“Your Majesty, it’s time to depart. His Majesty the King has already left a little while ago,” the attendant informed her.
“Did His Majesty go straight to Gaecheon Square without stopping by the palace? The queen has always been here waiting for His Majesty…”
Her husband had changed. It was a reality she should have accepted long ago when she felt the sense of disgust buried within his indifferent gaze, but she had denied and ignored it until now.
“There’s no more time to wait. Why wait for someone who won’t even come? I don’t want to waste any more time.”
Though bitter about his resolute determination not to even pretend anymore, it was time to move on. Waiting for her husband, who wouldn’t come, would only compound her misery. It was unacceptable to exhibit such a disgraceful sight of waiting for a husband who wouldn’t show up even for the welcoming ceremony for a national hero.
Lelusha stepped out of the palace and entered the awaiting carriage. She couldn’t help but wryly smile at the emptiness of the spacious carriage that should have been shared with the king.
The queen being dismissed by the king on the eve of the reform ceremony was quite a spectacle.
To be slighted like this, even at such an important national event as the welcoming ceremony, made her realize that their strained relationship was heading towards catastrophe. Yet, it wasn’t the time to be consumed by sadness and anger, trying to decipher his sudden change of heart since the coronation. The time ahead was too heavy for a fallen queen to bear.
***
Guests congregated at Gaecheon Square for the grand welcoming ceremony, settling into their designated seats on the platform as their invitations, adorned with the royal seal, had dictated. Among them were the city’s esteemed nobles. Their attention was drawn as the Queen made her entrance, unaccompanied by the King.
“Why is she alone?” murmured one guest, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
“Shouldn’t this have been expected? Look, even an orphan of modest beginnings, ignorant of courtly customs, finds herself in the Queen’s seat,” remarked another.
“It appears His Majesty has finally seen reason. To think he saw eye to eye with his knight and crowned her queen… It’s confounding. But then again, her origins shouldn’t matter,” said a third.
“Wasn’t she the one who aided His Majesty in his ascent to the throne when his claim was feeble? Even now, the appointment of such a Queen seems… unconventional, to say the least. Granting her a title or land might have sufficed, yet to elevate a common-born knight to the throne was indeed a folly. He only invited further legitimacy issues that plagued him throughout his reign,” opined another voice.
“He was momentarily blinded by a woman.”
Despite the facade of courtesy, noblewomen began to openly deride the modest queen behind her back. She was an easy target for their fleeting amusement. The sight of a queen of humble origins stripped of her authority was deemed pitiful.
“It won’t be long until she’s dethroned,” they predicted with certainty.
With grace undeterred, Lelusha maintained her regal composure, her gaze shifting ever so slightly to meet that of the Countess of Mutenberg, who dared to speak of abdication. A subtle smile played upon her lips, hinting at a defiance that whispered, “What can you do?”
Dethroned, the word echoed in Lelusha’s thoughts, eliciting a bitter chuckle. Yes, cast aside like a worn-out garment.
Her ascent to the throne, a feat achieved solely through the favor of the usurping “king” and the public’s acknowledgment of her role, now revealed its fragility. It was a position built solely on her husband’s affections, one she couldn’t sustain alone.
“Even so, it’s unfathomable. To treat Her Majesty the Queen with such contempt, even in her position. What could possibly warrant such disdain?” pondered one voice.
“Oh, but you’re unaware? It seems Her Majesty had an ‘encounter’ with Matthias on her recent escapade…” whispered another, the gossip spreading like wildfire.
While outwardly feigning sympathy for the beleaguered queen, the courtiers reveled in their clandestine chatter, their voices gradually fading into silence as a momentous announcement rang out.
“The Mighty Sun of Reveln, His Majesty the King, approaches.”
With bated breath, all eyes turned toward the impending arrival.
