The Usurper's Queen | COMPLETED

22 | battle

To my dearest Annie,

Tomorrow, we shall launch an attack on the capital city of Kelle. The Lecarrian soldiers are trained better than we expected, but the Terrawinians are awfully undertrained. Their men drop down on the ground like flies, and they only make up one-fifth of our total forces combined. With our current state, I believe that this battle with Lecarre shall be fair and square.

Gilbert is alive and well, and he is feasting on a roast pheasant as we speak. He hunted it down himself, and he is very proud of it, Annie.

If tomorrow's battle ends in our favour, I shall return to you as soon as I can. If otherwise, it might take some more time. But you do not have to worry Annie, as I've promised to you that I would return, and I never break my promises. I shall not write out my will here or give you instructions of what to do in case I am killed, as I do not plan to do so. I shall return to you, and I shall put the crown on your head, Annie. For now, please be careful, and beware of the king. Our soldiers had cursed him to hell and back, and they are now loyal to me. I am afraid that he might have heard about this, and I am afraid that he might vent his frustration on you. So please, Annie, be safe.

Yours forever,

Edmund de Chauvelot

Little did he know, I was already on the king's bad side. No matter what I did to prevent it, it eventually happened. My father did his best to salvage my standing, but he alone was unable to save me. I received multiple letters from the king, saying that he would treat me well if I broke off with Edmund and entered his harem. I ignored those, and the offers gradually became more and more tempting.

He said that if Queen Jane's child turned out to be a girl, he would divorce her and marry me instead. He said that I would be Queen of Phoenicia, and I would not need to wait for Edmund. I was disgusted by his gestures, but I was lucky to be of noble blood. Otherwise, I would have long been forced into the king's bed.

Queen Jane was now seven months pregnant. It was too early for her to enter confinement, and it appeared that she now felt well enough to walk around the palace. I had to escort her wherever she went and ensure that there were no pebbles lying in her path. I had received the King's latest letter just a few hours, and I did not have the opportunity to dispose of it yet. I clenched it tightly in my wrists, and I transferred all my disdain of Queen Jane onto the crumpled parchment.

At the moment, Queen Jane was serenely standing in the palace gardens, but her steely blue eyes were still darting around wildly, as if a bear would suddenly jump out of the rose bushes and pounce on her. She then turned towards me and saw the bits of parchment showing between my clenched fingers.

"What are you holding, Lady Winterbourne?" she asked suspiciously, and she held out her hand as if she were expecting me to hand it to her.

"It is nothing of importance, Your Majesty," I responded, but she did not seem to be satisfied.

"Give it to me," she demanded, but I swiftly shook my head. Even though King Edward's infidelity was not entirely foreign to her, having to witness it with her own eyes would be traumatising nonetheless, and I did not want to jeopardise her child's life just to satisfy her suspicions. That child's life was mine as well.

Her face had turned sickeningly red, and she reached out and roughly snatched it from me. I could not stop her, as touching the queen without her consent was a crime in itself and refusing her was an even bigger one. I could only helplessly watch as she spread open the crumpled parchment and read its contents. This letter from King Edward was remarkably more disgusting than the other ones, and I wondered how such an abhorrent person who only thinks of intercourse and alcohol could be allowed to make decisions for the entire kingdom.