Chapter 32 - The Secret Meeting

The days are getting colder and colder, even thou there is a heater in my room which runs from mana stones it still cold. "Miss you are done." The maid said as she brushed my hair.

"Thank you for your hardwork!" I said as I smiled towards them.

"No need to thank us, after all it our duty to serve the lady." One of the maid said.

"Sister are you ready?"Ash asked as he knocked at my door.

"Yes I am." I said as I went towards the door. The maid opened it for me.

Ash was standing there looking at me, "Then shall we go." He asked.

"Yes sure." I said as we both went down to the hallways to our carriage.

The ride was full of silence until Ash asked me a question, "Sister are you nervous?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I mean the empress is summoning us even thou she is so sick, what do you think she must be calling us for?" Ask asked.

"That even I don't know...as for nervous I am not feeling anything at all right now." I said as I smiled towards him.

That night at the banquet the empress suddenly collapsed which created a havoc among the people. Seems like people knew the empress was sick but no one knew that her Condition was this much critical.

And more importantly her majesty woke up just yesterday and she immediately called for us secretly out of the blue.

Everything is so suspicious right now, that we can't say anything about what will happen next.

And I wonder how the princes are doing right now.....

"Looks like we are here," Ash said looking outside this time we were entering the palace from the back door. "Hmm, seems so." I said.

Our carriage entered the Palace where a maid was standing at the door probably waiting for us.

"I greet lady winter and Young Master Winter." The maid said bowing her head towards her.

She must be the head maid of the palace.

"Yes, please show us the way." I said to her.

"Sure please follow me." She said and the door opened as we went inside it, and we were shocked to see the tunnel there.

Yeah how can I forget no matter how beautiful this place is its still the royal palace where one must always be careful since we never know when someone will come with a sword towards us.

The tunnel felt like a never ending road until we saw a wooden door ahead us and while opening it we entered the empress chambers.

The empress room was still the same but there was a faint smell of blood in there with mixture of medicines. It felt as if I am in a hospital.

"Welcome." Her majesty said weakly with her thin face as she sat on a chair near the window. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and her clothes were losse that they hung over her shoulder.

"We greet the saintness of the empire her majesty the empress." Both me and Ash said as we bowed towards her.

"You may rise." She said in her weak and low voice, "Her majesty you seems very unwell how about we meet some other time." I said as I looked at her colorless face.

"I am afraid there might not be a next time...Lady winter." She said as she looked at me.

Those words froze me right in that place even thou those words were simple but it's weight was heavier then anything.

Because I knew that the moon that is infront of me now is going to disappear soon.

"Lady winter thinks too much." Her majesty said as she giggled.

"Pardon." I said as I looked at her. "Rather then Sister I think it's her majesty is the one who should think more about her health." Ash said as he looked at her, "...Her majesty no matter how much you try to hide your pain it's still visible to us..." Ash said as he looked downwards, his hands were shaking.

The empress too froze on her place and that smile disappeared from her face for a second, but soon she laughed a bit and said, "Winter siblings are truly the best."

That line she always says that, I wonder what she means by that, I know we don't act like our age but that's not special is it, afterall every kid here is smiliar to us some are even more sharper and mature then us. As expected of a novel world. "The reason I called you both here is because *Cough* *Cough*..." the empress wasn't able to complete her sentence as she started Coughing her lungs out. Even blood came out of her mouth seeing that the maid's ran towards her.

I could feel Ash shaking, he is still a kid this thing he mustn't see it, "Ash..." I said as I covered his eyes with one of my hand and with other hand I holded his hand tightly. "Its fine...it's fine..." I said trying to calm his down. But things keep getting worse her majesty coughed none stop, at that rate even I felt worried for her. No matter how important the talk is this isn't the right time for it.

"Her majesty please take some rest, and let us take our leave." I said as I bowed towards her.

She didn't say anything but looked at us from the corner of her eyes it felt as she was having an 8nner conflict but she knew what was the right thing to do at the giving moment so she nodded her head and let us leave, the maid who bought us here took us back too.

While we left the palace form the back door I felt as if someone is watching us, so I looked around but no one was there. That's weird why do I keep feeling as if someone is monitoring me now and then. I thought as we left the palace with our carriage, during the whole ride Ash kept shaking so I had to hold me.

He must have been very scared by all that happened at the palace. If Ash is like this, I wonder how the princes must be feeling.....the pain of losing someone close to you....that's a terrible feeling especially if its the one who bought you to life.....even thinking of it makes my heart ache.

The lord above please take care of them...I thought as I looked at the sky.

Meanwhile at the empress room,

"Seems like her majesty really wanted to spill the beans today." His Holiness said with a polite smile.

"Yes I thought of doing so but my body didn't co-operate with me." Her majesty said telepathically. (They are both higher level of divine power users so they can talk telepathically .)

"Hah, Her majesty what do you think I'd you tell them the truth will they be happy or will there be any change in the future." His Holiness said as he lost his temper.

" Michael you still losse your temper just like before did you forget the fact that it was you who gifted her with the middle name Bedisa." She said telepathically with a smile.

"That....That was because I didn't knew about your conditions before....you never told me about it...." His Holiness Michael said as he stuttered in between.

"Ha...Then I guess it's my bad." She said as she laughed at Michael.

"Yeah great that you know it." His Holiness said.

"But still I thought if they knew the truth there upcoming journey would have been a little easier.....but I guess God won't let me help them anymore..." She said telepathically as she looked at the music box which was gifted to her by the winter siblings.

"Well after all everything in this world follows an order." His Holiness said.

"I know but still I gave up a lot to reach here today.....so... I would like to request something to his holiness." Her majesty said as she looked at him with sincere eyes.

"Please say it." His Holiness said as he sighed.

"Would you please look after this kids when I am gone.....I won't tell you to help them or guide them but I just want you to look at there upcoming journey....I hope you understand." She said with a small smile on her thin face.

His Holiness looked at her face for a minute, "Yes I understand."He said and the empress smiled brightly towards him.

"Irene Bedisa Winter....Good luck for your upcoming journey.." His Holiness said in his mind as he looked at the setting sun which turned the whole sky into a mixture of red and orange.