48. Dagmara

The wedding day had arrived.

Dagmara checked the Scribestone every moment she had, but there was nothing for her. No word from Magda, and nothing else from Bernadette or Teos. She decided to send a message directly to Magda, asking her to respond before she went through with the wedding. Only Magda would be able to read it if she even made it to the Flaustran Scribestone. The note was a little desperate, but so was Dagmara.

She had one last minute fitting with the wedding gown, after all the alterations had been made. Dagmara stood in front of a floor length mirror, letting Urszula and two other handmaidens lace up the back of the gorgeous gown. Meanwhile, Dagmara was muttering under her breath, practicing her words in Ilusaurian before she would have to say them at the ceremony.

There was a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” Dagmara said, and the door opened, revealing Madame Annette.

“You look beautiful princess,” Annette said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Thank you,” said Dagmara.

“I have a visitor for you.”

In the mirror, Dagmara could see the entrance to her chamber. She watched as Annette opened the door wider and Queen Bernadette stepped inside.

After the initial wave of shock, comfort flooded through Dagmara to see such a familiar face. She shooed away the handmaidens so she could turn and get a better look.

Queen Bernadette’s face was unamused. “Where’s my daughter?”

A pit formed in Dagmara’s stomach. “I-I know mom,” she stammered, “I hardly recognize myself either.” She ended in a forced laugh.

Bernadette clasped her hands in front of her dress, waiting for the explanation.

“We will give you some privacy,” Madame Annette said. She fired a suspicious glare at Dagmara. “Come.” She gestured to the handmaids and Urszula who quickly scurried out, bowing to Queen Bernadette as they left.

The door closed, but Bernadette waited for the footsteps to recede before raising an eyebrow. “What is going on?” Her tone was frighteningly calm.

“I can explain.”

“I hope so.”

Dagmara heaved up the wedding dress before stepping down off the rise. “Magda decided it was safer for me to take her place, worried that Claude was behind the assassinations. If she arrived and Claude tried to have her killed, I would have died in her place.”

“That is exactly why I told her not to go through with the betrothal in the first place.”

“Yes, but how could we find out if he was behind the assassinations if someone wasn’t here to discover that information?” Dagmara blabbered on, trying to defend their stance. She couldn’t tell Bernadette half of the truth: Magda had magic belonging to Guardians of Soul and if she accepted Claude’s proposal, she could have easily exposed herself.

“And where is my daughter?”

“With Queen Sanyal.”

“Who is protecting her?”

Dagmara winced. “Odie?”

Bernadette glowered at her. “Have you heard from Magdalena? You know she’s safe?”

Dagmara nodded. “She’s much safer there than here.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She prayed Magda was safe. By the guardians, why hadn’t Magda sent a message?

Bernadette let out a large exhale, shaking her head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was Magda’s decision.”

“Well, have you found proof about King Claude’s involvement yet in the death of my husband and son?”

“Not yet,” Dagmara replied. “I can’t be in the royal chamber without being watched until I’m legally wed.”

“So you’re going to consummate the marriage tonight? And expect the man won’t notice when you and Magdalena switch places?

Dagmara opened her mouth to object, but found no words. She hadn’t thought that far.

Bernadette saw her hesitation. “I see. You’re hoping to find proof that he is behind the assassinations, and neither you nor Magda will see him again.”

“That was the original plan.”

“Well, that is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard,” Bernadette stated. “Let us call it off. We can leave now for Azurem. Better yet we can leave for Flaustra and meet Magda.”

“Leave?” Dagmara asked. “But I don’t…” she stopped herself before she finished the sentence.

“You don’t want to?” Bernadette eyed Dagmara with a knowing look. “Dagmara, honey, it’s not safe here. I saw the way that woman glowered at you, I’m sure others are also suspicious. How are you even going to stand for the whole ceremony tomorrow?”

“How did you…” Dagmara muttered.

“Aleksy told me,” Bernadette replied. “The nurses also mentioned they were wasting resources trying to figure out the source of your condition.”

Dagmara felt the statement like a blade to her chest. The nurses always thought she was making it up. They never gave her a diagnosis.

Bernadette continued, “If the king finds out about your condition, he will not marry you.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Dagmara snapped. “I just…” her voice trailed off, her mind returning to the king. Her body flushed, remembering the way he held her and how his skin felt against hers—

“Oh, honey,” Bernadette said, “I’m certain falling for him wasn’t a part of the plan?”

Embarrassed, Dagmara shook her head. She couldn’t meet Bernadette’s gaze.

“I need to speak with Magda. Let us delay this,” Bernadette said.

“If we delay this, the king will know something is wrong.”

“Something is wrong,” Bernadette said. “Why would Magda do this? Why did she go to Flaustra?”

Dagmara didn’t know how to answer that question. Magda went to Flaustra because she had Soul magic. But Magda didn’t want her mother to know. It wasn’t Dagmara’s place to tell.

