Chapter 006: When You Leave Us

Time passed very quickly. During her stay in the palace as Beatrice, Esther learned a lot about the culture and rules of the Nightingale Kingdom. She is also increasingly able to adapt to the conditions here. You could say living in the Nightingale kingdom was more fun than when he was in the Empire.

When she was bored, she would borrow the access key to the library from King Lucius II and read a book there or she would take the time to visit Rose's castle to chat with Queen Caroline or play and teasing Arthur.

At first everything went happily and happily because as a concubine, Esther never expected love from King Lucius II and vice versa. King Lucius II only thought of Esther as his own sister and so did Esther who only thought of the king as her older brother.

So much fun going through the day without realizing it, now Esther has been in the Nightingale Kingdom for half a year. Esther thought her life would go on as happily as ever. In fact, on the exact day that he had been in Nightingale for half a year, a knight guard came to her palace and informed him of the news that Queen Caroline was found horribly dead on her way back to the palace.

Esther immediately fell limp when she heard the shocking news. Even though a few days ago she was still chatting with the Queen. Truly death is always unexpected!

Moments later, Esther was wearing a black dress and a veil that matched her dress. She walked off to where the queen lay before being buried the next morning. The room was already filled with many people wearing black clothes. There Esther can also see the other concubines of the king but she does not see King Lucius II and a concubine named Averia.

Even so, Esther didn't really care about it. She kept walking towards Queen Caroline's coffin even though her whole body kept shaking. She tried to contain her sadness and not cry. However, all of that failed miserably. When she saw the face of Queen Caroline who she had considered as her own sister was pale white, her tears immediately managed to come out despite being held back.

Esther immediately fell to her knees in front of the coffin in which was the Queen's body. Esther wept profusely there. Her heart was so broken. Now there is no longer an older sister who greets him with a warm smile. There is no longer the figure of an older sister who listens to the outpouring of her heart. No one else will accompany him when she feels lonely. Everything will return to the way it was when she was in the empire. Loneliness and silence.

Arthur POV

Of all the days I've lived and spent, today is the worst day in the history of my life. Initially the morning went as usual but today turned very bad after I got the news that my mother was found dead.

I kept locking myself in my room. I don't think I'm ready to face my mother's corpse yet. I will definitely cry loudly when I see my mother's limp corpse. Actually why did this have to happen to me? Now who should I live with after my mother's death?

When I found out that my mother would be buried tomorrow morning, I immediately rushed to my mother's final resting place. At least for the last time I want to see her face. I immediately got out of my room and ran fast towards Lily's palace, where the newly departed royals were placed before being buried.

Lily Palace was already filled with many people dressed in black. For a moment I realized that I had not changed into my black clothes. I don't think it's a big deal because black clothes are just symbolic. I ran through the rooms along the corridor. In every room I passed I heard the voices of bidding from the concubines of the father I had met so far.

How could they be that happy though to me it was only natural for them to be happy because after my mother's death they all had a great chance to take the queen seat in my mother's stead. But at least they had to pretend to be sad as a final tribute to my mother.

Now I understand why my mother said that there is no one I can trust in this palace. After running for a few minutes, I finally found a room where my mother's body was laid.

There I saw people with the titles of upper class nobles who wore black clothes while whispering about the cause of my mother's death. What confused me was that I didn't see my father's figure in the room. Don't mom and dad love each other? But why didn't he come to see my mother at the last moment?

My heart suddenly constricted. For the second time my mother's words hit the mark. In fact I can not anyone including my own biological father. However, there was one thing that caught my attention and that was Madam Beatrice who was crying hysterically beside my mother's coffin. Of all the expressions on the faces of those who were here to mourn my mother's death, only the woman's face was the most sincere.

Madam Beatrice Valentina de Nightingale. She was the last concubine to enter my father's Harem. To me she is a beautiful and charming woman. If normally my father's concubines looked at me with hatred, she instead looked at me with fondness. She is a very unique woman. Her dark brown hair and diamond blue eyes always fascinated me.

She was the only concubine that was different from the other concubines. If my father's other concubines were busy attracting attention and teasing my father. She prefers to spend time with my mother instead. She was also the only person who visited the two of us the most in Rose's palace.

If you look at Madam Beatrice, she really loves my mother as her own family. So it was only natural that the woman would cry so hysterically beside my mother's coffin. The woman really looked lost. Her cries made me feel pity and wanted to hug her tightly.

Author POV

According to the provisional investigation of the royal guard knights, Queen Caroline was murdered on her return to the palace. Until now it is still unknown who killed the Queen. However, King Lucius II has sent part of his army to find out who killed the queen and solve the case.