The Wicked House of Caroline

Royal guards were yelling all around her, and spread out along the perimeter of the Gilded Palace. Two doctors rushed in along with their attendants to get to Chamberlain Wilton, now laying on the floor, his face pale and glassy eyes looking up at the carved wooden beams.

Beks fell back against one of the walls a little too hard. She grimaced as her body bounced off the stone. Calm down, Beks. No need to actually put yourself in pain. This is all for show.

Her reaction added to how believable her show was, as she let out a wheeze and hunched forward. She clawed at the small canister dangling from her neck, making sure to tremble as she fumbled with it.

Her father knelt down beside her and put his arm around her, half shielding her with his body in case her actions weren’t convincing. “Beks, are you all right?” He snapped his head up and looked around. “Doctor-”

“No!” Beks grabbed onto her father’s hand and choked out her words. “Let them see to Chamberlain Wilton!” Her breathing was shallow as she pretended to shake some pills into her palm. The bottom piece of the canister, where she usually prepared the two pills required for emergencies, was empty.

She brought her hand up to her mouth and tossed her head back, making a show of struggling to swallow the pills, before clutching her chest and panted.

“Don’t move. Count your breathing,” her father urged from above her. “Don’t just stand there!” she heard him yell at someone. “Check the bathing room and the neighboring villas! They couldn’t have gone far!”

“Do what the Duke says!” Luther was standing in the center of the room, making small steps back and forth and then turning in a circle, like a chicken with his head cut off. He didn’t seem to know what to do or what to focus on.

“Your Highness!” Chamberlain Wilton wheezed and raised his hand towards him.

Luther whirled around and scrambled to the old man. “Chamberlain, what’s going on?”

“Your Highness.” One of the doctors frowned as they pressed down on the wound to try to control the bleeding. “We need to get the Chamberlain to the infirmary.”

He said this to try to get Luther out of the way, but Chamberlain Wilton wasn’t ready to go. Not before he said what needed to be said. “I was seeing the clerics out,” he said in between broken breaths. “When I returned....Lady Eleanor had dressed His Majesty.... It was not his robes for sleep. We argued....I tried to stop her....” The man’s eyes were red and wide as he grasped Luther’s arm with a blood-covered hand. “I’ve known her since she was a child. I never expected....” He trailed off and looked down at his bloody torso.

“Where did she take him?” Luther grabbed on to Chamberlain Wilton’s shoulder and would’ve shaken him if the attendants didn’t rush to stop him, reminding him that the old man was injured.

“I don’t know.” Chamberlain Wilton shook his head and his arm felt weakly at his side. “I tried to stop her, Your Highness, but she attacked me. I fell back...I hit my head and when I opened my eyes, they were gone.”

“Didn’t the royal guards hear anything?” Duke Caroline shot to his feet, appearing irritated at the seeming incompetence of the guards. “Why didn’t they come in when they heard arguing?”

Chamberlain Wilton’s breathing was shaking and he let out a hiss as he was lifted up so that a stretcher could slide beneath him. “Guard was light. Most have been assigned to the north wing.”

The north wing of the Gilded Palace was where the complex for ministers and nobles met, and the great hall where court was held. It was precisely the reallocation of the royal guards to the north wing for the transfer of Authority to Rule that gave them an opening.

“King Laurence should’ve been under heavy guard!” Duke Caroline let out a furious yell and some royal guards shrank back.

“Never mind that!” Luther was pulled away by the Third Consort. He looked at the guards who had arrived and were obviously late. “Go and search the palace grounds!”

“Triple the patrol around the perimeter!” Beks grasped onto the wall to steady her as she lifted her head. She knew she was flushed and her fabricated panic had created some sweat across her brow. She continued to tremble and appear as if she were trying to even her breathing and heart as she looked around. “Don’t...don’t let anyone leave. Find them!”

“Beks....” Luther pulled away from his father and knelt down beside her. “We’ll find Brother Laurence, don’t worry. Don’t move. Remember your breathing exercises. Don’t panic!”

She made a point not to use Luther as a measurement of believability, as he would believe her out of concern. It was his father, the Third Consort, and any of their supporters that she had to convince.

She grasped his arm and looked at him. “Deploy all the guards,” she wheezed.

Laurence’s head bobbed up and down. His head snapped up and looked towards the royal guards by the door. “Reassign the guards surrounding the north wing! Aside from my escort, all guards are to search for my brother and Lady Eleanor!”

“I’ve given the order,” the Third Consort told him. “Captain Ryger will oversee the search.” Beside him, a tall man in a formal military uniform saluted Luther.

“Your Highness, I’ve sent a message to recall all guards off duty and will send groups to comb the city. The city gates will be closed at once.”

That would be useful if Lady Eleanor and Laurence were brazenly sneaking out through the city gates. Beks wasn’t sure how Nexus would smuggle the couple out, but she knew that the city was not surrounded by an impenetrable wall. As the city had expanded, the protective walls had been built out and in some cases, never completed or allowed to fall into disrepair, as there hadn’t been a siege, or even a serious threat to the city by foreign powers, in several hundred years.

There were plenty of places to squeeze out of Kadmium, just as there were places she could’ve exploited to sneak out of the palace, had she been more daring as a child. Instead, she had been an obedient little girl too afraid of getting caught or worse, disappointing someone, to leave without telling others.

