ESP 13

chapter 13

The investigators of Her Majesty, the Queen, did not take Keith to the underground prison of the kingdom that Olson had threatened him with. In truth, Keith still had no idea where he had been brought. Someone had blindfolded him when the carriage entered Fanshow, and after that, he had been riding for a long time.

He wasn’t even confined behind bars. He was likely in a room within a mansion or a castle. The door was locked from the outside, but the room was equipped with furnishings necessary for daily life, including plumbing, making it unusually comfortable for a prison. However, the window was near the ceiling, leaving him no view of the outside world. Keith could only estimate the days by the meals someone brought him—perhaps twice so far.

On the fourth, or maybe the fifth day,

he heard multiple footsteps outside the door. Keith quickly realized that most of them belonged to trained soldiers. Only the Queen’s royal guards would wear heavy long swords at their waists and iron-studded boots that thudded loudly with every step.

So, when the door opened, Keith was already standing.

“Kneel, Lord Ebony!”

A soldier outside commanded. Reflexively, Keith bent one knee and lowered his head. By the rustle of clothing, he could gauge where the woman he was meant to obey as a countess stood.

Eventually, the door closed. Keith continued to stare at the floor in the same position.

“Rise.”

The Queen spoke. When he did not move, she repeated herself.

“It is an order.”

Keith had no choice but to stand. The woman sitting with majesty in the small chair he had just occupied was none other than Queen Leopoldine, the absolute ruler of Algonquin.

The only light came from a faint lantern shining through a window in the wall. In the dim room, the Queen seemed almost like a ghost. With silver hair, silvery eyes, and skin as pale as Arctic glaciers, she was known for wearing only neutral-colored clothes.

Today, she wore white. Some praised the White Queen as angelically pure and the Black Queen as devilishly beautiful. Poets had even sung of her mystical beauty. But Keith felt no awe.

“Sit there.”

She gestured to his bed. Refusing would be pointless. Keith walked over and perched on the edge, and the Queen watched his every move without missing a beat.

Finally, the Queen spoke.

“…I am truly disappointed, Lord Ebony.”

Her voice was high and clear. Many praised it as nightingale-like, but compared to Brionie’s low, gentle, and melodious tone, Queen Leopoldine’s voice was tiring, like listening to repeated soprano arias.

“Please speak freely, Your Majesty.”

“In private, you may do so. And, Lord Ebony, since you are two years older than me…”

He was twenty-five, and the Queen was twenty-three, the same age as Brionie. Keith only now realized her youth. Having ruled for six years, she had never sat anywhere but in the position of absolute power. Perhaps the Queen’s severity, whimsy, and self-centeredness stemmed from that fact.

Keith remained silent. It was rude to make royalty speak more than twice, but the Queen seemed unbothered.

“I only wished to understand if there was a reason you were reluctant to work at the palace, having refused my offer to serve as my secretary.”

This was her explanation for issuing the search warrant—essentially, a reason for why he dared to refuse her command.

“My apologies.”

“Nonetheless, thanks to you, I learned in detail about the place you live.”

Her smile revealed her silver eyes. It was the kind of smile that could be called ‘lovely,’ but Keith felt uncomfortable. It was a smile inappropriate for someone admitting to misusing power to punish a refusal.

“I am merely an ordinary count.”

“I’ve also received reports that Ebony Heights has recently undergone some changes—”

“What kind of changes?”

“There is no countess at Dalmore House, is there?”

“…There were circumstances. Personal reasons.”

Keith had refused the Queen’s request to become a court secretary two months ago, met with her six weeks ago to discuss Ebony and his family over tea, and dined at her invitation almost a month ago.

During those uncomfortable meals, the Queen subtly tempted him in ways no perceptive man could miss, and she began asking probing questions about Brionie that left him flustered.

‘Lady Ebony must be beautiful, isn’t she? Since you never bring her out of your estate.’
‘Lady Ebony is also noble-born. Why does she never appear in society?’
‘If I invited her to my tea time and introduced her to friends, would she enjoy it?’
‘Why are there no children at Dalmore House? If they were yours, as Queen, I would truly bless them.’

Keith had promised that Brionie would never be forced into anything she did not want. She disliked society, preferred managing matters at Ebony Heights, and enjoyed reading Caitlin’s books in the library.

She did not seem to desire children either. Keith himself, still young, had never considered having children to continue the family line.

Yet Queen Leopoldine threatened to destroy Brionie’s peaceful life with a few simple words. The Queen accomplished whatever she set her mind to. With just a few words, she could shatter Brionie completely. And Keith realized he could not protect his wife from the Queen’s overt attention… at least, not until he left Brionie.

“It is unfortunate. I wanted to see Lady Ebony for myself, to satisfy my curiosity.”

“She is no longer Lady Ebony, so you need not be curious.”

“Does this scandalous accusation have anything to do with your divorce?”

“As I said, it is personal. But may I ask something?”

Her smile became even sweeter.

“Do you have any questions? Ask freely.”

“Why was I not imprisoned with the other accused at court?”

