(From Ruby's Perspective)
When I was escorted to the courtroom, I looked in awe. Calix's mouth was hanging open in surprise. Apparently, none of us had seen these many people gather in the courtroom at the sa ti. People were everywhere. The courtroom was very large, but the number of people was not in any way less.
"These many people existed in the palace?" he asked in a whisper. He was dressed in a clean knight's uniform. So was Perita. Perita still was silent and looking around as if she was searching for sothing in the crowd.
"The servants are also here, so…"
The number of knights should not be large, as most of them went to the battlefield. But Her Highness gathered the senior students too, who would be knights and mages soon, after finishing their training. Most of them were eighteen. It was Her Highness's decision to not let anyone, gifted or not, fight in the wars before eighteen unless it was an utmost necessity.
That was why unlike before, every single one of them had to finish their training properly before joining the knights and mages.
Knights and maids bowed as I passed by. Most of them did not want to bow to a woman who had been just a maid. I understood them. I would not want it either.
"It doesn't matter what you were. What matters is what you are now," he would say.
I always would reply, "Well, I am in this position because of you. I have zero credit, Luc, other than accepting your proposal."
"So what? If a woman acquires her wealth from her father, she will be hated because she did nothing, but got everything. Then what? What if they hate her? She got the wealth anyway, no?"
Thinking about him made chuckle. I missed him too much. Every minute of the day, I thought of him. When he was near, I had to use my voice a lot, yell at him because he left the room dirty, or tried to cook and ssed up, or tickled my ears with a feather. He was mischievous. But I loved him.
Now that he was away, I could feel his absence greatly.
The beta and so other knights were shouting to make order. Everyone stood on two sides of the courtroom, keeping the middle vacant in a while.
"Her Majesty, the Moon of the kingdom has arrived!"
My eyes darted to the huge door that opened. When Her Highness stepped in, I felt people gasping.
She looked heavenly.
She was wearing a black sheer dress. Her breasts and upper things were covered with another layer of black fabric inside the dress, but the other parts were completely visible. The dress was adorned with diamonds here and there. It took a while to realize it was to embrace her pregnant belly.
The train of the dress flew behind her as all the windows were opened by the servants at the sa ti and the wind blew in. The weather was not good, but it looked like the Queen loved the weather to be this way.
I had known how Her Highness was. But tonight, I could not recognize the Queen I was seeing. She was confident, and strong and did not show any sign of discomfort, even wearing the kind of dress that she always said did not make her feel comfortable enough.
She walked gracefully to the end of the courtroom where the two thrones were placed. Her dark hair flew in the wind. If not for the tiara, her hair would have gone every way. I heard Perita let out sothing between a sigh of relief and a bark of laughter. She shook her head as she watched Her Highness.
I would have smiled, if not for the lump in my chest. I did not know what was going on. But all I knew was that sothing was wrong and sothing was going to change now, at this very mont.
The Queen climbed up the stairs and stood in the middle of the two seats, for the King and the Queen. So, His Highness was not in the palace.
"People," she said, her voice firm and steady; it sent shivers up my spine. I was not the only one. I watched Calix shifting uncomfortably. "One question. Will you follow if I lead at the war?"
Now, I gasped.
'She didn't just do it… What is she doing?'
There were murmurs. I looked around anxiously. Not all of them would follow her. Logically thinking, she was just a human, a powerless human to them. Why would they follow her lead? Accepting her as the Queen was more than enough.
"I understand," she said. "I know I am just a useless human. I am a human who your King married, rely because he fell in love. Let's say I am very fortunate to be here, as the Queen of Querencia, even if I do not deserve it. But is that right? Do I not deserve it?"
Whispering began again. There was a loud thump. Soone threw a wine bottle. The crowd on the left side of the Queen cleared a line and an old man erged. His eyes were blazing with anger. He spat on the floor.
"I had never accepted the Queen anyway! You do not deserve to be our Queen! We stood silently because our King chose you! Now, you want to lead us! How could you even dare to utter those words with your mouth, you human!"
So defended the Queen by grabbing the man with his collar, but to my horror, most of them supported him. A fight broke out. People were grabbing each other, hitting each other, and breaking glasses. So were trying to stop the fight. I heard cries and looked at the Queen. She just stood there.
Again, her blue eyes showed no sign of distress. She was just watching.
'What are you planning?'
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The knights who would have supported her were on the battlefield. Her biggest support His Highness was not here. Hell, even Luc was not here. What would she do alone, in the field of hungry wolves who were opposing her like snarly beasts?
"Silence!" the command shot through the air along with a huge black shadow dragon that flew around the room, flapping its skull-type wings and breathing out black smoke. It leaped and went straight for the old man who opposed the Queen. People scread, and ran to get away from it. It picked the old man up from the ground who had wet himself and looked traumatized.
The bird dropped the man near the stairs, more gently than I expected.
I realized what I had actually just witnessed. She had not co here to request obedience. She had co to ask for it. She had not co to request. She had co to order.
Perita let out a loud bark of laughter and was the first one to walk to the stairs. She passed the old man and climbed up the stairs. No one dared make a sound. They were all watching.
She bent down on her knee in front of the Queen and offered the Queen her sword.
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