The Cursed Prince

Rowena headed out to the royal garden and looked at the array of flowers, trees, and the various plants that were taken care of by the gardeners. Among the books she read, she learned a recipe that would make itself prove useful. 

She didn't spend all of her time only studying what Lazy Liz and Lady Mary taught her. She was brilliant enough that she only needed to be taught once and she'd get the lessons.

During her free time, Rowena was given free access to the royal library and that was where she read and learned many other things that didn't seem proper for a princess. She really wanted to have a much more firm grasp of how the world operated.

…and it was where she also learned more about her father.

A bitter smile curled on her lips as she stared at the small purple flowers with berries that grew on the patch. 

"Somehow the stories seem to portray you in such a good light, and yet you're so unreasonable with me. What happened to the hero that Leia told me about?"

It was true that her father, King Draco, was a valiant knight and saved the kingdom, but he was also a talented person. One of the books there documented the potent poisons that King Draco applied to his blades which vanquished monsters and beasts far stronger than ordinary humans.

Rowena realized that her father also raised some of the plants here. Both magical and non-magical. She bent down and located the various ingredients for the recipe, then reached for them.

"Even though humans don't have magic, we're ingenious enough to use what we can."

Once she had successfully collected them, Rowena hurried towards the castle and headed for the kitchens. This time, there were a lot of cooks around that were busy preparing food, but her disguise worked and she managed to get a tray of food and even wine.

The servants were none the wiser.

All that was left to do was mix the herbs into the drinks and then head into the prison. Rowena was about to head out of the kitchen, but then nearly bumped into a woman.

"Watch where you're going." A very familiar voice of a lady snapped at her.

Rowena froze as she clutched the tray.

***

<A While Ago>

Lady Liz gave the princess some space in her chambers because it was clear that the young girl was upset about what happened in Almere. It was supposed to be a day where the princess explored and enjoyed her freedom but such terrible things happened.

Before Rowena entered the palace and got off the carriage, she tried to explain what happened during the festival. She told Lady Liz all about Julian and begged for help to explain the situation to Jarvis and even the king.

Unfortunately, she couldn't help.

She explained that there were far more people that were punished for the princess' disappearance because the lady knew that trying to talk with the king would fall to deaf ears. It was more surprising that Lady Liz was still alive and hadn't been punished.

It was far better for her to remain in the background so the king would forget his anger, but Lady Liz wanted to soothe the girl and decided to head into the kitchen and request a fresh brew of tea for the poor princess.

"I'm sure that a nice cup of tea will make her feel better," Lady Liz said to herself.

When she stepped inside of the kitchen, Lady Liz nearly crashed into one of the maids who seemed to be in a rush while she carried her tray of food and drinks. It annoyed her that there was such a clumsy and inattentive servant. 

Wasn't it clear that their positions were different but this no-good servant dared to block her way? 

"Watch where you're going." Lady Liz snapped.

But then the lady paused when she noticed the maid's stature. 

It was almost exactly like Rowena's and deeply reminded the lady of her young ward. 

Lady Liz calmed herself down and sighed inwardly. The lady didn't want to take her frustrations out on a young servant that undoubtedly worked because she didn't have any other choice. Their circumstances were indeed quite different.

Even though Lady Liz was mocked as a twenty-eight-year-old spinster, she lived in wealth and luxury, whereas this young woman had to work even though she was so young. There was no need for her to make the child's day any worse.

But it was a strange thought to have.

Lady Liz usually didn't think about other people and their problems, but then she cleared her throat and tried to look at the servant. Why was she wearing a thick scarf? 

"Pardon me for inconveniencing you, my lady," the small but rough voice said.

"Fine, be more careful next time," Lady Liz sighed and walked ahead of her. She didn't need to spend much time on other people when her ward was feeling unwell. She requested the tea from one of the other servants and waited.

But then she froze.

"That young servant's articulation was excellent."

***

Rowena rushed out of the hallway and quickly departed as fast as she could without spilling the contents that were balanced on her tray. She was so afraid that Lady Liz would recognize her that she bolted away as fast as she could.

When she knew that she couldn't be tracked down and the coast was clear, Rowena slowed down a little. She hid behind a pillar and reached for the ingredients that were in the maid's uniform pouch. 

She had been very careful earlier when she plucked them earlier.

If she wasn't careful, even the skin contact was enough to make it dangerous for her. Rowena squeezed in some of the berries' juice and then added in another plant which lowered the effects of the berries.

Just enough to make her plan work.

With a pounding heart, Rowena descended into the dungeons.