“Dagmara,” Bernadette insisted, “I need you to be honest with me. I want to help, but I can’t unless you tell me what is going on.”

Dagmara’s voice was barely audible, “You can’t say anything.”

“You have my word.”

“Magda…doesn’t have Life magic,” Dagmara whispered. “She has Soul magic. And we can’t let anyone find out, otherwise, the future of Azurem is at risk if there’s no Life heir. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why she went to speak with Sanyal.”

Bernadette was silent for a long moment. Her face flashed with a multitude of indecipherable emotions. “But the coronation…”

“That was Aleksy’s magic.”

“By the guardians…” Bernadette said under her breath. “How is that possible? She’s Bogdan’s child.”

“I don’t know how it’s possible,” Dagmara admitted. “But you understand why no one can know, right?”

“Of course I do, but it doesn’t mean I like what you girls did to try and hide it. We didn’t have to go through with this marriage at all.”

“We had to find out if Claude killed the king and Aleksy,” Dagmara stated.

Letting out a long sigh, Bernadette crossed to the edge of the bed and sat down. “Alright. We’re here now, we will see this through. I will work with my councilors to ensure there are clauses in the marriage treaty so we can get Magda out of this if anything goes wrong. You must search the royal chambers before the night is over, but after the legal vows.”

Shaken, Dagmara felt the shift in the conversation. “What?”

“After you are legally wed, before the night is over, say you want to freshen up and prepare in his room. Use the time to search his study and his room—check for false backs of his closets.”

Dagmara couldn’t help but laugh. “Your Majesty, I’m surprised.”

Bernadette shrugged elegantly. “In this world, being a queen requires intelligence and tenacity.”

“What then?”

“If you find the proof, we will make a hasty exit. I will have a carriage ready. And if not…” Bernadette paused, “well I hope you can decide for yourself if you want to pursue a marriage night with someone who will be yelling another woman’s name.”

“Your Majesty!” Dagmara gasped, covering her mouth.

A smile creased on the queen’s mouth. “I do not envy your position Dagmara. But I also know I cannot be mad at you as you were only following orders. However, I am ready to wring Magda’s neck.” She ended in a laugh. “I wonder what Bogdan would have made of this.” Her laugh stilted, then she shifted her attention to straighten the wrinkles in her dress.

“Your Majesty,” Dagmara said, approaching the bed. She took a seat beside the queen. “Claude mentioned he warned King Bogdan of something…something that led to the assassinations. Is that true?”

“I tried to stay out of that messy business.”

“But you must know something,” Dagmara urged.

“Your mother was employed long before King Claude reached out to us,” Bernadette said. “But yes, it is true. A few months after King Percival Mirage and his wife were killed, King Claude sent a Scribestone to Bogdan. He said his parents were killed by an assassin with Mind magic. He warned King Bogdan to keep an eye out for citizens with magical abilities, saying they could come for the throne.”

“Claude’s parents were killed by an assassin with magic?” Dagmara gasped. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Come now, magic from people that aren’t guardians? I thought it was an excuse or a false alibi. I didn’t believe it for a second.”

“But King Bogdan did?”

Bernadette’s eyes softened. “Not until your mother’s death. When we found her body, her heart had been removed, but she had no injuries, not even a scar. Whoever killed her must have sent her through rounds of torturing, harming her and then healing her again and again. Evidence she was killed by someone with life magic, no doubt. And a mark of the First Prince accompanied her.”

Dagmara had stopped listening. She felt the onset of tears. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We couldn’t have news spreading that other people in the world had magic besides the guardians. You must understand, that would threaten the guardian’s legitimacy.”

A pang radiated from Dagmara’s chest. She glanced down at her palms, remembering the power of magic that flooded through her in Sailonne—when Claude’s wound was magically healed. She still didn’t believe it had happened.

“What if there are other people with magic…who aren’t guardians?”

“Well…” Bernadette paused, “those are the people Bogdan sent you to take care of.”

A sudden terror coursed through Dagmara’s veins. She was killing people…with magic? Or people that may have magic? Were they actually against the throne, or simply a threat to the guardians?

She was sent to assassinate people…like her?

“With this new news about Magda’s abilities, I don’t know what to believe about the magic of this world anymore,” said Bernadette. The queen reached out and placed her hand on Dagmara’s knee. “Don’t worry about that now. It is time to focus on the wedding. Teos couldn’t make the trip, but he wanted me to tell you he’s thinking about you.”

“Is he alright?”

Bernadette sighed. “He’s staying strong, but he is very sick and will need many doses of the medication. But King Claude was very generous with his shipment of medicine. There was one that arrived a few days later specifically for the ‘Royal Family and any Adopted Members.’ Was that from you?”

Dagmara could feel heat rising in her cheeks. “No,” she said, knowing this was the first time hearing of such a shipment. “That was all Claude.”