Star-Crossed Paths

Chapter Four: Forever Remaining

"What if we move the portraits down in the basement? Usually no one is allowed in those places when we have guests around," Lucandia suggested to Constantine. As he was deciding on where to put all the portraits of his mother at. It's been months and the news of execution has died out. No one dared to speak of her out loud anymore in the palace. Her name was a curse word that inflicted fear onto everyone around here.
"I think that spot would be lovely for her. Do you need help taking them down?"
"That is very kind of you, your highness! But I can't help but feel guilty saying yes to you helping me do my own work."
"No, no, it's fine. I insist, plus the portraits are quite heavy to carry with one person."
"I can always ask for help from someone else!"
"I wouldn't want to waste their time from their own job."
"Alright then, I guess I shouldn't argue with you, Your Highness!"
"Please," Constantine looked at Lucandia. He had thought about it for a bit already. The name your highness sounded too proper for Constantine. Even though people may think he accepted the title, he really hasn't himself. It was the only way for Clarisia to gain power. "You can just call me, Constance. I really don't like to be called something my mother has chosen to name me."
"But that would be improper!"
"Then so, be it?"
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can go by that order, Your Highness!"
"It's alright if you can't. I expected something less than that anyways."
"Ah, I see!"
"Let's get to work, shall we?"
"Of course, Your Highness!"
Constantine nods and helps Lucandia pick up the portrait and leads her down to the dark room. The dark eerie room that laid in the corner of the palace. It was the final place where Clarisia's memory would roam around. A place Constantine would never go down after this day. Putting down the portrait in unison with Lucandia, he pulls out the keys from his pocket. After a bit of figuring out which key was which, he inserts it into the keyhole, unlocking it with ease. The door opened silently, Constantine was quite surprised that such an old door that hasn't been opened for so long, could make no noise at all. Lucandia picked up the portrait as Constantine lit a candle to lead the way down, he coughed a bit from the dust. "Ah watch your steps, Lucandia."
"Of course, Your Highness!" She responded gleefully before stepping down the uneven stony steps. It was quite true; this basement hasn't been even remodeled when the palace was first built. How utterly unfortunate, that Constantine wouldn't even place his eyes in this place anymore after moving everything of Clarisia's memory down here. Besides the little things that she left behind. Those he would burn. Burn it to crisps to make sure her spirit doesn't find a way back to haunt the palace.
"Do you think it would be possible to burn the rest of her things besides the portraits?"
"As long as you wish for it, Your Highness! You will obviously get it from the people here!"
"That's right, isn't it? I sometimes wished I didn't have that much power."
"Don't be silly, Your Highness! You're doing a wonderful job as a ruler," She responded to him, smiling warmly.
"You really think so?"
"Of course! I've been here for a while now and watching you grow up learning everything even with difficulties, I knew you would do fine as the prince!"
"I hate to take compliments that meaningful," Constantine admitted. "It's quite dusty down here, isn't it?"
"Indeed, it is, we should get someone to clean it up."
"That would be a waste of their time since barely anyone goes down here."
"You're right, Your Highness! I shouldn't keep you busy anymore! You should go back up; I think I'll be fine by myself and the other maid who is coming over soon."
"Ah well then, I shall leave the basement keys to you. Just return them to me once you've finished."
"You can count on me, Your Highness!"
"Alright then," Constantine nodded to Lucandia before sliding past her, running up the stairs. He left the door open and was headed to the rooms where Clarisia had used and roamed in when she was still alive. Locking them for good to make sure, no one discovers the secret of what happened. Looking around before going upstairs to see if anyone needed his assistance. Waiting a bit, and saw that nobody was there, he quickly rushed upstairs to look for which rooms he needed to lock. Constantine instantly knew which room to go in first, which would be her bedroom. Her bedroom would most likely carry all her possessions and her plans for the kingdoms. Perhaps secrets she has hidden from the kingdom?
