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“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.”