Part of her wished she had been more rebellious as a child and dared to escape the palace grounds a few times. Perhaps then, taking a risk like relocating the king wouldn’t be so nerve wracking to her.

Chamberlain Wilton was lifted on the stretcher. Luther stepped to the side, looking helplessly at the old man and the blood soaking his clothes as he was carried out by attendants. The Third Consort walked over and put his hand on Luther’s shoulder.

Beks didn’t dare meet his face to see how he was reacting. She didn’t want her own face to give herself away.

“Luther, you must go back to the throne room,” the Third Consort said. “As soon as you left, the room was sealed, and guards kept the nobles from leaving during the panic. They need to be addressed.”

“Father, what do we do?” Luther asked, breathless. “My brother is missing!”

“We’ll need their cooperation,” the Third Consort told him. “Even with all our guards, we will need whatever resources they have to find the king.”

“Then we tell them?” Luther’s voice shot up, as if horrified. “Won’t that send them into a state of panic?”

“We’re already in a state of panic, Your Highness.” The Duke knelt beside Beks and looked up at him with a cold glare. “They will only continue to panic if you imprison them in the throne room without explanation. In this case, your father is right.” He let out a reluctant breath and grit his teeth. “Inform the court and request their understanding.”

“We will need to keep all visiting nobles and ministers here for a few hours while we search the grounds, Your Highness,” Captain Ryger said. “If we can’t find any leads, then they can leave-”

“Check their carriages,” Beks said in a breathless voice. Her eyes were red as she pressed against her chest. “Don’t let them leave without checking the interior and exterior of their carriages. Also, send someone to watch them when they leave the grounds.”

Captain Ryger bowed his head towards her. “Of course, my lady-”

“Lady Rebecca, we are more than prepared to oversee such an emergency.” The Third Consort snapped his head towards her and sneered. “There is no need for you to give further instruction. You are neither part of the royal guard nor a member of this family. We will oversee the search ourselves.”

Beks’ face darkened as her eyes narrowed. “Brother Laurence is not only my king, but my foster brother. I will not remain quiet and do nothing while he is missing!”

Luther lifted his hands to try to calm her down, but the Third Consort stepped in front of him. “I will remind you that you are only the fiancée of my son, Lady Rebecca. How can you be trusted? The King’s fiancée attacked the Chamberlain and kidnapped the King from his bed! How are we to know that you aren’t conspiring with her?”

“Third Consort Hessing, does my daughter look like she is conspiring with her?” Duke Caroline rose to his feet and took a threatening step forward, making the Third Consort take a step back on instinct. The Duke seethed as he pointed to Beks on the floor. “Do you think my daughter would fake an attack and put her health at risk?”

“Father, I’m familiar with Beks’ attacks,” Luther said as he squeezed in front of his father and pulled him further away from the furious duke. “Beks’ isn’t pretending.” He swallowed hard and knelt down in front of her. “Beks, stay here and calm down. The royal guard will search the grounds.”

“Luther, you just received Authority to Rule. You must go back to the throne room and calm them,” the Third Consort said between gritted teeth as he grabbed his son’s arm and forced him up.

For a moment, Luther seemed torn. He looked down at Beks with pity and concern, but closed his eyes and nodded. He turned towards the Duke. “Your Grace, please stay with Beks. I need to return to speak to the nobles.”

“You needn’t tell me how to care for my daughter, Your Highness.” Duke Caroline glared at Luther as Luther lowered his head. He turned away and quickly walked out of the room, as if unable to meet their gazes.

The Third Consort walked out, casting one last suspicious glance at Beks before leaning in towards Captain Ryger. “Don’t let her out of the room until the nobles leave.”

Captain Ryger jerked his head back and seemed a bit uncertain, but nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

The double doors to Laurence’s bed chambers closed and the Duke looked at the remaining guards. “Don’t just stand there! Did you check the bathing room? What about the courtyard? Did you already check this room for any clues?” The guards stumbled around themselves, appearing unsure what to do as the Duke helped Beks on to the edge of Laurence’s bed.

“I need some time alone,” Beks said in a quiet, raspy voice as her father leaned over her. He gave her a subtle nod.

“You there, did you check the windows in the bathing room?” Her father half dragged the two remaining guards into the other room before gently calling to her from it. “Beks, stay here and rest. Don’t force yourself or your attack will come back.”

Beks gave him a shaky nod of her head as her father pulled the bathing room’s doors closed. The exhausted expression she wore dropped. She stood up from the edge of the bed, still rubbing her chest.

Despite faking the entire attack, her heart rate had shot up under the adrenaline of the ordeal. Her counting her breaths to even them out wasn’t completely without reason. However, the slight strain on her heart and breathing with such excitement wasn’t anywhere near enough to trigger a real attack.

Nor was it anywhere near as painful as a real one.

She walked to the main doors and turned a latch to lock the door. She then went to the bathing pool and turned a similar latch to keep the door closed. She didn’t want anyone to come in while she was retrieving what Laurence left behind for her.

Beks checked the windows. All of them were locked and the heavy curtains were drawn. Lady Eleanor must’ve drawn them so no one would see her preparing Laurence for the relocation.

With all the possible entry points secured, Beks rushed to the side of the bed. The sheets and blankets were wrinkled and in some areas stained with blood from Chamberlain Wilton. Beks made a mental note of how it all appeared before grabbing the sheets hanging off the side and throwing them over the bed.

