Chapter 2

The world had never been fair.

Just then, a voice rang out from outside, "His Majesty has arrived."

The voice was stretched out, like someone singing on stage.

Frederick flinched, his hand shaking as he let go of me. He stepped back twice, and his face went white as a sheet.

Ambrose walked in.

He wore a dark royal robe embroidered with fierce golden lions, their claws and fangs bared. He had no crown, his hair unkempt and falling freely over his shoulders. He moved silently, like a phantom.

He carried a sword in his hand, the blade smeared with fresh blood.

The blood hadn't dried yet. It dripped onto the golden tiles, spreading out in crimson blooms, one after another.

I stared at the blood, feeling nauseated. Weirdly, I was a little thrilled.

Ambrose walked over, not even glancing at Frederick. He came straight to me, raised his hand, and with those bloodied fingers, seized my chin.

His hand was icy cold. The metallic scent of blood hit me full force.

"Who told you to come here?" Ambrose asked, his voice low and rumbling, like it was coming straight from his chest.

Frederick fell to his knees with a thud, trembling all over. "Your... Your Majesty."

Ambrose ignored him. His rough fingers dragged across my face, the calluses scraping my skin and making it sting. His eyes were pitch-black and bottomless. There was no love, no hate, only something terrifying lurking inside.

It was like a predator eyeing its prey.

"I'm asking you a question," Ambrose said, pressing harder. A sharp pain shot through my chin.

I said, "He told me to go with him. To become his concubine."

Ambrose laughed, clearly amused.

His smile was chilling, lips curling back to reveal sharp white teeth. "A concubine? Frederick, you've got some nerve."

Frederick lowered his head and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please spare me! I was foolish for a moment! I... I love Queen Agnes. I couldn't help myself..."

"Couldn't help yourself?" Ambrose let go of my chin and turned to look at Frederick, who was still groveling on the floor.

He lifted his sword, the tip pointing at the back of Frederick's neck.

"You dare touch Queen Agnes?" Ambrose said. His voice was soft and slow, like he was just casually deciding what to eat for dinner.

Frederick was so terrified that he wet himself. The stink spread everywhere.

I scrunched up my nose. Damn, that smell was nasty.

I said coldly, "Ambrose, kill him if you want, but you'll just dirty the floor."

Ambrose turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised. "Feeling sorry for him?"

"It stinks," I said, pinching my nose shut.

Ambrose let out a loud laugh. He threw his sword down, and it hit the golden tiles with a sharp clang.

"Get out," Ambrose barked.

Frederick scrambled and crawled out, losing a shoe in the process.

Now it was just Ambrose and me in the hall. We looked at each other.

"Come here," he said.

I didn't move.

Ambrose sighed, walked over, and grabbed my waist. His grip was like a steel clamp, unyielding.

"Agnes, have you forgotten who I am?" He breathed in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "I'm a monster."

I was not a decent human, either.

I rested my hand on his shoulder, letting my fingers slide along the thick vein in his neck.

"Right back at you," I said.

Frederick didn't die, and he didn't run. He was still kneeling outside the palace gates.

Word got out fast. Everyone in the palace knew about it in no time. Queen Mother Matilda sent for me to come to the Pearl Palace.

Queen Mother Matilda was an old hag, her face wrinkled up like a walnut, always fiddling with her prayer beads. She never liked me, thought I was just a thorn sent by the Egbert family to mess up her palace.

"Sit," Queen Mother Matilda said, pointing at a tiny stool.

I sat down. The stool was rock hard, my knees practically in my face, and it was seriously uncomfortable.

"I heard Frederick was planning to take you away?" Queen Mother Matilda kept her eyes closed, toying with her bracelet.

"Yeah, that's true," I replied, not hiding anything.

"And what do you think about it?" Queen Mother Matilda opened her eyes, her gaze cloudy but still sharp.

"What do you expect me to think?" I shrugged, spreading my hands. "I'm the Queen. The pride of Thalorien. Who does Frederick think he is, asking me to be his concubine? Is he even worthy?"

Queen Mother Matilda chuckled, her wrinkles deepening as she smiled. "You know he's not worthy. Agnes, you're no fool. Frederick's just a pawn, a petty troublemaker with someone pulling his strings."

"Who?" I asked.

She replied, "The Dunstan family, and all those folks who want to see the Egberts crash and burn. The Dunstans are using this mess to humiliate the Egberts, and the royals, too.

"If you leave, the Egbert family's done for. But if you stay, Frederick will keep kneeling out there till he croaks, and then the Egberts will be painted as the villains who pushed a loyal official to his death."

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't." I nodded.

Queen Mother Matilda looked at me, her eyes tinged with pity. "In this palace, there's never a right path. Every step you take is a mistake. All you can do is pick the one that hurts the least."

I asked, "And what about Ambrose? What's he thinking?"

Queen Mother Matilda snorted. "Him? He's a lunatic. He doesn't care if the Egbert family crashes and burns, or who you go with. The only thing he cares about is himself. And that..."

She didn't finish her sentence, just sighed.