Make Your Move Katherine

Office Conversation

“No. His Majesty is not that cruel. It was just a way for Yeon to show he knew he was guilty of disrespecting the queen. He would have gotten maybe a few years in solitary confinement and or a dismissal from his Majesty’s grace,” Anthony, who was standing before her with his chin raised, was saying this to her and Kat looked away.

She had asked him if Oscar was serious about beheading his staff. She was afraid to ask Oscar himself as she was bitten the last time. She understood that Oscar only looked over certain cases. Really serious crimes…she just wanted to know what level he considered her.

They were in her private, overly decorated office. Yes, as queen she was given her own private office space- which was unnecessary she had previously thought as she never had important meetings. But she was soon seeing how much of a convenience it was for her as she could speak more freely here, instead of being told she could not have Anthony in her private quarters, according to Oscar.

Miss Moon had also frowned upon seeing Yeon coming out of her chambers one time, but that was because Kat had a bit too much wine that afternoon. Miss Moon had given her a three-minute lecture of why it was seen as improper and Oni had bent her head when she had asked her if Miss Moon’s words were true. Castle folk were very old-fashioned in their thinking Kat realized.

She released a dissatisfied breath, turning away from the captain now.

Oscar’s ‘grace’ was a dismissal? Tch. Katherine didn’t know much but she was sure a dismissal from the royal guards’ regiment was an insult and employers everywhere would hesitate to hire a scorned former guard. It was like a visible stain.

Curious about Yeon, Katherine had been spending too much time thinking about him and her royal status and why he was the one appointed to her and Anthony being taken away. “So why not you?” she wanted to ask Anthony many times when Yeon and him walked separately on either side of Kat and Oscar- Yeon with her and Anthony with Oscar, but she held her tongue.

Was Oscar doing it intentionally to make her uncomfortable?

It’s not that she didn’t trust Yeon, for she knew by now that he would give his life for her as the king had stated but she was uncomfortable with him- sore even when he was near her.

“Of course, had it been King Drago it would be a different matter for he did not put up with disrespect. Some have spent their lives locked away and some even put to death,” the captain of the guards went on saying, with an eyebrow raised, to add more emphasis to his words.

At the mention of the former king, Kat looked up at the royal guard then from her desk, where she was seated, and folded her fingers together, placing them in from of her. She had not gotten the chance of meeting her royal father-in-law again like before in the garden and whenever they met at dinner, he had always been all business and left halfway through as he was constantly tired, due to his declining health. But Katherine had sensed that Oscar was keeping a distance between them as he had often called her away when she was heading to the garden and soon realized that Drago had been there.

He did not seem to mind or care when she spoke with the other royals however.

“For they had insulted the King and Queen to their faces but we are not that barbaric your Majesty. A trial would be needed first,” the tall well-dressed man, in an olive-green suit, was saying.

A trial? As if. She sure it was rigged from the start.

‘Death for a simple thing like that though?’

Kat was in doubt about the friendly old man putting people to death over such a trivial matter but then again, she trusted the royal guard’s words like gold. So, it must be true. The more Anthony spoke, the more she felt insulted for it’s like she was a nobody as Yeon was set free with a warning. Like Nuwa.

It seemed that Yeon and Nuwa had privileged statuses here- not that she wanted anyone to die because of her.

“But Yeon is still here,” she repeated her earlier statement and Anthony looked down at her seated form, from his standing position.

“Does this bother you?”

“No! I’m just saying,” she shrilled out, only hearing how her tone was when she heard it herself.                                                                                                                                                              

Anthony cleared his throat unnecessarily and spilled, “Your Majesty, please be assured that Yeon was not punished because you were not royalty then.”

‘I wasn’t?’

“You were a civilian then but our king corrected him instantly as you can recall,” Anthony waited for the memory to come to her before he went on. “Pardon my words but when you now came here, everyone disliked you, for Nuwa was the chosen queen by our king. Yeon has since accepted you as his crown- yes?”

Kat nodded. Unquestionably, as captain, it was his duty to defend his soldier. But Kat did have to think and accepted his words as truth. Kat was glad to have her rational thinking mind back- poison-free. No more jumbled, irrational thinking. So Yeon was like all of them…in truth, he had to have been the bravest of them all to behave that way with her- or the most stupid.

But brave she admired. As a reporter, this is what Kat liked- determination in what you believed in. Sure, Yeon had disrespected her but she was pretty sure it had everything to do with Oscar and what he might have said about her, to them, prior. It made her wonder now what the nation thought of her.