The mattress was made of thick fabric stuffed with down feathers and layers of quilted cotton. Though heavy and thick, lifting a side of it wasn’t too difficult for her. Still, it was too rigid to fold over, so Beks let it rest against her back as she sat on the wood bedframe and moved aside the wooden slats to get to the board beneath it.

As soon as she moved some of the slats, she made out a small hole just enough for a key. She dug into a pocket sewn into the front of her bodice and retrieved the key that Lady Eleanor had given her. She leaned forward and listened as she inserted the key and turned. A small click was heard, and she used the key to lift up the plank that was the lid to the compartment beneath the bed.

Beks placed it aside and craned her neck. The compartment was deep, likely almost nearing the floor. It was as long as her fingertips to her elbows, but only as wide as her head. It was unembellished, with no soft velvet lining or ornate woodwork, but it held a bounty.

She recognized gold plats one finger long, two fingers wide, and as thick as two gold coins. These gold plats were very common amongst merchants for transport and she’d seen wealthy individuals use them to pay for high value items in the city. In fact, when she went out with Luther when she was younger, Laurence would give her one gold plat as ‘spending money’.

She could’ve bought a small homestead with a single piece.

Like the plats he’d given her before, these were unmarked and could easily be exchanged for coins at any bank or merchant guild anywhere in the continent. Beks grasped the bottom of her dress skirt and lifted it up to reveal her white petti skirt.

She’d told her mother that Laurence had left something she needed to retrieve in his bedchamber, so her mother had spent the night before sewing pockets onto the inner layers of her petti skirt. Beks couldn’t carry out whatever he had left her; she’d be questioned and the items risked being confiscated. Budging pockets would also give her away and she could only stuff so many gold plats into her cleavage.

In order to hide the items, she’d have to smuggle them out in something guards wouldn’t think, or dare, to check: her petti skirt. They weren’t large pockets and fit a single gold plat in each perfectly.

Did Mommy know that there was gold waiting for me? Beks drew her head back, but shook it. Gold plats were the most convenient and easy to use currency, so it must’ve not been a surprise. Her mother had sewn so many little pockets all over her petti skirt, that there had been enough for the small cache of twenty or so gold plats Laurence had left.

Beks stood up and let her skirt fall into place. She turned in her spot, testing to see if the weight of the gold would affect its movement and give her away.

It didn’t.

Satisfied, Beks continued to shift through the papers left. There were land deeds, a list of private accounts at different guilds and banks, as well as a stack of letters bound tightly in a woman’s ribbon.

Beks narrowed her eyes. Part of her wasn’t sure if she should unravel it, but she couldn’t risk missing something important. She took a deep breath and pulled one of the ribbon ends. She unfolded the topmost letter, skimmed the first sentence, and almost folded it and returned it to its spot.

She grit her teeth.

They were love letters from Lady Eleanor. Private letters that should’ve only been read by the writer and the receiver. She had no business reading them.

But what if I miss something? Clues to something important? A royal secret I’d need to utilize one day?

Rebecca of Caroline was nothing, if not thorough with her work. Bracing herself, she looked back at the letters.

Her face heated up. Contrary to Lady Eleanor’s appearance, she was quite a writer and...graphic.

Beks had read romance novels that were less stimulating. One by one, she’d hurriedly speed read each letter, silently praying she wouldn’t have to read another description of what part of Laurence Lady Eleanor missed ‘with such fervor’ when she opened the next one. She let out a small whimper.

She was their sister! She didn’t want to read these.

She had been hungry, too, and now her appetite was gone.

After what seemed like hours, during which part of her hoped someone would come to disturb her, she’d finished reading the letters. Beks stacked them together and wrapped the ribbon around them and double knotted them.

She all but threw the stack back into the box. She didn’t need to bring those with her. It would be perfectly fine for someone else to suffer if the letters were found. Besides, hiding love letters in a secret compartment could be considered normal and no one would think the secret compartment was hiding something else. It would be a good way to diffuse suspicion.

Beks folded up the list of accounts and land deeds and tucked them into her petti skirt pockets. She then picked up the leather folio pressed against the side of the compartment.

She furrowed her brows as she recognized the royal seal embossed on the leather cover. This was a Royal Order. She tilted her head to the side and opened the folio.

Her heart swelled as she recognized Laurence’s familiar writing. Elegant, long strokes in straight lines. Clear characters, straight and to the point, but it was what the folio said.

It was a royal order canceling her engagement to Luther by breaking the original royal order. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced at the date it was prepared. It had been written shortly after the late Queen passed.

Her shoulders fell as her eyes began to water.

Her foster brother’s earliest act as king was to prepare for her freedom should something happen to him.

She drew her lips inward and clutched the folio against her as she took a deep breath. With it pinched under her arm, she reached under her skirt and shuffled her petti skirt around. Her mother hadn’t sewn a pocket large enough for a royal order folio, so she created one by ripping some layers and tying a pocket. She secured the folio on her person and then covered the compartment with the lid and locked it.

She replaced the bed slats, let the mattress fall back on top, and then spent some time arranging the sheets to look tousled from a fight, but still tucked in. She didn’t know how long it would be until someone came to check on her, but she unhitched the latches on both doors and then found a spot against the bed to sit while draping her arm dramatically over the side of the bed.

