Lady Aveline entered her office at around nine in the morning. She had just finished breakfast with her husband, the King. Her daughter was not there, as usual.
She walked toward her desk, expecting a stack of reports and updates, but found a pink envelope instead. The Queen opened it and began to read.
Dear Mom,
This is Lydia. I'm going away from the Palace for a while. I want to calm myself down and think about my future slowly, and carefully.
Yes, it's because of the marriage thing. And no, it's not because I refuse to choose or because I found love from another man.
I heard some devastating revelations yesterday, and they opened my eyes. Why did I feel so troubled about something the other parties don't even care about? Why did I worry about who would be my life partner when none of them had any intention of spending their life with me? The fact that I'd been agonizing over this decision for months... God, I felt like a fool. I wonder if you felt the same way before you married Dad.
Anyway, I'm gone for now. Don't worry about me. I know you'll be worried if I'm going alone, so I've taken the liberty of taking Elara with me. Please don't be mad at her.
AND DON'T FIRE HER!
She was just following my decisions. I promise I'll be back... when I'm ready.
I love you Mom. Please send my love to Dad. I'm sorry. Please understand.
Your Loving daughter,
Lydia Valenrose
P.S.: Don't look for us!!!
Lady Aveline could feel her stomach churning, her chest tightening, and her head spinning. She fell into her chair as if her body had suddenly lost the ability to stand. She looked to the ceiling, trying to find clues and answers among the beautifully crafted ornaments. A tear streamed down her cheek.
"Oh, God, Lydia. What have you done?!" said the despondent mother as her right hand clutched the pink letter as tightly as she could.
What happened next could only be described as a quiet panic. An organized chaos. A silent riot. The Queen knew that the news of the Princess disappearance must not leak to the public under any circumstances. This was crucial not only for the safety of her daughter, but also for the country as well. Besides, civil unrest was the last thing anyone needed.
First thing first, she told the bad news to her husband. The King was usually clear-headed and charismatic, but when it came to his only daughter, he was no different from any ordinary girl dad. Needless to say, he wailed. It took a while for Lady Aveline to calm the King and prevent him from shutting the country down and deploying the military and every force under his command to search for their daughter. But alas, she managed to put some sense into him. As usual.
The next order of business to contact the Head of Royal Security and other relevant individuals, as discreetly as possible. Sure, her daughter did say to not look for them, but there was no way in hell she would ever agree to that. But she didn't want to scare her daughter either. So she laid out the following order:
"Find her, but do not engage. Just observe and protect her from afar!" ordered the Queen. "Do it as quickly and as quietly as possible. I want to know where my daughter is, where she stays, what she eats for lunch, everything!"
Once that was done, she prepared herself for the next task at hand. Informing the three suitors.
***
Text messages had been sent to the three men, summoning them to the Palace for three different reasons, at three different time.
To Julien, the Banker:
To Mr. Julien Armand,
The Crown wishes to discuss a recent economic matter that may involve your Banks. You are expected at the Montaire Palace at 12.00 pm, today.
To Victor, the Politician:
To Mr. Victor Beaumont,
The Crown wishes to discuss an upcoming policy proposed by your party. You are expected at the Montaire Palace at 01.00 pm, today.
To Adrien, the Actor:
To Mr. Adrien Laurent,
The Crown wishes to discuss the planning of an upcoming royal Cultural Heritage event. You are expected at the Montaire Palace at 02.00 pm, today.
As usual, the messages were deliberately vague in their wording. But no citizen of this country would dare to refuse an invitation from the Crown. So they would come, no matter hell or high water.
***
Lady Aveline was sitting at her office, looking at the small, boxy clock on her desk. 12.00 pm. Time to welcomed her first guest, who apparently already arrived ten minutes early. She told her guard to let the guest in.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness." said Julien, bowing his head to the Queen. He always wore a nice suit, but he seemed to put on his best one for this occasion.
"Afternoon, Julien. Please sit down," said the Queen, sounding as regal as ever.
"Thank you very much for inviting me today, Your Highness," said Julien, as he sat down, clearly feeling a bit nervous. "I was told you have something to discuss with me?"
"Ah yes, that was just a ruse."
"I'm sorry?"
"The truth is, the reason why I asked you to come today is because Lydia went missing." The Queen looked at her guest with the worry eyes of a mother.
"What? I mean, I'm sorry? Lydia, I mean, the Princess is missing?" Julien was taken aback. "Was she kidnapped? What happened?"
