.𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚✩.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ᰔᩚ.ᰔᩚ ⭑. ݁ ˖₊˚✩.𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑
CH 109
Piercing cries and wails broke the sombre atmosphere of the King’s office, filling the room with awkward tension. Arthur Hartford let out a deep, heavy sigh as he took a seat and attempted to comfort his distraught daughter.
“Father, please, you have to ban the book,” Gladys said, eyes bloodshot and swollen. Tears streamed down her puffy red cheeks.
“First, I think you need to calm down and think,” Arthur said.
“This is a blatant violation of the treaty,” Prince Alexander said, who was also trying to calm Gladys. He was more angry than Arthur, who was just anxious.
“What do you mean?”
“How much did you pay Lechen to keep the secret? Yet, they have chosen to betray us with this,” Prince Alexander’s voice grew in force, his eyes blazing with the fires of hatred and anger.
“Are you really suggesting we hold the entire Royal Family accountable for the actions of Gerald Owens sister?”
“The book was published in Lechen, was it not? They should be held accountable for failing to prevent this book being published.”
With Prince Alexander’s angry outbursts and Princess Gladys’ desperate sobs, the room was a cacophony of emotions. Arthur couldn’t help but think of the military agreement that had favoured Lechen, as well as the concession of the maritime trade and resource extraction rights in the fiercely contested territories. There were countless benefits that Bjorn Dniester had received in exchange for covering up Gladys’ infidelity and the realisation of this left Arthur in shock.
The only reason he had agreed to the preposterous conditions was to keep Lars’ shame a secret. If the republican factions got wind of the deceit, it would have created a terrible domestic upheaval.
It was also vital to maintain an alliance with Lechen, their most significant neighbour and ally. Lechen had carefully calculated their benefits to covering up the secret, knowing that it was the Lars family that would suffer the most.
“We were too careless. There was no way this could have stayed secret forever. I should have paid more attention to Mr. Owen,” Arthur said, leaning back in his chair.
When Gerald Owen had committed suicide, Arthur felt a sense of relief. The poet had been buried and he believed the secret was buried with him. He could never have dreamed of facing something like this.
His sister had taken Gerald’s poems and letters to Gladys and got them published, revealing the exchange of love between Gladys and Gerald. It was a diary documenting their love, the child and Owens eventual suicide.
The book had already caused quite a stir in Lechen and was already racing across the seas. Even if they were to find and destroy every single book, there was no stopping the rumours from spreading like wildfire.
The story of the Lars born Princess, who had married the Crown Prince of Lechen, all the while carrying the child of a court poet from Lars was enough to capture the attention of the entire media.
Despite being aware of all the goings on, the Crown Prince took the blame and abdicated from the throne. He took the label of villain in this story and now all the newspapers were revealing the truth with bombastic headlines.
“Father, I implore you, preserve the honour of my son Carl and myself,” Gladys blubbed.
She knelt before her father, pleading to him to preserve her dignity and the honour of the Royal Family. As Arthur Hartford watched his daughter, a deep sense of remorse overcame him.
She had been the youngest princess, cherished and protected. She had never been allowed to experience hardship or pain. The mistake had been in thinking that it would be enough to find her a husband who could cultivate her into a beautiful flower. Provide a reliable and nurturing place to spend the rest of her life.
It was that way of thinking that had led them all to this situation in the first place.
