[Music Recommendation: Castle of Glass ~ GnuS Cello]
Nicholas paced back and forth inside the room, his fingers raking through his hair. He had been trying to go easy on Oriana so she wouldn’t look at him as a bad person, but with the way things were going, Oriana was making things difficult.
"Nicholas, what are you planning on doing? You’ve been acting like this is not your problem. If my father says you won’t sit on that throne, then he means it," Adelaide said, going to stand in front of Nicholas.
Nicholas raised his eyes, looking at the princess in front of him. "Stand aside, I’m trying to think."
Adelaide was surprised at the tone Nicholas spoke to her with. She turned to look at her mother, who also had a surprised look.
"What do you mean ’stand aside’? Ha! You think making you king means you’re actually king?"
Gwen nodded, "Nicholas, I believe you should listen to Adelaide and not act like you’re meant to be king or the throne is yours."
Nicholas sighed without saying anything. He walked out of the room.
"Adelaide, you should really put him in his place before it’s too late," Gwen suggested, shaking her head in disapproval.
Adelaide walked out of the room, running after Nicholas. She followed him into the courtroom where Fidelis was now addressing the ministers.
"We are going to create a search team for my son, and until then, Queen Oriana will continue to make decisions. That is my final word," Fidelis spoke with authority to the ministers present.
Nicholas stepped forward, "I will say I’m against that. You stopped being king after Adric took over, and now he is no more, which makes me next in line. I am married to the princess, who is also your daughter."
"Nicholas!" Fidelis pointed at the young man’s face, "You shouldn’t show that you want to take the throne so badly, and doing it now when Adric is not here."
Nicholas bowed with a smile, "King Fidelis, someone needs to handle things properly, and I’m sure Adric will understand, knowing that I’m doing the right thing."
"He won’t!" Oriana’s voice was heard from the entrance as she walked gracefully into the courtroom. "I just received a letter. The king was only injured and nothing is wrong with him. He still leads the army gallantly and will soon return to the palace."
Madame Rosalie, who had just arrived at the palace, nodded in agreement, walking inside with Oriana.
Earlier, after Sophie had visited, the next person to come was Madame Rosalie with news that Adric was still alive. Oriana was so happy that she couldn’t contain her happiness but to come out and announce it to everyone.
"Nicholas, this is a letter from Adric’s personal guard directed to me two days ago. Adric is very much alive," Oriana continued, looking at everyone in the room.
Nicholas exhaled, rubbing his palm on his face. He didn’t want things to get to this, but since it was like this, he had to do the extreme.
"Guards!" Nicholas’s voice echoed, and the uniformed guards rushed inside the courtroom on his command.
Fidelis raised his hand, "Did you not hear that the king is still alive? Nicholas! Guards, arrest this traitor of the crown!"
Nicholas chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I want you to seize these two now!"
Before Oriana could say anything, the guards seized Fidelis and then Oriana, forcing them to kneel. Madame Rosalie tried to help but she was shoved to the side, not letting her come close.
"Nicholas! What do you think you are doing right now?" Oriana asked, trying to wriggle herself out of the guard’s grip. "Let go of me right now, Nicholas!"
Fidelis turned to see Oriana being held by the guards. "Let go of the Queen this instant!"
"The only Queen here is Adelaide, and the king is me. We have everything in order, and anyone who dares to go against it shall face the necessary punishment," Nicholas warned, looking at the ministers, waiting for anyone to speak against him. But none of them did, as they bowed their heads like cowards.
Oriana couldn’t believe what she was seeing: Nicholas, who had been so nice to her in the past. Someone she had once trusted.
Adelaide walked past Oriana with her shoulder raised, a smile of victory which she couldn’t conceal as she walked to stand beside Nicholas.
"I shall now make my orders as your new King. And every last one of you will listen," Nicholas started, looking at everyone inside the room.
Fidelis tried to force himself from the grip of the guards and he successfully did. He ran to Nicholas, holding his collar.
"How dare you try to overthrow a reigning King when he is still alive. Adric won’t let this slide."
Nicholas waved his hand and the guard dragged Fidelis away, but the man continued to struggle.
"Use force if he won’t stop," Nicholas ordered, and the guards used force to hit Fidelis, causing him to fall with blood dripping from his head.
"No!" Oriana shouted, pushing the guards away from her while she ran to hold Fidelis. "Stay away from him!"
Adelaide tried to take a step when she saw her father get hit, but the cold voice of Nicholas stopped her.
"Don’t move," Nicholas said with a serious look on his face. "We need them to know we are serious, and actions always speak louder."
Oriana tried to stop Fidelis’s head from bleeding with her hands trembling. "Nicholas, how dare you lay your filthy hands on him?" She cursed the man with her eyes as she glared at him with profound hate and disgust as tears welled up in her eyes.
Nicholas moved his eyes away from Oriana, and he raised a parchment.
"Listen to my first orders as your king: Oriana shall no longer be allowed to step out of her room. No visitor is allowed inside except inspected by Queen Adelaide. She must be treated with caution as she has lost her mind after losing Adric and the decisions she might make would affect the throne," Nicholas continued as everyone listened.
"King Fidelis will no longer be allowed to join the royal court or have a say in any discussion concerning the kingdom. He is growing old and might no longer think wisely, also he is mourning his only son."
Raising the parchment, Nicholas said with a note of finality, "This is my first order as a King, and anyone who dares to go against it shall be treated as a rebel."
"All hail the King!" Everyone in the room bowed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
