

His gaze bore into me, no sign that he was impressed. Logan, ever since he came into my father's life three years ago, had been a constant presence in my life, too. He was only eighteen then, but he treated me like a child. He'd stare at me with a dubious look on his face whenever I made mistakes, as if he had never seen such imperfect creature.

He could be intimidating. And sometimes—and only sometimes—I'd find myself staring at him, wondering about his life or if he was capable of living it outside of work. He never talked about his family. I never saw him with anyone other than my father or the people he worked with. And rarely—and I say this quite indignantly—I wondered if he had a woman. A lover.

He was quite handsome, and this I say with complete honesty. Our servants fancied him. They'd giggle and turn scarlet whenever he walked into the room. Even women in my station would whisper about him; some would even try to engage him in a conversation during social events. But he never took interest in any of them.

Logan Earle was either too good at being private, or he was simply an utter bore.

"I'll try to find out what I can after I escort you to the breakfast hall."

I stopped and looked at him wryly. "I don't need to be escorted to the breakfast hall, Logan." I never called him by any other name. It was the only time I could assert a certain power over him, calling him by his name. Apart from that, he could control me because my father gave him that power.

He ignored me and continued walking. "You tend to attract distractions." He said it so nonchalantly that my jaw dropped.

"Are you saying I easily get distracted?"

"Fair assumption," he said, checking his watch. "You have thirty minutes to finish breakfast."

"I wonder if I distract you." I liked taunting him to see what he was capable of when he lost his patience. Thus far, I had not succeeded.

He pursed his lips and stared down at me. "I'll sniff around the kitchen for game gossips. Meet me in the west garden half an hour from now."

I let out a dramatic gasp. "Are you ordering me around?"

He looked at me square in the eyes when we arrived at the breakfast hall. There was a passing second where I saw the young man that he was before he completely covered it with his usual formal mien, as if he was in a business meeting with my father. "I'm putting you back on track. You've been derailed by unnecessary things since day one. We only have five more days to get an ivy." He checked his watch again. "Twenty-five minutes left."

I scoffed as he walked away.

Melanie met me with a plate of scones in one hand. "I would grab my food and eat somewhere if I were you."

I looked around. Everyone was staring at me. Clucking my tongue, I said, "I knew it. I woke up more glowing than yesterday."

Melanie laughed before she whispered, "Daphne Davercher just declared that whoever could unmask the Night Swan would get her ivy." I groaned. Melanie joined me to the buffet table. As I placed food in my plate, she whispered, "They're out to prove you and Maeve did it."

I rolled my eyes as Melanie looked around. "They think everyone who had some sort of history with Claire did it, but you and your cousin are on top of the list." Melanie cleared her throat. "You know, because of the accident."

"That's silly."

"The deputies are also staying in Ivory House from now on—to provide comfort, they say. Suspicious, don't you think? If what they're saying is true and Claire's death was nothing but an accident, why would they find the need to provide additional comfort? And these men are no comfort, really. They're just distractions."

I tried my best to ignore the stares and whispers, but I was only fooling myself. I'd always think about what peopled thought of me. The most I could do was pretend I was as undaunted as Maeve. But in a more graceful way, of course.

"By the by, you are coming to my party later, yes? I've reserved the east drawing room for it."

"I will," I said, hiding the fear of the trouble this unnecessary suspicion surrounding me and Maeve could bring me with a smile.

"You'll be alright," she said with a wink.

"Why are you being nice to me, Melanie?"

"I know you don't have your friends from Queens here, but you have me." Her smile softened as she added, "And because Maeve has always been nice to me, too."

SCARLETT

Piper was walking with another maid when she saw me and smiled. "There you are," she said. "You were up early."

"Yes. Miss Avery wanted to explore the woods with her friends before sunup." She had told me that she would be out helping her friends find a game in the woods, but it had been two hours now and she had not yet returned.

"This is Tina," Piper introduced. "Met her earlier during breakfast."

"You are Miss Avery's maid?" the servant asked with excitement. Before I could respond, she said, "Please tell her to come by my mistress' party later in the east drawing room. There will be games and drinks."

