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God, I hated this man. “Tell the people they can wear what they want tomorrow. I, of course, will wear black.”
Gunther didn’t even bow his head this time. Instead, he gave a curt nod.
“Oh, and Gunther...”
He looked at me.
“Tell the nobles if they have any more concerns or questions about the funeral or crowning or my well-being, tell them to come and talk to me directly. They should know the fine line between worry and treason, and in these uncertain times, people need structure and clarity about everybody’s role. And mine will be to lead them.”
He threw me another nod. “I will try my best.”
Then he left.
“I hate that man,” Frida said as I ran over to the note on the table. I flipped it around to find the seal broken...the seal of a horse!
The cold in my stomach was instantly replaced with heat.
Alrick.
He hadn’t forgotten about me after all. How had I ever doubted him?
The image of his beautiful eyes, the feel of his lips, the tender words he whispered into my ear as he gently moved inside me.
“My love...you are mine forever,” he had moaned over and over again as our sweaty bodies became one.
I fumbled the letter open, almost ripping a corner off. My hands were trembling.
My beloved Queen,
It is with great joy that I announce
the attendance of the Northern rebel noblemen at your
greatly anticipated crowning.
May your God and ours bless this glorious day.
Alrick von Wilbrandt, Lord of the mighty mountains of Kulgrat
I turned the note, twice, to see if there was more, but there wasn’t. Then I rushed over to the fireplace, holding it against the flames to see if there was a hidden message within the paper itself...but there wasn’t. The pain radiating from my chest was worse than when I had fallen out that window to escape a deadly blow by a sword.
Frida was instantly by my side, stretching her hand out to place it on my shoulder, but I stepped back before she could reach me.
Be strong, Night Queen, be strong.
“It’s good news. The Northern lords will attend my ceremony,” I said, pretending nothing was the matter. “They have forgiven me for my insults on my birthday.”
Frida watched me as I let the note slip into the flames of the fireplace. “That is good news indeed.” Then she stepped next to me once more. “He can’t write you,” she whispered. “The snake controls its tunnels well. Alrick knows that.”
My head jerked toward her as I swallowed down my tears. Did Alrick really know about the situation at the castle with Gunther? Was that the reason why he didn’t write just one single kind word to me? The note did saybeloved, but was I reading too much into it?
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said to Frida and turned to leave. I wanted to be alone, to smell the fresh air filled with the scent of flowers and feel the warm rays of the sun on my face—to save me from the Night Queen and remind me that I was, in fact, still alive.
It was also better to keep Frida out of all this as much as possible. The games of my crown were extremely dangerous. I had tried to retire her, but she’d refused. The least I could do was to keep her away from all the plotting as much as possible.
“Please confirm with Wimfred again that Louis the Great has the finest room in the castle.”
“But His Holiness is said to attend as well,” Frida reminded me.
“Damn it, I almost forgot.”
Another high church member. No, not just a high church member, the head of the whole damn thing, even above Gunther, who was only head of the church in the South.
“Have His Holiness get the large apartment Gunther is in right now. He will have to move for his superior.” I grinned at the thought of Gunther’s face when his belongings were moved. “And ask Wimfred to put King Algar in the same rooms as the lowest knight. After that’s arranged, please send Wimfred to find me in the gardens, along with Dieter. I urgently need to speak with them.”
Frida bowed as I turned to make my way out the door. My head was hurting. Gunther had read the note, I was certain of it. Did he suspect I was up to something with the rebels? But then, why would he warn me about my people’s hatred for the rebels and the dangers of associating with them?
None of this made sense. At least not in here, with the walls creeping in on me, despite being the tallest and most enormous structure in the kingdom.
I needed fresh air.
