Chapter 2

Queen Erika

"I think everything looks good, Stella. Thank you for all your hard work," said Erika as Stella smiled.

"It's my pleasure, Your Majesty. If you need anything else, please let me know," said Stella as she bowed before leaving.

Since I got here, Stella has been my personal organizer. She started as my handmaiden, but I raised her position.

She is like my secretary. She helps me during meetings, plan events, and comes with me when Dominick isn't unavailable.

Stella has been the only one who's been nice to me since they found out I wasn't a princess. She reminds me a lot of Anneliese.

We were having a grand celebration ball to celebrate 100 years of Dulcinea, and although I have organized many balls before, this one was different.

Besides, I knew very little of Dulcinea while she was born here, and knows everything there is to know about the kingdom.

"Everything seems to be looking great, Your Highness," said a familiar voice as I turned around to see Lord Caius smirking at me.

"Lord Cauis, you're early," I said as he smirked before raising his eyebrow at me.

"Am I? I am deeply sorry. I thought I was running late. It seems my pocket watch must be running a bit behind," he said, taking it.

"But if that's the case, then so is your ballroom clock," he said, showing me his watch. As I looked, I saw they matched.

"It seems I am on time, and you are running late, Your Majesty," he said as I sighed.

"If you'll excuse me, I must get ready for the celebration," I said, beginning to leave as he stopped me.

"You're already late. May I suggest you don't attend at all? It will look bad if the queen is late to the biggest event of the century for the kingdom," said Caius.

I looked at him, shocked as he smirked; I was about to say something when another familiar voice cut me off.

"Then that makes two of us since I, too, am running late," said Dominick as he came to hug me, and Caius raised his eyebrow.

"If that is your choice, I would be glad to fill in for you guys," said Caius as Dominick chuckled.

"You wish. We will be down shortly. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being a couple of minutes late," said Dominick as I smiled, and Caius rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Erika. Let's go get ready," he added. I smiled at Caius, and we made our way to our room to change.

"Don't let him get to you, darling. He's just trying to take our kingdom from us," said Dominick as I nodded.

"Too bad that won't happen," I added as he nodded and chuckled.

Ever since Dominick and I married, Caius has been trying to overthrow us because of my status.

He didn't believe I was fit enough to be queen and almost separated Dominick and me before our wedding.

He was the lord of Dulcinea, second in line for the throne, and had a seat in the it weren't for lord Alexander supporting me and Dominick, he would have been king by now.

Which would be terrible for the kingdom and its people since he is very traditional while Dominick and I aren't.

Once we entered the room, we quickly changed into party clothes. I chose a beautiful, mint blue, puffy, long-sleeved gown.

It has a sweetheart neckline and corset bodes, while Dominick wore a beautiful red and white suit.

Once we changed, I quickly put my hair into a high braided ponytail with long dangling earrings and a matching necklace before placing my silver crown on.

I finished putting my red lipstick on and turned to see Dominick smiling at me before taking my hands.

"Thank you so much for being so understanding, Erika. Don't worry about Caius; soon we will find a way," he said as I nodded.

"I know, I ignore him. Soon, it will all be over," I said as he smiled before kissing my hand.

We were trying to convince the council to take his seat, but it was very difficult when they had been there for a while.

"My queen does look amazing," he added as I smiled and felt myself blush.

"Let's go before he tries to make us look bad," I said as he chuckled.

"Even if he tried, our people would not believe him," added Dominick as I smiled.

Dominick took hold of my hand, and we made our way back to the ballroom. Once we arrived, they announced us.

"His Royal Highness King Dominick and Queen Erika of Dulcinea," said the announcer as everyone clapped and we entered the hall.

Once inside, we greeted many royals from nearby kingdoms and noblemen in the royal council. We had small conversations after the greetings and moved on to many more of our guests.

This was our grand celebration, after all. We had over 300 people, including many royalty, nobility, and our villagers.

Many of the noblemen were unhappy about our decision to extend the invitation to our villagers; however, we didn't care.

Our villagers are also the reason to celebrate the remarkable 100 years of Dulcinea.

I preferred talking to the villagers rather than the nobles since they were more pleasant and proud of me being their queen.

"Queen Erika, Thank you so much for inviting us. This has been the most fun we have had in years," said a villager as I smiled at her.

"I'm glad you are enjoying yourselves. Please help yourself with some food," I said as she smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," she said as they made their way to the buffet.

