Page 99 of Throne Off Course

Harper had always been good at her job, but this was more than just another story. This was about power, about control, about the slow, methodical dismantling of an institution that had operated unchecked for centuries. And right now, the Queen’s grip on that institution was slipping.

The problem with ruling for so long was that secrets had a way of piling up. The longer they were buried, the more dangerous they became when unearthed. And Harper? She had a talent for unearthing things.

She wasn’t looking for a scandal about illegitimacy or affairs—that wasn’t the goal. This wasn’t about Sebastian. That part ofthe truth was locked away, held only by the late King himself. Instead, she needed something that would pressure the Queen without putting her friend in the crosshairs.

She followed the money.

A series of payments, stretching back for years. Substantial sums of money, funneled directly from the royal treasury to a single noble house. No official reason attached. No public acknowledgment. Just a steady stream of financial favor, signed off by one person alone:

Queen Eleanor.

That was the key. Not the late King—her. If she framed this correctly, the story wouldn’t be about the past; it would be about monarchy overreach, political favoritism, and corruption under the Queen’s rule.

Harper stared at the records, her fingers drumming against the desk. This was it—the proof of a direct link between the crown and one of the most powerful aristocratic families in the country.

Of course, Harper knew better than to drop everything at once. The game was won through timing, precision, and patience. Information, when placed correctly, was a weapon more devastating than any public scandal.

She picked up her phone. She made the necessary calls, and the next morning, the first cracks in the Queen’s carefully crafted control appeared.

A blind item surfaced in the press, buried among the usual daily gossip:

“A certain high-ranking noble family has enjoyed the monarchy’s protection for decades—but at what cost? Sources suggest that long-standing financial arrangements between the crown and an aristocratic house may hint at deeper, more personalentanglements. What transactions has the Queen fought to keep out of public record—and why is she so determined to keep them buried?”

The speculation took less than a day to spread.

Political analysts and royal watchers began digging through old records. Journalists started asking the right questions. Parliament members—particularly those with ambitions of their own—began raising concerns about the monarchy’s financial dealings. And social media, ever relentless, took it even further.

The conversation was no longer about Alexander’s personal life. It was about the monarchy itself.

And the best part? His name was nowhere near it. The Queen, for the first time in decades, was on the defensive, and Harper had just fired the first shot.

46

The Palace in Crisis

The Queen’s office was never chaotic. It was a place of order, of control, of absolute authority. Until now.

The tension in the room was suffocating. Senior advisors and palace officials sat around the long mahogany table, their faces drawn with barely concealed panic as they read through the morning’s press reports.

The headlines were damning.

“Secrets of the Crown: What Is the Monarchy Hiding?” “Mysterious Royal Payouts Raise Eyebrows—A Scandal in the Making?” “Who Truly Holds Power in Caledonia? The Queen’s Grip Under Scrutiny.”

And then, the worst of them—

“The Future King or a Pawn? Why Can’t Alexander Choose His Own Path?”

The Queen sat at the head of the table, composed, unreadable. But for those who had served her long enough, there was an unmistakable shift in her demeanor.

She was furious.

Lord Montrose, one of her most senior advisors, cleared his throat, setting down the latest newspaper with deliberate care. “We’ve lost control of the narrative, Your Majesty. The leaks are too well-placed, too well-coordinated. Someone is orchestrating this.”

“We don’t need speculation, Montrose.” The Queen’s voice was cold, sharp. “We need solutions.”

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room, but no one immediately spoke. Because what solution was there? The story was already too big to be dismissed as baseless rumor. The questions had been asked publicly, and once they had reached the public, they could not be ignored.

Another advisor, Lady Kensington, leaned forward. “The problem is twofold. The first issue is this… speculation about finances. That can be managed—”