"May I inquire your mistress' name?"

"Melanie Michaels. I'm certain Miss Avery is familiar with her. They were in Queens together before Miss Avery disappeared and—" She stopped herself and let out an awkward chuckle. "Well, that's the term they use. She left Queens two years ago, I should have said."

I just smiled, although I was curious. It was not the first I heard someone say Miss Avery disappeared from Queens. From what she told everyone two years ago, when she suddenly showed up in Storm Grove with all her bags, she had lost interest in Queens and returned home to handle the estate. And all the while, she had led us to believe that she had a grand party before she left and that her friends were sad to see her go.

Of course, we later learned the real reason she returned. But it had always been a mystery why none of her so-called friends came to Storm Grove to visit.

"That's Justine," Tina said. "Oh, she's with Miss St. Vincent. Perfect. I should come over and invite them to—"

"Perhaps a little later," Piper said, stopping Tina. "Miss St. Vincent is on her way to the Silver Room."

I frowned. "The Silver Room?"

Piper and Tina nodded. "The Silver Favor."

I blinked. Of course, I knew what about the Silver Favor. It was all Miss Avery could talk about when she wasn't talking about how she would use it and how it would change her life.

"She's the fourth to enter the Silver Room since yesterday," Piper said. "The girl who serves the tea inside gives me updates," she added with a proud grin.

"I should probably wait until Miss St. Vincent comes out," Tina said, already walking away.

Piper laughed. "Good luck with that." To me, she added, "Miss St. Vincent, they say, is quite unpredictable. Well, all of them St. Vincents are."

"I don't know if it is a compliment or not."

Piper and I jumped in surprise, and when we turned, I could not help but smile at the familiar smiling face of Lord William. Piper, on the other hand, looked ashen. "My lord!" she blurted out with a curtsy. I followed her gesture as William laughed.

"Fret not," he said to Piper, leaning closer with his hands behind him. "As a St. Vincent, I have heard worse."

"I-I'm sorry, my lord. I did not mean to insult your family's name. I'm actually very fond of the St. Vincents."

"It's fine," he said, although his eyes were on me.

"I should get going now," Piper said. "I have—uh...dishes to do."

As she rushed off, William chuckled. "She does not do the dishes, does she?"

I shook my head. "No, my lord. Although she likes to dish on anyone."

How could he laugh so openly? So easily? He was a breath of fresh air; like spring breaking out after a harsh winter; or an endless summer.

"You're a St. Vincent," I heard myself say before I could stop myself. I didn't know what it meant to be a St. Vincent, but gathering from Piper's comments it sounded exciting.

"Yes. William St. Vincent Cavendish," he said with a mocking bow. "I try to keep it a secret, but fate always finds a way to expose me." He continued to smile at me as he stared, and the longer he did, the more uncomfortable I became.

"I'm sorry," I said, stumbling on my own two feet, like always. "I should get going."

"And where are you going, Lost Scarlett?"

He remembered my name. I flushed. "Uh..." I looked around, cleared my throat, and said, "I'm looking for Miss Avery, my lord."

His brows rose with interest. "Is she missing again?" There was something in the way he said it that sounded like it meant more than what it actually meant.

"She went to the woods with her friends hours ago. She had not returned yet."

"Then, as deputy, I should escort you in finding her."

"W-What? No!"

He blinked in surprise. "No?"

"I mean, yes. No, I mean—" I should lie, but I was not a talented liar. I could keep dark secrets and hide mistakes, but I could not lie. Miss Avery had specifically told me to keep to myself and never talk to anyone above my station.

With a chuckle, he turned and walked away. "Well, come on. We should find them before luncheon."

"But—"

"Catch up, but don't trip," he warned.

I gritted my teeth and yes, I almost tripped as I followed him. Miss Avery would be livid if she found out I brought a deputy to find her. But she didn't have to find out, did she? I slowed my pace, eyes on the back of William's head. And as we passed a corridor, I made a sharp turn, fled, and never looked back.

MAEVE

"Ashley Thimple came out, Miss," Justine informed me before we reached the door to the Silver Room.

