The king had no answer. Breakfast continued even though the tension was quite clear. Eventually, the king excused himself for court matters and the two consorts on realising that they would receive no favour from Serafina today, made a swift exit.
Now alone, the queen and the Grand Princess strolled through the palace corridors.
"Thank you," the queen said after a moment. "You never pick sides. I was surprised to hear you speak in my favour."
Serafina smiled. "I always support what is just. But, do you think what you did was a little impatient? That you revealed your weakness too soon?"
The queen's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Serafina's smirk deepened as she turned to leave. "I can't give you all the answers, can I?"
With that, she disappeared down the hall, leaving the queen alone with her thoughts.
As the clash of swords echoed through the training grounds, Cristiano wiped the sweat from his brow. But before he could return to the training ground, Gerald Black approached, "Your Highness, I have information on Miss Isabella."
Cristiano's jaw tightened. He had assumed Isabella had met the same fate as so many before her. As they were discarded into the wretched brothels that his mother often used to rid herself of unwanted women who had designs on his father.
"Speak," Cristiano commanded.
Gerald bowed before delivering the unexpected news. "This morning, Miss Isabella arrived at her village. Her birthplace. With the money she had saved, she repurchased the house where her parents once lived. She is setting up a small business to support herself."
When Isabella's parents died, she was sold by her father's family to get rid of her. With her beauty and brains, she entered the imperial harem and stayed at the top for a decade. Had she been born in a noble family, she would be a force to be reckoned with.
Cristiano's brows knitted together but then she scoffed. "You expect me to believe my mother suddenly developed noble intentions?"
"No, Your Highness," Gerald admitted. "The queen sent Miss Isabella to Paradise Inn, but before she could be trapped there, someone bought her freedom and assured her that she reached her home safely."
Cristiano asked, "Someone?"
Was he a fool to believe that there were noble people out there? No!
Gerald hesitated briefly before answering. "The person was from Duke Hawthorne's residence. There is a high chance the Crown Princess played a part in saving Miss Isabella."
Cristiano let out a derisive snort. "How convenient."
Of course, he did not believe it.
Gerald studied his prince carefully before adding, "I took the liberty of investigating further. The Crown Princess had no involvement in Miss Isabella's case. Her accident that night was genuine, and she did not know Isabella's whereabouts that night or any plot concerning the nuptial night."
Cristiano's sharp gaze flickered with uncertainty but Gerald pressed on. "In fact, the queen kept the Crown Princess occupied the entire day under the guise of training her to be a 'better' crown princess."
Cristiano exhaled slowly while processing the information. "Are you telling me Portia Hawthorne is innocent?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Gerald affirmed without hesitation. "Her Highness never went to the king or the queen to deal with Miss Isabella."