Post by Nicolette Deveraux on Apr 26, 2017 17:49:57 GMT -5
Her Highness Princess Mariette is missing, presumed kidnapped.
The letter fell from Nicolette's suddenly numb fingers, barely making a crackle of sound as it landed atop other correspondence awaiting her attention. She sat, stunned into immobility for several minutes before she reached for the travel-worn parchment to continue reading what other details her uncle included after his bald pronouncement.
I am conducting a thorough investigation and I shall detail to you what I know thus far. Mariette was likely taken by way of a secret passageway in her chambers. There was no sign of struggle, but there is evidence to suggest that she was drugged that very night. Eyewitnesses have come forth to confirm this.
The Prince of Lindblum, Severin Rosenquist, was seen in Mariette’s company in the days before her disappearance. I have failed to locate him in the palace or on the city grounds. I am investigating every possible lead as to her location.
Shock gave way to a mingled feeling of fury and regret, roiling within her. Regret that she had not heeded Antoinette's caution, that she'd sent her rather inexperienced sister so far from the protection of her home. Fury that she'd not seen Severin of Lindblum for the treacherous, scheming bastard that he was. Guilt that she too failed to adequately protect her sister or foresee that the hereditary enmity between their lands was still active. Could he have been the culprit? It was entirely possible, considering Jean-Luc himself had been the one to advise her that coincidence often was nothing of the sort.
Sighing, she lowered the parchment more gently to the desk and reached to ring for one of the servants. Antoinette and Juliette needed to be made aware of this, and a plan started to deal with what answers were unearthed, as well as collecting the necessary funds for a ransom. There was little doubt in Nicolette's mind that a ransom would be demanded; whether it was monetary or something less... tangible, she could only guess.
Once the servant appeared and received his orders, retreating from the study, the Crown Princess sat back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose, her mind wandering down the lanes of possibilities. Was there any conceivable chance that Benoit was behind this, or worse, Stephane? Nicolette would not put it past them to arrange it from afar, citing the distance as a reason for innocence. Or was it the damned Crown Prince of Lindblum, eager to resurrect the ages-old war between their lands?
She could speculate but without more information, that was all she had - speculation. For now, all she could do was wait for her sisters to arrive.
---
@antoinettedeveraux
The letter fell from Nicolette's suddenly numb fingers, barely making a crackle of sound as it landed atop other correspondence awaiting her attention. She sat, stunned into immobility for several minutes before she reached for the travel-worn parchment to continue reading what other details her uncle included after his bald pronouncement.
I am conducting a thorough investigation and I shall detail to you what I know thus far. Mariette was likely taken by way of a secret passageway in her chambers. There was no sign of struggle, but there is evidence to suggest that she was drugged that very night. Eyewitnesses have come forth to confirm this.
The Prince of Lindblum, Severin Rosenquist, was seen in Mariette’s company in the days before her disappearance. I have failed to locate him in the palace or on the city grounds. I am investigating every possible lead as to her location.
Shock gave way to a mingled feeling of fury and regret, roiling within her. Regret that she had not heeded Antoinette's caution, that she'd sent her rather inexperienced sister so far from the protection of her home. Fury that she'd not seen Severin of Lindblum for the treacherous, scheming bastard that he was. Guilt that she too failed to adequately protect her sister or foresee that the hereditary enmity between their lands was still active. Could he have been the culprit? It was entirely possible, considering Jean-Luc himself had been the one to advise her that coincidence often was nothing of the sort.
Sighing, she lowered the parchment more gently to the desk and reached to ring for one of the servants. Antoinette and Juliette needed to be made aware of this, and a plan started to deal with what answers were unearthed, as well as collecting the necessary funds for a ransom. There was little doubt in Nicolette's mind that a ransom would be demanded; whether it was monetary or something less... tangible, she could only guess.
Once the servant appeared and received his orders, retreating from the study, the Crown Princess sat back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose, her mind wandering down the lanes of possibilities. Was there any conceivable chance that Benoit was behind this, or worse, Stephane? Nicolette would not put it past them to arrange it from afar, citing the distance as a reason for innocence. Or was it the damned Crown Prince of Lindblum, eager to resurrect the ages-old war between their lands?
She could speculate but without more information, that was all she had - speculation. For now, all she could do was wait for her sisters to arrive.
---
@antoinettedeveraux