Seven | h.s

xi

When the morning sun broke through the window and landed upon his eyes, Felipe shooed away the courtesan he had lain with during the night. She scrambled to her feet and dressed herself sloppily before scampering out of the King's chambers. When the doors clicked shut, he exhaled a heavy breath while rubbing his tired eyes.

"Sloth, greed, pride," he mumbled to himself. "God protect me."

———

Clara waited outside of the Princess's chambers as she did every morning, but, this time, it was different. Victoria was dead, and Beth was late. She hugged her waist, looking left and right every so often to see if Beth would arrive in time, if she was even alive. The thought sent a shiver down her spine and made her skin crawl. Out of fear for her safety, she decided against waiting in the hallway and slipped into the Princess's chambers.

When she shut the door and looked up, the Princess was already awake, her eyes glued to the ceiling and hands folded neatly on her stomach. Clara froze at the sight, but Magdalena blinked and turned her head to look at Clara. The lady-in-waiting heaved a sigh of relief.

"Did I give you a fright?" Magdalena asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Only a bit, your Royal Highness," Clara said with a small smile.

"Where is Beth?"

Clara licked her lips nervously. "I don't know."

As the minutes passed by and Clara helped Magdalena ready herself for the day in silence, the door burst open and Beth appeared in the threshold. Her fair hair was barely combed through and her eyes were dull, purple bags hanging underneath them. She gave a small curtsy.

"We were beginning to think you wouldn't come," Magdalena said, looking at Beth from the corner of her eyes.

"Apologies, Princess," Beth whispered. "I overslept."

Magdalena hummed in response and found herself drifting away, carried by her thoughts, as Clara and Beth continued to preen her. She kept thinking of what the day would bring. Could she really lead the Duke to his death? Would God truly forgive her for such a sin? Would she be able to forgive herself?

When Clara completed the finishing touches of Magdalena's hair, she and Beth left the Princess's chambers at her request to spend the morning alone. They slipped out of the room and into the hallway, closing the door behind themselves.

Clara turned to Beth as soon as the door clicked shut. "You scared me," she said in a whisper. "I thought you..." she trailed off, unable to speak it.

"I'm fine, Clara," Beth said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You haven't said anything to the Princess, have you?" Clara shook her head. "Good. The King doesn't want anyone else to find out."

"But, Victoria was her lady."

Beth hooked her arm around Clara's and began to lead her down the corridor. "It's better for everyone if she doesn't know. Whoever is doing this doesn't need to know that we are frightened. They need to believe that we are carrying on as normal, that they have the upper hand." They stopped walking as they came upon the kitchen, servants scurrying around to deliver breakfast to the rooms of guests. "It will be alright, Clara. I'm sure the King is doing everything he can to solve this."

———

"Boo."

The Princess whirled around. Harry charged toward her, arms open, and engulfed her in a hug, twirling her around in a circle. She giggled like a child as she spun, her feet lifting from the ground as if she had grown wings and was flying. When he lowered her down, she pressed her hands against his chest and leaned in for a kiss.