Lady Aveline took off her glasses, and said, "No, she wasn't kidnapped. She just ran away."
"...uh...Running away as in leaving the Palace on her own?" he looked puzzled.
"Yes. And as you know, this news could not leak to the public under any circumstances. That's why I want to ask you to help me find my daughter." Lady Aveline looked him straight in the eyes.
Julien paused for a bit. "I understand, Your Highness. I will do everything in my power to find the Princess, as quickly and as quietly as possible."
"I'm glad to hear that," said the Queen with her melancholy eyes. "Well, time is ticking. Please begin your search effort now."
"I understand. I will take my leave, Your Highness." Julien immediately got up from his seat and head toward the door.
Once Julien left the room, the guard immediately close the door. Lady Aveline took a deep sigh, and said, "Ok, that's the first one. Two more to go."
***
At exactly 01.00 pm, the guard opened the door and let the Queen's second guest in. It was Victor Beaumont. He bowed his head down, "Good Afternoon, Your Highness."
"Good afternoon, Victor. Please take a seat." Unlike the first meeting, this time the Queen looked a bit upset.
"I was told you wanted to see me, Your Highness?" asked Victor while using his handkerchief to wipe the sweat in his forehead. "Something about our planned policy?"
"No, Victor. The reason why I asked you to come today was something else entirely."
Victor looked confused. "I beg your pardon?"
Lady Aveline took off her glasses. Victor could see the fire in her eyes. "The truth is, the Princess has disappeared."
Victor was baffled. "I uh-I beg your pardon?"
"Lydia ran away, Victor!" the Queen raised her voice a bit.
"Wha-How?"
"It doesn't matter how. The most important thing is to find her without alerting the public. You know how chaotic it would be if the people find out the Princess is missing, don't you?"
"Ah, yes, certainly Your Highness." Victor used his handkerchief to wipe his forehead one more time. "Is there...uh-Is there anything I could do to help?"
"I'm glad you asked, Victor. You are always quick on the uptake, aren't you?" Lady Aveline flashed a little smile. "I need you to help me find the Princess, as quickly and as quietly as possible. Can you do that?"
"Yes! Of course, Your Highness," said Victor, beaming. "I will use every connection that I have to help find the Princess."
"Thank you, Victor." The Queen let out another smile. "You are free to go now. I expect great result from you."
"Of course, Your Highness. I won't fail you," said Victor as he got up and walked toward the door as quickly as he could.
Once the guard closed the door, Lady Aveline slumped on her chair and took a deep breath.
"Jesus Christ." She put her right hand on her head. "Ah well, that makes it two. One more to go."
***
Adrien entered the Queen's office exactly at 02.00 pm. Unlike his usual casual attire, he was wearing a proper suit now. But he looked uncomfortable as hell in it.
"Ehm, uh, Good Afternoon, Your Majesty." Adrien was always nervous when he talked to Lady Aveline, and it showed.
The Queen took off her glasses and put on her sad face. "Oh my God, Adrien. Come in, take a seat."
"Uh, what happened? Your Majesty?" the man was confused. "I thought you invited me to talk about a royal event?"
"No, Adrien, that's not why I asked you to come," Lady Aveline still looked quite emotional. "Lydia ran away from the Palace this morning."
Adrien became even more confused. "Ran away? What? How? Why?"
"She didn't say why, but it doesn't matter," Lady Aveline looked directly into Adrien's eyes, tears started to well up in her eyes. "The most important thing is we need to find her as soon as possible."
"Right, right," Adrien nodded repeatedly.
"But we can't let the public know because it would lead to chaos and panic. That's why I need your help, Adrien. I want you to help me find my Lydia."
"Uh...yes, of course, Your Majesty. I have a capable social media team. I'm sure they could do something to find her whereabouts." Adrien looked a bit confident now. "If that's not enough, I could use my father's resources to widen the search."
"That sounds great," said the Queen. "But please keep it as quiet as possible. We don't want any leak."
"Of course. I understand, Your Majesty."
"Ok. You may leave now, Adrien. I have high hope from you."
"You can count on me, Your Majesty." Adrien got up from his chair and walked toward the door. He looked back for a second and said, "Don't you worry, Your Majesty, I will bring Lydia back to you soon."
The Queen replied with a little smile.
Once the guard shut the door down, Lady Aveline slumped back to her chair. She let her hair down and drink the water that had been sitting on her desk for hours.
"Alright, that's all of them," she said with her eyes closed. "This is your test, Gentlemen. Let's see what you can do for my daughter."