I was to look around when my eyes landed on two familiar faces making me smile, before walking up to them.

"Anneliese, Julian," I said with joy as they smiled.

"Erika, this looks magnificent!" Said Julian as Anneliese nodded.

"Very queenly of you," added Anneliese as I smiled.

"Thank you," I added as Dominick came to my side.

"Anneliese, Julian! So glad you could make it, enjoying the party?" Asked Dominick.

"It's amazing," said Julian as Anneliese nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please gather around as the king and queen will open the dance floor!" exclaimed the announcer.

I quickly saw Anneliese and Julian smiling as I looked over at Dominick smiling.

"May I?" He asked as I smiled and nodded.

I took my husband's hand and soon began dancing around the ballroom, and many couples joined us.

One of them was Anneliese and Julian, and I am not sure if I was seeing it right, but it looked like Queen Genevieve and Lord Alexander.

Everything was going terrifically, and the dance was just about to end when there was a loud crash and a scream.

It all happened so fast. One moment, we heard a scream, and the next thing we knew, the windows were being broken into.

"It's the bandits!" Screamed a voice.

"Run!" Screamed another voice as my eyes widened.

"Guards!" Exclaimed Dominick as he and Julian took out their swords and began to challenge the bandits.

I quickly looked at Anneliese, and she nodded as we quickly got many of the guests to safety.

Since the royals left immediately, it was mostly the villagers. We were running everywhere, making sure we were all getting to safety.

"Here's the last ones," exclaimed a guard. He handed me a little boy, and I took him inside the safety room.

Quickly, a woman came to me running, relieved, and I knew this was her son. Once she was closer, I handed him to her.

"Thank you so much, your Majesty!" she said, relieved, as she hugged her son, and I smiled.

I looked at Anneliese as if she knew what I would say, and she quickly shook her head as I nodded.

"They're my people, I have to protect them. Like how I know you would protect Genova," I said as Anneliese sighed and smiled.

We quickly turned to see her mother, Queen Genevieve, try to calm the people down.

I quickly approached her and smiled at how easily she was calming the people before she turned to look at me.

"Queen Genevieve, please ensure they remain safe and are calm. I am going out there," I said as the queen looked at me and smiled.

"Go, I will be here," she said as I smiled.

"Thank you, Queen Genevieve," I said as I looked at Anneliese, and she nodded.

"Together," she said as I smiled.

"Together," I said as we exited the room, and I warned the guards to protect the people inside with their lives.

They quickly nodded as Anneliese and I made our way to the ballroom; we made sure no one saw us.

We could see many bandits running around the castle from afar, but it was odd that they were only near the ballroom.

'That's odd? Why would they only try to steal around the ballroom when the whole castle was loaded with treasures?' I thought.

"Duck," whispered Anneliese quickly as we dove. A chair flew above us as I frowned, which concerned her.

"What is it, Erika?" She asked as I gestured her to look at the bandits.

"Why are they only surrounding the ballroom when the whole castle is full of treasury?" I said as Anneliese observed.

"Come on," said Anneliese as we made our way to the ballroom.

"Wait!" said Anneliese as I looked at her. She passed me a sword, and my eyes widened.

"You never know; it's better to be protected," she added as I nodded nervously.

As we entered the ballroom, we saw many bands on the floor, and others continued fighting with the guards.

I quickly saw that Julian and Dominick were fighting one of the bandits, and he must be the leader.

Once the bandit laid his eyes on me, he quickly pushed Julian and Dominick's sword before whistling to his minions.

They quickly stopped and looked in my direction, as did the guards, Julian and Dominick.

I saw Dominick's eyes widen in fear, asking me what you are doing here before I shook my head.

It was then the bandits threw their swords up in my direction, and I thought I was going to be struck.

However, there was something odd about the thrown swords; they headed in my direction but not towards me.

It was then I saw the swords flying above me to the curtain we had at the ballroom; it was quickly cut and fell to reveal something shocking.

"Let's get out of here!" Exclaimed the leader as many began to usher in the guards and run as many of the guards tried to capture them.

But it was hard to focus on what was happening around me when I couldn't take my eyes off the message they had left on the wall.

This wasn't just any message; it was a message directed towards me.

She is nothing more than a meaningless seamstress who was abandoned by her family. Do you really think she can rule? How are you not sure she won't do the same as her Father did to her?

