“Her Majesty has returned!”
“Quick, ladies, let us all greet the Queen at the entrance!”
When Esther reached the Queen’s palace, all the people working in her residence, be it the royal servants or her ladies-in-waiting, were lined up to welcome her arrival, their expressions filled with relief and happiness upon seeing her alight from the carriage.
“Welcome back, Your Majesty!”
Esther was renowned for her kind nature, socializing and treating people with warmth despite being royalty, and it made her quite popular and well-loved not only by her direct subordinates, but even by the other people working within the palace. There were many bad rumors about the Queen’s health, and everyone was worried for their queen, especially those ladies who have friendship with Esther.
Now the Queen was back in the palace, they could finally be relieved. Esther greeted them with her usual smile as well, glad to be back to her real home, but she was feeling anxiety deep inside, knowing that her being in the royal palace meant she would have to face her husband sooner or later.
The Queen’s palace was connected to the King’s palace by a long corridor, and while walking past that seemingly long, empty hallway, her eyes could not help but glance at it, silently hoping to catch a glimpse of even his shadow, but even as she returned to her bedchamber, there was not sign of her husband appearing. She was torn between the feeling of relief and disappointment.
‘I miss you, Theron. I know I don’t have the right, but I terribly do.’
She wondered whether he’s busy working in his study or if he’s meeting with officials at the moment, whether he’s thinking of her and missing her too. It was a conflicting feeling, how she didn’t want to see him due to guilt yet she also wanted to run towards wherever he’s in now and fall into the warmth of his arms. Even if he didn’t wish to talk to her, she wished to see him at least once. Even just once…
However, she wasn’t allowed to even gather such thoughts for long. Mere minutes after her return to her residence, her ladies-in-waiting flocked around her due to the pending number of concerns that the Queen had to resolve herself, which piled up due to her days of absence in the palace.
Some of the easy tasks were handled by Lady Tyra, but for the rest, Esther had to personally make decisions for them. As such, she had to busy herself with her duties.
Meanwhile, the King received the news that the Queen had returned to the royal palace.
Not a single change of expression could be seen on his face, and thus, his aides could only guess about the current mood of the King they’re serving. However, King Theron did not order for his schedule to be adjusted and remained at the Grand Palace, busy with his work.
The day passed by with neither Esther nor King Theron sighting each other.
It was late in the night when King Theron returned to his residence. On his way to his bedchamber, he sensed a particular pull towards a certain direction and felt his wife’s familiar presence, an ability he had gained ever since that night he escaped death by a hairbreadth, the night where she shared a fragment of her soul with him.
All the muscles in his body were urging him to follow that invisible pull, but he merely stared at the general direction of the Queen’s palace. In the end, he didn’t cross that connecting bridge that would lead him to her.
“You can leave, Galien,” King Theron ordered as he entered his bedchamber. Only one servant was present to attend to him, the same loyal servant who had been taking care of his needs ever since he returned from the palace.
These days, the King was so cold that no one around dare say anything to him. The servant thought that after the return of the Queen, there would be a change to King Theron’s behavior, but he was wrong.
The King dismissed the servant afterwards. He took one of the bottles of liquor prepared on the table and poured it into his glass. After relishing the burn he felt in his throat, his feet then moved on their own and he stood by the window.
King Theron stared blankly at the starless night sky.
Ever since he returned from the temple, not even once had he slept in his bed. He could not make himself close his eyes, because the moment he did, images he didn’t want to see would haunt him. Either he would stand by the window or sit in his chair. Sleep was not going to come to him so it was a waste of time to lie in bed.
After who knows how long, there was a knock on his door, but the King didn’t pay any attention to it. No, it would be more precise to say he was so lost in thought he didn’t even hear it. He was already on his third bottle of liquor for the night.
The door opened and someone entered the King’s bedchamber. Even when the door closed, the King didn’t move to look over his shoulders. He heard the sound this time, but he still didn’t react despite the lack of announcement, which meant it wasn’t a servant or a knight. Nothing around him mattered to him anymore. Even if the one who entered came for his life, he would not even bat an eye.
His night visitor was Esther, his wife.
When she came to the King’s chamber, she didn’t allow the servant nor the knight guarding outside his door to inform King Theron as she was worried that he would refuse to see her.
Sensing his return to his residence, Esther decided to come see him and apologize to him. The words of her mother-in-law broke down her defenses, and she knew that despite what happened, her feelings for her husband remained as strong as ever. Even though she could not forgive herself for what she did, she knew she had to do something to at least ease the pain that her husband was feeling.
The fact remains that it was her who wronged him for betraying his trust.
