FAKING ROYALTY [rewrite]

chapter six

"Taryn, I want you to tell me about Vylad Ro'meave."

Taryn looks up at me, startled. I can tell that this wasn't what she expected when I called her in.

"The late prince?" Her words reek of surprise, but there's a small strain of something in her voice that tells me she feels differently on something. "Whatever for?"

I look at her, realizing that I have somehow exposed myself even if she doesn't know it. I have exposed myself because I have to explain the sudden interest. If I should've been interested in any Ro'meave brother, it shouldn't been Prince Garroth.

"I've found the princess' diary," I admit, feeling guilty for even saying it. "I've found great comfort in her words even if they were not meant to be read. Though, lately she's spoken greatly of the prince, and it has struck my interest."

Taryn lets out a sigh and nods her head. She walks over to me and looks towards the door, shaking her head. She seems defeated on her own. She asks me to follow her, and she brings me all the way to Laurance's chambers.

One knock, two, three, and Laurance quickly answers. He stares at us, his hair a mess like he's stressed himself out. But at the sight of us, he smiles.

Taryn goes hushed for a moment before exchanging quiet words with Laurance. He walks into his chambers and soon comes back out. Before I know it, I'm whisked away and brought back to my chambers. It seems there's secrets that I'm unaware of.

My chamber doors are shut quickly, and the room falls under a lingering silence. Laurance looks at me before looking over at Taryn, motioning to the bed with a flick of his eyes. Taryn understands and rushes to the side, getting onto her knees and reaching under.

Laurance brings me over to the desk and moves the books off of it and throws them lazily on top of the bed. A paper is placed on the desk top, his eyes serious as they stare into mine.

"This newspaper was sent to me by Garroth," he says, looking down at the paper. It's strange to hear the prince referred to so informally, but it surprises me little because Laurance and the prince are friends. "Shortly after Vylad's presumed death. He went missing after my sister's disappearance. Garroth and I believe the death was staged by King Garte and Vylad is still out there, alive."

My eyes widen at the news, my breath going uneven. I can't believe my ears.

Taryn comes back, placing a small chest on top of the desk. She opens it up and allows me to rummage around. I don't find anything that would help this case.

"Prince Laurance gifted this chest to the princess to hide her most deepest possessions and secrets," she says, looking to Laurance as he places his hands in, noises being heard while objects shift. "The royals all have secrets of their own."

Laurance manages to show a false bottom, letters after letters revealing themselves. He looks at me, sighing to himself. Is it like a sense of betrayal?

"These are some her most personal letters with Vylad," he says, his hands going inside and moves the papers around. "Others burned."

"Burned?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing before I find my hands reaching into the chest, pulling out letters and letting my eyes quickly look over them. "Why would they be burned?"

"To keep things hidden. She requested it," he says, holding a few letters of his own. Two different handwritings. She must've copied her own letters for keepsake. "I've read them all. Again and again. Garroth has too. These letters, what's written inside, their disappearances aren't coincidences. Vylad isn't dead, but I don't know where they are."

I slowly nod my head, looking over at the useless letters nearby that were on top of the fake bottom. "What are those?"

"Letters. Letters from anyone that isn't Vylad. And the letters that are from Vylad and aren't hidden away don't share information of great importance."

"If these letters are hidden, why wasn't her diary? Why would the princess be so careless?" I ask, clearly confused.

Taryn looks at me before glancing at the drawer the diary is in. "Maybe she planned on never coming back," she says. "Or maybe, she planned it out that way where if they find the diary, they won't think to find the letters."

I nod my head. I look up at both people and thank them. Maybe I've gotten myself too deep into this already, but there's not much I can do now. What I've learned is something I cannot easily forget. It's too late to turn back. But if the princess plans not to return, I'm living this façade for the rest of my life.

Minutes pass and Laurance excuses himself. The letters are stashed back away for a later time, and Taryn's gaze has fallen back down upon me.

"Princess, I know there's much else you'd rather do, but you have a fitting for Princess Cadenza's wedding," she tells me, standing up from her place.

With a heavy sigh I rise from my position, nodding my head. "Very well then."