Walking over towards her room which was on the third floor, he hesitated in front of the door. Reconsidering if he should even enter the room. His hand shook as he grabbed the door handle and twisted it open. As he opened it, he looked at the flowers and the beautiful paintings on the wall. Could this really be his mother behind doors? His mother was a beautiful lady, but he never knew his mother had taste in such things like flowers. Shaking his head, a bit before getting back to what he needed to do. He quickly searched through the shelves and cabinets of his mother's bedroom. A lot of the paperwork were letters to kingdoms and her friends. He assumed they didn't possess any information that was useful to him in any way.
Each time Constantine took a breath in this room, it got shakier. As he was terrified to be in this room, all he could imagine was the terror his family members had when they were killed by her. His hands shook as he looked through the books on the bookshelves. Most of them were books she took from the library in the towns. Constantine was considering of keeping them, since he had further planned for the palace. In order to erase her memory completely, he would take away all of his mother's evil plans and all the evidence she even existed away from this world. Nobody has to know what happened in the past, nobody needed to know who Clarisia was when she is gone.
Constantine looked around as he placed the books in a separate box from the other box which he used to store all the items he would burn. As he looked around, splotches of crimson red flashed beneath his eyes. On the ground it seemed like there was a trail of it leading towards somewhere. Catching his attention, he laid the book into the box and started to follow the trail. It led around her bed, and under a bed table. That was where it stopped, he looked under the bed table. Something shimmering under there, caught his eye. What was it? Curiosity struck him as he reached towards the item. As he grabbed the item, a sharp pain went through his hand.
Did he cut himself? He could feel the stinging and the warm blood bleeding through his glove as he retracts his hand from the table. Not to his surprise he was indeed bleeding.
Shaking his head, he quickly tries to find something to bandage the cut and noticed there were the cloths  he brought in the boxes. Leaving the bed table, he walked over towards the boxes and picked up one of the cloths on the ground. Wrapping it around his hand, he managed to stop the bleeding before turning his attention back towards the item under the table. It surely was a dangerous item, since he had hurt himself trying to grab it.
Constantine came to a conclusion that it might have been his mother's knife she had used to kill. Perhaps it was a rushed kill that she had to run back to her room quickly shoving it down under the bed table? Perhaps, but it certainly didn't fool Constantine. His mother may be quick to plan but never quick to flee. The trail of blood was hard evidence she hid all she needed to hide in this room. Letting out another sigh, he began to pick up the things on the floor and placing them into a box.
Planning he would come back after he finished a section of the room to see what other items, she hid that was part of killing his family members. The box slowly filled up as the shelves emptied. Books after books filled the one box, he had for all the items he was keeping. And the other boxes filled with smeared letters and weapons she had in her room as well. It would appear that she planned to forever remain in their memory as he would keep her in his memory as a negative cause for his mental health.
Constantine took his time carefully as he slowly looked through all the shelves and drawers, inspecting every item as he placed them all in the box. Finishing up, he sighed and moved all the boxes he has filled up outside of the room. Letting out a sigh of relief. "Lucandia! I've finished!" Constantine called out downstairs. "I'll be in my room, I'm quite tired now."
"Of course, Your Highness!"
"Thank you, Lucandia," Constantine said to Lucandia before quickly turning to the door closing it shut and locking it. Hiding his hand away from Lucandia, he headed hastily to his room.
"Wait a minute!" Lucandia looked at Constantine's hand. "Did you get hurt?"
"Er- yes- on accident. It's no big deal though."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure but thank you."
"Alright then, Your Highness!"
Constantine nodded and then proceeded to the room. "Right, I have plans for an old room downstairs. I'll tell you tomorrow?"
"Of course, Your Highness!"
Nodding he opened his room door and walked into it. His vision was blurring from how long he was wearing his glasses. Taking them off, he fell onto his bed again looking up at the ceiling. Eternal darkness came over him as he surrendered to his tiredness.