The Usurper's Queen | COMPLETED

06 | the proposal

     "Shut up Lisbeth!" Gilbert spat, already rising from the sofa, and our sister scoffed at him in return.

    "Don't be so virtuous, little Gil. Both of us know what Anne had done, what crimes she committed," Lisbeth drawled.

    "Just shut up Lisbeth! You know nothing!" Gilbert retorted, and I could feel the anger radiating from him, burning hot and frighteningly red.
My twin rarely became so mad, but when he did, it was terrifying.

There was fear in Lisbeth's eyes, but apparently her pure hatred towards me made her overcome her fear.
 
      "Innocent, sweet little Annie here poisoned young Prince George, killing him in a matter of minutes! And that's not the only life she has taken. She killed Grace Ainsworth, and even caused the Queen to take her own life! How many more do you intend to kill Annie? Will you kill me too?" Lisbeth taunted hotly.

She then pointed her slender finger at me and said, "Your Grace, she is the one who is causing you so much trouble and cost your family so many lives!"

       "Have you no shame, Lisbeth? How could you accuse our own sister of such a crime? Have you lost your mind?" Gilbert roared, but I was too anguished, too terrified to even listen. I glanced at Edmund through my glassy eyes, and I saw him staring back in disbelief. More tears streamed down my cheeks, and I swiftly stood up and escaped that suffocating room. I ran down the long, twisting corridors and burst through the back door.

      The tree branches were already bare of leaves, and the first snow seems to have fallen mere minutes ago. It was a beautiful sight, but I was shaking so badly that I did not care about my surroundings.

     I truly could not believe it. How could Lisbeth betray me like this? Does she want me to die? And then there's Edmund. Would he tell the King that I killed both his child and sister-in-law and caused his wife to commit suicide? Extreme fear ravaged my entire body, and my knees eventually gave way, and I lied down on the rotting leaves in a pitiful heap, unable to move.

      Would I die soon? Would it be the guillotine? Would I be hanged, like Queen Helene? Or would I be poisoned like young Prince George?

      "Anne!" I heard Edmund call. He knelt down and tried to help me up, but I retreated back hostilely, refusing to let him even touch me, as if his skin would scorch my flesh.

      "Are you going to turn me in to the King? Are you going to let them chop my head off ?" I laughed while wiping off the stray tears on my face. Edmund immediately shook his head, and I laughed even louder.

      "Oh wait, you need me! You need my family's influence to support you, don't you? Or else, who would vouch for you?" I taunted.

My words were harsh, but I was so consumed by my emotions that I could not stop talking. Edmund's lips curled into a bitter smile, and he looked away from me.

        "I did not know that you were capable of doing such a thing," he exhaled softly while covering his face with his hands. I froze, and I felt a lump rising up in my throat, and it became hard to breathe.

       "So, you think that I'm a sinner? A murderer?" I scoffed. "You're going to tell your uncle that I did it? That I killed his heir?"

Edmund shook his head, and he turned around, cupping my face with his hands. "I will not, Anne," he whispered softly. I wanted to push him away, to scream at him for lying so blatantly, but I could not. My feet were rooted to the ground, and I could only stare at him dazedly with my eyes wide open.

        "You had eliminated my greatest obstacle in my quest for the throne. My uncle has no heirs now, and soon I shall be reinstated his rightful heir! And after he dies, I shall become king, Anne!" he said in a cheerful tone, completely unfazed by the fact that I caused the death of his cousin.

         "Are you not saddened by his passing? Little Prince George was your kinsman," I questioned.

         "Why would I be, Anne? Ever since the day that he crawled out of his mother's womb, my whole life, my whole existence was discredited! The King promised me the throne when I was a little boy, but when his son was born, he gave me a piece of land and ordered me to go and live there quietly! How is that fair, Anne? And now I am expected to weep for the death of the very person who caused my downfall!"

      I stood there in shock. Did familial ties truly mean nothing to Edmund? Are all royals this ruthless, this brutal? Do their family members mean nothing to them but mere obstacles that must be destroyed ?

But when I recalled about Lisbeth's hatred and envy towards me, I realized that it applied to us commoners too.

Edmund's face looked as if it were glowing under the late autumn sky, and he smiled at me with a certain kind of admiration.

       "Anne, the road to the throne will be very long and twisted, but I am certain that I will be fine as long as I have you by my side. Are you willing to stand with me?" he asked with a proud smile, presumably expecting me to rejoice and jump in joy, but I had long predicted that he would someday ask that question.

        "Is it me that you want, or is it House Winterbourne's support?" I chuckled, and Edmund's smile faded.

        "Anne, it's not like that-" he tried to explain, but I brushed him off.

        "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, Your Grace. I shall discuss with my father regarding your proposal, but when the time comes, you must lend me your power whenever I ask for it," I said, and Edmund's face morphed into an expression of relief and confusion.

          "Once you are my lawfully wedded wife, you shall be a royal duchess, Anne. And since the Queen is dead, you will need to bow to no one. You will submit to no one. You shall be the most powerful woman in all of Phoenicia."

           "I know. But once you become king, I must submit to you, as your queen consort. I don't want that," I stated bluntly.

          "Then what do you want, Anne ?"

          "You and I shall have equal power. Instead of being queen consort, I want to be queen regnant. We shall be equal co-rulers."

Edmund nodded, not showing any signs of disappointment nor distaste on his face. "Then it shall be done."

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