But looking back there was something different in the air that day. The adults were unusually serious. After the party they were asked to sleep early.
Their mother accompanied them to bed. She looked somber and a bit confused. She even saw her asking the maid to pack their bags. Back then she didn't understand what's going on.
"Is there something wrong mother?" She cant help but asked. Her mom tried to smile.
"Im fine im just tired from all the preparation. You two rest now okay. Tomorrow we will go on vacation." She informed them.
Her mother hugged and kissed them goodnight. She knows something is wrong but she cannot pinpoint what it is. She didnt tell them what she saw earlier because she doesnt want to worry her mother and sister. Even though ara is her twin she still sees her as her younger sister.
Them going to bed early was her last memory of that day. She woke up three days later with the whole kingdom mourning her sister's death.
There was no funeral or public viewing. They also did not follow tradition of burying her remains, instead her sister's body was incinerated. Then they built a grotto for her urn. But since she never saw her body she suspected something wasn't right.
They keep saying its measles and they both contracted it and that she's the only one who survived but she feels they were trying to hide something from her.
So After she fully recovered and was able to walk around again she followed one of the maids who she noticed was acting suspicious.
Every 5 in the afternoon the maid would enter a room. The room has a secret connecting door to another room. She have no idea who or what she's going to find in that room but she needs to know what it is they're hiding from her. She needs to know the truth.
They have 75 maids in total. 3 maids share one room. Every morning the butler inspect their uniform and give them specific instructions before they start with their daily chore.
While they were busy she slithered her way in the maids quarter. She's been observing the maid for days now and she knows where her room is located. Luckily for her the maid has her own room. A perk she probably enjoys because of the secret she has to keep.
And as expected the room is locked. This palace holds so many secrets that every door needs to be kept locked to keep those damn skeletons hidden. But she wont be kept in the dark. She took the key out of her pocket. Their head butler leaves his keys in the kitchen before inspection. So she decided to just borrow them for a while.
Luck must be on her side that day because she was able to open the doors lock on her first try. She carefully open the door and after making sure the coast is clear she start looking for the key. She looked inside the closet but found nothing. She also checked the pillows and even looked under the bed. The last place she hasn't inspect yet is the table drawer. Surprisingly its already unlocked but as she anticipated its empty. But if there's one thing she learned from her father a good drawer needs a hidden compartment.
The drawer was different from her fathers tables hidden gun compartment in the office. But then shes not hiding a gun. Shes hiding a key. She start knocking on the drawer but it all sound solid.
Maybe she's wrong to assume that the maid left the key to this room. Maybe its in the maid's pocket this whole time and all her effort was for nothing. She was so frustrated that she stamped the drawer's table top. And that's when she heard the hollow sound. She excitedly removed the cloth on top of the table and started knocking on it.
And that's when she heard it again that hollow sound in the upper right side of the table top. She then searched the side of the table. She kneels down when her fingers touch something rough. And that's when she saw the hidden door on the right side of the table. It's barely twelve inches long. She slid it open and she was right.
She took the key from the hidden compartment. After that she fixed the room and put everything on its proper place to avoid suspicion. She cant be found out too soon. After she was able to close the door behind her she started walking like nothing happened. She put the butler's keys back where she found them.
"Princess Akana princess Akana." her nanny is calling for her.
"Please stop calling my name. I'm just here."
"You need to take your medicine."
"I want to drink it in my room." She demanded.
The medicine makes me dizzy. I want to rest for a while."
"As you wish, princess, I'll just fix your bed for you."
After she was tucked in her bed her nanny left. Her nanny will be eating lunch so she will be gone for a while.
She can now freely sneak out of her room and find that secret pathway to that connecting door.
She casually walked towards the room where the hidden connecting door is located. The room is used to be the masters bedroom of her grandparents the former king and queen. After they gave up the crown they decided to live outside the palace.
Her parents didnt used the room instead they chose to renovate the guest rooms and turned them into masters bedroom. They dont want the hassle of walking several flights of stairs just to reach their room. Her father got a busted knee while her mother was said to not like the big vanity mirror that her father refused to remove anyway.
The good thing about having a twin sister is she can always count on someone to cover for her while she wanders around the palace. She always got her back. But now shes all alone. But shes not the type to just sit around and cry. She needs answers and she will not be denied.
Another thing that her dad taught her that some room has its secret. Specially the king's bedroom. They have hidden passages leading to another room or a escape route that no one knows about.