Willow's Choice

A Queen's Counsel

The queen sat back down slowly, her hand pressed to her chest as her breathing returned to normal. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, child. Don't do that."

"I'm sorry, Aunt."

She composed herself and took a long sip of tea before answering. "Well, as queen, I would tell you that you would suffer the scorn of society, and your child would too. People are often very cruel to single mothers and their children. They would call you loose, immoral, a disgrace to your family name. Your child would be labeled a bastard, denied certain inheritances and titles, whispered about in every drawing room in the kingdom."

My heart sank. That was what I'd been afraid of.

But then she continued. "However, as your aunt, who loves you like a daughter, I would say this: we would invent a story. We would say you married abroad and were widowed shortly after. No one questions a widow, especially a young, tragic one. We could even manufacture some documents, create a whole backstory. I have enough influence to make people believe it."

Hope flared in my chest again. "Really?"

"Besides, you are the Vane heiress. You don't need a man to continue your family line. Your father has no male heirs. Any child you have—legitimate or not—would inherit the duchy. That's power enough to silence most criticism." She reached across the table and took my hand. "However, I want you to understand that being a single mother is difficult, even with money and titles. There will always be whispers, always be people who look down on you and your child. Are you prepared for that?"

I thought about my old life, about the struggles I'd faced, the loneliness, the feeling of never quite belonging anywhere. And I thought about the dream that had sustained me through all of it—the dream of holding my own child, of creating a family, of loving and being loved unconditionally.

"I understand. Thank you very much, Aunt."

She squeezed my hand gently. "Will you stay at the palace until the party?"

"Yes, Aunt. After the engagement is over, I'm leaving the kingdom."

"Where would you like to go?" There was worry in her eyes now. "It's dangerous out there for a young woman alone, even one with your status."

"I don't know, far away..." I hadn't thought that far ahead. I just knew I needed space, freedom, time to figure out who I was now and what I wanted to become.

"May I introduce you to some handsome young men? I know several lords who would be honored to court you. Or perhaps some foreign dignitaries? The Empire has some very attractive ambassadors." She smiled mischievously. "Any requirements?"

The question made me laugh, and I found myself singing—actually singing—a song from my old world that had been popular when I was younger. The words just came out, fitting the melody I remembered.

"First, he has to be single..."

"Of course," the queen agreed, looking amused and slightly confused by my sudden musical outburst.

"Brains would be second..."

"Yes, of course."

"Being good-looking is third..."

"Hahaha, yes."

"And while we're at it, he has to have a good sense of humor."

"Uh, well... mmm... I didn't know you sang, my dear..." The queen was definitely confused now, but she was smiling.

"Hahaha, do you know someone, Auntie?"

"Yes, actually. Since your father—my brother-in-law—is an ambassador, would you mind representing us in the neighboring empire?"

"Empire?" That caught my attention. An empire meant something bigger than a kingdom, more power, more resources, more opportunities.

"Yes, the Somerset Empire..." She watched my reaction carefully.

The name sparked something in Willow's memories. The Somerset Empire was vast, powerful, and ruled by an emperor who was known for being ruthless in politics but fair in governance. It bordered Kensington to the east and had always maintained friendly relations, though there was an underlying tension—the empire could swallow the kingdom whole if it chose to.

"I'll read about the empire. It would be interesting..." The more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. A fresh start in a new place, far from the scandal of the broken engagement, far from Jasper and Valentina and all the people who knew the old Willow.

"I'll send a letter announcing that you're coming..." The queen was already planning, I could see it in her eyes.

"But, we're not finished with the engagement yet."

"My dear, since I received your letter, I've had that... what do you call him? That's right, cockroach, investigated. We'll have enough evidence by tomorrow to break the engagement contract three times over. Infidelity, misuse of Vane funds, consorting with women of ill repute, gambling debts he tried to hide from your father... the list goes on."

"Wow, Auntie, you're wonderful..."

"I know, but I'm worried that you're only now approaching me. We could have avoided all this if you had refused the engagement two years ago. Or if you had come to me the first time you caught him being unfaithful. Or any of the dozen times since then." There was gentle reproach in her voice.

"I know, it's just that I didn't want to bother you, Auntie..." That was Willow speaking, the old Willow who had been afraid to impose, afraid to cause trouble.

"You'll never be a bother, my dear. You're like a daughter to me." The queen's eyes grew misty. "Your mother was my only sister. When she died, I promised myself I would look after you. But your father kept you away, said you needed to learn independence. And I let him, because I thought he knew best. I should have insisted on seeing you more, on being more involved in your life."

"You're involved now," I said softly. "That's what matters."

We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, sipping our tea and watching butterflies dance among the flowers.

"Will you stay at the palace until the party?" she asked finally.

"Yes, Aunt. I want to see the look on Jasper's face when the engagement is officially ended."

The queen smiled, and it was not a kind smile. It was the smile of a woman who had ruled a kingdom for decades and knew exactly how to wield power.

"Oh, my dear. I think we're going to have quite a bit of fun at that party."

Willow stayed at the palace for the next three days, and they were some of the best days of both my lives. I explored the palace from top to bottom, spent hours in the royal library reading about the Somerset Empire and elemental magic, practiced my earth magic in secret in the gardens (making small flowers bloom felt like a miracle every time), and got to know my aunt—really know her—for the first time.

She was brilliant, funny, kind when she chose to be and absolutely terrifying when necessary. She told me stories about my mother, about the pranks they'd pulled as children, about the way my mother had defied everyone to marry my father for love instead of political alliance.

"You're more like her than you know," she told me one evening as we walked through the gardens at sunset. "She was timid too, at first. Let everyone push her around. And then one day, she just... stopped. Decided she was done being afraid. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

I smiled, thinking about my own transformation. "Very familiar."

"She would be proud of you, you know. For standing up for yourself. For refusing to settle for less than you deserve."

Those words meant more to me than she could possibly know. More than all the wealth and titles and magic in this world.

As the day of the party approached, I felt both nervous and excited. Nervous because I was about to make a very public statement, about to burn a bridge that could never be rebuilt. But excited because for the first time in either of my lives, I felt like I was in control of my own destiny.

The cockroach was about to learn that Willow Vane was done being stepped on.

And I couldn't wait to see his face when he realized it.