Queen Maeve sat down while handmaiden gently braided her long, red, silken hair, each strand woven with meticulous care. The queen’s thoughts were far from idle as she gazed into the ornate mirror before her, eyes sharp with contemplation.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a guard stepped inside, his presence immediately catching the Queen’s attention. A slow smile curled on her lips as her eyes brightened at the sight of him.
With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the handmaiden, who knew better than to linger when the Queen sought privacy. The girl hurriedly gathered her things and slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Once they were alone, Queen Maeve turned her full attention to the guard. "What news do you have for me this time?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
The guard hesitated for a moment before speaking, his tone low and cautious. "Your Majesty, Prince Aldric has been moved from his cell."
The Queen’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Moved?" she echoed, her voice betraying her interest. "Where to?"
The guard shook his head, a shadow of frustration crossing his features. "I don’t know, Your Majesty. The operation was conducted under strict secrecy and was executed personally by the king’s elite guards. I could only gather this much without raising suspicion. However, from what I could ascertain, it does not seem to be a favorable location."
Hearing that, Queen Maeve burst into laughter, a sound as cold as it was amused. "So, the pieces are finally starting to move," she mused, leaning back in her chair with a satisfied smirk. "I thought it was amusing when Prince Andre suddenly requested to marry that girl, Islinda. Now Oberon is also aiding the process? Everyone in this family must be running mad."
Queen Maeve’s mind as expected worked quickly, connecting the dots. It all made sense now—Oberon was clearly maneuvering to keep Aldric out of the way, likely to facilitate Andre’s marriage.
"I don’t care what Oberon does with his son," she said without a care. "If anything, I’m more than grateful that Andre is finally marrying that eyesore, Islinda, and getting her away from Valerie."
Maeve’s voice hardened as she gave her final instructions. "Ensure that Valerie doesn’t catch wind of Prince Andre’s wedding plans. The last thing we need is him ruining this perfect opportunity to finally rid ourselves of Islinda."
The guard bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty," he replied before swiftly exiting the room.
As the door closed behind him, Queen Maeve allowed herself a rare moment of satisfaction. Everything was falling into place just as she had hoped. Soon, Islinda would be out of the picture, and Valerie would be free from her distracting influence. All that remained was for the plan to unfold without any further complications.
Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, Queen Nirvana sat at her desk, her eyes fixed on a delicate piece of parchment as her mind churned with thoughts. Her personal guard had just entered the room, his expression grave as he delivered the news. "Prince Aldric has been taken from his cell," he reported.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Mated To The Cruel Prince