The Crown's Path

"When I was very young, my mother told me that the most noble woman in the world is the queen, and that the palace where she resides is called the Avalon Golden Hall. I asked my mother what the Golden Hall looked like."

My mother said she didn't know.

"Sitting under the leaking roof of a country house, I thought how wonderful it would be if I could transform into a swan flying overhead, to soar to the bustling capital, to see the palace and discover what the Golden Hall looked like."

The palace gates were secluded, with only a window on the left slightly ajar.

The sky was overcast, the light dim.

In the once bustling Avalon Golden Hall, not a single servant was to be seen now.

Only Elinor de Clare remained, sitting tall in front of an intricately carved ivory white marble table, moving a queen chess piece across the black board with her slender, pale fingers. Her golden gown spread out long behind her, its complex patterns barely glimmering in the dim light.

"Later, I indeed reached the capital. God played a big joke on me, gave me an undeserved ambition, yet had me grow up in the countryside, without the demeanor of an aristocratic family, dropped me in this bustling, contentious place, with only a beautiful appearance bestowed on me…"

Elinor was exceptionally beautiful.

Green eyes with slightly upturned corners, full lips boldly painted red, she naturally exuded a seductive charm. Over the years, wielding power and being in a high position, she developed a rare grace and dignity.

Even a demure glance could make one's heart skip a beat.

The chief maid, Lilith, stood quietly behind her, listening to her voice, faint as dust. Remembering her life in the eyes of others, full of scheming and pursuit of fame, Lilith suddenly felt a bit dazed.

A sadness welled up in her heart.

They both knew, Elinor couldn't escape anymore.

Elinor suddenly smiled, "Lilith, lately, I've been thinking, was I really wrong?"

As a child, she was raised by her mother, unaware of her own origins, running wild in the fields and hills outside the manor, like a bird no one could tame.

Her mother, a housewife, said that the world belongs to men, only men can conquer it; and for women, to conquer men is to conquer the world.

Returning to the capital later, she met William Mortfort, the leader of the knight. He took her on adventures in the capital, dressed as a boy, and even her father dared not discipline her too much.

Later, the Mortfort family got entangled in the Ravenwood family's rebellion. The Mortforts were expelled from the capital.

That night, the boy climbed over the high walls of the Clare manor to see her, his voice hoarse, gripping her hand tightly: "Elinor, wait for me, I will come back to marry you."

But Elinor said to him, "I want to marry Arthur, I want to be the queen."

I remember the young William then, looking at her with a piercing gaze, like a struggling trapped beast, his eyes were red, jaws clenched.

That night, the boy lost all his naivety, let go of her hands, and disappeared into the darkness.

Three years later, she was Queen to Arthur.

The path to the throne wasn't easy, so in her short life, there were many like William.

But no one expected that the boy from the past would return. After gaining military achievements at the border, William joined Archbishop John Blackwood, claiming to protect Arthur, he returned in armor, surrounded the capital, took control of the entire Avalon Palace, and confined her.

Arthur was poisoned, languishing in bed, neglecting state affairs.

William would brazenly visit her place, dismissing the servants each time he came.

No one in the Golden Hall dared to speak out.

Everyone knew, he was the right-hand man of Blackwood.

When Archbishop John Blackwood slaughtered half the palace, it was he who led the troops to guard the gates, preventing anyone from escaping; when John Blackwood exterminated the Elton family, it was he who broke open the sealed doors, capturing men, women, and children…

Now, he stood outside her palace gates with the once Archbishop John Blackwood.

Arthur had passed away, leaving an edict for her to regulate the country after his death.

However, the heir chosen from another family hadn't yet inherit the throne when he was beheaded by rebels on his way to the capital, his head hung at the city gates.

 Now, it was her turn.