Rebirth Of The Evil Queen

Chapter Three

For as long as she could remember the Duke never liked carriage rides and would always ride on horseback only she and her brother would ride in the carriage but after he got oold Rhys joined the duke and it would only be her and her maids.

She didn't know why he rode in here with them and she didn't care.

The Duke would take glances at his daughter, he couldn't believe she was alive. He remembers seeing her mutilated body when it was transported back to the capital. He blamed himself especially when the last time they spoke she told him she hated him. But now she was alive and in front of him, she no longer looked at him with love and adoration but dislike and she was even calling another man father.

Seeing her father, the Duke of Harren, brought a flood of conflicting emotions. The sight of him, dignified and stern, triggered memories she had long tried to suppress. One memory in particular stood out, the day she had been disposed of as queen by the king, her husband. The memory stayed fresh in her mind like it happened yesterday.

Selene paced her opulent chambers, her heart racing. She had already been informed by her spy about the clandestine discussion between the king and his court. They were plotting to depose her as queen. Panic gripped her, but she knew she had to act quickly. She called for her most trusted court lady, sending her to summon her father. Time was of the essence.

As she waited, the anxiety gnawed at her. She glanced out of the window every few seconds, hoping to see the familiar sight of her father’s carriage. When it finally appeared, she felt a rush of relief mixed with dread. She rushed down the grand staircase, ignoring the disapproving looks of the courtiers. Her father’s carriage came to a halt, and the Duke stepped out, his face a mask of disapproval as he saw his daughter running towards him like a frightened child, completely disregarding her status as queen.

“Your Highness,” he said, his voice a blend of frustration and concern, “what is the meaning of this? You are the queen, for heaven’s sake. Compose yourself.” he said looking disappeobingly at her maids and courtladies.

“Father, you have to help me,” she pleaded, her voice breaking with desperation. She could see the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes flicked around, taking in the curious onlookers.

“Let us speak inside,” he said curtly, motioning for her to lead the way.

Once inside her private chambers, the Duke’s composure cracked. He turned to her, his eyes blazing with anger. “What were you thinking, Selene?” he demanded, his voice rising. “Your sister might not recover from the poison, and she has lost the child she was expecting! This is madness!”

Selene’s tears began to flow, but she stood her ground. “I didn’t poison Estrella,” she said, her voice trembling. It was her court lady and godmother, that did it out of loyalty to her. “Estrella deserved it”, she continued. “She had a hand in the passing of my son. No royal children deserveto live if my mine is rotting in the ground,I'm glad she lost her child”

The Duke’s face turned a deep shade of red, his fury barely contained. “The drowning of the prince was an accident, Selene! There was nothing Estrella could have done!”,

“Of course there was, she did nothing because she wanted him dead!”,Selene screamed grabbing a vase and throwing it to the ground chattering it in the process. The Duke clenched his jaw in anger, his first daughter unlike her younger sister was not sensible and always resorted to throwing tantrums.

“She is the king’s consort, and now you have made an enemy of the king.”

“You’re taking her side!” Selene accused, her voice rising in pitch.

“I’m not taking sides,” the Duke said, his tone harsh. “But you must face the consequences of your actions. There is nothing I can do to save you this time.”

“You’re my father!” she shouted, her voice filled with desperation. “You have to help me!”

The Duke sighed, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world were upon them. “Selene, you’ve harmed royal blood. The best I can do is ensure you’re not executed. Having your crown taken away is the only way to save your life.”

“I hate you!” she screamed, turning and fleeing to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Moments later, she heard the heavy footsteps of the king’s eunuch outside her door. They forced it open, their expressions grim. Selene screamed and struggled as they restrained her, the eunuch’s voice cold and detached as he read her crimes and the king’s decree: she was no longer queen but a concubine, and she would be sent to a monastery to pray for repentance for a year. She remembers the oanick she felt as they took away her crown.

All her servants in the palace were taken away, and her court was dissolved. She was left only with the two maids who had served her when she was still in her paternal home. Despite repeatedly requesting to see the king, she received no response. She even went on a hunger strike, but he ignored her and spent every night at her sister's palace. After two weeks, the nuns from the monastery came to take her away. Her father and sister came to see her off; she knew Estrella was there to mock her. She resisted fiercely, but the guards dragged her to the carriage, disregarding her status. She scratched and pulled at them, but they did not let go. Once inside, the nuns took it upon themselves to discipline her as part of her penance, beating her hand with wooden rulers while they held it. Her maids tried to intervene but were restrained. She remembered their mocking laughter as they beat her hand red. She vowed to have their heads once her status was restored, but they just laughed.

Selene was snapped out of her thoughts by a soft tug on her tunic. She looked down to find her son, Elias, looking up at her.

"Mother, I'm hungry," he whispered, loud enough for everyone in the carriage to hear.

The Duke, who had been reading, looked down at the shy boy and smiled. Elias, seeing the man his mother addressed as Duke Harren, hid behind her. The Duke thought the boy was too dependent on his daughter, but he knew she had a tendency to spoil him. His thoughts drifted to the late first prince, who had been much more restless. Unlike the first prince, Elias was calm and collected. The first prince would have started fussing long ago.

The Duke reached into a cabinet, took out a box of baked treats, and handed it to Elias. Seeing the delicious treats, Elias eagerly stretched out his hand. He had only seen such nice treats when he and his mother went to town for supplies.

"Elias, what did I say about taking food from strangers?" Selene sternly warned. She had always told him stories about witches who snatched children and cooked them in a soup after offering them treats. Elias quickly withdrew his hand. Selene reached into her cloth bag and took out the barley cakes she had made. Despite preferring his mother's cakes to others, Elias still longed for the Duke's treats.

"I'm not a stranger, Selene," the Duke said, but Selene only gave him a lazy gaze and encouraged her son to eat.

The Duke felt his anger rising. He had tried to tolerate his daughter's attitude, but he couldn't anymore—first, her hiding out here, then hiding the king's son and calling another man "father." It took all his restraint not to voice his frustrations. He knew he had a lot to deal with once they arrived in the capital.

In a fit of anger, he slapped the carriage, startling Elias and the hunter. The carriage came to a halt, and Rhys, who was on horseback, came to investigate. Seeing his father's angry face as he stepped out, Rhys knew he must have argued with Selene. She was always difficult, and there was only so much patience one could have with her.

Rhys recalled the moment he saw her as he emerged from the hunter's cabin. He had thought he was seeing a ghost. She had dyed her hair black, but it was unmistakably her. He still didn't understand why his father had brought him along to fulfill their grandmother's wish of finding this person called Ophelia, who turned out to be his supposedly dead sister. For the first time in his life after seeing her Rhys didn't know how to act or what to do.

When his sister was being deposed, Rhys had been away at the frontlines. He knew what had happened, and although he believed she was guilty of whatever they had accused her of, he wasn't going to let her face disgrace and embarrassment alone and let her lose her crown, even if the king was his best friend.