On one hand, she wanted someone to come quickly so she could return to the Old Tower, but on the other, she couldn’t help but be concerned that Lady Eleanor and Laurence were caught. The workman’s tunnels were like a maze connecting to areas of the grounds that would be unexpected, and to escape to the rendezvous point Beks instructed, Lady Eleanor would have to carry Laurence over her shoulders deep beneath the Gilded Palace, out beneath the Old Tower, and then to ancient sanitation tunnels leading out of the palace grounds.

As soon as they met with Mr. Kesse, Laurence could begin to absorb biha properly.

But once Lady Eleanor dropped off Laurence, she’d need to sneak out of the palace grounds and make a point to be sighted, but not caught, in order to lead pursuers away from the city. Beks comforted herself with the knowledge that Nexus would ensure their successful escape.

As long as she could keep the kingdom together and make Luther do his work properly, then Laurence would have a kingdom to get back to when he was healed.

She closed her eyes. If she couldn’t; if any power she had was taken away, then there was no reason for her to remain and she could make use of Laurence’s royal order, break the engagement, and return home to Sagittate with her family to plan for Laurence’s reclamation campaign of the kingdom.

The Third Consort had taken such pains to get his son on the throne. Beks doubted they’d give it all up, even if Luther were willing.

“Beks?” Her father’s voice came from the door to the bathing pool. “Are you all right?”

“Da-ahem.” She let out a small cough and purposely weakened her voice. “Daddy? Is there any news?”

The Duke of Caroline entered, first pausing to make sure nothing was amiss before he walked in. He knelt down beside her. “How are you feeling, my dear?”

Knowing that there were royal guards following him in, Beks didn’t stray from her weak, recovering character. She lifted her head and shook it from side to side. “I can’t believe Lady Eleanor would take him. There must be some mistake.”

Her father feigned a sympathetic expression and reached down to stroke her hair back. “Chamberlain Wilton was seriously injured and witnessed her take His Majesty.”

“But she loves him,” Beks choked out.

“Let me see my daughter!” A woman’s voice shouted from the other door. “What do you mean you can’t let her out? Are you imprisoning her? On what charges?”

Duke Caroline rose to his feet and went to open the door. “My love-”

“Where is she?” Duchess Caroline shoved one of the guards in front of the door to the side as she rushed in. “Beks?”

“Mom, it couldn’t have been Lady Eleanor! She must’ve been coerced or threatened or perhaps it was someone disguised as Lady Eleanor?” Beks began to ramble and the Duchess gathered her in her arms. She turned to the guards with a berating expression.

“I am taking her back to the Old Tower.”

“Your Grace, the Third Consort said-”

“Is the Third Consort the king?” The Duchess’ voice rose and even Beks, with her face buried in her mother’s shoulder, tensed up. “How quickly you forget that your king is surnamed dun Kadmus and not Hessing!”

Flustered, the royal guards offered to escort them back. Her parents helped her stand and stood on either side of her as they led her back to the Old Tower. Beks maintained her state of shock as her mother alternated from soothing her to criticizing the royal guards’ lack of ability to allow such a thing to happen.

The guards followed all the way up to Beks’ bedchamber and her mother saw her in, slamming the door and shutting the guards out. Protocol wouldn’t allow them into her room unless it was an emergency, so they hadn’t appeared to be planning to enter, but Beks was sure they’d guard her door.

Beks knew that the Third Consort was wary of them.

Her mother touched the Leviathan scale to muffle their voices as Beks removed the folio from under her petti skirt layers and fell back onto her bed, tired.

The Duchess raised a brow and looked at her. “Of the many classes you were forced to take,” her mother said. “Was theater a mandatory one?”

The corner of Beks’ lips raised a bit as she closed her eyes. “Strict upbringing creates good liars,” she said. “And none of them had as strict an upbringing as I.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

The Third Consort’s reaction was as Beks expected.

Under the guise of concerns for her health, Beks was confined to the Old Tower. Once nobles were allowed to leave the palace grounds, her parents and siblings were allowed out, but Deo said they were followed the entire time.

When Beks first tried to leave the Old Tower to go to the Gilded Palace, she had been turned away.

“His Highness Prince Luther is concerned that you have had too much of a shock the last few days and wishes for you to recover safely, my lady,” they’d told her. The royal guards had appeared almost embarrassed to turn her away, so she didn’t trouble them. After all, it wasn’t their decision.

She didn’t doubt that Luther was concerned, but he wouldn’t have the foresight to insist that she take a few more days to recover. Beks had smiled, praised Luther’s thoughtfulness, and returned to the Old Tower under the watchful eye of royal guards following her.

They guarded her bedroom door, lingered around the great hall of the Old Tower, and patrolled around the building and garden. They wouldn’t let her leave the palace grounds with her family, either. She only had a few servants in the Old Tower, but they’d been replaced one morning. If rumors didn’t say that she was recovering from the shock of Laurence in a coma and then finding out he had been kidnapped, Beks was sure observers would think she was imprisoned and being isolated.

The Old Tower’s urapearl in her study was broken, as well. One of the new maids profusely apologized, saying that she was cleaning and bumped into it, knocking it onto the floor. Urapearls didn’t break easily and even when they cracked, they could still be used. That urapearl could not hold biha at all, according to her mother.

