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When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence
When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence
Author: Gold & Silver

Chapter 1

Author: Gold & Silver
Before dawn, my maid, Lily Cameron, began packing our trunks.

She grumbled, "That rabbit was carved from one of the finest stones brought as tribute for His Majesty's 20th birthday. It was a rare treasure, yet he called it a worthless stone because of Lady Winona. Your Grace, you have every right to be angry."

I told her to leave behind only two sets of plain clothes, a pair of shoes, and half a box of cough medicine. There was no need for silks and satins at the abbey, and bringing too much would only invite gossip.

Lily crouched on the floor, her eyes red from crying. "Your Grace, are we really going there?"

"I never go back on my word," I replied flatly.

By midmorning, a page arrived with a message from King Edward Wright. "Your Grace, His Majesty says life in the abbey is tough. If you can't get used to it, you're welcome to return whenever you please."

Lily bit her lip and looked at me.

I closed the hand mirror and set it back on the dressing table. "Let's go."

The walk from Rosewood Court to the palace gates meant crossing nearly half the inner court. It was a path I had walked for nine years, and this was the first time it felt so long.

Halfway along the path, we encountered Paula Gilman, Queen Charlotte Dicken's senior maid. She walked up to us with a beaming smile, holding a red velvet box.

"Greetings, Your Grace. Her Majesty had these prayer beads prepared especially for you. They've been blessed to keep you safe and give you peace of mind at the abbey."

I took the box and lifted the lid. It was an exquisite set of prayer beads. "Her Majesty is very kind."

Paula leaned in, her voice softening. "Do set your mind at ease at the abbey, Your Grace. Her Majesty will take care of everything here in the palace. You need not worry at all."

I wrapped the prayer beads around my fingers and said, "Please give Her Majesty my thanks."

After Paula left, Lily walked to my side and whispered, "The queen is practically showing us the door. You haven't even left the palace yet, and she's already making her move."

I kept walking without responding.

When we passed through the royal gardens, I stopped when I saw that not a single rosemary remained. The soil where they'd stood was freshly turned and still damp.

Several gardeners were crouched on the ground, digging holes. Beside them stood a row of jasmine seedlings waiting to be planted.

"How dare you pull up the rosemary!" Lily blurted out. "His Majesty planted it himself!"

The head gardener saw me and stood up quickly. "Your Grace, Her Majesty said rosemary is way too common, while jasmine would make the garden more elegant."

I caught Lily's wrist to stop her. "Let them be. I won't be here anyway. There's no point in keeping the rosemary."

As we passed through the eastern wing, a line of palace maids was carrying dressing cases, silks, and coral ornaments to Lady Winona Adler's quarters.

Then I heard Edward's laughter drifting over from the eastern garden wall. It was faint but unmistakably carefree. He hadn't laughed like that around me in a long time.

My steps faltered slightly. Lily tightened her grip on my hand to steady me.

I glanced through the garden gate. Edward was sitting beside a stone table with a small carving tool in hand, intently working on something.

Lady Winona sat across from him, resting her chin in her hand as she watched him with a smile. Several pieces of freshly cut stone lay scattered across the table.

He was teaching her to carve gemstones.

Lily's voice trembled. "His Majesty said he would teach that skill only to you."

I gently patted her hand. "There are so many things he said he did only for me. He planted the rosemary only for me and carved the white agate rabbit only for me. He said each of them was only for me, yet how many of those promises did he ever truly keep?"

I turned away and climbed into the carriage. The curtain fell, and the wheels rattled over the stone pavement.

I leaned against the side of the carriage and closed my eyes, my fingers unconsciously tightening around the prayer beads.

The carriage rolled through the main gates and rumbled across the stone bridge over the moat. Lily lifted the corner of the curtain and looked back. "Your Grace, don't you want to take one last look?"

I shook my head without opening my eyes.

Edward knew better than anyone what that piece of agate meant to me. Yet after nine years, he had even forgotten who he had carved it for.

