King's Kou: Do not awaken the knight in the beast

Chapter 17: God save Kou from Salem

It was a miracle.

They were starting to think that Queen Briar was dead and that the king and his officials kept her death a secret in order to maintain the peace and order of the kingdom.

"You seem surprised."

Tallulah had been the queen's lady-in-waiting for the past five years. They were childhood friends. Briar would sneak out past the mansion's guards and visit her family's farm to play with her. Tallulah's parents would straight away return Briar to their mansion to avoid conflict with Lord Gideon, the head of the Seymour noble family. Tallulah and Briar were able to play with each other freely before, but when her birth mother died and her father brought a new lady in the house, things changed.

Her hand trembled as she brushed the queen's smooth and silky burgundy locks. Her creamy and ivory skin was in deep contrast with Tallulah's coffee-colored complexion. She was visibly sweaty in front of the mirror.

"It's just that...it's been four years since you summoned us. We thought–"

"I was dead? Anyone would, I can't blame you."

The queen felt different. There was something about her that Tallulah couldn't put into words. Her amber eyes remained the same. She was still as beautiful as ever but the way she presented herself wasn't at all Briar. The Briar she knew was warm, welcoming, and open.

"What...what would you like to wear, Your Majesty?"

Tallulah wasn't sure how she'd interact with her. She was expecting a monotonous and repetitive day of merely standing in front of the queen's bedroom chambers, waiting for her name to be called, yet even she lost hope with that.

Ever since Briar lost the prince before she could deliver him to this world, Tallulah couldn't go in and out as she pleased. She would only go inside if she would deliver food on the tray. She couldn't check if what she was feeding was still breathing behind the curtains of the bed. The food would either be left untouched or there would be small nibbles here and there, strands of rice were moved a tiny bit to a different place on the plate. Sometimes she'd think it was a mouse and not the queen. She was hopeful because there was no rotten scent of a corpse, but at most times she rather believed that she had perished and was at a better place–no longer suffering.

When Briar became queen, the first thing she did was pick Tallulah up from the farm and shove the duty as her lady-in-waiting in her hands. They could finally be friends out in the open. They could finally spend quality time together. Even if they were caught laughing, no one would dare break them apart.

"I have an important announcement to make. I know just the gown for it."

She didn't know if she was conversing with a ghost. If this was the queen's unresting spirit then this was more believable despite being frightening.

Still, her best friend had gone through a lot that shattered her mind and spirit. Tallulah wouldn't be surprised if she was talking to a broken woman who lost her wits.

"Your Majesty, I'm glad you're back."

Briar leaned against the chair. She looked at her reflection, smiling half-heartedly. "I hope the king is too."

Lycus heaved over the garderobe. He had been puking nonstop. There was like an animal wreaking havoc in his stomach, squeezing his innards. He wasn't trying to profess sickness to escape paperwork and the pestering pope. He was feeling nauseous after that conversation with that blasted convict. Killing him wasn't his first option. The convict was talented and gifted. He was a genius. It would be a waste to get rid of him not to mention it would cost a lot of priests and even cardinals if he were to attempt that.