"Thank you, Justine," I said. "I'll take it from here. And oh, should a man look for me—the one with the curly brown hair and jaws and insults that could cut someone in half, don't tell him where I am." She looked confused, so I added, "He has lashes that run for miles. And blue eyes."

"You mean Prince Francis, Miss?"

"You know him?"

"I've seen him in magazines," she said, cheeks flushing.

I frowned. "I didn't know he could make women blush."

Justine smiled. "I'll tell him you're indisposed, Miss."

I knocked on the door when Justine left. It opened right away, revealing the elegant room inside: marble floor, white panels, white and gold curtains, and the infamous silver chaise. The servant quietly closed the door as I stepped in.

"Her Highness will be with you in a moment, Miss," the maid said before she disappeared into another door. I did not settle down. I took the time to look around, pushing at the walls to see if they were hiding a secret door.

"Miss St. Vincent. I hope you did not wait long," Violet Davercher's voice said as soon as she walked through another door.

I turned and bowed my head. It had been two years since I managed a proper curtsy, and I never missed it. "Good day, Your Highness," I greeted, limping toward the silver chaise while she settled on the only purple furniture in the room.

She motioned for me to sit as she found a comfortable position. "Forgive me," she said with a big smile. "This pregnancy seems to be the worst. I'm losing hope it is a girl."

I smiled at her. "My mother said I was her worst pregnancy. All my brothers were quite calm."

Violet Davercher was beautiful, especially when she smiled. She was like a warm creamy soup in the middle of winter. But she could not fool me. Pregnant or not, warm smile or not, she could still be a killer.

Everyone was the killer to me at that point. I just had to prove why they weren't.

"You are the second of four, yes? The only daughter?"

"Yes," I replied with a smile, studying every movement her face made.

"I've heard great things about your family, of course. Your mother is a Swan herself."

"She is." Before the awkward silence followed, I pulled out the ivy from my pocket. "I'm here for the Silver Favor."

"I know you did not get an ivy at the lake. Did you steal it?"

I nodded, carefully placing the ivy on the table between us, right beside my teacup. "I stole it from Claire Braxton," I said, eyes on her face.

The smile on her face froze as she stared at me with eyes growing wider with each passing second.

"She was not in her room when I walked in, luckily. I found it under her bed," I continued. "I suppose it was around the same time as her accident."

I reached for my tea and gracefully took a sip as I watched her recover from her shock.

Swallowing, I smiled at her. "I didn't kill her, if that's what you're thinking."

She blinked a few times and looked around. "What? No, of course not. I—I'm just surprised, that's all. We had guessed Claire's ivy was stolen, since we couldn't find it anywhere. Not even her maid knew where she hid it."

I said nothing and smiled. She was probably thinking I was mad. Or scary—she looked eager to get rid of me.

Clearing her throat, the crown princess regained her composure. "Very well. You're here for the Silver Favor."

"Yes. I'd like to be readmitted to Queens."

The small smile on her face told me she already knew about my expulsion. "Of course. You were caught selling illegal substances—"

"Herbs," I corrected. "I grow them myself. They are only illegal because I had not yet submitted them for consumption approval because I cannot."

"You cannot?"

"I'm a woman," I said, shrugging.

"Oh. I see."

"Hence the expulsion."

"Your second, as I recall?"

"Third."

Her eyes widened in surprise once again. "Oh, goodness. But I heard you're one of the best students."

"I was."

"Medicine, yes?"

I nodded, staring at her hands as they caressed her bulging abdomen.

"Very well," the princess said. "You can go back to Queens if you finish your mission. While you're doing it, your ivy will be put up as a prize for a game. Should anyone win it before you finish your mission, you will lose your Favor and your ivy. Are you fine with that? Are you willing to take the risk?"

I nodded.

Violet Davercher smiled. "Well then, Miss St. Vincent—Are you ready to hear your mission?"

Author's note:

This story is currently on Chapter 16 on Patreon as to this posting. Two special chapters are also available on Patreon: 

1. Special Chapter | Ch. 3 | Francis

2. Special Chapter | Ch. 6 | Francis

You can also read my Patreon Exclusive story, Elewyn, on Patreon for free!

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