The following moonrise began quietly, almost too quiet for a palace that rarely stayed peaceful for long. Emma was in the family chamber helping Charlotte arrange a collection of drawings across the table when Bryan walked in carrying a dusty wooden box. He placed it carefully beside the drawings, then brushed the dust from his hands while looking at his mother with an expression that made her pause.
"Mother, I found this."
Emma looked up from the drawings and studied the box before looking back at him. "Where did you find it?"
"In one of the old storage chambers near the west wing."
Charlotte immediately forgot about her drawings and leaned closer to the box. "What's inside?"
Bryan shrugged. "I don't know."
Emma smiled at their curiosity, but before either pup could reach for the lid, she pulled the box toward herself. She looked at Bryan again, her fingers resting lightly against the dusty wood. "Where did you get this?"