It must’ve been broken on purpose. The head servant now in charge of cleaning and cooking assured her that they’d have it replaced, but that had been almost a week earlier and every time she asked, they claimed they were having difficulties procuring another urapearl.

They were rare, but not so rare that the royal family couldn’t get one immediately.

In addition, Beks had made a point to ask multiple times every day if they had found Laurence or had any leads, despite having already confirmed that he had been given to Mr. Kesse and was on his way to Sagittate using the small urapearl hidden in her room.

Her attempts to enter the Gilded Palace were stopped, her requests were being ignored, but they couldn’t shut her out forever.

They could only use the excuse of Luther wanting her to recover for so long. If they wanted to keep her from governance, they’d have to produce a better excuse. The longer they shut her out, the longer Luther would be forced to reckon with his inability. Sooner or later, his incompetence would show.

Laurence’s relocating caught them by surprise, after all. Luther and the Third Consort had no time to prepare for a smooth transition without her. If Beks wasn’t a suspicious party, then they’d use her a bit longer. However, the Third Consort’s people, the royal guards, and nobles with military connections hadn’t found Laurence yet.

At best, there had been sightings of Lady Eleanor leaving Kadmium and going southeast of the city. They had suspected that she would rendezvous with her father, Marquis von Glasser, outside the city as he was on his way to Kadmium, but Marquis von Glasser had also gone missing. He was not at the inn where he was last sighted and even his men escorting him seemed to have disappeared.

Beks had arranged for Nexus to intercept him before he reached Kadmium, as he’d be imprisoned immediately and could risk becoming the scapegoat for Laurence’s relocation. Lady Eleanor was risking her life; Beks couldn’t let her father be punished. As for the von Glasser march and their family, at most, they would be forced into temporary confinement and the march placed under the control of the local viscount.

The Third Consort was under a lot of strain, and thus, so would Luther, and he would naturally seek help from someone he usually went to.

Her father smiled as he sat down across from her and took out a small Leviathan scale from his pocket. He placed it on the table between them and activated it with a brush of his fingers. “You don’t need to request an audience with him. As things are, he will come see you soon.”

Beks tilted her head to the side. “So soon?”

Her father let out a small scoff and smirked. “Watching him hold court is like watching a child pretend to do his father’s job for a day,” he replied as he poured some cider from a carafe on the center table between him and Beks. “He’ll nod. Appears as if he’s listening, and will tell the court that he will review their concerns, but he hasn’t given any answers or firm opinions of his own, let alone announced any approvals. Nobles are growing irritated and are starting to feel as if their words are falling on deaf ears.”

Beks frowned and narrowed her eyes. If she didn’t know that there were important issues that needed to be dealt with and required immediate approval to be implemented, she wouldn’t be so upset. Perhaps she would even enjoy the court’s criticism of Luther, however, the consequences of his inaction would make vulnerable citizens suffer.

“There were piles of pre-approved projects and requests that were on Laurence’s desk. All Luther has to do is give them formal approval and submit it to court,” she said with a frown.

“Many nobles mentioned that and he claimed that he wanted do a secondary review so he understands the needs of the people. A few nobles were very vocal about hurrying him, as some things can’t wait,” her father replied after a sip of his mug. “Food is needed after flooding in the northern basin delayed the farming season. A new batch of weapons ordered to replace aging ones should already be in production, but approval for implementation has yet to be given. Repairs to roads, tax postponements to disaster-struck regions, and the like that shouldn’t need further review haven’t been addressed.”

Beks closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what’s going through their mind. The Third Consort should know that any delay would only make Luther look bad in front of the court.”

“The Third Consort wants his son to be productive and to do the work himself so others can’t accuse him of not knowing what he’s doing and relying on someone else,” the Duke said, referring to her as the ‘someone else’. “The Third Consort is also completely focused on finding King Laurence right now, so guiding his son seems less of a priority. He insists it is his responsibility as he is part of the royal family.”

“Is he trying to find Brother Laurence or hunting him and Lady Eleanor down?”

“I’m sure it’s the same thing. He wants to do it all himself so he has control. If they find the King or Lady Eleanor, who can step in to stop him from doing what he wants to them?”

Beks took a deep breath and leaned back against the sofa, her brows furrowed in thought. At the moment, the Third Consort was focused on finding Laurence as a missing king was a dangerous variable. She was confident that Laurence wouldn’t be caught, but she wasn’t so certain of what the Third Consort would do to her.

Having been identified as the Daughter with Dawn in Her Hair who was destined to bring the kingdom to prosperity should’ve guaranteed that she had value, and would be kept safe, as well as utilized, as she had been in the past.

But now, there was a new oracle who had already claimed she had been misidentified. Her loyalty was clearly to Laurence to the point that the Third Consort suspected her. Luther was sleeping with another woman despite their engagement, and she was being visibly restrained from power.

Beks couldn’t help but be uncertain about her position, and considering that she was being kept away from the work she’d been doing for years, she was in an alarming situation.

At the same time, Luther needed her experience and expertise to get things done, otherwise the delay would anger the nobles and ministers. She was still contemplating her options when, as her father said, Luther arrived.

He was a bit thinner with sunken eyes and looked stressed.

“Your Highness.” Beks stood up from where she was seated and lowered the copied notes on Great Oracle histories she’d been reading. “Are you all right? You look exhausted.” She motioned for him to take a seat and Luther extended his hand to take hers. She helped him sit down and then poured him some cider. “Drink.”

