Chapter 61: Chapter 62: The queen. The maid

Elara’s pov

But looking at the alternatives, looking at who else was available and who else I could even begin to trust, Corvus was the best option I had.

The only option, really.

My hand moved to the window, pressed against the cold glass. Solid. Real. Outside, somewhere in the city beyond these walls, Kaelen was probably trying to figure out what to do with himself now that I’d torn his job away from him.

I wondered if he hated me.

I wondered if he’d already left the city entirely.

I wondered if I’d been too rash, too angry, too desperate to push away anyone who might see too clearly what I was trying to hide.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges.

But tonight, I’d accomplished something. I’d removed Malakor from power. I’d elevated someone who might actually help me instead of managing me. I’d signed a treaty with Valerium that avoided war without sacrificing my independence.

I’d survived another day.

And the child inside me had survived with it.

For now, that had to be enough.

I left the royal study and walked through the quiet corridors toward my chambers. The palace had settled into evening now. Servants moved quietly along the walls, eyes down, pretending they hadn’t spent the afternoon watching the power structure of the court shatter and reform.

My hand moved to my stomach out of habit, then dropped. I couldn’t keep doing that. Someone would notice. Someone would start asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

The guards outside my door straightened as I approached. Royal guards. Temporary, sent by Corvus while he arranged for a more permanent replacement. They nodded respectfully, faces neutral, professional.

I entered and settled in, ready to finally be alone, ready to strip off this crown and these jewels and this mask and just breathe for a few minutes.

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

I turned. Lena stood there, a few steps back, her face carefully neutral. She held a towel over one arm and carried a small basket with soaps and oils.

“Elara” Her voice was soft. Careful. “I came to help you bathe. It’s been a long day.”

“I’m fine, Lena.” I kept my voice flat. “I’ll bathe myself tonight.”

She blinked, surprised. “You’ve been saying that a lot lately. Every night this week, actually.” She moved closer, and something in her expression shifted. “Elara, I’ve been hearing rumors. There are royal guards at your door now. Not Kaelen.” She paused. “What happened with Kaelen?.”

Something snapped inside me.

“Don’t I have a right to do with my guard as I wish?” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “Why is everyone questioning me on my choices?. Is there anyone in this palace who will simply accept that I am the queen and what I say goes?”

Lena was shocked, surprised at my tone.

“Elara–”

“That’s Your Majesty.”

The words hung in the air between us like a wall.

Lena stared at me for a long moment. Her face went through several emotions in quick succession. Shock. Hurt. Confusion. Then something hardened behind her eyes.

“Why are you in such a mood?” Her voice was different now. Less formal. More direct. “In the past few months, you’ve been acting weird. You’re not the Elara I know anymore. You’re not my friend. You push everyone away. You snap at everyone who tries to help.” She stepped closer. “Why are you so estranged from me? What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything.” My voice was cold. Controlled. “You’re a maid. I’m the queen. That’s the only relationship we have. That’s the only relationship we’ve ever had.”

Lena’s face went pale. For a moment, she looked like I’d slapped her.

“That’s not true and you know it.” Her voice cracked slightly.”.

“Well it is. You are an ordinary maid. I am your queen. You do not get to question my choices. You do not get to demand explanations. You do not get to speak to me like we’re equals, because we are not.”

The words hit her like physical blows. I saw it in her face. The shock. The hurt. The disbelief.

“Our friendship,” she whispered. “years of friendship. And this is what it comes to?”

“Friendship?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. Just bitterness. Just exhaustion. “You think a queen can have friends? You think I have the luxury of trusting anyone?”

“I thought I was different.”

“You were wrong.”

She stared at me for one long moment

.

Then she dropped her gaze. Stepped back. Curtsied.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

She turned and walked away. Her footsteps echoed on the stone, growing quieter until I couldn’t hear them anymore.

I stood there for a moment, my heart pounding, my hands shaking, my chest tight

I stood in the middle of my chambers, breathing hard, my whole body trembling.

How dare she. How dare any of them.

First Kaelen. Now Lena.

I moved to the bathroom and started the bath myself, roughly, angrily, splashing water everywhere. Stripped off my clothes and sank into the hot water.

The rage was still there, burning in my chest, making my hands shake.

I slammed my hand against the side of the tub. The pain was sharp, immediate, satisfying.

Then I saw the vase on the counter. Pretty. Delicate

I was out of the tub before I knew what I was doing. Water dripping everywhere. Naked. Furious.

I grabbed the vase from the counter. Pretty. Delicate. Blue and white porcelain with flowers painted on the side.

I threw it against the wall.

It shattered beautifully. Pieces flying everywhere. Shards of porcelain scattering across the floor like sharp white tears.

A knock at the door made me freeze.

“Your Majesty?” A guard’s voice, muffled through the wood. Concerned. Professional. “Your Majesty, are you alright? We heard something break.”

I stood there, water dripping down my skin, chest heaving, staring at the destruction.

“I’m fine!” I shouted. My voice cracked on the words.

A pause. Then: “Your Majesty, with respect, we need to confirm you’re alright. Can we open the door?”

The rage surged back, hot and blinding.

“Open the door?” I laughed, a horrible sound full of fury. “Open the door and have your head cut off for questioning your queen? Is that what you want?”

Silence.

Then, carefully: “No, Your Majesty. We just want to make sure you’re safe.”

“I’m safe.” Each word came out sharp as broken glass. “I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. Now leave me alone before I make good on my promise.”

Another pause. I could imagine them exchanging glances, trying to decide what to do, whether to push further or retreat.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

I stood there in the silence, alone again, water still dripping, staring at the broken pieces on the floor.

I sank to the floor among the broken pieces, not caring that they cut into my skin. A shard dug into my palm. I welcomed the pain. It was real. It was now. It was something I could feel that wasn’t this crushing weight in my chest.

“I’m fine,” I whispered to the empty room. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.”

The words meant nothing.

I sat there on the cold floor, surrounded by destruction, and let myself fall apart.

Just for a moment.

Just until I could put the pieces back together again.

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