The Usurper's Queen | COMPLETED

28 | the man from lansbury

How would you feel if I deprived you of your voice and locked you up in your room? How would you feel if I married ten other men and treated you as nothing but a sleeping partner? How would you feel if I divorced you on the grounds of you being unable to give me a son?"

Thomas Ainsworth sputtered on his words, eyes widening at the audacious things I said. How dare I treat him like he treats women? Unacceptable! Preposterous!

"That goes against the laws of nature! How can a woman marry more than one man? It is unheard of!" he shouted and seemed as if he wanted to recite religious scriptures that proved his point, but he was too dull to remember any of them.

"Now, Lord Ainsworth, I suggest you go home and softly cry into your pillow while the King finds another poor girl for you to marry, hm? It's just that Cecily knows how to read and write, and she can think for herself too. You said you didn't like that, did you?"

He gritted his teeth tightly and turned to Cecily. "Come with your uncle, Sissie. Do not waste your time with such ingrates!"

Cecily shook her head, finally emerging in front of him. "I am loyal to House Winterbourne and my Lady Anne. I do not wish for my title back, and I will be satisfied with my husband's title. He is a future Earl, and a promising soldier at that. It is more than sufficient for me, uncle. So, please go and tell my father to not worry about me anymore. I am treated better here than I ever was anywhere else, and unless that is an issue for him, I believe there is no need for him to be concerned."

Realizing that he was not going to become a Prince Consort, Thomas Ainsworth immediately shed his cordiality and said, "Never mind, you are too ugly anyways! I deserve so much better than you!"

When his carriage took off, Cecily yelled at the top of her lungs, "Likewise!"

Both Edmund and Gilbert were at the barracks at the moment, and they would soon return in a week for my wedding. Never did I expect that my brother would marry before I do, but things happen. I do wonder how Cecily felt about the entire ordeal, as her wedding was nothing more than exchanging vows, and she could not even bring her dowry with her. She had no wedding dress, no bridesmaids, and there was no feast after the marriage.

"Cecily, when you are of age, I shall talk to Gilbert about having an appropriate ceremony to celebrate your marriage. You should also renew your vows, in case someone tries to claim that your marriage is invalid," I said with caution. Legitimacy was hardly an issue for common people, but in royal families, brothers and sisters would turn upon each other for the throne. Cecily's own father was a prime example of that.

She nodded, and her pale blue eyes were filled with gratitude. "Yes, thank you Lady Anne. I would very much like that."

That night, I told my father about Thomas Ainsworth saying that he is to marry Cecily, and how he was to receive so many titles upon marriage.

"Could it be that the king is trying to limit our power, Father? Or are they trying to control her?" I asked him.

My father was silent for a moment, mulling over my questions.
"It is more serious than that, Annie. There is something that I think you should know, but you must never tell anyone about this," he warned.

I nodded in anticipation, and then my father whispered in my ear, "I heard this rumor when I went to the palace a few days ago. People say that there is something wrong with Prince Gregory.

They say that he isn't right in the head, and one of his arms had become crooked, and he cannot even speak yet. Toddlers his age had begun to talk and walk, but not Prince Gregory."

I looked down somberly, knowing that it was entirely my fault.
"It was the incense stick, Father," I said with a sigh. "I used it to terminate the Queen's first pregnancy, but I suppose that it had damaged her body for good. It can kill off a fetus with just a single whiff, and it did its job. Since the effects of the poisoned had weakened slightly, Prince Gregory survived but is deformed."

Guilt filled my heart, knowing that the boy would have to live his entire life that way. That poor Prince Gregory was unwillingly brought into this world and was caught in this fight for the throne and ultimately paid the price.

"You did it for the sake of our family, for your future husband. If he were a worthy heir, our efforts will be all for naught. True, he is a but a child, but he will grow up to be a thorn in your side, Annie.

The golden thrones of the King and Queen are bathed in blood, and no ruler is clean of sin. No matter how kind, no matter how virtuous, blood stains their hands. This is your sacrifice, the price you must pay in exchange for the throne, Annie.

More and more trouble will arise, and there will be a time where you will be forced to act even if you don't want to."

As I listened to his words, it became apparent to me that the day Edmund usurps the throne is not distant anymore. We have come to the point of no return, and to continue living, we must succeed, and losing is no longer an option. If we fail, then we lose everything. My family will lose their heads, and I was not likely to be spared either.

At this point, it was to kill or to be killed. Either way, I would have to get my hands dirty yet again.

Hi! If you liked this story, try checking out my other story, which is set in the early 1700s, Catarina and The Prince ! And please vote and comment, it means a lot to me 🥰