He cupped the cup with both hands and gave her a thankful look. “Thank you, Beks.” He brought the cup to his lips and took a long drink before lowering his hands. “How are you feeling?”

She gave him a wry smile. “Still worried. Has there been any word on Brother Laurence?”

He gave her a forlorn shake of his head. “No, not yet.”

Her shoulders fell and she looked down, not bothering to show her disappointment. “That’s what the guard said this afternoon. I’m scared for him.”

Luther nodded and lowered his head, as well. “I forgot how much work Brother did. There is so much to do. The papers on my desk have only increased.”

Beks inwardly snorted. Was he complaining? Didn’t he know what it meant to have Authority to Rule? It wasn’t just power and glory, it was responsibility and work.

She nodded. “That’s why I wanted to return to my duties. I can’t sit around doing nothing. All I’ll think about is Brother Laurence and Lady Eleanor.... And I know you could use my help but....” She softened her voice to appear hurt. “Why did you ban me from entering the Gilded Palace?”

Luther shifted his eyes, avoiding hers. “My father and I were worried that you could get another attack. You’ve had more in the last few weeks than you had in the last year. That can’t be good for your health,” he said. He seemed to mean it as his eyes met hers. “I restricted your entry so you could recover.”

Beks pursed her lips. “How long do you plan to restrict me? Only by working can I distract myself and put my mind at ease. At the very least, I can do something for the people instead of worrying about whether or not Brother Laurence is getting the biha he needs or fretting over Lady Eleanor’s actions.”

“I understand that, Beks, but I also don’t want to depend on you too much.”

“Depending on me is why we’re engaged,” Beks reminded him. “I am here to support you.” She stressed the last sentence and could see the guilt on his face. He looked away once more.

“My father is worried that if you continue to be so involved, I’ll become too dependent on you and won’t learn to rule on my own. That will only damage my reputation and the governance of the kingdom.” He let out a heavy sigh and looked at her, beseeching. “I know my knowledge is lacking, Beks. I need to learn and do work on my own. I don’t want to always trouble you. You’ve done so much already.”

At the very least, Luther recognized that much. However, her priority was to ensure that the kingdom didn’t fall apart yet. She still had a chance to keep it running. “Assisting the royal family is what I was brought up to do. I can help you.”

Luther hesitated, appearing to weigh the situation in his mind. After a few moments, he nodded and met her clear gaze. “I don’t know where to start, Beks. Even if it’s for a little while, can you help me?”

“As long as I can help the people, I will do what I can,” Beks told him solemnly. His face lit up and he grasped her hands, squeezing them tightly.

“Thank you, Beks! I’ll send proposals and documents here. I’ll leave them to you to prepare the notations as you did in the past. I will approve them once I review the notations. When you’re done, summon a royal guard to bring the documents to me.”

Beks tilted her head to the side, but didn’t question aloud why she had to summon a guard instead of bringing the documents to him herself. Was he still prohibiting her from entering the Gilded Palace?

“I am sure you’ll start to understand the proposals and be able to make your own conclusions for them soon,” she said with an empty smile.

“I’ll learn quickly. Until then, I’ll depend on you!” He continued to give her words of reassurance as he stood up and made his way to the exit. Beks remained standing and nodded until she saw him out.

“Are you really going to do all his work for him?” She turned around at the sound of a young voice coming from one of the stairwells. Thad’s face was red and puffed up with anger as he walked out. “If he can’t even approve projects that are ready after a week in power, how long is it going to take for him to actually use his Authority to Rule?”

“I’m not doing all his work for him,” Beks said as she walked back into the great hall and ruffled her younger brother’s hair as she passed. “However, there are many projects that must be implemented as soon as possible, and I can get him started on what to look for.”

Thad scoffed and turned his head away. “I don’t understand how he can be so ignorant of his duties. You’re not a member of the royal family, yet you have more knowledge than he does to rule.”

“My training was Spartan compared to his,” Beks said. “The Third Consort focused on raising him to be social and charismatic.”

“To make alliances with people over actual royal duties?” Thad asked. “I thought those days were over.”

Beks let out a low breath. He made a point; before the late Queen took power, the monarch’s power wasn’t as strong and there was too much dependence on outsiders. Political alliances had taken over and it weakened the influence of the royal family, but kept other nobles strong.

“Even you understand that a weak central power is damaging to a country,” Beks said with some disappointment. “I can’t abandon my duties yet.”

“What if they’re using you?” Thad asked with narrowed eyes. “You shouldn’t trust them.”

“As long as I am able to keep my influence on governance and keep the kingdom running, then I will continue to do so.”

Thad wrinkled his face. “What if you can’t?”

Beks looked at him as if considering such an option wasn’t plausible. “Then, one way or another, I will take it back.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

“What?” Beks looked up from her desk at the Old Tower. Several piles of paper had numerous sheets wedged between their pages. There were ink marks everywhere from where she’d written out notes, underlined passages, and broke down pros and cons. For two weeks, she’d spent countless hours summarizing proposals and projects submitted by the court from the confines of her tower, expecting them to be processed, albeit slowly. “He rejected the tax deferment?”

In order to track the progress of the proposals, her father attended every court meeting and kept her up to date on Luther’s responses.