Join me, and I will not harm you. Together, we will overthrow this imposter. Stand by her and face the consequences.

"It's written in blood," Added Julian as I continued to reread the message.

I couldn't quite understand the message, even though it was obviously directed at me.

However, how did they know my background of being a seamstress? How do they know my Father abandoned me? Something wasn't adding up.

Suddenly, I felt a strong pair of arms wrapped around me, and I knew very well that it was Dominick.

"Have it be cleaned Immediately," said Dominick as I shook my head.

"No, don't. There's something about this that doesn't make sense," I said, feeling them look at me strangely.

"Erika," said a familiar voice as I shook my head and turned around.

"Bring paper and pen; we need to write this down," I said as a maid quickly brought paper.

"I'll write it down," said Julian as I nodded.

"Thank you, Julian. Once he is done, you can wipe it clean," I said as the maids nodded, and Dominick looked at me worried.

I wanted to explain everything to him but couldn't right now. Before anything else, we needed to make sure everyone was safe.

"I need to make sure our guests are safe. We will talk about this once they leave," I said, and Dominick nodded.

I knew very well that he didn't like that Idea, but he understood that we must care for the people first.

Anneliese and I returned and found all the people safe and sound. We quickly helped them out and got them carriages so they could return to their homes safely.

Once we knew everyone was safe, the five of us went to the study room; Dominick was the first to speak.

"What the heck happened? Why were we attacked during the celebration?" Asked Dominick before turning to me.

"Erika, why would you return to the battlefield, and I told you to run? You could have been seriously hurt," he added as I sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry. But something was telling me to go," I said as he looked at me confused.

"Erika and I noticed something that was pretty odd about the bandits, and she does have a point," said Anneliese as everyone listened.

"What was it?" Asked Julian as everyone waited, and I sighed.

"Don't you think it's odd that they only stayed around the ballroom? If they wanted treasure, they could have walked around the castle and taken it, but they didn't," I said as they thought.

"That is true. The castle was wide open. Why not go for the gold?" Dominick asked, confused.

"Unless it wasn't the gold they were after," added Julian as Anneliese nodded.

"As soon as they saw Erika, they there their swords to reveal the message, meaning they were looking for her," said Anneliese.

"Here's where it gets even worse. How did they know I was a seamstress before? Why and how do they know about my parents?" I asked, confused.

"Hold on, the attack started a few weeks ago in the village, and it was because of the gold," stared Dominick.

"Some did take gold, but not many of them," I added as he nodded.

"Those are the ones who are probably in the dungeons by now. Could they know what is really going on?" I asked as they shrugged.

"Maybe. We know for sure now it wasn't due to the gold. This is personal. Someone is trying to hurt you, Erika," Said Julian as Anneliese nodded.

"Do you have any enemies?" Asked Anneliese as I shook my head.

"Not that I can recall recently, except…." I said, looking at Dominick. His eyes widened, and he nodded.

"I agree. The only one who it could be is Lord Caius. Since Erika became queen, he's been trying to overthrow us because he doesn't believe she is fit to be queen," said Dominick as I nodded.

"The only problem with that is that he was here during the attack. It wasn't him," I added as Julian nodded.

"She's got a point," said Julian as Anneliese shook her head.

"But that doesn't mean he isn't behind this," added Anneliese as I nodded.

"There's something else," said Queen Genevieve as we turned to her. She showed us the paper with the threat.

"Look what it says: 'Stand by her and face the consequences,'"she said, looking at us confused as she took out another letter and showed it to us.

"If I were you, I would watch out. The past is hidden for a reason. Don't go sneaking into the past. Secrets are meant to be hidden, not uncovered.

Watch yourself, Your Majesty! Especially those you consider your allies, they might be the reason to your downfall." Read Julian as our eyes widened.

"Mother, when did you get this?" Asked Anneliese, worried as Queen Genevieve smiled.

"A few days ago, but I didn't take much into consideration until now; we are allies with Dulcinea," added the queen as my eyes widened.

"Your allies might be the reason for your downfall," I said as they raised their eyebrows.

"Could It be the same person?" Asked the Queen as Dominick nodded.

"It is possible, especially if they are talking about hidden secrets," said Julian.

"But what secrets? Genova doesn't have any secrets, do we?" Asked Anneliese as we looked at the queen.

