Chapter 2

"Have you also come to beg me to release those refugees?"

He held my hand, his tone carrying a hint of indifference.

I lowered my eyes submissively, "Your humble servant wouldn't dare."

"My Aria would never say she wouldn't dare."

I changed my words, "Your humble servant won't."

His expression softened, showing satisfaction.

He was pleased and waved his hand, ordering the servants outside to clean up the inner chamber of Aria's Palace. I saw the head eunuch breathe a sigh of relief and give me a grateful look.

Aria's Palace was originally called the Royal Study, while the Queen's chambers had been renamed Aria's Tower.

Back at Aria's Tower, my father was already waiting for me.

"Your Majesty, the Queen."

My father was the current Prime Minister. He used to dote on me, but since I became queen, he hadn't called me Ava in a long time.

"Father, have you come to see me because something has happened at court again?"

My father stared at me steadily. In just a few days, he seemed to have aged ten years. Silver strands had appeared at his temples, and his eyes were filled with earnestness. He knelt before me, "I beg Your Majesty the Queen to save our people."

I didn't move. This wasn't the first time my father had knelt before me for the sake of the people, but I clearly remembered the first time he knelt before his own daughter was to make me enter the palace and become the tyrant's queen.

Just because my face was eighty percent similar to the late queen's, he offered me to the tyrant. Not for family glory, but so that I could use my face, so similar to the late queen's, to stop him when he became violent.

He wanted me to whisper in the king's ear.

I admit he was a good official, but he wasn't a good father. He bound me with familial ties and sent me to this cold palace.

Enduring the love and torment brought by an unpredictable tyrant.

Now, he didn't even call me Ava anymore, always addressing me as "Your Majesty the Queen."

I lowered my eyelids, hiding the hurt in my eyes. "What has happened?"

"There's unrest in Westbrook. The leader has been captured and is to be executed tomorrow."

The king had imposed heavy taxes nationwide. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole country rebelled.

Without looking up, I picked up the embroidery I hadn't finished yesterday and continued stitching plum blossoms. My tone was flat, "Westbrook is far from the capital. Even if the king issued an order today to spare his life, it would take at least two days to reach Westbrook from here. You can't save him."

"What if that person is Marcus?"

The familiar name entered my ears, and my fingers lost control of the needle, pricking my fingertip. A drop of blood fell on the plum blossom I had just embroidered.

"Marcus has already been brought to the capital. If Your Majesty the Queen doesn't persuade the king to stop, Marcus's head will surely be hanging on the city wall tomorrow!"

My heart clenched. I slowly put down the needle and stood up.

Marcus... was the man I loved.

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