[Music Recommendation: Funeral March ~ 2WEI]
The next morning, the news about the attack on the King’s life had already spread like wildfire. The ministers arrived before the first crow of the cock to visit the King, but they were denied access. Some complained and murmured, while others waited in silence, praying for the safety of the King.
Oriana woke up very early too. She dressed and went straight to the King’s chamber. She noticed the small commotion at the door. It was the Queen.
"Let me see my husband, Adric!" Gwen shouted, trying to push her way in, but the heavily built guards didn’t let her in.
Jasmine tried to calm her mother down. "Brother Adric, this is not fair. Even if you won’t let us all in, just allow Mother, please."
Oriana stood where she was. This was bad. Adric was causing more drift in the family by not letting them in, and this worried her greatly.
"Brother Adric," Jasmine called, but there was no reply. The princess sighed and gave up.
With everyone’s attention on the door, nobody noticed when Gwen slipped away. When she returned, she held a knife to her neck. Servants from the kitchen ran after her, trying to stop her.
"Your Majesty!" they chorused, fear in their voices.
"Mother!" Jasmine exclaimed, trying to stop her. "What are you doing? Please drop the knife."
Oriana was also shocked by this. She saw Kai and Walter, who were standing close to their father. Walter was crying, but Kai stared blankly at his grandmother.
"If I won’t be let in to see my husband, then I should join him," Gwen shouted. To make her threat look serious, she cut her hand, and everyone gasped.
"Grandmother..." Walter cried with both fear and worry.
Oriana looked at the door. She wanted to intervene, but it was not her place to do so. She was not a member of the family, and the Queen wasn’t very fond of her either. She just stood where she was, looking at the unfolding scene. From the corner of her eye, she saw someone looking at her. Oriana turned, but everyone’s attention was on the Queen.
"Adric! I know you want me to die, but just know that you shall be punished for this. I swear by the heavens!" Gwen raised the knife to a threatening position close to her neck.
Jasmine closed her eyes. "Mother, please... Brother Adric, make everything stop," she cried.
"What is going on here?" The Prime Minister walked in, with a calm look on his face.
Jasmine ran to him. "Lord Nicholas, please talk to Adric. He is still your friend, right? He won’t let us see the King."
Nicholas looked at everyone, and when his eyes met Oriana’s, they both bowed at the same time.
"He also won’t let the ministers see the King. If the King has passed away, we should be the first to know."
"Dead?" Caspar asked, holding his two sons close. "The King is dead?"
Gwen fell to the ground. "No! No! Death can’t take my husband from me."
Oriana frowned. Last night, she had seen the King breathing. It was shallow, but she saw him breathing. There’s no way...
"Then we should get ready for the mourning ritual," Adelaide suggested, and Nicholas agreed.
"Yes, we are waiting for the members of the royal family to join us. The other ministers are outside already," Nicholas informed them. "Let us give His Highness some time to process his emotions."
Jasmine nodded. "You’re right. We have to stay together as a family right now." Everyone agreed and followed Nicholas outside, where the other ministers were kneeling with their heads bowed as they mourned their King.
Oriana stood where she was, looking at the door. She wanted to know what Adric was planning by not letting anyone in.
"Won’t you come with us?" Adelaide asked Oriana, seeing that she wasn’t moving.
Oriana stepped back. "I will. Let me change my dress," she replied, walking back to her room when she saw Adric’s personal guard.
"Rowan, is it?" Oriana asked, and the guard nodded. "Where is the Crown Prince?"
Rowan bowed. "His Highness is..." His voice trailed off.
The entire ministers of the royal court got down on their knees with their heads touching the ground.
"Your Majesty! Why have you left us? Your Majesty!" they all chorused. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Walter and Kai weren’t allowed to come outside. They stayed inside with a maid while every other member of the royal family, excluding Adric and Oriana, was outside.
After a few minutes of mourning, Gwen stood up and walked to the center with her two daughters standing beside her to give her the support she needed, while her son-in-law and Nicholas stood not very far from her.
"Ministers of the royal court," Gwen started to address the crowd, "it’s with deep sadness and heartbreak that we have come to accept..." She paused, trying to hold back her tears.
"Mother," Jasmine joined her mother in crying.
Gwen took her time to calm down. "It’s so heavy for me to say. I met with him just yesterday. We were so happy, and he was filled with spirit. The only man who accepted me for who I am," she paused, looking at everyone gathered.
"We shall mourn, but we need to also know when to stop. Right now, Avon is the target of every kingdom. We can’t let them conquer us. We shall show other kingdoms that we still reign no matter what! Death can’t stop us, nothing can," Gwen shouted with a strong voice. It was no longer the voice of someone who was crying.
"We need to be on our guard. At this moment, Avon has no King. We all know how much the Crown Prince loved his father. It would be difficult for him to sort his emotions and even more difficult for him to handle the responsibilities of a king. I know this, as I am his mother," Gwen held her chest. "Our relationship hasn’t been rosy, but we always support our family. This is the time for us to rise as one. I will take charge of the affairs of the court for now."
The ministers who supported Adric murmured. "What about the Crown Princess?"
Gwen shook her head. "There is a lot we all need to know about the marriage, but that isn’t why we are here. Let us first settle who handles the kingdom’s affairs. It’s hard for all of us, me too. But I’m sure my husband would want this if he was here. I will take care of the Crown until someone else is eligible for it," the Queen said, looking at the crowd that had gathered.
"I know it’s difficult for us to accept. It’s even harder for me to say it, but His Majesty is..."
"Then don’t say it," Adric’s voice was heard.
Jasmine was the first to see him, and beside him was... "Father?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