"How would they tie up with Dulcinea?" Asked Dominick as I looked at Anneliese; she nodded.

"There is one enemy we all have in common," said Anneliese as I nodded as they looked confused.

"The only person who would want to hurt us because we ruined his plans," I added as Julian's eyes widened.

"Preminger," said Julian as Anneliese and I nodded.

"But he's locked away in our cells," said Queen Genevieve.

"I doubt he can do anything from his cells that could reach Dulcinea," added Dominick as I nodded.

"The only secret I could think of would be my past life. No one knows anything about my family, but this person seems to know," I said as they listened.

"I can't help but wonder if he knows something about my life that I do not?" I asked as they thought.

"We need to join forces; both our kingdoms are in trouble, and I believe they are connected somehow," said Anneliese as I nodded.

"I think we need to take a step back and go to the past, and I know just where to start," I said as they looked confused.

"Where?" Asked Julian, confused as Dominick shook his head.

"No, ma'am. You are not going down there," said Dominick as I nodded.

"I need to, Dominick. They know something of my past I do not know of; otherwise, why would they be so sure?" I asked as he sighed.

"Alright, but I'm coming with you," he said as I smiled.

"Going where?" Asked Anneliese confused.

"The dungeons, we need to interrogate some of these men," I said as she nodded.

"We will start in ours," said Anneliese as Queen Genevieve looked confused before shaking her head.

"Mother, we need to know what Preminger knows and if he's behind any of this," said Anneliese as the queen nodded.

"Alright," said the queen as we all nodded.

"Tomorrow, we will begin this investigation and will meet in a few days to discuss what we find out," said Dominick as we nodded.

We made our way out of the study room and coincidently saw lord Caius barely reaching us.

"Your Majesty, I am so sorry about today's event. It sure was a tragedy, especially the link to your past," he said, almost smirking.

"I didn't know your Father abandoned you?" He started, but I cut him off.

"My Father didn't abandon me; he went looking for a job to provide for my Mother and me!" I said, upset as he put on a show face.

At that moment, Anneliese and Dominick stood near me and calmed me down.

"Lord Caius, I would appreciate it if you would stop antagonizing my wife about her past. It is, after all, none of your business," said Dominick as his eyes widened.

He clearly wasn't expecting that reaction, and I could tell by his face that he didn't like it, but he deserved it.

"Your Majesty, as Lord of Dulcinea, this does involve me. What would people say once this spreads?" Asked Lord Caius, raising his eyebrow.

"The people will not know; the only people who saw this message were us and the bandits," added Anneliese.

"You would lie to your people?" Asked Caius, raising his eyebrow as he shook our heads.

"The truth will be revealed once we discover the truth," said Queen Genevieve.

"Until then, no one will say anything, that includes you, lord Caius," said Dominick as he smirked.

"Fine by me; we just don't know how the bandits may react to the people being in the dark," added Lord Cauis.

"You say it as if you knew what they would do next?" Asked Julian as he smiled.

"Of course not, your Majesty. But one's imagination can go wild; there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" He asked as we thought.

"Have a good night, your majesties," said Lord Caius as he retreated, and I couldn't help but feel upset.

"If I didn't have doubt before, I do now," said Anneliese as I nodded.

"He's a real challenge," I said as they nodded.

"He knows something from experience; he definitely knows something," said Julian as I nodded.

"We will put surveillance on him right away. Maybe there's a connection we don't see," said Dominick as I nodded before we retreated outside.

Once we were outside, Anneliese's carriage arrived as we bid our farewell to them.

"Everything is going to be alright. We will find out what's going on," said Anneliese. I smiled and nodded before whispering something for her to hear.

"Ask your Mom about your Father," I said as she pulled from the hug and looked at me confused.

"Think about it; what other secrets could Genova have? We don't know much about our parents," I whispered as she nodded.

"Ready?" Asked Julian coming to her. She smiled and nodded before giving me a look that said, 'I will.'

"Ready," said Anneliese.

"Thank you so much for coming and being here for us," I said to Julian as he smiled.

"Of course, and don't worry, guys, we will find out who is behind this," said Julian as I smiled and nodded.

A strong pair of arms hugged me as Anneliese, Julian, and Queen Genevieve entered the carriage and made their way home.

"We will be alright, I promise," said Dominick as I sighed and enjoyed his hug for a few minutes before we went inside our castle to retreat for the night.