Chapter 60 : Ivory Secrets & Royal Echoes
✦❖✦ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟎 — Ivory Secrets & Royal Echoes ✦❖✦
Where bloodstained memories meet ivory-locked truths…
✦═───═✦
I stepped down from Edward’s carriage, determination firming with each breath I drew, and headed toward the naval headquarters.
“Hey! Miss, mind where you’re walking!”
“The boat’s coming in!”
The harbor teemed with life—vendors calling, children laughing, the salty wind carrying snatches of conversation.
So vivid was the bustle, it almost made the memory of the recent execution seem like a distant illusion.
The sun gilded the sand, casting everything in a golden sheen. Even the heavy weight of war seemed, for a moment, buried beneath the waves.
Yet my gaze was drawn backward—drawn to the scaffold.
The blade still bore the stains.
That rusted, merciless blade.
And with it, the sound—still echoing in my memory—of its fall upon my father’s neck. The gasps of the crowd. The warmth of Johannes’ hand shielding my eyes.
A strange kind of mercy.
He must have known. That there had been no time to blindfold me properly.
He had tried, in his way, to spare me.
✦═───═✦
Now, I walked that same path again—toward the Navy headquarters. But not to see death.
This time… I came to face questions.
As I walked, Johannes’ intentions churned through my mind.
‘Did he approach me from the start… with a hidden purpose?’
The question clung to me like sea mist.
Behind me, Ahin took a step closer and murmured, “Ma’am, we’re here. Wow, it’s… enormous.”
I looked up.
The Navy Headquarters loomed ahead—stark, dignified, impassable.
We stepped through its gates. Once I gave my name, a startled officer quickly led me up to the commander’s office.
“The Duchess is here, Commander!”
✦═───═✦
Johannes Schulz turned as the door opened, sunlight catching in his golden hair like threads of fire.
A quiet smile flickered on his lips—brief, almost imperceptible.
“It’s late,” he said. “Was the road very crowded?”
He leaned against the window, bathed in light and the chill of power. His navy uniform felt like a memory—one I hadn’t seen since our meeting at the docks.
I found myself staring, lost in a haze of emotion and unanswered questions.
“Ma’am?” he prompted gently.
“…What did you say?” I asked, startled.
“I asked if the road was crowded,” he repeated with calm patience.
Though his expression remained cool, I could sense it—he was watching me closely.
✦═───═✦
‘If Johannes asks, it’s best to tell him the truth. I heard there was more than one person following me.’
Remembering Edward Windsor’s quiet warning, I chose honesty.
“Oh, I met Prince Edward by chance,” I said, steadying my voice.
Johannes didn’t flinch, though his brow twitched ever so slightly.
“The carriage stopped outside the police department.”
I kept my tone composed. “He asked to speak with me. I intended to refuse, but… he is royalty, after all.”
Johannes didn’t press.
Instead, he offered an unexpected reply.
“Next time,” he said, “make an excuse. I’ll handle the rest. Don’t worry.”
He smiled faintly.
✦═───═✦
And then—suddenly—a memory surged up.
‘You’re insane. How do you plan to handle it?’
‘So you think I really committed murder?’
A vision—fragmented, unclear.
A woman. A man. Their voices sharp, desperate. The man’s silhouette eerily like Johannes’.
My hands flew to my head, pain prickling behind my eyes.
“Do you have a headache?” he asked, stepping forward. His hand reached for mine.
The touch sent a chill down my spine.
Reflexively, I pulled away. “Ah—sorry. You startled me.”
“It’s alright.”
Though he responded gently, I saw something flicker in his eyes—something hurt.
I couldn’t meet his gaze.
✦═───═✦
There was an ache in me I couldn’t silence. Edward’s words had planted a doubt I couldn’t uproot.
Trying to shift the moment, I asked, “Why did you call me?”
“To confirm a personal belonging,” he replied.
“A… belonging?” I echoed, confused. “Wasn’t everything already returned?”
Johannes moved to the desk and retrieved a small item, placing it before me.
As I saw it, my breath caught.
“Do you recognize it?”
I stepped forward slowly. My voice dropped to a whisper.
“…It’s my father’s.”
“I couldn’t open it,” Johannes added.
Of course not.
The box—ivory, notched with intricate carvings—was bound by a private formula. One known only to my father and me.
No one could open it without force. But it was so elegantly constructed, no one would dare to try.
I ran my fingers along the grain and murmured, “Yes. It doesn’t open normally.”
✦═───═✦
Trust between husband and wife.
How quaint.
I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe Johannes had no secret, no shadow.
But something in me still pulled away.
This box… this heirloom… would remain locked.
I masked my thoughts with a smile. “I’m grateful it was found. Thank you.”
✦═───═✦
Johannes offered to accompany me back, but I declined—blaming fatigue.
As I exited the office, whispers followed me through the corridor.
They were staring.
Curious eyes. Invasive murmurs.
So this was the woman—the commoner—who had captured the iron heart of Johannes Schulz.
✦═───═✦
“Ma’am, what is that? The design’s… unique,” Ahin asked, glancing at the ivory box.
“Yes,” I replied softly. “It was my father’s.”
Ahin’s face paled immediately. “Ah… I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
It wasn’t. But I smiled anyway.
We stepped into the navy carriage waiting for us.
✦═───═✦
Suspicion is suspicion. Duty is duty.
Despite everything, I went directly to Sir Fret’s office to take over his work.
But Marilyn greeted me instead.
“Huh? Why are you here? What about Lord Fret?”
“He’s resting,” Marilyn said brightly. “He left everything to me.”
Then, with eyes glittering, she added, “Oh! I heard Prince Edward will be attending a ball soon. Shouldn’t we begin preparations?”
Her smile was dazzling. But for the first time in days… I felt nothing.
Only the echo of ivory secrets and a storm I could no longer ignore.
