Chapter XLVII: Hunt
As the king announced his plans for a week-long hunting trip with his knights, Isabella felt a wave of relief wash over her. The prospect of his absence offered her a rare moment of respite from the complexities and tensions of their relationship. With the king occupied in the wilderness, Isabella could finally exhale and find solace in the temporary reprieve from his presence. And yet, despite her immense relief, she still managed to miss him.
Isabella wasn’t avoiding the king for the sake of the prophecy. She also deeply feared getting hurt by him. The image of the late queen, dying in sorrow because of her husband’s lust always crossed her mind. She was no queen, no wife, but loving the king would put her in the same position: to always suffer knowing she’s not the only one, just one among many. There were moments she felt her heart beating fast, her body longing for him and her senses captured by his presence. She was the favorite, she was the mother of his firstborn child, his firstborn son. And so was the late queen… That didn’t prevent her from being casted aside, from having all her pain ignored so her husband could display his power through a harem. To stay away from the king also meant to stay away from the same fate. If he goes after his other concubines eventually, it will hurt less if she learns to not care.
In the hushed stillness of the early morning, Isabella heard a delicate knock on her door. Her senses heightened as she tiptoed across the room, mindful not to disturb her slumbering baby. The door creaked softly as she opened it, revealing the empty corridor bathed in faint moonlight. Despite the usual guard presence at her door, a fleeting gap existed during the changing of shifts, a window of opportunity for whoever decided to wake her up.
A delicate envelope lay nestled on the floor, its presence a silent enigma in the tranquil scene. Isabella's breath caught in her throat as she stooped to retrieve it. Before she could open it, she heard distant footsteps from the other side of the hallway.
Isabella's heart raced as she traced the echoing footsteps, her curiosity overriding any sense of caution. Just as she rounded the corner, a stoic guard materialized before her, his stern gaze locking onto hers with suspicion. Before she could offer an explanation, a subtle movement caught her eye—a swish of fabric, the hem of a brown dress vanishing into the shadows behind the sentinel.
The guard's stern voice sliced through the silence of the corridor. "Lady Isabella, what are you doing out of your chambers at this hour?"
Isabella's mind raced as she searched for an excuse. "I... I thought I heard something. I was just investigating," she stammered, her heart pounding in her chest.
The guard's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained firm. "You shouldn't wander the halls alone, my lady, especially not at this time."
Isabella's heart raced as she quickly concealed the letter in the folds of her nightgown. "I apologize," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I must have been mistaken."
The guard eyed her warily, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before nodding curtly. "Best return to your chambers, my lady," he advised, his tone stern yet tinged with a hint of concern.
As Isabella retreated back to her room, her mind raced with questions about the mysterious letter and the unseen sender. As she unfolded the paper, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the familiar symbol drawn in it: the Allendorian rose. The charcoal drawing depicted the unfolding petals of the rose with a sword poised behind it, which represented her dynasty, who ruled Allendor for over three centuries. There was nothing else in the whole letter but the drawing.
Fear and confusion gripped Isabella as she pondered the significance of the symbol and the identity of the sender. Was that a joke? Someone trying to get her in trouble? Or was it one of her loyalists who somehow managed to infiltrate the palace and was trying to send her a message? Either way, she knew she couldn’t keep that. The king once punished her over an allendorian book. Of course she was aware that the king had other reasons besides the book to go after her, he wanted to break her. Still, she couldn’t risk it. She had no idea how much her status could protect her, especially knowing the king wasn’t exactly the forgiving kind, and he could be even worse when it came to the Dragon sovereignty.
With trembling hands, she crumpled the paper and cast it into the fireplace, watching as the flames consumed the familiar emblem. A pang of sorrow tugged at her heart as she witnessed her family's standard reduced to ash… Once again.
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