The Red Throne | TUQ Book Two

07 | inheritance

    To my dearest brother,

I have been recently been made aware about the issue with the succession of the throne, and that the King is persuading you to annul your marriage. I know that you have no feelings for her, but please do not have the marriage annulled. It will be the end of House Winterbourne if you do so, Gil. The Ainsworth scum shall take over the land, and what use is love then? For all of our sakes, Gil, do not be reckless.

Your dear sister,

Anne de Chauvelot, 
Duchess of Cindertrappe

I sent out the letter, not knowing what to expect in return. I knew that Gilbert had no lady loves other than Princess Margaret, and now that she is safely married off to Prince Henri du Terre, it is safe to assume that he is not in a hurry to annul the marriage to pursue his true love.

The matter of the succession has reached the ears of Edmund's mother and sister, and while my mother-in-law is mostly silent, Claudie has been rather vocal with her dissatisfaction.

       "Who would've thought that my brother's fate would someday depend on the decision of the daughter of a whore," she murmured in disdain, and while I thought that her face was very beautiful, angelic even, the sour expression on her face made her look horrendous.

       "She is your cousin, Claudia. Do not speak of her that way," my mother-in-law reprimanded, albeit half-heartedly. I could not blame them for hating the daughter of their husband and father's murderer, but the poor girl has done nothing to deserve all this hate, and listening to Claudie's venomous words all day made my stomach turn.

      "She is also the wife of my twin brother, so I hope that you would at least show her a little respect, for my sake," I spoke through gritted teeth, not wanting to lash out at Claudie, but also not wanting to remain silent forever.

      "Not for long," Claudie chuckled. "Soon, the marriage would be annulled, and she would be Thomas Ainsworth's wife. We would be massacred the moment she ascends to  the throne, and I doubt she has any say in that! The days of the Chauvelots would end, Annie!"

      "We do not know about what will happen," I huffed indignantly, not wanting to appear weak in front of the adamant Anna-Claudia. "Perhaps she might choose to remain with her husband afterall."

Claudie scoffed. "And miss out becoming Queen Regnant? Sounds silly to me! What a waste would that be, Anne. If you were in her shoes, would you let that opportunity simply pass by? Clearly you wouldn't, since you readily accepted my brother's proposal after being promised the throne!"

Her disdain for Cecily has now been shifted towards me, and Claudie's once warm green eyes had become cold and narrowed, with no compassion left in them. She was a Chauvelot, courageous and domineering, but she had forgotten that I was a Winterbourne, and eventhough we were not as outstanding as they were, we would never let ourselves be trampled by others.

       "His intent when he proposed to me wasn't any better either, Duchess," I sneered, with words laced with malice. "He needed me and my family's reputation to support him to the throne. Yes, I gobbled up the proposal like the power-hungry witch that I am, but your brother is not any better either! It is he who needs House Winterbourne, not House Winterbourne who needs him!"

Claudia's expression hardened as she opened her mouth, ready to retort, but in a heartbeat, it immediately faltered. 

       "Ned!" my mother-in-law suddenly said. "When did you arrive?"

My hands and feet became cold and my mouth felt dry as dread pooled in the pit of my stomach, and I could not bring myself to turn around.

         "I just arrived," I heard my husband say. "The matter of succession is settled. Cecily has refused the throne, and it shall be passed to Prince Gregory in case of the King's passing, and Queen Jane shall act as regent."