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  • When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence   Chapter 10

    Three days after the decree granting my departure from the palace was issued, Edward came.It was his third visit to the abbey. But this time, there was no royal procession. He did not even bring Martin.He came alone, wearing a slightly worn blue-gray robe, looking like an ordinary pilgrim as he made his way up the stone steps.I saw him at the gate, holding something in his hands. When he came closer, I finally realized what it was—the white agate rabbit.The rabbit had been shattered into so many pieces, yet Edward had painstakingly set each one back in place.Fine golden lines tracing the breaks glinted in the sunlight. The gold held the broken pieces together, making the rabbit look almost whole again, perhaps even more intricate than before.Edward stopped in front of me and held it out."The broken pieces have been joined with gold. The craftsman says it's even stronger than it was before."His voice was soft, as though he were trying to comfort someone he knew he could

  • When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence   Chapter 9

    In early April, Lily returned with news that something serious had happened in the palace.Lady Winona had slipped up in front of Edward.It all started with something small.That day, Edward had casually mentioned that there was a reason he had carved the white agate rabbit for me.Lady Winona must have thought it was the perfect opportunity to ingratiate herself with the king, so she smiled and said, "I heard Lady Rosalyn's grandmother used to raise rabbits, so Your Majesty had this rabbit carved for her as a reminder of home. That was very thoughtful of you."My grandmother raised rabbits too. I suppose that's another thing Her Grace and I have in common."Edward was surprised that Lady Winona knew about my history with him and what the white agate rabbit meant to me.His expression darkened at once. "Who told you that?"Lady Winona froze, clearly unprepared for the question. She hurried to explain herself, but the more she tried to talk her way out of it, the more suspiciou

  • When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence   Chapter 8

    On the ninth day of March, Edward came to the abbey for the second time.This time, he brought a royal procession with him. Attendants lined the stone steps halfway up the mountain, and royal guards stood in formation at the abbey gates, banners snapping in the wind.The commotion was so loud that even Beatrice came out of the side hall to take a look from a distance.Edward was dressed in plain clothes, but even without his royal robes, he carried himself with unmistakable authority.He walked up the stone steps alone, with Martin following behind him. When they reached the door of my room, Edward stopped Martin and went inside by himself.I was in the middle of copying sacred text.In the past month and a half, I had copied three full volumes. My wrist ached so badly I could hardly lift it. Yet I still wrote every day, until my fingers went numb and the tip of my quill began to tremble.Edward walked in and stood in front of me, looking at me for a long time."Rosie, on you

  • When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence   Chapter 7

    At the end of February, Gideon Farrow arrived at Holy Brook Abbey He was returning from the northern frontier with a dozen guards to give his report at court. On his way back to Norwick, he stopped at the abbey to light a memorial candle for the fallen soldiers.Lily tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "There's a group of soldiers here. The man leading them is tall, wearing a well-worn gray coat with a longsword at his waist. He looks like a general."I walked to the courtyard entrance and glanced into the abbey.He leaned forward over a small table beside the donation box, writing the name of a fallen soldier, his back remaining perfectly straight.When he finished, he set down his quill and rubbed his wrist. The moment he looked up, his eyes landed on me.He froze for a moment. "Rosalyn?"Lily let out a sharp gasp and instinctively stepped in front of me.Gideon walked toward us at a steady, unhurried pace.He stopped in front of me and studied my face, then glanced at my pl

  • When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence   Chapter 6

    Two weeks later, Edward came. There was no royal procession. He brought only Martin and a few attendants.The abbess led him inside while I was copying sacred text in the prayer hall. The moment I heard his footsteps, I knew it was him.After nine years, I could recognize the way he walked even with my eyes closed. His left foot always fell a little heavier than his right.I set down my pen and rose, clasping my hands in front of me as I lowered my head slightly. "Greetings, Your Majesty."Edward stood in the doorway with the light behind him, his expression hard to read.After a long moment, he finally stepped inside and stopped in front of me.I kept my head lowered, but from the corner of my eye, I saw him taking in my plain dress, wooden hairpin, and the ink stain on my hand."Rosie," he called me by my nickname.I did not answer."Rosie, you've suffered enough. Come back with me."His voice was soft. I had not heard him speak that way in a long time, as though he were de

  • When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence   Chapter 5

    The Royal Council processed my petition faster than I had expected.Lily came back up to the abbey after two days. There was an unreadable expression on her face.She said, "The petition was submitted, and the Royal Council drafted its recommendation on the same day. They cited the precedent of Lady Beatrice from the late king's reign. All three senior ministers approved it and sent it straight to the Royal Secretariat afterward."His Majesty was going through state papers when he received the petition. After reading it, his hand jerked, knocking over the inkwell and spilling ink across the document he had just finished reviewing."Then he flew into a rage and swept everything off his desk. The inkwell shattered. He summoned the deputy minister of the Royal Council and questioned him for nearly half an hour, demanding to know who had approved the petition."The deputy minister said the document followed the established format, and all three senior ministers had signed it. There wa

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