Duke Caroline stood in front of her desk, as if he were his daughter’s subordinate, and gave her a wry smile. “Tax deferment for the region devastated by wildfires earlier this year has been rejected. Count Veritas argued that King Laurence had pre-approved it and wanted to know why it was suddenly rejected.”

“I would also like to know why it was suddenly rejected,” Beks replied with a frown. There was no way the people in the devastated areas could pay the usual tax. They simply did not have the goods or money to pay. Arresting them was a waste of manpower and giving them fines on top of the taxes would make recovery much more difficult, if not impossible.

“Your fiancé told them that after discussing with you, you have suggested that deferment is unnecessary.”

“He’s blaming me?” Beks slammed her palms on to her desk as she shot up. “I helped draft the proposal!”

“That is what Count Veritas said,” her father told her. “He wants to resubmit the proposal, but Prince Luther has said that his decision is final.”

Beks narrowed her eyes. “What else has he made his decision on?”

“Of the projects and proposals, you asked me to monitor, several popular ones have been approved.”

“All right.”

“To his credit.”

Beks clenched her jaw. “What about the ones he has rejected?”

“To your credit.”

She clawed into the wooden surface of her desk. “So, he is taking credit for things getting done, but anytime something is rejected, it is my fault?” Her father nodded once. “What other things has he rejected?”

“The weapons maintenance has been rejected, as the blacksmiths' sources are too expensive. He said that you suggested they look for cheaper options.”

“The Black Mountain Foundry is considered a royal supplier and has been fixing and supplying several of our legions for the last twenty-five years.” Beks frowned. “Not only are their prices competitive, but their quality is excellent.”

“Food to be sent as emergency relief to both the northern basin and the wildfire areas has been rejected.”

“On what grounds?” Beks frowned.

“There is not enough in the royal granary.”

“The royal granary has never been fuller!” If she hadn’t spent so much time working on the documents in front of her, she would’ve knocked them off her desk in a fury. “Is he trying to undermine me?”

Since the first stack of proposals was brought to her, she’d gone from summarizing them and giving suggestions, to writing pros and cons, to ‘highly suggesting’ whether or not it should be approved because Luther kept returning them with additional questions that eventually boiled down to ‘should I approve this?’

He was never brilliant, but I didn’t expect him to be this stupid. Is he angering me on purpose?

Thus, she expected that he’d follow her suggestions. She also didn’t expect him to take credit for approvals, but put the blame and the anger of nobles on her when it came to rejecting them.

“He is using you as a scapegoat.”

“That much is clear,” Beks said with a frown. “Does he not understand that if I constantly take the blame, I’ll be shut out?”

“He may not have thought that far, but it’s very likely his father has,” Duke Caroline told her. “He can’t deal with you right now and he knows his son is incapable and needs your help. If you’re going to be involved, he might as well make you useful.”

Beks narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t consent to be used by him.”

Her father took a deep breath. “The nobles are restless and are pushing for Prince Luther to lift the order prohibiting us from leaving. It’s been several weeks; he can’t keep it up.”

She raised her eyes to meet her father’s gaze. “Are you going to leave?”

Duke Caroline held her eyes. “With you.” Beks let out a low breath as her arms hung at her sides. Her father looked worried as he stepped forward. “Beks, what reason do you have to remain here if you can do nothing except be used to take the blame for the Fourth Prince’s failings. You know what that will lead to.”

She grit her teeth. She knew, but she’d been so invested. Her entire life, she had a role to play and she was willing to do it for the sake of the kingdom and to mitigate the suffering of the people, which was the most important thing to her and the late Queen. She didn’t want to give up if she still had a chance.

She closed her eyes. “I should talk to Prince Luther.”

She gathered some of the documents, rounded the desk, and walked towards the door. Her father stepped aside without question and didn’t follow as she headed out of the Old Tower. She wanted to know what Luther was thinking and try to explain what would happen if she took all the blame. Did she expect him to sit in the shadows her entire life and do his work for him while he received all the glory while any blame went to her?

That wasn’t an honorable position, that was servitude. And what could she do in such a position? Nothing.

Her eyes narrowed as she stepped outside. The two royal guards stationed at the entrance of the Old Tower perked up as they saw her.

“My lady,” they greeted as they rushed after her. “Where are you going?”

“There is an urgent proposal that must be addressed,” she said without looking back. “I must speak to Prince Luther immediately.”

“My lady, I can take the document to him-”

“There is no time! People are starving and this requires immediate implementation,” she said, turning around to glare at them and she stopped. “Or do you want the deaths of small children on your hands?” The royal guards jerked their heads back and appeared surprised. They hesitated and Beks softened her look. “You should know that I would not break protocol unless there was an emergency,” she told them knowingly. “I have always been devoted to ensuring the wellbeing of Kadmus’ people.”

Years of doing her duty well, and visibly, paid off. Her reputation amongst the palace staff and royal guards was high, which was why even now, when she was confined, they didn’t make things too difficult for her. Guards hadn’t so much raised their voices, let alone touched a hair on her.

The two nodded. “I understand, my lady.” One royal guard walked ahead of her and spoke to the royal guards stationed at the side entrance to the Gilded Palace.

She obtained access faster than she thought and headed for Laurence’s study out of habit. She made it to the hall just before his study door when she stopped and shook her head. Who would she talk to there with Laurence missing?

