Chapter 5
A year after I entered the palace, Edward did something that surprised everyone.
He had the palace staff deliver detailed renovation plans for my chambers, saying he wanted to expand the place.
The plans were meticulous, showing where a heated chamber would be added, which gallery would be remodeled, and what kinds of flowers would be planted. Every detail was marked clearly.
"You love crabapples. I'm having the whole courtyard filled with them for you," Edward said to me.
He stood in the courtyard, gesturing excitedly. "We'll plant pink crabapples over here and weeping crabapples over there. When spring comes, the whole place will be full of blossoms."
He wore simple robes and had his hair loosely tied back. He looked nothing like a king, more like a gentleman eagerly planning his new home.
His eyes shone, and he was a far cry from the cold, distant ruler in the council chamber.
I stood behind him, watching his back.
"Your Majesty, this isn't proper," I said. "The statutes for the Queen's chambers were set by royal decree. We can't expand it without cause."
He turned to me. "I'm the king. My word is law."
"The council will object."
"Let them be," he replied with a careless shrug, almost childishly stubborn.
I stayed silent. Expanding my chambers would be seen as a clear signal of Edward's favor toward me.
The Sinclair family already held considerable influence. If the council thought Edward was favoring them, it could upset the balance of power at court.
"Your Majesty, you don't need to do this," I said.
He walked over and stood in front of me, looking down.
He was so much taller than me that I had to tilt my head to meet his gaze.
"Charlotte," he said softly, calling me by my name for the first time. "You're my queen, my right hand. These past months, you've handled so many difficulties for me, and I notice every one.
"You're the cleverest, most graceful, and most reassuring woman I've ever known."
I lowered my gaze. "Your Majesty, you flatter me."
"So I want to give you something," he said.
"What is it?"
"A child."
I looked up sharply, my eyes widening.
"You're the queen, but without an heir, your position is insecure," he said.
His gaze was serious, without a trace of jest. "I'm willing to give you a child, not for me, but for you."
I remembered how he had mentioned this in my previous life, three years after I entered the palace. By then, his throne was secure, and he didn't need me.
Back then, giving me a child had felt like a gesture of pity. He was kind at heart and felt he owed me, wanting to make amends.
I'd refused because I'd loved William. I couldn't bring myself to have a child with Edward.
After that, Edward never set foot in my chambers again.
Now, he brought it up again, but the tone was different.
There was no sense of pity. It felt like a fair exchange.
I hesitated so long that he began to walk away.
"Okay," I said.
He stopped and turned back to look at me.
"Okay," I repeated.
In this palace, a queen without a child was vulnerable.
In my previous life, I was heartbroken, with nothing tying me down. Life or death didn't matter anymore.
This time, I wanted to live fully.
I wanted to have a child, not to secure my position or please Edward, but to experience motherhood.
In my previous life, I wandered empty halls, waiting for flowers to bloom and wither, my heart always hollow.
This time, I imagined cradling a tiny, soft life in my arms, hearing them call me "Mother."
I wanted a life completely different from the one I'd lived before.
Edward nodded and said nothing further.