The guard reached for his radio as Marco ran upstairs. He poked his head into his bedroom, but it appeared to be untouched, as expected. He ran down the hall, opening every unlocked door and peering in just to make sure. But there was no sign of Sabrina. Panic filled him.
She was already nervous about being here and then all of that happened with Magdalena, he thought. She's probably devastated and trying to figure out a way off of the island.
Marco quickly descended the stairs and approached the same guard. “I need you to call me when you locate her. Search everywhere. It's important that I find her as soon as possible.”
“Of course, sir, we're on it,” the guard replied.
Marco's gut clenched into a ball of anxiety. His love for Sabrina was stronger than even he had realized and the thought of her being upset pained him beyond belief. This wasn't how he had hoped things would turn out. And there was only one person to blame.
Magdalena, he thought, as the image of the queen put a scowl on his face.
“That rotten bitch,” he whispered.
While the guards began the search for Sabrina, Marco marched straight toward his father's chambers.
I'm going to get to the bottom of this right now, he thought.
With his blood boiling, Marco pushed open the double doors that led into King Carlo's chambers. He found Carlo and Magdalena seated at a large table near the back of the room. Carlo looked a bit flustered, while Magdalena sat with a contented smile on her face. The expression made Marco even angrier as he walked toward them.
“My fiancée is missing, thanks to you,” Marco growled, as he stared blatantly at Magdalena.
“Such a shame,” she said, sarcastically. “I suppose everything happens for a reason, though. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.”
Marco walked up and slammed his fist down on the center of the table. “Thi
s has gone too far!”
“Marco, I understand that you're upset,” Carlo said, in his calm tone. “But don't feed the fire. Just take a seat and we'll work through this.”
“I can't sit and do nothing,” Marco said. “Sabrina is nowhere to be found.”
“She's likely taken a walk to clear her head,” Carlo said, patting his son on the shoulder. “There's nothing to worry about. Have you told the guards to look for her?”
“Yes.” Marco ran his fingers through his hair and looked upward in despair. “They're searching.”
“Then it's out of your hands.” Carlo squeezed his shoulder. “So just relax.”
Marco sighed and then faced forward, catching Magdalena's gaze. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why the queen had made it her life mission to make his life a living hell. And why she hated commoners so much was another thing that he just couldn't wrap his head around. It just didn't make sense to him that she could put so much energy into something that really didn't affect her.
“Father, I apologize for any way that I've acted out of line today or for anything I've said,” Marco leaned forward and put his palms onto the table. “But all that I want is to be able to marry the woman I love. She's an amazing girl, commoner or not, and she's the one who I want to spend my life with. Why does this have to be such an issue?”
Carlo swallowed and looked down at the table. Magdalena was still smirking, as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. The room was filled with silence.
“What's going on? Why isn't anyone saying anything?” Marco asked.
“Go ahead, Carlo, tell him,” Magdalena said, looking amused as could be. “Why don't you tell him the law?”
“Magdalena, you agreed that you'd be civil,” Carlo said, his voice catching . He coughed twice. “If you continue to be domineering, then I will not allow you to participate in this conversation.”
Marco smiled on the inside, as Carlo put Magdalena in her place. It was nice to see once a while, since she was usually the one running the show since he fell ill.
“All I was saying is that you should tell Marco he should repeat his childhood laws more often,” Magdalena said, faking an innocent voice. “It's very important.”
“What in the hell is she talking about?” Marco asked.
“The Law of Princely Marriage,” Carlo said softly. “It states that a prince or princess cannot marry someone who is not of royal blood.”
Marco's stomach dropped. “What are you talking about? I can marry whomever I choose.”