BETRAYED QUEEN

CHAPTER 2

"Who told you that?"

Aldric's voice sliced through the room like the edge of a blade. Cold. Measured. Laced with danger. He sat at the far end of the grand dining table — the very same table where we had once shared candlelit meals and whispered secrets like lovestruck fools. But tonight, all of that was gone. The air between us had curdled.

Still, I wasn't about to betray my ladies.

"Everyone's talking, Aldric. From the footmen polishing your boots to the gardeners trimming my roses. Whatever discretion you thought you had, you clearly didn't. The whole palace is abuzz about the slave girl you dragged back from the woods — and your reaction to her."

His face darkened further, thunder brewing beneath his brow.

"It was Eliza, wasn't it? Or Laura. She's always had a mouth on her." "It doesn't matter who said it. I'm asking you if it's true."

He didn't answer straight away. Instead, he took another bite of steak, slowly and deliberately, like he was trying to chew his anger into submission. His jaw tensed with every bite.

I watched him closely. He was stalling. Calculating. When he finally deigned to speak, his words were careful. Rehearsed.

"I'm not sure what exactly you've heard, but I doubt it warrants this much drama. I found a woman . She was hurt. I helped her."

He reached casually for his goblet, sipped the dark red wine like it wasn't hiding something.

But I saw it. That flicker in his eyes when he said woman . The faintest blush rising to his cheek.

Was that guilt?

Or was it something far more dangerous — desire? "And where is she now?"

I knew I was pushing. I didn't care.

Aldric's tone dropped like sleet.

"Bronwyn, we so rarely dine alone. Surely there are more pleasant matters to discuss than... her."

His words were ice — but it was the evasion that chilled me.

"I've suggested nothing improper," I replied, keeping my tone light, my smile softer than silk. "As queen, I have a right to inquire about the goings-on within my own palace. You're the one making it feel like a scandal."

His eyes flicked up. He returned to his steak, made a few ineffective cuts — then dropped his utensils with a loud clatter.

He shoved back his chair.

And just like that, he stormed out of the room.

~~~~

The moment I stepped into my chambers, they were on me like moths to flame. My ladies, hovering, wide-eyed, desperate for answers.

"Well? What did His Majesty say?"

I didn't owe them the truth. But I needed to let it out. Somewhere.

"Not much. And that ," I added, kicking off my heels, "was the problem."

They exchanged glances, eyebrows twitching in silent communication. Lady Eliza was the first to move. She crossed the room and took my hand.

"If he said nothing, then why are you trembling, Your Majesty?" "I'm not upset," I said too quickly.

They didn't believe me. Of course they didn't. And frankly, neither did I.

"I had to drag the barest slivers of truth out of him. In the end, he just told me what we already knew. That a woman was caught in the gamekeeper's trap, and he decided to care for her."

Lady Laura narrowed her eyes. "And...?" I let out a long, weary breath.

"And he never mentioned she was a runaway slave. And when he called her a woman … he blushed."

That got their attention. Verdi raised a brow, sharp as a blade. "What? What did he do, my lady?"

"The look on his face," I said quietly. "I know that look. He wants her."

I knew I shouldn't be saying this. I was feeding the very gossip that would one day drown me. But it felt so good to finally voice it.

"How did it end?" Eliza asked gently. "We solved nothing. He stormed off."

Lady Laura stamped her delicate foot. The others flinched at the breach of decorum, but I didn't mind.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but you can't let that tramp come between you and the king! It's outrageous!"

"Laura!" Verdi hissed, scandalised — but noticeably didn't disagree.

I tried to compose myself, but my shoulders betrayed me. Eliza, ever watchful, moved behind me and began to gently rub them.

"I'm fine, Eliza. Truly."

She didn't answer. Instead, she took my brush and began combing through my hair with the mother-of-pearl comb she knew I loved.

"My mother warned me," I said softly, "that this could happen. That Aldric might take a lover. That I shouldn't let it wound me — that the kingdom comes first. It's an arranged marriage, after all. But we... we were more than that. Weren't we?"

Eliza paused. Then: "He may be allowed to take her in. But you're allowed to grieve." I blinked. Thought about that.

"I'm not grieving. I'm furious ."

She smiled faintly and continued to braid.

"Even if she becomes his mistress," she said gently, "she'll never enter society. She's a runaway slave. Legally, she has no place at court. No title. No status. She can't threaten you there."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's nothing, my queen. Just a passing fancy. The king will tire of her. They always do. And you? You'll still be on the throne."

I wanted desperately to believe her words, to let them wash away the cold dread pooling in my chest. But the thought of Aldric's hands on another woman had already carved itself deep, a wound that throbbed with each heartbeat. I forced my voice to remain steady.

"You're right. She's nothing." ~~~~

But nothing had a way of taking up space.

The palace buzzed with whispers. Behind every tapestry, under every archway, in the shadow of every rose bush: "Does the king really visit the slave girl daily?"

"Twice a day, I heard."

"He's grooming her to be his mistress." "No, his heir -bearer." "The queen won't speak of her. I heard they haven't shared a bed in weeks." "She's heartbroken. I heard she sobs into her pillow every night."

"Please. She's plotting . I heard she's poisoning the girl's food."

"But what about the mistress? To capture the King's attention so quickly? Perhaps she's used…a love spell."

"You think she's a witch?"

I said nothing. To deny it was to fuel it, but the possibility gnawed at me like a persistent ache. Magic wasn't unheard of in our realm—hedge witches peddled love potions in the lower districts, and court physicians sometimes talked of enchantments when natural remedies failed. Could it really be that the woman had bewitched Aldric?

The weight of it all threatened to crush me where I stood. I needed air, space, something to clear my mind before the demands of the crown consumed me entirely. The palace gardens called to me—not just for solitude, but for the clarity I desperately needed.

The Winter Solstice was upon us, and with it, the weight of royal duty. I wandered the

frost-kissed paths, letting the crisp air sharpen my focus as I mentally prepared for what lay ahead. Behind me, Sir Artemis maintained his usual respectful distance—my trusted protector understood when to guard and when to grant privacy.

This year's gathering of the kingdom's most influential lords felt more crucial than ever. We needed to present a united front to the nobility, even as the chasm between Aldric and I had never felt wider.

I rounded a hedge of white roses, my thoughts turning to practical matters. "Artemis, which of your knights should I appoint to guard the Solstice Ball?"

But instead of answering, he froze. I turned to look at him. "Artemis?"

"Artemis?" I inquired again, looking around and trying to make out whatever had caught his attention.

He raised a gloved finger to his lips to silence me, his expression suddenly sharp and alert. He inclined his head, clearly listening to…something. Then he reached slowly for his blade.

I stiffened. Was it thieves? Assassins? My heart began to race as possibilities flooded my mind. Had someone breached the palace grounds?

He edged forward, guiding me behind him with one protective arm. "What is it?" I whispered fervently.

But then I saw his ears go red, and a different kind of dread began to settle in my stomach. This wasn't the stance of a man preparing for battle—this was embarrassment. Shame.

And then I heard it too.

The soft, unmistakable sound of moans drifting through the winter air.