The Rightful Queen

Chapter 13 – Wrong Choice

His answer was missing, but the Seer continued.

“Listen carefully. You have a great future ahead of you, but only if you have a proper queen on your side.”

From this point on, his body acted beyond his control and his mouth uttered words he said before.

“What do you mean?”

“Ask your father. As king, you would need someone to support you. With a foolish queen on your side, you will perish as quickly as you learn how to walk.”

He smiled lopsidedly. Isn’t that how it went? He chose the wrong person, made her queen, and he listened to a fool like a complete fool.

“What must he do, then? What is his future like?” His father felt relieved at knowing he would have a bright future ahead of him. If only he knew how quickly the kingdom was ruined only within a year from his death.

Ah, there’s the other thing. Samuel isn’t looking forward to his father’s death. He would die a few months from now and his heart felt heavy.

“Everything you wanted him to be. And more, my lord. He would be greater than you. But there is a crucial player in his future.”

Samuel focused on her words again. The crucial player in his future, who is it? Can he get direct answers from her?

“Explain well. What crucial player?”

“His future is greatly influenced by the person on his side. A rightful queen. One full of wisdom. You must listen to her words carefully, my lord. Hers is the only advice you must listen to. Listen to every word she says. Never shut her up. And most importantly, treat her well. For her tears and pain would cause your demise.”

The king became agitated at her last sentence. “How dare you speak of death in front of me.”

The woman sighed. Here we go again. “If you cannot bear to listen to my words, would you rather I don’t speak of it? A great king has a great queen reigning with him. Without you, she is nothing. Without her, you are nothing. It would take the two of you to turn this kingdom to experience years of prosperity. If she is hurt, you will have failed her. If you fail her, you fail yourself. The moment she starts living with the pain, that is the same moment your enemies will find your weakness. She has nothing to do with it, and yet, she is everything that is between your life and death.”

“You speak in riddles, woman.” The king cut her off.

The seer stood up as well and stared unflinchingly at the king. “Do I? Are my words difficult to understand?”

She turned to the prince and gestured, “Tell me, my prince, what did I say? Those words you must remember.”

“The queen you mentioned… the one who would reign the kingdom with me, how do I find her? Would she come to me? She couldn’t be just anyone, could she?”

He tried to continue and was glad when he’s able to pose more questions. “What’s her name? What does she look like?”

The woman smiled and he found it unsettling.

“Yes, you must choose carefully. If you chose the wrong person, your kingdom is doomed. She is wise, my lord, not someone foolish. As for her name and how she looks, I cannot tell you. The future I see of you, I don’t hear her name uttered and her face isn’t clear. I only see you in them, my lord. It is your future.”

He could swear she almost winked at him. Well, those last few sentences are new. His expression darkened. He thought he would have more information on her, so he would be able to choose properly this time. 

“So, how does he choose correctly? Who is she?” His father asked.

The woman briefly glanced at the king before turning and walking towards a room.

The father and son exchanged a glance. It didn’t take long before the woman came out again, bringing a small box with her. She eyed the prince and noted his clothing and accessories.

“Your armband, my lord. Can I have it?” She sat down and set the box on the table.

Samuel approached her to hand over the armband. It was made of thin metal and bears the seal of their family on the underside.

He already knows what’s coming next.

The box was opened and they saw a ribbon on it. It was intricate, like a proper accessory for a woman. The colors were of their house.

The woman turned the ribbon over and inserted his armband somewhere in there. She was able to manipulate its shape and hid the seal just under the bow.

“Within this week, you will be met with trouble. Go take a walk in the market. A woman would be there to help you out. She is the one you need as queen. Give this to her. When the coronation day comes, you must…” The woman paused and smiled. There’s a challenge there, he could tell. It was different that before. He remembers that she hesitated back then.

“I must what?” The prince prompted her to continue. Again, something he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.

She stared deeply into his eyes. “You must discern to whom you’ve given the ribbon to.”

This time, she stated this with much emphasis.

“Choose wisely, my lord.” She bowed to him and then to the king.

His father stood up to go, but Samuel wanted to speak with her some more. Would he be able to?

“Father, may I speak with her for a few more minutes? I’ll be with you shortly.” He was glad he was able to ask. In a way, he couldn’t help sighing in relief.

The king frowned at him. After a few seconds, he nodded and left.

Samuel then turned to the Seer.

“You are aware of what happened to me?”

“You chose wrongly, my prince.” The Seer stated and he caught his breath. Though he already has this suspicion, for it to be confirmed is still different.

