The Changeling Queen

Chapter Four- Updated

Finally, I turn around, trying to appear as regal as I can, despite the trembling that I'm trying to hide. All of this is too much for me. I want to wake up from this dream. That must be what it is. I got electrocuted and now I must be laying still on my living room floor, unconcious, dreaming all of this ridiculousness. "No, dear Prince, I was just pointing out that you are playing a dangerous game. This is not your betrothed's Kingdom. It is mine, or have you forgotten? This Kingdom has never belonged to anyone oputside of my family, and my dear late husband's daughter is my current heir, but that does not mean that this land is hers by blood, nor does it mean that she has any real right to rule until I give it to her. That, by extension, means that you have no right to this land until she becomes Queen, which will not be for many years, decades even, from now. The land that belonged to her father before his passing is far away from here. That is the only land where she currently holds power, and where you might have a hope of being able to get away with speaking to me with no backlash," the words are coming out without me thinking, so it must be another cut scence. "Please, everyone, excuse myself and the Prince. We need to have a word."

The rest of the noblemen rush from the room. Before they even clear the room, I can hear their whispers. They geniunely think that I am going to either order for the Prince's death or imprison him for treason. Is it even treason if he doesn't belong to my domain? I don't think it is, but maybe video game logic is different. After all, it's all made up, and that would certainly cause a fuss that might bring the Prince and Princess closer together. After a long pause, my servant leaves too. He seems upset and resistant, but it is clear that he does not want to upset me, so he does. Queen Cahya must be terrifying. I walk up to Prince Claudius, who stands up to face me. I can see the trembling of his set jaw as I approach him. he is trying very hard to appear unaffected, but he is afraid of me as well, just like everyone else here is. He is afraid of what I could do to him. My stomach flip flops as I realize how horrible this character must have been for him to be so afraid of a woman so much smaller than him. I don't want to be here. I want to go home. This is too much for me to handle. I don't like people being scared of me.

"You nor your threats scare me, Cahya. You are nothing but a Black Widow. Too bad the late King did not realize that sooner," Prince Claudius growls, his face inches from mine as he tries to intidate me, however, I am distracted by his beauty. Besides, he is not truly scary. It's like when a puppy growls at you. You know that there is no real bite there. It is an empty threat.

"You have misjudged me," my voice is low as I look up at him, my lips puckered slightly. "I am more than the rumors make me out to be, but I suppose that you must know that, or you would never dare to speak to me in such a way, would you? Especially only using my first name when addressing me? No, you must not believe in the rumors that you help to keep alive," I tsk, shaking my head slightly.

He swallows, breaking eye contact yet again. His shoulders tremble as I take another step towards him, just inches between our bodies now, despite the fact that he as straightened and taken his face far away from me again. "You are right, Your Highness. You are not as cruel as the rumors say, but that does not make you a good woman either. You are hardly human. Cruel, demanding, greedy. Lives are not currency."

"You must have been in a different meeting than the one I held," I say as I continue to look up at him, taking in his beautiful features.

He did not respond to me. Instead, he pushes past me to leave the room, leaving me alone in the room. My heart is hammering in my chest. My chest feels a bit tighter, suprised by the way that he had made me feel. Despite his beauty, he was angry, and resentful. While I was not sure if the previous Queen deserved it, but there was no reason for him to behave so cruelly when I was trying to make sure that the commoners that he was advocating for were fed and deserved to keep at least some of the money that they had earned with all of their hard work and dedication. Eventually, the servant comes back in, though hesitantly.

"My Queen, are you alright?" he asks, still halfway in the doorway, the door cracked open.

"Yes, quite right. I am fine," I sniffle, smoothing out my dress. "Thank you for checking in on me. Now, I have to go get ready to meet my daughter for lunch," I say, remembering the promise that I had made to my video game step daughter.

"Of course, Your Highness. Please, allow me to escort you back to your room," he offers, his head bowed.

"Thank you," I give a tight smile as I walk up to him from the other side of the room.

He begins to lead me to my room. When we get there, he opens the door, I think for me, but when I go to thank him, he glances around before saying, "Was I not up to your standards last night, my Queen? You did not call on me as you usually do."