Ch - 2 Fire on water

A few hours earlier

Regina

 “Sir Aldric?” My voice came out quieter than I intended. “Where is he?”

Today was the day. He was supposed to return today. My Uncle, the Grand Duke. 

But the knight’s silence swallowed me whole. His face, which was always so composed, was now pale.

Then I noticed it, the hall behind him. The maids, the knights, the people of our household… every single one of them bore the same mournful expression. Some were sobbing quietly while others stood rigid.

My feet moved before my mind could catch up. The long corridor blurred around me as I rushed forward. 

I needed to see him right now. I needed to affirm this was just a cruel misunderstanding.

The moment I stepped inside the Silverhall, the knights that stood in formation turned, their gazes somber as they immediately stepped aside for me. 

And that was when I saw him.

Black hair, just like mine, spilling over the bier. His body lay unnaturally still, draped in the flag of our duchy. No…

I took small, scared steps towards him. My stomach twisted. This couldn't be happening.

With each step forward, I pleaded that when I reached him, I’d see a different face. That it would be someone else.

But when my trembling fingers finally brushed against his cheek, the icy stillness beneath my touch shattered the last of my hopes.

“Uncle?” My voice was barely above a whisper. My fingers hovered over his chest. Desperate. Searching.

Nothing. No warmth. No heartbeat. Only silence. Silence that felt so cold it made my heart freeze.

Tears continued to flow, yet no sound of a sob escaped. My knees buckled, hitting the cold stone floor, but I barely felt it.

The Grand Duke. My uncle. At twenty-one, he took the title and adopted me as his heir. Rejecting all political marriages to protect me, he became my father, mother, brother, and best friend. My only family.

The person whose eyes would light up the moment he saw me is not opening his eyes anymore.

A raw, agonized scream tore from my throat as I saw him lying lifeless before me.

The world around me faded. Was I crying? Was that wretched scream mine? Everything hurt. 

It felt as if acid had been poured over my heart, burning, searing, consuming me whole.

My forehead rested against his unmoving chest, my hands gripping the fabric of the flag draped over him as if I could bring him back to life. 

Please let it not be real. Please, please…

Just then, I felt someone wrapping their arms around me, placing my head on their chest to comfort. I didn’t lift my head. I couldn’t.

Then a voice, low and familiar, murmured above me. “It will all be fine. I’m here.”

A shiver ran down my spine - not of comfort, but of unease. Slowly, the haze of grief parted just enough for me to recognize him. Charles. My fiancé. Son of Count Godwin.

The man I did not love. Yet the man I was supposed to marry because of a promise between our families. A political marriage.

Charles held me as if he were my savior, but I knew he was not. The child who once was my dearest friend was now a man who indulged in excess, surrounding himself with mistresses and drowning in luxury, all without lifting a finger to earn it.

But at that moment, I was too broken to push him away. Then, his lips brushed against my ear. His voice, once soft, curled with something vile.

“I told you, didn’t I?” he whispered. “That soon it would all be mine?”

My breath caught. My body went rigid. What did he just say?

He leaned closer, his grip tightening. “A woman was never meant to rule. Be grateful I’m here to take over. I will be the Grand Duke. It’s time you finally understand that.”

The world stilled. He was smiling. Even without looking, I knew. I could feel the ego of his triumph radiating off him.

Satisfied with the sorrow he put me in,  he pulled away and rose to his feet. “Take her to her palace,” he ordered, his voice commanding, certain. “I will take over the duties from here.”

The knights hesitated. He wasn’t the Duke. Not yet. He wasn’t even my husband.

But no one stopped him.

Not one voice objected. Because they did not have the right, only I did, but I couldn’t speak. The sorrow and fury in my heart were so vast that they stole my words.

The maids rushed to my side, their hands gentle as they helped me up, but I barely felt them. I barely felt anything at all.  I didn’t move, didn’t resist, didn’t even acknowledge them.

The doors to my chambers shut behind me with a soft click, but the sound was deafening in the silence that followed.

The Grand Duke was declared dead, and the cause of death was heart failure. They said he must have had a weak heart to die at the age of thirty-five. No conspiracy was seen or could be possible. 

But I knew the truth. I know Charles is not capable enough to accomplish this treachery. I also know most of the evidence must have been cleared already. Without any evidence, if I blamed Charles for murder now, I would be labeled as a woman who's gone crazy with grief. I gripped the armrest of the chair, my nails digging into the wood. 

They were all underestimating me because they knew I was not in a position anymore to deny this engagement without a proper reason. Even if Charles’s attitude was terrible, he was unfaithful, it didn’t matter as long as he treated the ministers well. It won’t be seen as something worthy to break an engagement over, as many nobles have mistresses.

And the fact that his brother and father are both esteemed members of the council and have extremely good relationships with the ministers just adds to his support to take the throne. 

Judging by how things are going, Charles would be declared the next Grand Duke tomorrow morning once all the ministers and his family arrive for the funeral and to discuss succession. And I would have to dance to his tune as he would have authority over me. I’ll never be able to get my revenge. 

I am a woman, and I have to work smarter. And there was only one way out. I need to stop Charles from becoming the Grand Duke at any cost. Through any means.

I walked up to the doorway and heard the faint sound of whispers. My knights were ordered to go away from the Grand Duke’s palace and stationed at my manor instead under the pretense of protecting me.

Charles had already brought his knights to the Grand Duke’s palace, a subtle indication that he was claiming the throne soon. He also placed his trusted knights to monitor me. I recognized them as soon as I peeked out the door and watched that emblem, the silver swords. 

Instead of going through the main door, I used the secret passage in my room no one knew except two people. And now only me.

I went to the Golden Manor reserved for highly regarded guests. The place where Charles always resided whenever he visited. I may not find evidence, but I may find some clues.

I rummaged through his drawers and cabinets to get my hands on anything that would help me know who all were involved in this. Just when I thought my search was in vain, I found his letters. Letters addressed to his cousin, Jasper. The son of his father’s sister. 

Then it became clear, then the numbness faded away as wrath settled in my heart. Wrath so vast I could burn the whole world and still not die. 

How dare they?

The throne that belonged to the Grand Duke will not go to his murderer.