Miss Moon had advised her against social media but Kat wanted to know.

“Good. We all needed an adjusting period- including Nuwa herself. Can you imagine what she had to have endured?” he went on yakking but Kad nodded again.

So Nuwa was known to all as the chosen queen, by Oscar. Hmm, interesting. No wonder she had gotten such distasteful glances all around the castle, at times. Aside from the fact that they all knew Nuwa was his girlfriend, they knew she was to be his wife. His chosen one anyway.

The prime minister’s assistant was to be queen, not her. So why her? The same thought kept nagging at Kat’s brain. It could not be that Oscar was kind-hearted enough to give her a contract marriage in exchange for her father’s health. What exactly was his motive?

“So, if anyone insults me now? Yeon?” she said aloud as she remembered Nuwa’s words to her. She was uninterested in Anthony’s words now for while he spoke the truth…they did not apply to Oscar’s mistress.

“Severe punishment is necessary for order and an insult to the monarchy won't be tolerated.”

“That’s preposterous,” she said in the calmest tone as she stood up. Her almost flat heels brought her to the perfect height of the royal guard’s chest, should the desk vanish from between them.

“Is it? Everyone knows the rules here and if you knowingly break the law…well you serve the time,” his deep vocal sounds wreaking havoc to her remaining brain cells.

“So Yeon?” she folded her arms across her chest and unfolded them just as speedily when she remembered Miss Moon’s advice to her. ‘A queen never folds her arms, she clasps them.’

“Should he insult you again, which he won’t but if, then yes, death or life imprisonment for he was warned beforehand. Does this please you, Your Majesty?”

Katherine felt that Anthony was getting annoyed by her questions but she ignored the feeling. It wasn’t her fault that she was here, to begin with. It’s not her fault that Oscar married her not Nuwa and it certainly wasn’t her fault that the guards were crossed with her. Their misguided anger should be directed at their king. “That’s crazy. Back in my country-”

“Back in your country, it’s the same. You people need the harsher kind of discipline that’s all. Take a look at your country and then look at mine…compare them and you’ll see whose is actually better in handling crime.”

'He's right, crime here is almost non-existent.'

Both Katherine and Anthony’s eyes widened at his outburst. He had interrupted her while she was speaking. His head lowered and expressed regret at his sudden outburst. “Forgive me-”

“Rise Anthony. I will allow it, just as we are alone. I will appreciate your honestly whenever we are alone as an individual to another. Guide me along please.”

He raised himself up and looked at her with a slight furrow between his well-shaped eyebrows. His jawline worked a few seconds and Kat admired the twitching muscles before he spoke, “As Your Majesty wishes.”

Katherine was about to ask him why Oscar was playing with her life for she felt he was sinister in his motives. Why would he try to convince her that her father was her biological father, just after his death? So many things she realized were in front of her but her brain seemed to have been mush the past few months. She couldn’t help but think that the slow poison she had been administering to herself via most likely the tea, had been numbing her brain.

She was not drunk on her wedding night as she had thought but poisoned from since then…wait was it that night? Or was it earlier…since the engagement perhaps? Everything was so jumbled inside her brain. Maybe the poison took a while to actually work itself into her system, she really needed Ju to confirm she was indeed safe.

She opened her mouth but a knock was heard just then and Ju was announced. Anthony and that discussion about Oscar’s lies can wait. Ju was much more important at the moment.

The guard in front of her frowned at the mention of the mage. Kat couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to report that to Oscar. Should she ask him to omit that? And if she did- would he? She knew his loyalty lie with the king and not her but still, she wanted to believe in him while she gathered her facts. Whilst she trusted him more than anyone here, Kat still had someone trying to harm her.

“Anthony, treat me well.”

He gazed at her a few seconds before he swallowed and nodded. “Always, my Queen.”

She held her hand out and the guard shook it. Kat ignored the warm tingles that shot up her arm when his large hand enveloped her tiny one and playing unaffected, she said, "Send her in."

Ju came in and Kat didn't miss the way they exchanged glances. Kat couldn't help but think Anthony was warning Ju for the woman looked away almost meekly, lowering her head as she spotted him. And it wasn't the fact that all staff lowered their heads when the captain was around. 

Ju's head remained that way until the guard closed the door behind her then she stepped forward, her head still lowered. Kat hated this part where everyone was made to feel lesser than some. But this was their country and this was their way, their rules.

"Your Majesty," the woman said in a happy tone, surprising Katherine.