“The matter you are involved in is highly sensitive, so I deemed isolation necessary.”

“In that case, place me in a solitary cell in the underground prison.”

“You are not pleased here, I take it?”

“I feel like I am being specially treated.”

Tilting her head, strands of her hair fell over her white shoulders.

“Count Dalmore, don’t you know? You are a special person.”

“I do not understand why Your Majesty says that.”

He avoided her gaze. The Queen spoke only as she wished.

“So you refused to serve me, did you not?”

“….”

“Or is there some other concern? That the accusation is more than an accusation?”

“I am innocent, Your Majesty. You cannot claim I committed what I did not.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips. She spoke as if she were somehow offended.

“…As if I were the one trying to frame you.”

Of course, it was a false accusation. The investigators claimed Keith was colluding with an enemy nation, but he did not even know which country they meant. There were a few nations: one in tense relations with the kingdom, another causing border disputes or diplomatic friction occasionally, and others coveting the kingdom’s fertile land and resources.

Keith also knew why the Queen was sensitive about the term ‘false accusation.’

Six years ago, Leopoldine ascended the throne amidst doubts about her legitimacy. Her father, Cecil, who was not the crown prince nor the king’s eldest, abdicated a hundred days after becoming king, allowing Leopoldine to inherit the throne.

Cecil was the half-brother of the previous king. His mother had been expelled as queen. Hence, the Cecil family, represented by the name ‘Albraid,’ was always treated differently in the Algonquin court.

Her strongest rival was her uncle, Prince Elliot, half-brother of Cecil. Elliot was executed one year after Leopoldine’s ascension for participating in rebellion. His two sons, the eldest’s wife, and their child were also executed.

Elliot received no proper trial. Attempting suicide before execution, he was discovered by the Queen’s captain of the guard. The Queen immediately commanded the nobles in Fanshow to enter the palace within an hour.

Before dawn, Prince Elliot was beheaded in front of dozens of nobles. His family suffered similarly. The second son was brutally killed by the Queen’s soldiers while trying to protect his young nephews.

The rebellion was a supposed assassination plot against the Queen, claimed by Leopoldine herself. No evidence existed, yet none could challenge her.

Hence, accusations of rebellion were the Queen’s deadly trigger.

No one dared defy her since. While severe, Leopoldine was not foolish; she later avoided unnecessary executions and revised some legal procedures. Yet the past was never forgotten, nor did the Queen forget. Her errors were most painful to herself.

Keith knew a single misstep in speech could cost him his life.

“Please ensure a fair judgment.”

“That I promise.”

“Even if my innocence is proven, one who has been embroiled in such accusations cannot serve as a court secretary… for Your Majesty’s honor.”

The Queen now looked at him without a trace of a smile. But Keith was no longer afraid as he had been two months ago when she asked his title and name. He had secured what he wanted to protect, and he knew that for her to take his life, the Queen would also have to compromise some of her authority and dignity.

‘Brionie, may you remain safe.’

Thinking of his wife’s pale face when he asked her to consider divorce, his heart still ached. But he could not risk someone who did not willingly marry him.

He had once wondered if he needed to take such measures simply because the Queen showed interest, but now, facing her, he felt his choice was right.

“I understand your intentions, Lord Ebony.”

The Queen rose, her white robes fluttering. Keith also stood and bowed deeply.

“…I thought you would be a wiser man.”

“I only ask that Your Majesty show mercy.”

“You speak as one addressing the Queen, correct?”

“Of course, as Your Majesty’s vassal.”

“Then our next meeting will be after I deliver my fair judgment as Queen.”

“Consider it done.”

The door opened silently. The Queen vanished, and the footsteps of her guards receded.

Keith exhaled deeply.

His aversion to being alone with the Queen was not just due to the burden of her attention. He had long avoided her, the palace, and the social circles connected to her, even before the last two months. This was why he had remained secluded at his estate and later escaped into work.

It was a secret the Queen and his wife Brionie did not know.

Five years ago, his only sister, Lady Caitlin Dalmore, had died in a tragic incident at eighteen, just before her social debut. Only Keith, his father, and Dimitri knew the truth. To protect the Dalmore family, her death was treated as accidental rather than suicide.

Grieving, the Count of Dalmore fell ill, and to fulfill his father’s last wish, Keith entered a marriage he did not desire. This all began with an incident stirred by the Queen.

Even if the Queen had not intended the misfortune at Dalmore House, it changed Keith’s life completely.

Since then, he devoted himself to work. A poor count had plenty of responsibilities, yet he could not forget witnessing his sister’s death.

Caitlin had been like a blooming flower in a poor noble house. Keith never returned to Dalmore House. Though he occasionally thought Brionie might enjoy seeing it, he could not bring her to that tragic place, nor associate her with the past misfortune.

Thus, Keith had sought a life separate from royalty.

…but now, that wish was futile. All he could hope for was Brionie’s and Ebony Heights’ safety.

‘And, if possible, her happiness.’

In the dark, cold room, he prayed.