The broken queen

15

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"Why would you deliver that sort of news to the Empress, she is with child!" Nancy snapped at them.

"You would rather we kept it from her? That her husband has passed?!" Raymond replied equally as angry. "The Empress is weak, her mind is weak! They are better ways to deliver such news! Do you know what this means? The Emperor has passed the only security we have to that throne is Empress Irisa's child, the successor to the throne! You can not harm her because we all die if she loses that child!"

"I did not know the risk of her pregnancy," Raymond tried to defend himself, "it does not matter Raymond, Empress Irisa is our only hope if anything happens to that baby we might as well sign our death warrant," she said and walked away.

She glared at Eli before leaving the corridor, everything they had worked for and built was hanging by the thread, she had to get Irisa ready. As she approached the Empres's quarter, she found a group of ministers hovering and talking to a guard that refused them entry.

"Ministers," Nancy bowed with a soft welcoming smile on her face. The look on their faces was not mirroring hers, they knew, words had reached their ears of the Emperor's drowing.

"Lady Nancy," the prime minister said, "we are here to see the Empress but we are being denied entry by this disrespectful guard," the proud minister sneered.

"Oh I apologize for that, but the Empress has specifically instructed us not to let anyone into her quarters for now, she has matters that she is tending to," one minister scoffed.

"We know of the Emperor's death, Lady Nancy! We want to know what is next, the last time we were left without a working Emperor the state almost collapsed.

"I do not know what you speak of Minister, the Empress has been working with you for the last few months to ensure the safety and security of the nation, while carrying the security of the state."

"I do not need to be reminded Lady Nancy, I am well aware that Empress is pregnant with the future Emperor but what of the present one? We heard of his death."

Nancy shook her head, "I do not know who is feeding you all these rumours but we must not be hasty to make decisions like this, you are the court of the country but her excellency is the ruler, you must not be rude even without her presence I represent her."

"I do not care, Lady Nancy!" The prime minister sneered, "We are all looking out for our state, the Emperor got the throne through illegitimate means! And now he is dead, the throne can go through the rightful ruler!"

"Treason!" a guard yelled, raising his sword to the prime minister and placing it tightly on his neck, taking the ministers by surprise. Nancy scoffed, the prime minister was being audacious. "What is this? Put your sword down! Lady Nancy asks him to drop that weapon! I am the prime minister! How dare you raise your sword at me!"

"I do not think you want to repeat your statement, sir," she said softly, chills went down the prime minister's spine.

"How dare you threaten me you common slave," Nancy's smile grew bigger as the sword was held to the man's neck tightly.

"I do not understand why you are here Prime Minister, but keep your opinions to yourself, if you repeat such dangerous and slanderous words, you will be held for treason and sedition."

The other ministers gasped, looking fearfully at Lady Nancy, "You are just a common slave given a title! I remember when you were given to the Duke of Hasten by my wife! You are ungrateful you little...!"

Nancy nodded and the guard hit the prime minister on his head earning a gasp from the other ministers.

"It seems you do not want to be saved prime minister, I do not care about such words but the Empress has asked nobody to disturb her. Causing commotion in her quarter, inciting violence and spewing such slanderous words at her can result in your death. Go home and wait for news, the Emperor has not been declared dead yet and you are here trying to usurp power! Do not be misled, the Empress might be with a child but she is not weak," Nancy snapped at the ministers.