The Seer smiled at him and squinted.

“The rightful Queen still awaits. This time, you must choose her. Remember everything else I said.”

He acknowledged her words with a nod. Didn’t he imagine strangling her or something? But given the circumstances… it was him who made the wrong choice. Must the Seer be punished for something she didn’t do?

“You’re wiser now. Don’t ever be foolish again. There are only second chances. There’s no such thing as third chances, my lord.” She sounds like a mother and her tone was warm.

After that, he left as well. The king didn’t expect the conversation to be so quick. He wondered what they talked about.

On the way back to the castle, he kept fingering the ribbon in his hand. What can he do to ensure he choose correctly this time? He’d known now that there are instances where he can’t move or speak differently from how it went last time. As if fate is determined that that’s how certain situations should go. Can he ask for her name? Can he rudely uncover her face? He’s starting to feel nervous, which is very unlike last time.

It must be because the Seer told him that there’s no third chance. This is his second and last chance. If he messes up again, he’s doomed to be the lousiest king the kingdom ever had. His face darkened. He’s not gonna let that happen. More importantly, he values his people and he genuinely wants to be of help to them. What he doesn’t know is how…

The royals have rules and protocols. They couldn’t simply go out and investigate on their own. Sometimes reports would be made in a way that the situation isn’t as grim as it really is. Which affects the decision-making process. To rely on biased reports, that’s not good, right? He’s considering finding reliable people and letting them do separate investigations. Yes, that’s something he can do.

He should be making plans that would counter the weaknesses in the current system. People who have ulterior motives cannot be trusted. He should create various counter-measures.

The king watched on as his son contemplated on his own. He seemed to be in deep thought. He truly hoped that he would do well as his replacement.

That night, Samuel was restless. He needs a plan. And then several back-up plans. He’s not sure yet which things he could change and which things he couldn’t, so he should be prepared for several things.

What can he do at the market? The thing is… he couldn’t exactly make plans when he doesn’t know yet the facts. But he tried to imagine a few scenarios. He already expects that it wouldn’t be easy.

When he got to the market, he wondered if he could simply wait for her at the boy’s stall. Should he keep a good hold on his wallet? Don’t let the thief take it?

As soon as he thought that, he felt cold all over. She was meant to help him today and that’s their first connection.

Within a minute, the thief came and snatched his purse.

“Thief!”

A young boy’s urgent voice was heard.

“Sir, that man took your purse!”

And then, his feet are moving on their own, running after the guy.

Right, he couldn’t exactly remember the trail they took. Even if he decided to ignore the thief and seek this path, he probably couldn’t. He followed after the man.

Apparently, this is something he couldn’t change. Fine. He would be ready when she comes. He won’t be the i***t last time who forgot asking her name and letting her go without seeing her face.

But that wasn’t what happened. Despite his efforts to do something else, his body acted the same as in the past. When she appeared, he was beating up the man. Samuel barely glanced at her. He couldn’t help cursing himself inside his head. What were you doing? Why didn’t you focus on the most important thing? The situation proceeded as it was back then.

“There’s no need to hurt him. I will accept his apology.”

He tried very hard to remember her voice. In a way, it sounded familiar to him.

He stared at her, dumbfounded. Still, he couldn’t see anything except her eyes. Why did she cover her face? Because she doesn’t want to be recognized?

“Woman, this bastard stole my wallet. He deserves to be punished.”

“Oh. I thought you were helping me.” The woman finally realized the situation and she looked around. She spotted a little purse on the side of the wall and picked it up.

“This your purse?” She held it out to him, but he turned to give a few more punches to the other one.

“Please, mercy! Mercy!” The man was struggling to get up and avoid being hit. The woman looked concerned.

“Here’s your purse. You can let him go now.”

“Why? He dared to steal. It’s a crime. He’ll have to go to prison.”

The man begged him to let him go and apologized profusely. He spoke of a sob story about his children being hungry and him losing his job a couple of weeks ago. The prince wasn’t moved but the lady was.

“Life is truly difficult here. Give him another chance. You’ve retrieved your purse, haven’t you? Check if anything is missing. If all is well, let him go. He won’t do it anymore, would you?”

The man promised that he won’t do it again. He promised on his life and his children’s. He apologized again and bowed his head to the ground, asking for mercy.

“He could be lying. He might do it again.”

The woman stared at his disgruntled expression. “Have you never made a mistake in your life? We all act foolish when pushed into a corner by our circumstances.”

She dropped the purse in front of him and left.