AllFreeNovel
Share Us
More tears fell from my eyes, and I felt myself break again. Atticus was gone. He was truly gone. I mourned all the time we didn’t have. All the experiences we never got. Time. I just wanted more time.
“And you’re pregnant? Is it his?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Your husband says he’s going to take my baby, Elizabeth. We have to stop him.”
She shook her head. “We can’t. I’m not strong enough.”
I looked her in the eye. “Yes. You are. You can help me, Elizabeth. We can—”
She cut me off. “I’m not strong. For years I’ve endured Theodore. He liked to hurt me… At first, I thought he hated who I was…” She paused to stroke my cheek. “Then I realized he hated me because of who I wasn’t.”
I swallowed. She knew about Isabelle.
“Elizabeth. You have to help me. For Atticus. For…” I paused to grab her hand and press it to my stomach. “You have to help me for your grandchild.”
She stared at where our hands touched and shook her head. “I have to go,” she murmured before pulling back. I felt my stomach drop as she pulled herself off the ground and dusted herself off.
“Elizabeth, please,” I begged.
“I’ll see you at the coronation and wedding,” she replied, her tone vacant.
I punched the wall when she disappeared through the door.
Chapter Twenty-Three
CHRISTINE
“I solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of Aldrich. I will, to my power, cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all my judgments. I will, to the utmost of my power, maintain the laws of humanity and the true profession of right and wrong. The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.”
I uttered the sacred vow, my voice reverberating off the walls of the cathedral. A shiver inched up my spine as I felt the priest’s eyes on me, like a hawk sizing up its prey. He slowly lifted the golden crown, which glittered brightly under the light of the chandeliers. I closed my eyes as he lowered it upon my head, its weight an eternal reminder of my responsibility and burden.
“Let it be known to all gathered,” he proclaimed, “that I have bestowed upon this woman the honor and rights of the queen of Aldrich.”
The cathedral was eerily silent, only a few sniffles reverberating in the distance. I opened my eyes and surveyed the scene before me. The lords were captive in their pews, the guards’ spears shimmering in defiance, while I stood amongst them, crowned and unafraid—the queen of Aldrich.
I slowly spun around, surveying the solemn crowd, my face contorted in rage. Lord Nathan had made good on his promise and taken away my kingdom, leaving me with nothing more than a broken spirit. My eyes roved over each of my loyal lords and ladies, maids and peasants alike. Despite our imminent downfall, the support of my people was unflinching.
A single clink of a drinking glass reverberated through the room, and I blinked back tears of frustration. Never before had I felt so utterly alone in a room full of people. The sound of a lively melody suddenly filled the void, but no one was brave enough to take the floor. This was no celebration. There was no song and dance in honor of my defeat.
I closed my eyes, trying to remember what it felt like to be free. But it was gone—I was missing in action. When Atticus died, so did his Little Monster.
My vision tunneled as the reality of what I was about to do overwhelmed me. I stumbled to catch my breath, the anticipation sucking the air out of the grand chamber like a vacuum.
The room hung silent in a state of suspended animation. Every eye was upon me, though I could barely make out their faces in my bleariness. Anxiety pooled inside me like lead, anchoring me to the spot.
Then, a symphony of rustling and whispers. I snapped my head up in time to see Lord Nathan emerge from the shadows with a malicious look on his face. He had been at the forefront of it all—this union of marriage and coronation that had rocked the kingdom to its core.
The crowd stayed silent as I stood there, waiting for the fate my life had become.
“You look stunning, my queen,” he crooned, his voice oily and smooth. He sneered before leaning in and whispering for all to hear, “I can’t wait to fuck you while you wear the crown.”
I snapped, my teeth gritted in rage. His arm looped through mine, and I could feel his grip tightening. My eyes flickered over the crowd before finally settling on Elizabeth and Theodore DuPont. Elizabeth simply stared ahead of her, vacant in her gaze. Theodore’s eyes bored into me, a hint of madness dancing within them as he saw me crowned—as if my being here only further solidified his demented belief that I was Isabelle to him.
Lord Nathan grabbed my hip, his grip possessive and cruel. The orchestra continued to play their dulcet tunes, but all I heard was the thundering of my heart. He slid closer to me, his words a damning promise for all to hear: “I’m going to soak your bastard baby with my cum.”
Elizabeth gasped, and in that moment, I felt all my muscles tense and a feeling of indignation surge through me. I wished to have a weapon of my own so that I could break free from this place. But as I started to turn, I saw Elizabeth reach into the depths of her dress and pull out a glinting dagger. With a confidence that shocked me, she locked eyes with her husband. At the same moment, the band stopped playing. Elizabeth screamed with rage as her voice echoed through the court, “This is for Atticus, you son of a bitch!”
The crowd gasped in horror as Elizabeth plunged the sharpened blade into Theodore’s neck. Scarlet liquid gushed forth and sprayed all over those nearby and soaked her own skin in its warmth. Lord Nathan lunged forward while Theodore crumbled to the ground, choking on his own blood in his last desperate attempts at life.
