I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was a ceiling made of rough stone. I was not in the city square in front of the board anymore. I was in a room.
I was lying on a narrow bed. Slowly, I sat up, my head throbbing slightly. I looked around. It was neither my room nor my house. The space was small, stark, and windowless. There was no balcony, no fresh air. Just stone walls, a simple wooden table, and a single wooden chair.
When I tried to stand up from the bed, the doorknob turned with a sharp clack.
Slowly, the door opened.
An unfamiliar woman walked in. From her plain grey dress, she appeared to be a servant. Our eyes met, and she flinched, looking surprised to see me awake.
"Where am I?" I asked, my voice raspy.
She didn't answer. She immediately turned on her heel and hurried out of the room, slamming the door shut.
I stood up, shaking off the lingering dizziness. I walked around the confined space, running my hand along the cold walls. This room felt like a cell.
I sat at the wooden table, clasping my hands, and waited for someone to come.
A few moments later, I heard the heavy thud of multiple footsteps approaching from the corridor.
I stood up from my seat, smoothing my dress, preparing myself for whoever was coming.
The door swung open. The servant from before entered, but this time she was followed by five guards in full uniform.
"What is going on?" I demanded, looking at the servant. "Perhaps you can tell me now?"
The servant kept her head bowed, staying quiet.
One of the guards stepped forward. His attire was more elaborate than the others—gold trim on his blue coat. I assumed he was the commanding officer.
"Lady Aurelia," he said stiffly. "Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you. She wants an audience."
"Her Majesty wants an audience with me?"
"Yes. Right now, you are under house arrest."
"HOUSE ARREST???" I gasped.
So this room was a cell. That explained why there were no windows.
"Why am I under house arrest?"
"The Queen will tell you the reason for that," the officer replied, his face impassive. "Your servant and your escorts are in the same situation. They are under arrest... but in conditions more harsh than your room."
"NO NO NO NO!" I shouted, slamming my hand on the table. "I WANT TO KNOW FIRST, BEFORE I SEE THE QUEEN! AND I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE OTHERS TOO! SURELY THIS IS A MISUNDERSTANDING."
"I am so sorry, but I cannot answer all your questions right now," he said firmly. "Her Majesty is waiting."
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to quell the panic rising in my chest. Calm down, Aurelia. You are an Aurelius.
"Well then," I said, lifting my chin. "If that is how it is, you may lead me to Her Majesty."
"You may follow me. Keep staying beside me."
…
We were in the Palace.
The officer led me through winding corridors, and I followed, matching his pace. Behind us marched the four guards and the servant.
After we climbed a flight of stairs, we emerged into a grand hall. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, and servants bustled back and forth. I realized my "house arrest" had been in the dungeon or the foundation levels beneath the palace.
We kept walking. I looked around, noting the architecture. The ornaments and decorations were grand, but honestly, there was no difference in quality between the Palace and my own home.
We arrived in front of a massive double door. It reminded me of the door to Father's study.
The two rear guards walked forward and pushed the heavy doors open.
Creeeak.
The view of the Throne Room revealed itself.
It was vast. Six marble pillars lined the hall, supporting a high, vaulted ceiling. A red and gold carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the dais.
In the distance, I saw two throne chairs. One was vacant. On the other sat the Queen.
She had long, cascading blonde hair and an air of effortless authority. Beside her stood a man with short red hair.
As I walked down the long carpet toward the Queen, my eyes darted to the side.
There, kneeling beside the pillars, were Adel, Cassius, and Valerie. Their hands were bound with heavy wooden cuffs.
I stopped in front of the throne. The guard announced my arrival.
"Lady Aurelia Aurelius," he boomed.
I stepped forward, curtsied deeply, and showed the proper respect due to a monarch.
Suddenly, the man standing beside the Queen spoke up. His voice was sharp and accusatory.
"Aurelia Aurelius, you are charged with public disturbance, endangering the public, and damaging public property….."
He kept talking, listing offenses, but I tuned out his droning voice. I was too busy trying to place him. I didn't remember who this man was. Even in my tutoring sessions with Lady Octavi, she hadn't mentioned him.
"Stop it for a second, Cato," the Queen interrupted, raising a hand. "It looks like Lady Aurelia doesn't follow your words."
The man stopped immediately. So his name is Cato.
The Queen turned her gaze to me, her blue eyes piercing. "Is there something on your mind, Aurelia? That makes you not follow his words?"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," I said politely. "I am just wondering, who is the man beside you? I don't recall anything about him."
"Really?" The Queen raised an eyebrow. "It is quite shocking to hear that from you." She glanced at the man. "You may introduce yourself to her."
"As you wish." The man took one step forward, puffing out his chest. "My name is Cato Justina. I am the Royal Regent. I am here because the King is currently absent, traveling abroad."
Regent.
It meant he had the power to govern the kingdom in the King's absence. And his family name was Justina.
