"Did anyone see you?" Emilia asked softly, rising to her feet.
June shook her head once.
"No one."
She lied. She had already given an explanation to Thomas and hoped he wouldn't bring the matter before the King.
Emilia nodded and extended her hand and June placed the folded parchment into her palm and stepped back.
Emilia opens it to read and finds nothing out of the ordinary, but ponders fast and figures it out.
Tossing the paper containing the letter to the table, she picked up the envelope and moved to her writing desk and Alice lit the small lamp for her, its flame flickering low.
She broke the wax seal with care and unfolded the letter, scanning quickly. Her eyes narrow, then widen slightly.
Her fingers tense.
"It's a coded message," she murmured, sighing with relief.
That way, there is no chance that Eleanor found the actual message.
"The accountant at the central fabric store…turned out to be a distant relative of the minister of rites.
He's been meeting with someone every Thursday evening before his father's incident."
June and Alice watched her silently.
"This is where we start," Emilia breathed.
Whoever the mastermind is, must be in alliance with the rebel remnant. The prime minister supported the King while fighting against them years back.
If he was truly the mastermind, he could have easily overthrown the King.
With a quick flick of her fingers, Emilia sets the parchment aflame in the lamp's flame, watching it curl and blacken until only ashes remain.
"In two days, deliver a message to my brother," she said, and June nodded carefully.
"Also, find a secret passage. See if i can make it outside the palace in the next few days."
"Act discreetly," she added.
June was trained as a spy for a few years and, although not very good at using weapons, she is quite brilliant at finding things.
Emilia turned sharply and beckoned towards Alice, who stepped closer.
"Pack a few necessary things for me."
"I will be staying in the Dragon Palace's side chamber for a while," she said.
Gasping ripples through the room between June and Alice, Madam Allison stepped into the room at that moment, stumbling upon her words, standing stiffly behind them.
"Your Majesty," she called, taking a step forward, her voice tight with disbelief.
"Your Majesty, forgive me, but… the side chamber? That space is meant for a concubine or a bed warmer. It is disgraceful. You must speak to the King again. It is not suitable for a Queen to stay."
But Emilia shook her head.
"No, this is best," she said firmly.
"It won't do any good to offend the King."
Madam Allison sighed resignedly, and exited together with Alice to pack while June served Emilia another cup of water.
Emilia takes it in her hand, her eyes gleaming with different thoughts. Although going to the side chamber would be disgraceful, that way, she would be able to gain access to Lucas.
The accusation and everything happened so fast that she didn't get to see the evidence submitted to the King.
Perhaps she can find something to help her father's case and uncover the truth.
A knock broke the silence and Robert stepped in and bowed low.
"His Majesty has ordered me to escort your Majesty to the side chamber," he announces.
Alice and Madam Allison also returned with a well-packed bag.
Emilia turned to June, Alice, and Madam Allison.
"I'll be gone a while. Take good care of the palace while I'm away."
With that, she walked out beside Robert, never once looking back.
---
Meanwhile, in Eleanor's chambers…
Glass shatters violently against the wall. A heavy porcelain vase explodes near Missy, and a shard slices across her forehead.
Blood trickles down her pale skin, but she remains kneeling, her eyes downcast with pain and her lips remain sealed.
Eleanor picked up the mirror to break it.
But a maid hurried inside the room, stopping her action, and another maid helped Missy to move out of the way.
"What is it?" Eleanor barks angrily.
"The Queen…is moving to the dragon palace." the maid let out quickly, and Eleanor's brow sharpened.
"Are you drunk?" she questioned, standing to her feet.
The maid bowed her head.
"No, your Highness."
"The King had ordered that the Queen move into his side chamber."
Eleanor paces in her dressing robe, gulping down goblets of wine one after another. Her hand shook as she poured another.
"She's moving into the King's side chamber?" she snapped.
The maid standing nearby trembled.
"Yes, Your Highness. The Queen had been escorted there under His Majesty's direct order."
Eleanor's face flushes dark red, rage and fear intertwining.
The side chamber is degrading, but it's still closer to the King.
Her lips tremble. Her hands claw at her robe.
She had been married for years and hadn't given birth yet. The only time she ever got pregnant, she lost her baby and the King hadn't touched her since then, despite her many tricks.
Now, he is letting Emilia stay closely beside him. It would only be a matter of time before she gets pregnant, and she loses everything.
Eleanor bites her finger hard, horrified at the thought, and not realizing she had drawn blood from her bites.
"Your Highness," the maids called to her attention, concerned, but she ignored their cry.
"I need to stop this." she muttered instead.
She throws the goblet down, strides across the chamber barefoot, and snaps at her maid.
"Get me another dress. I'm going to the Dragon Palace."
Inside the Dragon Palace's side chamber…
The room Emilia stepped into is small, square, and sparsely furnished.
A small bed sat low on the floor, covered in plain silk sheets, with cream embroidery.
A single table stood in the corner with a flickering lantern. There's a tiny dressing mirror and a screen to one side for changing.
The air smells faintly of lavender and sandalwood, and the stone floor is cold beneath her feet.
The room is modest and humble. Designed and arranged for a servant favored enough to serve the King's private needs.