BETRAYED QUEEN

CHAPTER 3

Oh

Lord . Lovemaking.

My trusted knight barked, "OUT! NOW! These are the queen's sacred gardens, and I'll not have them defiled!"

A flurry of motion quickly followed. Footsteps and a muffled curse. One figure fled while another remained.

She stepped through the hedge. Blue eyes like a frozen lake. Bandaged leg. It was her .

My husband's mistress. The woman I was never meant to lay eyes on — never meant to meet

.

Yet there she stood, barely concealed beneath a wisp of fabric, her tousled silvery hair spilling like sunlight down her shoulders, skin glowing from recent pleasure.

For a moment, I stood rooted to the spot, a chill blooming through my chest as dread seized me whole — the whispers had all been true.

With her delicate, heart-shaped face, those silken waves of pale hair, and lips like crushed rose petals, she was, without question, the most devastatingly beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Had it been

Aldric with her? Had he run off like a coward, leaving her to face the music? A firm hand settled on my shoulder. Sir Artemis. Steady. Merciful.

"My lady," he said softly. "Shall we..."

He was right, of course. I owed her nothing. I could turn on my heel and walk away. And yet

— I didn't. My gaze was locked on her. This girl. This enemy .

She had the audacity to smile and step toward me, holding out her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, miss. My name is Rose," she said sweetly, voice like a lullaby.

"Have you no manners?"

Artemis snapped, stepping sharply between us.

"Do you not know to whom you address? She does not stoop so low as to a handshake — she deserves your loyalty and reverence."

Rose stumbled back, eyes wide. Her hand hovered awkwardly near her lips. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean — I just didn't know your name..."

Didn't know my name?

Seriously?

I glanced down at my gown and instantly regretted not choosing something more imposing. No tiara. No train. Just court regalia. Not nearly enough for a queen meeting her husband's mistress.

"This is Her Majesty the Queen," Artemis barked.

"You ignorant little fool." Gods bless him for that.

Rose's eyes widened further. At first, I thought it was shame . But then she blinked and gaped at me like a trout in shallow water.

"W-What? No. I — I know the queen..."

She knows me?

My head was already spinning from catching Aldric tangled up with another woman, but this? This was something else entirely.

I studied her face, searching for recognition. Her pale breasts, her delicate frame, her enchanting, heart-shaped face. No. I had never seen her before. I would have remembered.

"But… Your Majesty," she tried again, stepping forward tentatively. "I'm Rose ." I exchanged a glance with Artemis. Blank. He didn't know her either.

"Do you know me, Rose?" I asked, voice flat as a blade. "Have we met before?"

She blinked again. Still dazed.

"So, you don't know me," I pressed.

"I… well… I've been living in the Eastern Palace. His Majesty has been very kind to me." I froze. My stomach turned.

That had been Aldric. And this girl — this

Rose — believed she had something in common with me. That she was part of my world. As though this twisted arrangement entitled her to kinship.

I turned to Artemis, but before he could respond, two figures came rushing toward us across the gardens.

Eliza and Laura. Breathless. Alarmed.

"Your Majesty!" Laura gasped. "What's going on? Who is this?" I opened my mouth, but Rose, ever bold, spoke first.

"The queen and I were just getting acquainted. I'm Rose. I've been desperate to meet her." She extended her hand to my ladies, her tone light — too light.

"You wanted to meet me?" I said coolly. "Why?"

"Oh, desperately! I've asked the king several times, but he kept saying I shouldn't bother. Waved me off, like he didn't think it was important. Still, I thought it would be proper, you know. Because… well, him. You. Me. And I've always wanted to meet a queen —"

I barely heard the rest. My blood boiled.

Was she truly this naïve? Or was it all an act? The wide eyes. The dulcet voice. The innocence. It reeked of performance.

But her beauty — her beauty was real . Ethereal. Her very presence was a threat.

That was probably what had captured Aldric; he had always been drawn to true beauty. I hated that I could see what he saw in her. Or, what he thought he did.

Yet… something didn't add up. I could feel it.

She was hiding something. And I swore to uncover it.

"What should I call you, Your Majesty?" she asked with that insipid smile.

"You may call me Your Majesty ." "Th-that's… all?"

"Yes. That's all. You are nothing but a stranger to me. I, however, am queen of this realm. I am the caretaker of this palace. And while I may not be able to curb my husband's impulses, I can choose not to entertain his mistress in my presence. Especially not moments after she's rolled out of his embrace."

Her smile faltered. "Oh." Good. Let it sting.

I turned to leave, but Laura wasn't finished.

She stepped forward, eyes ablaze. "Your behaviour toward Her Majesty is impertinent and shameful, you common little wench ! You will keep your distance. Do not speak to her. Do not even think of her. Stay away."

Rose blinked, genuinely confused. "Stay… away?"

"You heard me," Laura hissed. "You think yourself familiar because you've opened your legs to the king? You are nothing . The queen would never stoop to say it, but I will. You are a filthy little whore."

"What do you mean, w***e ?"

A voice, low and dangerous, thundered behind us. My heart seized.

Aldric.

He stepped into view like a shadow from legend. Broad. Towering. Fuming.

There was no telling how much of the conversation he had heard, but he had certainly witnessed the end of it; the fury on his face was blistering.

"I — I'm so sorry, Your Majesty," Laura stammered, paling visibly. "I was only trying to protect Queen Bronwyn's honour —"

She was not one to apologise easily, even when she was in the wrong, but insulting the object of Aldric's affection was an unparalleled offence. Both she and Eliza quickly sank into curtsies.

I, however, remained standing. Aldric turned to me.

"And you, Bronwyn? I thought better of you than to indulge in petty gossip." "Petty gossip? Is that what you call seducing someone in a hedge?"

I met his stare with fire. I would not apologise.

"Don't try to deny it again, Aldric, not to me," I spat out. "We both know what's going on. We both know what she is to you. We both know it was you who was just caught out."

We stared at each other, the distance between us crackling with heat and fury. But then, a soft sound broke the tension.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and before I could say a word, Aldric crossed to her. He took her hand.

"Don't cry, sweet one," he murmured.

And she did . Tears spilt freely. He wiped them gently from her cheeks.

I couldn't stand the sight of her small hand in his, the sight of their skin touching, the way her cheeks pinked under his gaze. I was appalled and hurt by all o f it.

Even worse, I hated the way he gently wiped her silent tears away; something he had never done for me with such care.

"You're a handful," he sighed, and pulled her into his arms. His arms . Around her .

He sounded irritated, but I could hear the dull note of affectionate worry in his tone, and some corner of my heart throbbed.

He genuinely cared about this woman. And I couldn't bear it.