Free The Black Rose by Diana Sweeney

often that the King held meetings in his study and when he did, they were very important. Milly had a habit of spying on the king and queen , so this was not her first time.
    “How are you feeling?” King Wilhelm asked as Jerome and Edolie entered his study.
    “Much better sir,” Jerome answered after he bowed.
    “Please sit,” Queen Henrietta gestured to the red couch opposite of hers. Jerome and Edolie took their seats by the fire and waited to hear what this meeting was about.
    King Wilhelm directed his attention to Jerome, “I have heard from King Baudouin that you already know about Wilhelmina’s situation.”
    “Yes,” Jerome answered while a puzzled look formed on Edolie’s face. She looked to her moth er, who gave her a stern look and Edolie knew she would have to wait before asking questions .
    “Given that you will be the next queen, Edolie, it is your turn to hear the truth since your sister will become your responsibility in the future,” King Wilhelm said, directing his attention to his younger daughter. He felt bad for her to have to carry such a burden.
    “Yes father,” Edolie answered. Though she was bursting with questions, she remained quiet and forced herself to listen.
    Milly’s eyes widened and she pushed her ear as close to the door as she could. Was she about to find out the secret as to why Edolie was to be queen and not Wilhelmina? Her heart pounded against her chest and she begged it to calm. She didn’t want to risk being heard , though hearing another person’s heart at such a range was highly unlikely .
    King Wilhelm told the same story to Edolie that Jerome’s father had told him. Jerome watched Edolie’s expression change from confusion to shock. Her eyes looked as if they would pop out at any moment . Her once radiant skin had turned pale. Jerome gave Edolie’s hand a gentle squeeze to calm her. He knew it was a lot to take in. It’s not every day you find out you have a cursed sister that you will eventually have to be responsible for.
    “Does… does… she…” Edolie stammered when her father finished talking.
    Queen Henrietta shook her head and this time she spoke, “No, we don’t have the heart to tell her right now. We wanted her to live a normal life, but now that you will be married, we have no choice.” There were tears in her eyes. She loved Wilhelmina dearly, but there was nothing she could do to protect her child anymore from the truth.
    King Wilhelm placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder to support her, “After the wedding is over, we will tell her. You two must be present as well. It’ll be best if she hears it from all four of us.”
    “It’s not fair,” Edolie sobbed and Jerome held her. Being queen would be hard enough for his spoiled princess, but adding this responsibility would make it even harder . They would be in charge of keeping Wilhelmina locked up in the palace until the day she dies. It wasn’t a responsibility anyone wanted.
    However, Jerome knew that what Edolie was feeling now would never measure up to how Wilhelmina would feel once she found out she was destined to die alone in the palace . It was unfair and Jerome bit his lip. He couldn’t feel pity for her, he had to avoid her. It was going to be difficult for all of them .              
    Milly’s heart raced as she hurried to her room, not caring if anyone heard her. It was raining hard now and the roar of thunder covered the sound of her footsteps as she ran . She opened her bedroom door and closed it quickly. Milly leaned against the back of the closed door in order to catch her breath. All this information was too much for her . Once her breathing had calmed, she slowly made her way to a wooden chest that sat in the far corner of her bedroom . It had been a gift from Queen Henrietta. It was given to her so she could have some privacy. She began to look through it in order to calm herself.
    The chest, overall, didn’t hold anything important. A lot of the