Chapter 15: Queen Mother
977 Words
CHAPTER 15: QUEEN MOTHER
The Queen Mother’s wing was silent.
Too silent.
Torches lined the hall, but none of the servants were in sight. Even the paintings seemed to be watching.
Kadir didn’t knock.
He kicked the doors open.
“Mother.”
Queen Mother Serenya sat at her vanity. Composed. Perfect. Hair pinned with silver. A cup of tea steaming in her hand.
She didn’t flinch.
“Son,” she said, like he’d just come home late from hunting. “And the Southern queen. How... early.”
“Don’t.” Kadir’s voice cut through the room. “Don’t pretend.”
Serenya set her tea down. “Pretend what?”
Seo-ah stood behind him. Her hand was still in his. He was squeezing too hard.
“The note,” Kadir said. “The poison. The palace wax.”
Serenya’s smile was slow. “You think I would be so careless?”
“I think you hate her enough to be careless,” he shot back.
Silence.
Then Serenya laughed. Soft. Elegant.
“Careful, Kadir. Accusing your mother of treason in front of her.” She gestured to Seo-ah with her chin. “It’s unbecoming of a king.”
Kadir stepped forward. Two guards moved to block him. He looked at them.
They stepped aside.
He was 3 feet from her now. “Did you write it?”
Serenya picked up her tea again. “If I had, would I deny it?”
“You would,” Seo-ah said quietly. It was the first time she’d spoken.
All eyes turned to her.
Serenya’s eyes narrowed. “And what would you know, girl.”
“I know you,” Seo-ah said. Her voice didn’t shake. “You don’t leave half-burnt notes with cheap ink. If you wanted me dead, I’d already be dead. And it would look like an accident.”
Kadir glanced at her. Pride flickered in his eyes before he crushed it.
Serenya studied Seo-ah. For the first time, there was something other than disgust on her face. Calculation.
“You’re clever,” Serenya said. “I’ll give you that. More clever than I expected from a dethroned—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Kadir warned. Low. Dangerous.
Serenya sipped her tea. “Or what? You’ll arrest me? Your own mother?”
“If I have to,” he said. No hesitation.
The room went cold.
Serenya set the cup down with a soft clink. “You think this is about her?” She looked at Seo-ah. “This is about you, son. You married the enemy and called it peace. You brought a viper into my house and asked me to smile.”
“She’s not a viper,” Kadir said.
“No?” Serenya stood. She was tall. Regal. And furious. “Then who poisoned the food? Who wrote the note? Who wants the war to start again? Not me, Kadir. I want this kingdom stable. I want my son alive. And she—” She pointed at Seo-ah. “—is the reason both are in danger.”
Seo-ah didn’t look away. “Then help me fix it.”
Serenya blinked. “What.”
“You said you want the kingdom stable.” Seo-ah stepped forward, out from behind Kadir. “So help me. Tell me who hates me enough to kill me. Tell me who in this palace still calls me ‘the Southern w***e’ behind my back. Because if you don’t, whoever did this will try again. And next time they might succeed.”
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Serenya did something Seo-ah didn’t expect.
She smiled. Small. Real.
“You have his stubbornness,” she murmured. “Gods help us both.”
She walked to her desk and pulled open a drawer. Inside: a stack of letters. She tossed them at Kadir’s feet.
“Those,” she said. “Council members. Old generals. Even two of your cousins. All of them writing to me for the last year. ‘The Southern queen must go.’ ‘The treaty is weakness.’ ‘The king is bewitched.’”
Kadir crouched, flipping through them. His jaw was stone.
“So no,” Serenya said. “I didn’t write the note. But I know who did.” She looked at Seo-ah. “And if you’re smart, you’ll let me help you find them. Before they kill you and take my son with you.”
Kadir stood. The letters in his hand.
He looked at his mother. Then at Seo-ah.
“Fine,” he said. “You’ll help. But you report to me. Every day. And if I find out you’re lying—”
“I won’t,” Serenya cut him off. “Because I want to live to see grandchildren. And they won’t happen if my daughter-in-law is dead.”
Seo-ah’s cheeks burned.
Kadir didn’t miss it. His hand found Seo-ah’s again. “We’re done here. For now.”
As they turned to leave, Serenya called out: “Kadir.”
He stopped but didn’t turn.
“Protect her,” Serenya said. Quietly. “Even from me, if you have to.”
Kadir didn’t answer.
The doors shut behind them.
In the hall, Seo-ah let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
Kadir pulled her into a side corridor, away from guards, and slammed her gently against the wall.
“You were incredible in there,” he whispered. His forehead to hers. “Terrifying.”
“I was scared,” she admitted.
“Don’t be.” His thumb brushed her lips. “I’ve got you. And now... we have a list.”
He held up the letters. Names. So many names.
Seo-ah stared at them. “It’s not over.”
“No,” Kadir agreed. “It’s just starting.”
From down the hall, a door closed. Soft.
Someone was listening.
- Writer