She turned and walked to Luther’s little used study, hoping that he’d be there.

The halls of the Gilded Palace were surprisingly sparse with guards. Previously, they were stationed not only at entrances, but at major hall intersections, as well as the doors to rooms where a royal was inside of.

Her eyes narrowed as she slowed in front of Luther’s study. The door was closed, but there were no guards. For a moment, she wondered if he wasn’t there. Her other option was to check his villa, but since she was already at his study, she decided to check.

She pushed the door open with several documents in one arm and heard a gasp as the door swung open. Beks stood in place as unimpressed eyes settled on the two people on the other side of Luther’s frustratingly cleared desk. Where was all his work? Where were all the proposals and projects he was supposed to review?

Did he unload all of them on her? She grit her teeth and barely restrained the anger on her face. This useless piece of-

“Beks!” Luther urgently pushed off the young woman on his lap before standing up and attempting to shield her from Beks’ view by standing in front of her. His face was flushed and his hair a bit in disarray. The collar of his shirt was wrinkled and pulled. “What are you doing here?”

Beks raised a brow, but didn’t bother to look at the new oracle that had nearly slid off his lap when she entered. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, no!” Luther seemed to grow even redder as he focused on the documents in her arms. “Beks, you needn’t trouble yourself to bring these here. A guard could’ve carried them.”

Beks walked forward and then tossed the document pile onto his desk. A resounding thud filled the room as the pages sprayed across his desk.

“I think we need to discuss some things, as you seem to have a lot of questions.” Her voice was even and Luther shifted.

“Then, you should’ve had someone send for me to go to the Old Tower. I could’ve come to you.”

Her full lips pulled into a sharp smile. “Are you trying to keep me away from something?”

Luther’s heated face looked down and behind them, the new oracle tried to step forward. “His Highness has been having headaches recently, my lady. I’ve been trying to ease them.”

“With your mouth?”

“Beks!” Luther’s head shot up, horrified. “That’s not-”

“Your Highness, I’m not blind,” Beks replied, her smile becoming almost amused as she watched them grow flustered. “Time and time again, I’ve asked you not to do anything to diminish my influence so I can continue my work without question, and instead, you ban me from the Gilded Palace so you can have an affair with the new oracle.”

“I’m not having an affair!”

“My apologies. Affairs are secret and you both are obviously doing this out in the open.” Luther appeared to want to defend himself, but she cut him off. “I’ve made notes on the documents you sent to me. Please review them and if you plan to reject them despite my suggestions, don’t tell the nobles that they were rejected because of me. I don’t think it’s fair for me to take the blame when they’re upset, but none of the credit when they’re not.”

Luther tensed. His eyes were wide as he looked at the documents on the desk as the color drained from his face.

“Luther....” The new oracle also paled as she leaned towards him.

Beks leaned in, as well. “What’s the matter, Your Highness?” she asked in a melodic voice. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you rejected tax deferment from a region struggling to recover after wildfires burned their crops and homes, dooming hundreds of people to suffer and then blamed it on me?”

“We...we cannot risk being in debt right now, when I’ve just taken power...” Luther’s voice was strained. “Father said that you wouldn’t mind-”

“Since when has your father spoken for me?” Beks asked in a sharp voice. Luther lifted his head and met her burning glare. He drew his head back and appeared at a loss. Beks took a deep breath as the anger melted away and was replaced with a telling numbness. She stood up straight. “When will the ban prohibiting nobles from leaving the city be lifted?”

Luther’s eyes crinkled up. “The ban?”

“Many of the nobles only came to Kadmium from all over the kingdom for Brother Laurence’s coronation. Because of the accident and his kidnapping, the coronation has been postponed indefinitely. They need to return to their territories,” Beks said. “If you won’t listen to anything else I suggest, at least listen to this and lift the ban.”

Luther still seemed to be searching for an answer to give her when muffled yelling could be heard from outside. Beks looked over her shoulder just as the door was thrown open and two royal guards rushed.

“Your Highness!”

“Lady Rebecca!”

Beks reacted first and raised her arm to calm them. “One at a time,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“My lady, we just received word! King Laurence has been found!”

The answer was so unexpected that Beks almost lost control of her face and allowed the surprise to come through instead of the relief. That’s impossible. At the moment, Laurence was on a ship. It wasn’t even a ship traceable to Kadmus; it was a West Islands vessel.

Luther’s head snapped up and he took a sharp breath. “They found my brother?”

“Luther!” The Third Consort appeared at the doorway, flustered. He opened his mouth but did a double take at Beks. She could almost see that he wanted to ask her what she was doing there, but held back. He instead looked back at Luther.

“Father, did you find him?” Luther rounded his desk to get closer. The Third Consort’s brows knit together and he paled. He avoided Luther’s eyes and reached for the back of a chair to steady him.

“Luther....” he said in a breathless voice.

“Father?” Alarmed, Luther circled his father and helped him on to the seat. “What’s wrong? You found Brother Laurence. Can you bring him back?”

The Third Consort swallowed hard. “We can bring him back...but I’m afraid it’s too late.”

Beks narrowed her eyes and tried to remain calm. “What do you mean?” Her voice still trembled.

The Third Consort ignored her and looked up at his son. “Laurence was found in a riverbed southeast, past the mountain range,” he said in an unsteady voice. “Luther...Laurence is dead.”