Raised From The Wild-Chapter 427: The Forbidden Place

Asteria Palace.

While Marx met with King Duncan and Crown Prince Ibarra, Princess Amaya visited the queen’s chamber.

The queen stood on the balcony, looking at the blooming flowers in the garden below, when she heard the door open. Looking back, she saw that it was Amaya. She smiled and gestured for her granddaughter to stand beside her.

"How are you, Grandma?" Amaya asked gently.

"I’m fine, Aya. The tea you made me last time is doing wonders. I always have a good night’s sleep, and I feel I am growing younger instead of older." Queen Lucinda laughed heartily.

Her lady-in-waiting was startled to hear the queen laugh. When was the last time she heard her queen laugh like that? A long time ago, she could not remember.

Amaya’s gaze lingered on the blooms below them before shifting her gaze to her, the Queen of Lireya. In her early sixties, she became more active with the kingdom’s matters than in the last fifteen years.

She hosted charity balls and fundraising activities to support the country’s orphans and less fortunate people. The queen, who was thought to be chronically ill, mysteriously recovered with the return of the first princess of Lireya. Thus, Lireyans once again had a glimpse of their kind and gentle queen before the marriage of their crown prince.

"Grandma, I had found my father’s diary from one of the chests I had given Marx. From there, I learned of a forbidden place in the kingdom where Daddy grew up. Can I see the place, Grandma?" Amaya asked, her eyes hopeful.

When Queen Lucinda heard about the forbidden place, her smile vanished, replaced by melancholy and regret; she, as a mother, had wronged Ibrahim.

"Alright. Come, my dear." Queen Lucinda, assisted by her lady-in-waiting, led Amaya to the north gate. They passed through a two-meter-high maze of hedges before entering a secret door, a small opening in the massive brick fence.

It was hidden behind half a dozen two-meter-high hedges.

When they reached the other side, Amaya was greeted by a quaint house that looked like a country cottage. The color blended with the background, so you couldn’t tell whether it was a big or small house.

On the left side was a big playground. The swing, slide, and monkey bar were well-maintained. A rock wall designed for children to climb and rockery added to the playground’s appeal.

"While this place was called Forbidden Place, this had become a favorite outing destination of the young ones. When I was sick, they made the excuse of visiting their grandma, but what they wanted really was to play."

Another laugh from the queen.

"Duncan had a few big tree houses built at the back, where your nephews and nieces, even the grandchildren of the ministers serving in your father’s court, would be treated for accomplishments in school or to celebrate jungle-themed birthday parties."

Queen Lucinda led her inside the house, where an expansive living room greeted them. The ground floor had six rooms, a dining room, and a kitchen.

Amaya’s attention shifted to the side, to a stair leading to the second floor. A massive wooden door hid whatever was behind it.

"This is Ibrahim’s bedroom." The queen opened the third door on the ground floor. "He did not like this room when he was little. He only slept here when he started high school. The second door was Ibarra’s room when he stayed the night here. The first one is mine."

Amaya glanced around the room, but her mind was elsewhere. She followed the steps to the second floor, and her grandmother and the servant followed closely behind her.

The door was locked. Queen Lucinda handed her the key.

When the door opened, what greeted Amaya was a large space without a partition. The second floor which was half the size of the ground floor, was an entire room.

At the far end was a king-sized bed—it must have been where Ibrahim slept. Beside it, nestled against the wall, was a large cabinet displaying different children’s toys. Some were expensive cars and planes, and some were wood models.

Princess Amaya approached the cabinet and noticed the engravings on the wooden sculpture. Ibrahim was seven when he started sculpting. At first, the sculptures were that of animals, crude and not polished well. But they progressed to better looking ones, then her gaze landed to a sculptor of a chubby girl with two pig tails.

Danaya, her mother.

There were a few of them. Her father must have sculpted her on her birthdays as she noticed the slight difference in appearance.

Just like he painted her each year on her birthday.

She picked up the first sculpture and read the engravings. Danaya was seven.

"Ibrahim changed when Danaya accidentally discovered this place. I did not know at first. Of course, I was happy that Ibrahim was no longer aloof and taciturn."

Amaya carefully returned the sculpture and turned around.

The wall opposite the windows was full of framed drawings: sketches, watercolors, and oil paintings featuring two boys and a girl and, occasionally, cats and dogs.

"When I was sick, I used to stay here. It made me feel better."

Queen Lucinda walked to the corner and took an album from the open shelf.

"This is Ibrahim’s artwork when he was supposed to be in primary school. He did not attend school but was tutored here in this house instead." Queen Lucinda’s voice was tinged with melancholy.

"He asked me once how come his brother could come to school, could go out and attend children’s parties, but he could only stay here."

Amaya, flipping through Ibrahim’s sketchbook, paused and looked back at her grandmother; the lines on her forehead deepened as she furrowed her brows. Her eyes were closed, but tears were streaming from them.

Amaya put back the sketchbook and hugged the queen.

"How could I tell him that it was because he was born fifteen minutes later that his fate was sealed? Either he was killed or hidden. How can I allow him to die? I threatened your grandfather with my life so Ibrahim was allowed to live, and this..." Queen Lucinda looked around and continued bitterly,

"... has become his prison."