Anna Justina.
He was Anna's father. That explained why a Count's daughter could be so close to the Crown Prince. But a Regent should be someone with power equal to the King—usually a Duke or a high-ranking royal relative. How could a mere Count be a Regent when there were Dukes like my father who held far more power?
"Thanks for the introduction," I said, masking my thoughts. "Now I am well aware of him."
"About the charge, Aurelia," the Queen continued, leaning forward. "Do you remember what you did yesterday? Are you aware of it?"
"I apologize, Your Majesty, but I don't know what you are talking about," I said truthfully. "I don't remember anything about it. The last thing I remember, I was reading the notice board… After that, I don't remember anything."
"You know that you came here to become a Courtier of the Royal Family, right?"
"Yes, I am aware of it."
"But how is it that the first thing you did when you arrived was this?" She gestured vaguely. "You havocked the public board, caused a disturbance, and endangered the people around you. Is this how the Aurelius family taught you to behave?"
"Once more, forgive me, Your Majesty. I don't remember anything about endangering people around me. But if it is true, I apologize, and may you forgive me for my behavior."
The Queen studied me for a long moment. Then, her expression softened into something strange.
"Somehow, for some reason, when I see your long white hair and your blue eyes, it makes me jealous..."
"Pardon, Your Majesty?" I blinked.
"Your beauty is the same as your mother's, and it bothers me," she mused, twirling a lock of her own hair. "The difference between you and your mother is just the eyes. You have blue, and your mother has red. Somehow, it irritated me to see that white hair."
"I think your blonde hair is beautiful too, Your Majesty," I offered diplomatically.
"Really???" The Queen smiled, stroking her hair. "But it is not as beautiful as yours..."
She slowly looked past me to Adel and the mercenaries. "Is she your personal maid? And the others? Their attire and clothes are not like that of your family."
"Adel is my personal maid, and the others are just mercenaries I hired for the escort."
"Mercenaries?" She laughed softly. "It is hilarious. The Aurelius family hired mercenaries for an escort?"
"My family did not hire them. It was I myself who hired them."
"Heeeeee..." She tapped her chin, turning her face back to me. "About your charges… I will dismiss them."
Cato gasped beside her, looking shocked. "Your Majesty!"
She ignored him. "But… you will be under surveillance. And I will appoint one person to do that."
I heard heavy footsteps behind me. They stopped right beside my shoulder.
I looked to my right. It was the officer who had led me here.
"He will be your personal escort," the Queen declared. "You can think of it like that. He will stay around you whenever, whatever, and wherever you go, starting tomorrow. Is that clear, Aurelia?"
"I understand."
She raised her right hand and signaled the guards.
Immediately, two guards walked over to Adel, Cassius, and Valerie. They unlocked the wooden cuffs.
Click. Clack.
"All of you may excuse yourselves from here," the Queen ordered.
Before leaving, everyone bowed deeply to show gratitude. They turned to leave. Even the Queen started to rise from her throne.
But I had one question burning inside me.
I took a step forward.
Seeing me move, the Queen sat back down, curious.
"Is there something else you need?" she asked.
"Is Your Majesty aware of the wind rumor circulating around the Crown Prince?"
"Which one? Surely there are many rumors circulating around the Royal Family."
"The rumor where he is in a relationship with another woman."
She paused for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Ah! You mean him with Cato's daughter... I am aware of her being close with him."
"Is their relationship an intimate relationship?"
"Intimate?" She tilted her head. "I saw them not as intimate as you imply. Why do you ask like that?"
"Forgive my sentences and my words," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the anger bubbling up. "But what I have seen for the past seven years is that the Crown Prince never ever set foot again in Aurelius territory, or even took a peek at me. And to see that he is in a relationship with another lady… surely the Royals don't take the agreement seriously."
"You need to watch your words, Aurelia," the Queen warned, her voice dropping a register. "We take the agreement between your family and us seriously. But the actions of Fabian are his own."
She smirked slightly. "We still tried our best to prevent him. As you can see, he is the Crown Prince of the Kingdom. Surely there are a lot of eyes on him."
"How did the Royals try their best for these seven years?" I challenged. "If the wind rumor keeps getting stronger and circulating among the people… even the people themselves think they are betrothed… If it keeps going like this, surely it breaks the agreement."
The Queen and Cato exchanged a glance.
Suddenly, her eyes changed. Her smile shifted. Her tone dropped the pretense of politeness. It was like she was trying to lure me into a trap.
She leaned her head on her hand, her posture becoming arrogant and regal.
"So, Aurelia..." she purred. "If you want to break the betrothal and the agreement between the Julius Family and the Aurelius Family, I open wide the door for you to do that. You are already twenty-one years old, the age at which women commonly marry. Surely, I will take your words as seriously as Aurelius words."
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.
"Therefore, what will you choose?"