Free Web NovelChapter 207: Chapter 207
Strong guards escorted two women into the queen’s atrium, the heavy thud of their boots echoing against polished marble. The nobles already gathered turned in unison, eyes following the women’s every step until the guards halted before where the queen sat. The air tightened with curiosity and the faint scent of incense drifting from tall braziers placed along the pillars.
Nheera’s face remained an exquisite mask of composure as she surveyed the scene before her. Her pale eyes swept first over her two ladies-in-waiting, then the guards flanking them, and finally the scattering of courtiers positioned throughout the chamber.
They were all beneath her, insignificant insects she would crush without a second thought under normal circumstances, but she kept her expression serene, refusing to let her contempt bleed through. Today, she required their favor. Today, she needed to play a role she despised.
Her pride bristled like a cornered animal at the mere thought of lowering herself in front of them, yet she understood it was the only path forward. There was no alternative. She hated taking advice from a man who would not hesitate to slit her throat if it benefited him, yet he had been right the last time they spoke. Infuriatingly, he was right more often than not.
That was the reason she continued to listen to Laheir even though she despised him. They made an unconventional pair, bound by a shared hunger for power.
Still, she could not afford to dwell on that now. Whispers had begun circling through the palace like vultures over a dying corpse, and her authority was being questioned more boldly with each passing day.
With her ring gone, she could no longer force the nobles back in line. She would have to regain their favor this way.
Only a select number of nobles had been invited to the atrium today, just enough to ensure the tale of her benevolence would spread like wildfire through the court, but not enough to make the display appear overly orchestrated. Two of her sons stood among the attendees, watching her with interest. The only ones absent were Hairan and the king, a detail she neither cared for, nor resented.
Nheera gave a slight tilt of her chin. At once, the guards stepped back. She rose from her ornate, high-backed chair, its surface carved with elegant symbols.
Her gaze was fixed on the two women before her. They were the same ladies-in-waiting she had detained only days earlier, imprisoned after she suspected them of stealing from her. Even if they didn’t do it themselves, she still believed that they aided in the theft.
Their eyes stayed firmly on the floor. Upon their release, she had ordered servants to bathe them, dress them in gowns of the finest silk, and decorate their necks and wrists in shimmering gemstones.
The opulence was intentional. It masked the horror and injustice of their imprisonment and transformed them into radiant ornaments for the crowd to behold.
Nobles were easily swayed by appearances. It was far more difficult to imagine injustice when the victims stood adorned in luxury, every hair meticulously arranged, every sign of suffering scrubbed from their skin.
Short-sighted, narrow-minded, predictable. Nheera wielded the nobles’ weaknesses like weapons.
She cast her gaze across the chamber, ensuring every noble was watching her, before returning her focus to the two women. When she spoke, her voice had softened into something warm and melodic, a calculated approach.
"Most of you have no doubt heard varying accounts from different sources about the events that took place in the palace recently," she began, her tone heavy with contrition. "So I have taken it upon myself to come before you and clear those misunderstandings."
Silence rippled outward, settling over the room.
"A few days ago, something extremely valuable was taken from my chambers without my knowledge. An heirloom passed down for generations in my family, and the last gift my father gave to me before his passing." She allowed her voice to waver, just slightly. "To most, it might have seemed like an ordinary ring. But to me, it was the final connection I had to my father."
The lie clung to her tongue like tar. If her father had left her anything, it was scars, cruel memories carved deep into her childhood, shared only with her younger sister. The very mention of him stirred the old hatred that had festered inside her since she was just a girl. Love had never existed between them. He despised her as much as she despised him. Even in death, she loathed him.
But Nheera was a gifted liar. It was, perhaps, the one skill that had never failed her.
Seeing every eye fixed on her, she continued.
"Blinded by grief and anger, I made a terrible misstep," she said, turning to the two women. "I called for the unjust imprisonment of my ladies-in-waiting. I may be queen, but I am not above admitting when I have done wrong." Her expression softened further, pale eyes shimmering with false regret. "I lost something dear to me, but that does not excuse how I acted. I offer my sincerest apology. And I will not take offense if either of you chooses not to return to my service."
The woman on the left, Lady Isolde, lifted her head just enough to speak. "Your apology is greatly appreciated, Your Majesty. But we took a vow to serve at your side, and that will never change. I wish to remain in your service."
The woman on the right echoed the sentiment, her voice sincere enough to persuade the crowd. fгeewebnovёl.com
Low murmurs rippled through the atrium as nobles whispered among themselves. Some nodded in approval, others in awe. Nheera did not bother to quiet them. She wanted their voices to rise, to spread. Every whispered word was a thread she could tug on later.
And as she stood there, bathed in the admiring glow of her court, she allowed herself a small, satisfied breath. freēwēbnovel.com
She bit back a smile as she continued to observe them, fully aware that she had played her part and that the rest would unfold exactly as she intended, even if none of them realized they were pieces on her board.
From the far corner of the vast atrium, Jayran watched the proceedings with an intensity that never cracked his mask of indifference. He absorbed every word spoken, storing it all away to dissect later. After a while, his twin drifted to his side.
Azul stood with his arms loosely folded, saying nothing as they both observed the show their mother performed for the nobles. Somehow, with a handful of carefully chosen words, she had slipped seamlessly from being the aggressor to being the victim.
"How does she sleep at night?" Jayran muttered under his breath, unaware the question had slipped out.
A soft chuckle answered him, muffled beneath the layered murmurs of the gathering.
Then Azul sobered, his mirth waning. He glanced over his shoulder.
"Peacefully." He said, answering Jayran’s question.
