Page 142 of Unmasked

There was no future queen… there was just me.

I was here, and they were not going to take this from me.

“We now begin The Trial of Loyalty. This trial will be different from the first. A queen must put The Order and the Crown above all. She must choose duty over emotion. Exile… or execution.

“You know something about that.” The Magister folded his hands before him. “But we will get there. Your history with The Order has proven complicated. You, Your Grace, have been suspended due to words deemed threatening to our structure. Where, during that time, you aligned yourself with the enemy. You return with a restored title. And when the Magister placed The Unavowed in chains…” his head lifted higher. “You killed him. You took leadership into your own hands. You did not appeal. You did not wait. You decided.”

A long pause had me wanting to shift, but I held still.

“Your loyalty has been demonstrated in ways few before have shown. Would you say you were loyal regarding your suspension?”

“Yes. I could have worded my intentions better, but my loyalty was never a question.”

The Magister’s shoulders seemed to widen.

“What of King Lawrence? Do you believe your association with him reflects loyalty to The Order?”

Anger had my own shoulders going back and my head tilting.

“I would love nothing more than to cut all ties with King Lawrence. To do so puts not only me at risk but The Order as well. So, yes, Magister, I believe my association with him is showing not only loyalty, but my dedication and trust in what our society represents.” I paused but continued anyway.

“And since we’re going through my history, let’s not leave any of it out. Let us start with my trip to Glenbrae where I was poisoned and lost The Unavowed’s heir after countless petitions to prevent me from going in the first place. Instead of risking The Order, I was sent and left in the hands of the enemy.

“Let’s go into how I killed the previous Magister. How I slit his throat because of his crimes against the Crown. Crimes any of you could have put a stop to but refused. Our laws were not followed. I understand that rescuing me could have come with its own complications, but nothing was even attempted.”

The room grew heavy.

“You entered the Great Hall, Your Grace. You killed The Magister, and you forced this council into a choice at gunpoint. You did so… in defense of The Unavowed.”

A calmness rolled through me, and I took a step forward.

“Wrong. I did so in defense of The Intended. The law is clear. Harm on The Intended is harm to the Crown. I was poisoned. Incapacitated while the enemy molested and took advantage of me while and within hours of miscarrying. And… no one… came. My identity, an identity of honor, was desecrated. I was abandoned and had to find my way to a plane, sick, in pain, bleeding, and vulnerable. The Magister’s death was not about Vaughn. You are not allowed to dismiss me and my child so easily. We matter, and The Magister restrained the only person who would have acted. He chose caution over the protection of the Crown just as you. In my eyes, you all failed in your duty. I enforced it.” I took my time looking at each one. “And if I’m given the authority, I will make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

CHAPTER 45

King Lawrence

What was a kingdom without control? Without… power?

As I looked out of my palace window towards the city, I saw nothing but obstacles. I saw complications. Here I was, king, and I couldn’t even get the one woman I wanted. Hell, I couldn’t even get her to call me. The realization was like embracing barbed wire. Penelope should have been mine. She could… be mine. If not by choice, by force.

It did seem like that was the only option. She was too influenced to see the truth. I’d have to reprogram her. She’d need to be broken all over again, that way I could build her up like Vaughn had.

It wouldn’t be easy, but I could do it. And I’d enjoy the process of wiping the bastard from her mind. Once he was gone, Penelope would naturally fall in love with me. And then I could make her strong again. A true queen capable of… dark things. Immoral… things.

Picking up my phone, I hit Penelope’s number for what had to be the fiftieth time. I’d been trying to call all day. I’d even called Vaughn’s number a handful of times.

Nothing.

This was not how I was ending my day. I wasn’t going to stop. Not until someone gave me answers. After all, I couldn’t take someone who was dead. I needed Penelope alive. Whether she passed the trials or not was irrelevant. The result would be the same.

I’d have her.

And Vaughn would die… at the hands of the masked captor.

Then, with a good year of programing, Penelope could return to society, free from her obsessed kidnapper—the man I happened to kill, somehow. I’d think about that story later. We’d marry and fairytales would be made. It was perfect.

“Your Majesty?” I looked up from my desk, taking in Dominique as he rushed forward. “Sire, I’m afraid we’ve had an incident at the back of the palace. An armed man⁠—”