Make Your Move Katherine

Respect Her

“Feel free Anthony,” he knew the guard was awaiting permission to speak openly and the words had barely gotten out of his mouth when his guard exploded advancing into the room and stopping in front of where Oscar was seated.

“How could you? Did you do that to intentionally embarrass her? You do have any idea how she feels? You took her- kidn*pped her with her father’s health on the line-”

Oscar’s eyebrow lifted with the guard’s outburst. Kidn*p? Well, he just wasn’t expecting that. He expected Anthony to be on Yeon’s side of the argument for normally the captain stood up for his men, no matter what.

“Her father is in no danger-” he tried to clear his name in that part but Anthony wasn’t having it. In fact, he deepened his frown and hadn’t even allowed him a word in as he continued on.

“- and you took her means of contact with her loved ones. She was injured and forced to take morphine to marry you and entertain you. Yourself! You flaunt your girlfriend in front of her-” he waved his hands as Oscar tried to speak again, “have her locked up like a prisoner-”

“What prison? Tch, she is free,” Oscar managed to get in and the guard frowned. His forehead vein is quite visible now. When Oscar was younger, he used to call him ‘popper’ for the vein looked like it was ready to burst.

“She can’t leave here.”

Oscar twisted his lips as he spoke, intentionally misunderstanding Anthony’s words, for he knew exactly what he meant. “Yeah. Nobody can when they’re inside the castle. Everyone knows that they now belong to the crown-”

“She’s not from here,” Anthony shouted as he glared at Oscar, “She’s Armedian. She knows nothing of our customs!”

Oscar stood up amused. “Why Anthony, it seems you pity her,” Oscar sniggered, wondering why he wasn’t getting angry with his guard. Maybe it was because he’s had Nuwa’s blood just two hours earlier.

“You’ve taken everything from her-”

“She owes me. She owes the country, have you forgotten?”

Anthony breathed heavily as he broke away from Oscar’s glare and paced the floor. “That’s not her-”

“I can show her what prison looks like, if you so wish it,” Oscar interrupted him with a tight smile on his mouth. “Let’s not forget that’s where her mother is. I can organize a family reunion.”

“It has nothing to do with her!”

“Shut up Anthony. Be careful with your next words,” Oscar said calmly. He was surprised at his own tranquil mind but he heard the threat behind his words and regretted it instantly for he was reminding Anthony that he was King by doing so. He wanted him to speak to him freely.

He closed his eyes and squinted, clenching his fists as he stood up, wishing to take back his words but it was too late, for Anthony caught it and he nodded.

“Her father is sick Oscar. He had a relapse. Think of what you are doing-”

Oscar reeled back on his heels. He had no idea the man was in the hospital again as he had taken Anthony’s words for a joke the last time. He steeled his mind and opened his mouth to take Anthony’s words down but the guard beat him to it, “You can’t suffer her like this. For what her parents did- it’s not her fault.”

Oscar did not feel any kind of remorse as he looked at the man in front of him, feeling his disappointment growing in the guard that was supposed to always be on his side, “You want me to take pity on her now and then kill her?”

“That’s not what I said-”

“That’s what I heard, for surely you can’t mean don’t send her to him. They betrayed their King and the country suffered when they ran. She’s lucky she isn’t dead already.”

Oscar furrowed his forehead for Anthony seemed to not be in his right head at the moment. Did he forget his own parents were dead? Oscar’s mother and sister were dead. His father’s soldiers…the nation’s innocent citizens…dead because of Katherine and her parents.

So, what the f*ck was this?

Anthony was seething. Oscar could see it by the way he held himself stiffly and walked over to the large window and looked out. The view he had would be one of the guards in the courtyard as they did their training. Training was not something they played with and as soon as he was strong enough, he had plans to change his chosen men but his plans of his chosen few were now altering.

Yeon. He had disrespected the queen. That was punishable by death and Katherine had brushed it off as if a mosquito had buzzed past her ears. She wasn’t the important part- it was what she stood for. And Yeon had felt brave enough to show her an insult.

Oscar felt like wringing her narrow neck at the moment for she was the reason behind his predicament.

He wanted to question Anthony about that. He wanted Anthony to investigate the guard and see if he was worthy of being a knight. Oscar’s knights would be like him- nowhere near as powerful as him, Ju had assured him but still strong, and swifter than the average person which is what he wanted. He wanted an elite team that he could trust with his all, not some i***t that would run to ‘be free’ and spree turning his country red. Oscar would hunt down and kill if need be but he wanted protection for his people.

Yeon knew that his actions were punishable harshly and even with death because he didn’t just simply make a post online defaming the queen but he had insulted her to her face…which although had few witnesses in close proxy was worst, so why did-

Anthony spun around to face him then, cutting off his trail of thought and Oscar watched as he passed his fingers through his black hair, combing the strands back before pulling on his nose bridge which was so Anthony-like, and muttered, “You spoke nothing good about the queen so the guards felt it was okay to do so. Set an example Oscar- you are King and she is your wife. Respect her and your men-”

“I meant every word-”

“Oscar!”

Oscar’s eyes widened, showing he was startled by the guard’s outburst and he went on with, “She is Queen! You can despise her in private but in front of your men respect her.”

Well, Anthony did have a point there. He really had nothing but curses when it came to the queen…he had indeed said she was a rotten piece of...garbage…scum…waste of God’s time…and more too every time he had spoken of her before he brought her here. And every time he and his guards ‘visited’ her in the months before when she had no idea she was being followed.

It was his fault and not the b*tch’s?

He sucked in a breath and cursed himself for he wanted the entire kingdom hating her. He did not want his people to suffer and mourn their loss when she was gone. He wanted his people to rejoice that the two nations would be at peace.

She was to be a peace offering to the Dragon King.

All that work he had put into planning her downfall, that he had already begun. He made sure she dressed scandalously at first until Miss Moon had intervened. Oscar had even agreed to do shows and then declined rudely on her behalf. He was sure the citizens of his country had already started loathing her. His people would love him more for they would see that his wife was a floozy and the country was better off without a queen, such as her.

Boom his power should be with him by then and then in would come Nuwa and all would be, pleased.

Win-win.

But no- Anthony wanted him to ‘respect the Queen’ as if he wasn’t already doing so. He had played the part of a loving King to his queen publicly and had even coached her in the dos and don’ts. The staff at the castle had even shown her proper etiquette at his request. He gritted his teeth as he stared at Anthony.

Gosh, he was beginning to get a headache.