(Completed) Seraphina [The Lost Queen Series: Book #1]

Chapter 25

"Dinner with the King"
~°~•~°~•~°~•

The meal lasted forever as the men before me continued to consume everything placed before them. I managed to eat two full plates but that was all... If I'm not mistaken Caspian and the king were starting on their fifth plates. Each plate was packed with meat with very little greens or fruits. I, on the other hand, ate like a rabbit and chose not to eat a lot of meat.

"Seraphina. You need to eat more than that! This is only lunch so eat up my dear. Dinner won't be ready till dusk." The king stared at me for a moment before leaning back and wiping his mouth with a cloth. "...You brought the book, didn't you?"

Nothing slips past him it seems. I had contemplated bringing it considering that it would be rude on my part. Alas I did have it underneath my leg. Lying won't do any good nor would it be advisable. "I do..." Caspian glanced at me before turning his attention back to his food.

"So despite you knowing how rude it would be to bring a book to dinner you did so regardless... You found something interesting within those pages. What is it?"

"This book holds historic notes. Yet Sophia left one last request... She wants the land of Barletta to be returned to I'm assuming the rightful rulers. Now that I think about it... Something doesn't quite match. If this book holds history in it then it would contain things about the war that occurred in Barletta, correct? It doesn't, however." I placed the book on the table and quickly sifted through the pages until my fingers found a picture that sent dred through me. "It mentions a war between Theron and Albertine that happened almost 800 years ago before this land was said to have been cursed by Iradelius. It was far before the kingdoms even existed in fact. Yet this picture... Looks exactly like me..." I held the book up in front of me so they could see it. The woman was fighting a large shadow yet her face resembled mine.

"Does it say who she is?"

"Sephora, angel of rebirth. It says that she was considered a deity for her will to protect those she cherished..." The more I read, the more it became evident that I was related to her somehow. "How have you two not seen this before?" I raised my eyebrow while grabbing my glass of water. Taking a sip I watched Caspian glance between me and his father.

The king grabbed his glass of wine and drained it in one go before motioning for some more. A young servant boy quickly filled his cup before moving away. "Well Sophia has constantly been adding pages to this book over the years. This must be the recent findings before she ended her life..." For a moment time seemed to stop as the king picked up his glass. Slowly he let his sorrowful gaze meet mine for a brief moment.

"I see... Do you hate her for doing such a thing?" Closing the book I placed it underneath my leg where I had cut my dress.

"No... She knew that I would help her in any way that I possibly could. She made her choice for a reason that none of us could understand..." The king eyed his drink before gulping it down again. Caspian had no interest in us as he continued to eat like a hungry wolf.

As I stared into my water I felt compelled to share my thoughts about the pope. From what I know he is the one who spoke to Sophia last before she ended her life. Not only that but I believe that it was his involvement that has disturbed the castle itself. He is clearly in a power struggle yet it wouldn't make much sense for him to want so much of it... I could understand if he was working with Quincy though it wouldn't make sense. They say that evil likes company and those two would be the worst kind...

Hesitantly I began to speak... "If I'm not mistaken it's not honorable for one to end their own life here in Albertine. It's considered a sin considering that God blessed this land. In Theron there weren't any laws for doing such a thing and it was common for those who are accused of a crime to end their own... For the people it would be better for us to choose how we die rather than allow Quincy to..." The pope knows how disgraceful it is to end one's own life. This must be part of his plan! "I believe the pope intentionally made Sophia end her life, whether it be from some sort of blackmail or guilt eating her away. It's something she couldn't confide in you for it would pose a threat for you to know. With that being said she must have left a clue behind..." This book has answers but they won't be simple to decipher... If it were then we would know what it is by now.