Saint took the scroll from her, and examine it to be sure it is indeed the King's and read it.
"Let go of her." he instructed the soldiers and Emilia is freed.
"Miss Emilia, please come with me then." Saint said to her but the soldiers tried to stop them.
"It's King Rutledge's seal. Don't you recognize it?" Saint yelled at them.
Thankfully after getting back last night, she retrieve the scroll from where it was kept and hid it. Otherwise, it would have been taken with the rest of the things seized.
Emilia went along with Saint and together they returned to the palace while everyone else remained arrested.
~
When Emilia arrived at the palace, just as the evening shadows stretched across the cobblestones and the carriage slowed before the towering gates where a cluster of royal guards stood firmly on alert.
One of them, clearly the leader, stepped forward with disdain written across his face as soon as he saw Emilia stepping out of the carriage.
"How dare a criminal walk into the palace with such boldness?" he spat, signaling to his men to seize her, but Saint shoved the decree in his hand in front of their faces.
The guard hesitated, his brows furrowed with doubt, but he eventually recognized the seal and his expression shifted instantly.
His arrogance melted into stunned obedience and he bowed.
"You… you may proceed," he stammered, prompting confused looks from the other guards standing with him.
Together with Saint, Emilia makes her way in, her nerves twisting in her gut, and she halts briefly to catch her breath.
They met Thomas on their way and Saint bowed slightly to him.
"Commander…"
"I will lead Miss Emilia from here," he said, cutting him off, and Saint immediately handed the edict to him.
"Understood my Lord,"
Emilia waited for Thomas to say something to send her away, like the last time when he turned her away.
"The King's study hall this way," Thomas simply gestured down a marble corridor to her, and she followed him through the winding halls until they reached the King's private study.
"The King is waiting inside," Thomas told her. He handed over the scroll to her before turning and walking away.
Emilia stood before the door, her heart thundering.
She inhaled sharply and straightened her back before pushing the door open.
Inside, King Lucas sat rigidly in a high-backed chair. A sheer screen separated them, covering his face.
Robert stood nearby, and when his eyes met Emilia's, he offered a respectful bow.
She returned a small nod, then stepped closer.
Emilia dropped to her knees in front of him, bowing her head to the floor.
"Your Majesty,"
"Rise," Lucas said, and she raised her head, but remained on her knees.
Nathan, Lucas's butler, stood beside him and stepped closer to get the scroll from her.
He handed it over to Lucas, who examined it and dropped it on the table in front of him.
"Indeed, you have my father's favor edict," Lucas muttered.
Emilia swallowed hard before responding to him.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"And I believe you want to use the edict to plead for your family?" Lucas asked, his expression grim.
Emilia nodded, again, lowering her gaze.
"Are you willing to be married to me?" he asked, rising from his seat, walking slowly towards her.
Emilia bowed her head even more deeply, holding tightly to her dress.
She definitely doesn't want to marry him, but does she have any other choice?
The Lucas she knew in the past was very kind, but after he ascended the throne, he became a fierce and terrifying King.
Only a few dared to stand in his presence and speak boldly without fear for their heads.
Lucas stood close to Emilia, and stooped, sensing the fear in her, and waited for a second before returning to his seat.
"Rise to your feet," he told her, and she complied.
"What makes you think I will accept a Queen whose father harbored rebels?" Lucas asked, but Emilia responded with only silence.
She wants to argue and tell him boldly that the charge against her father isn't true, but she didn't have the courage.
"My father's edict is indeed powerful, but it's not enough to clear your family of the crime of treason," Lucas told her.
"If the edict can't save us, then doesn't that mean the late King is unable to fulfill his words?" Emilia replied boldly.
Lucas chuckled, surprised by her effrontery and rested his hand on his cheek.
Since his father has been dead for a long time now, he, as his son, is mandated to fulfill his father's words by custom.
Simply put that she is calling him incompetent.
"Your Majesty, please believe me, my father has no thoughts of rebelling against you," Emilia said, her voice pleading.
"Fine." He grunted.
"I will honor this edict but on one condition," he told her.
Emilia looked at him anxiously, her heart racing in anticipation.
"You will enter the palace and become the Queen," he began, letting the effect of his words sink in before he continued.
"But before that, I will also bestow upon you a different title and renounce your identity as a Markham," he explained.
Emilia lifted her brow, perplexed.
"Your Majesty, you mean…" she said, and Lucas completed it for her.
"Markham and other family members will be convicted, only those bearing Markham will be executed," he said.
Emilia's eyes widened, realizing he only intended to save her from thousands of lives, then fell on her knees again.
"I beg you to spare everyone else," she pleaded.
"Why should thousands of people die because of someone's mistake?" she said anxiously, and Lucas nodded calmly.
"You want me to punish your father alone for his crimes?" he asked.
Emilia's heart thudded, realizing the implication of her words, but even at that, she was lost in words.
Tears rolled down her face and she wiped them off quickly.
Lucas turned his face away, exhaling deeply with his eyes closed.
The room fell into silence for a few minutes, and only their steady breathing could be heard.
Lucas stood up from his seat, and picked up a brush, then started to write the edict Emilia came with, inscribing for about a minute.
"You will be wedded in the palace a day after Markham's execution," Lucas declared to her.
Emilia's tears intensified and she nodded quietly.
"Ye..yes, your Majesty." she replied, bowing her head to the ground.
"Robert," Lucas called,
"Escort the future Queen back to her mansion," he ordered.
" Place guards at the Markham estate until the day of the wedding ceremony, no one should get hurt.
Robert stepped forward promptly to obey.
"Ask Saint to come in and write a new decree for me," Lucas said to Nathan.
"Send it to the council and have it implemented immediately."