23

I held my hands tightly as I stood beside Mom who was holding the letter. My father and King Ricardo finally arrived, and they looked at Mom with curious faces. The Queen doesn’t usually summon us for a meeting, let alone a sudden one. Queen Josephine then arrived with Althea and Thomas who both looked at me with curious faces as well. My expression was nervous than ever, and it still might be obvious that I cried. Keith walked beside me and poked my back.

“What’s this about?” he curiously asked. I remained quiet and just smiled at him. Finally, Mom took a few steps forward to get their attention. She took a few deep breaths and tried her best not to make her voice shake from the incoming tears. My Dad noticed this which made him uncomfortable. I could see the uneasiness in his eyes and stance.

“My daughter, Ruthy, approached me the other day to ask for my help. I understood right away why she approached me out of all people. It was a matter that involved the family of Wilhem,” Mom started. King Ricardo and Queen Josephine immediately looked at me. I walked to Mom and held her shaking hands, but mine were shaking as well. I breathed and lifted my head.

“I’ve always wanted the best for my second family, and I would do everything I can to always make them happy. They have done so many things for us, and I want to find a way to express my gratitude to them,” I said, looking at each one of them. They don’t seem to understand what we were trying to say, but they didn’t cut us off. I looked at Mom and she gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my hand.

“The other day, I accidentally saw Noah in his room who just got out of the bathroom. What shocked me is that…I saw a scar on his back that looked like a wound from a fire accident,” I continued. This was the moment Queen Josephine’s expression changed. She walked to King Ricardo and clung to his arm.

“Of course, I was concerned on how he got it, so I asked Ford, his uncle, about his past. Ford told me that his mother, who was working in a different country that time, came home one day with Noah, stating that they will take care of him from now on. It was suspicious since his mother didn’t have any adoption papers or any legal proof of being Noah’s guardian,” my voice was shaking so much because I could feel the hot tears building up in my eyes.

“Ruthy? What is the meaning of this?” King Ricardo finally spoke, but his voice was so gentle that I didn’t feel nervous for a few seconds. I squeezed Mom’s hand once again. I looked at King Ricardo and Queen Josephine as I continued speaking.

“I asked my Mom for help, to get DNA tests. I wanted an answer to my impossible question. I wanted to know if Noah…could actually be Brylle,” my voice finally broke, and I heard Queen Josephine gasp. Mom finally stepped forward again, releasing my hand as I cover my mouth from horribly sobbing.

“It is true. Josephine’s and Althea’s DNA matched with Noah’s DNA,” Mom said in a voice so whole. I heard Althea shout, but when I lifted my head, they all looked at us with shocked and doubtful faces. King Ricardo slowly walked to Mom who was giving them the letter. As King Ricardo read the letter, he started quietly crying. He covered his mouth with his hands as he began sobbing. He turned around to Queen Josephine who had Dad beside her now and nodded.

“I-it’s true. O-our son…is alive,” he spoke in such a low and sad voice as he reached out to Queen Josephine. Queen Josephine took his hand and walked to us, reading the letter herself. She fell to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably. King Ricardo, who was embracing her, can’t help but to cry as well. Mom caressed Queen Josephine’s hair and comforted her, as Dad walked to us and rubbed King Ricardo’s back. I turned to Althea and Thomas to see their reactions, but Althea was suddenly unconscious in Thomas’ arms. I ran to her side.

“Althea!” I called to her with my crying voice. I looked at Thomas’ face, but he was too stunned to even say a word. Althea kept breathing heavily and she was starting to cry. When she opened her eyes, she wailed. She wrapped her arms around me and cried her heart out. I rubbed her back and buried my face on her shoulder. This is too over-whelming. For 12 years, they thought that Brylle was dead. The King and Queen thought they had lost their son, and Thomas and Althea thought they lost their oldest brother. At first, I thought they were going to get angry at me for meddling with their family matters, but I had pure intentions. It was all so sudden to me as well, but I did everything I could in a nick of time to provide the answer I needed.

“Ask Noah to come here immediately,” Dad ordered one of the maids who was quietly standing by the door. She immediately got out and dashed to the kitchen. I helped Althea stand up and held her arm. She had her head down, but I could still hear her crying. Thomas was behind us, but I could feel his tensed body and unstable breathing. A minute later, Noah arrived panting. It looked like he stopped whatever he was doing and ran to the Throne Room immediately. He looked at us with an anxious expression, probably shocked from our crying faces.

“Yes, Your Majesties?” he carefully asked, standing by the pillar in front of the door. King Ricardo and Queen Josephine slowly stood up.

“Noah, may I request to see the wound on your back?” King Ricardo asked. Noah looked speechless, and he was unsure if the King was serious or not, but neither of us spoke a word and just stared at him. He walked closely and turned his back on us. He slowly unbuttoned his polo and let it fall to his hips. I heard a series of gasps as Noah’s scar was visible to our eyes. His scar was not big, but it was shaped like a slash from a knife. He quickly buttoned his polo back.

“What’s going on, Your Majesty?” he carefully asked. King Ricardo and Queen Josephine quickly embraced him which made Noah freeze. He looked at me shocked, his eyes asking for an explanation, but I couldn’t speak.

“My son…you’re alive, you’ve been alive all these years,” Queen Josephine finally spoke. Noah sharply inhaled, still confused on what’s happening.

“I took a DNA test on you, Queen Josephine, and Princess Althea. It was a match. You’re their missing son,” my Mom bluntly explained. I noticed Noah’s legs weaken, like he was about to fall to his knees, but the King and Queen’s embrace held him high. His eyes started to water, and his hands were shaking, but he slowly hugged Queen Josephine back and buried his face on King Ricardo’s shoulder. Suddenly, Thomas ran out of the room.

“Thomas!” I called to him, but he ignored me. Althea then ran to her parents and embraced Noah as well. Noah flinched from Althea’s arms, but he carefully wrapped his other arm around Althea and pulled her closer to them. I walked to Mom and Dad and they started hugging me. Keith sat on his seat on the platform, his hand on his hair, looking over-whelmed and speechless. Their sobbing continued for at least 20 minutes, and when they finally calmed down, they started to talk to Noah. Althea searched the room, probably looking for Thomas, but when her eyes met mine, I shook my head. Queen Josephine suddenly walked to me and pulled me for a tight hug.

“You made our family complete again, Ruthy…I am forever grateful to you,” she softly whispered to my ears and kissed my cheek as she hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back. I looked at my parents and they watched me with proud and honorable expressions, but I suddenly noticed a figure by the door that I didn’t notice was slightly opened. It was Ford. He was standing there the whole time, watching us.