9. The Hot Spring

Thorn arrived at the garrison first thing in the morning. He had received a note, carried by a royal raven and marked with a black wax seal, sent by Hugo.

“My prince,” Hugo came to his side when Thorn entered the yard, “They’ve been locked in the dungeon and are ready for you.”

Thorn nodded and asked, “Where were they found?”

“At a farm house, located at the edge of King’s Harbor. We discovered many signs indicating that the house has been unoccupied for quite a long time—rusty pots, dried-up drains, and a messy backyard. And this…” Hugo pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and showed it to Thorn, “I found it inside a hollowed-out pit. It was concealed by a wooden board under a bed. They claim they didn’t even know about its existence.”

Thorn glanced at the paper, slightly furrowing his brow. It seemed to be Leila’s birth certificate. On it, her name and birth date were clearly marked, but all information about both of her birth parents had been scratched off. No matter a pure bloo