Two days had passed, and everything was still a mess. It was even worse now because, with the King ill, the Queen imprisoned, Ivan in the dungeon, and Damon restricted to his chamber, Harold had easily taken control over the affairs of the palace, but with him suddenly sick now and even the physician unable to tell what exactly was wrong with him, the only free member of the royal family was Tyra.
As much as they could not accept her since she was far lower in rank than even some maids, they did not have much of a choice now since it directly affected her family, and they could not simply shun her, especially when she suddenly brought out her royal token. Every direct member of the royal family had a token that would permit them to handle things in case the higher authority was not present. For Tyra, hers had always been kept as a form of decoration because no one thought a situation would arise where she would ever need it.
If the noblemen's displeasure was not bad enough, Tyra suddenly called for a morning assembly with all the noblemen in the palace.
The audacity stunned them. A woman, an Omega?
Even with the token, they could not allow her to be in charge and brazenly try to control them just because of some token.
The said person who was riling up the noblemen was in her chamber.
Tyra stood with her hands spread out as four maids dressed her up.
The atmosphere felt very weird for the maids inside because they were not used to it. Not only were they dressing her up, but two other maids were sitting on their calves while kneeling on the floor; one was strumming a zither while the other was playing the harmonica.
Tyra kept her eyes closed, revelling in the gentle, melodious tone until the maids were done dressing her up.
A mid-length mirror was carried by two maids, who held it in front of her to see her transformation. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the mirror with a straight face.
She was wearing a rather extravagant-looking red dress, complete with the hairdo and different golden hairpins and earrings. She slowly tilted her face to both sides, taking in her new look.
Her blood-red lips were particularly striking, reminding her so much of her mother.
But she was not Arya.
She was Queen Tyra.
Her lips curled up in an almost invisible smile, and she took in a deep, satisfying breath before she waved for the mirror to be taken away.
She stepped out of her chamber, where a group of guards were already waiting for her instructions.
She turned to one and asked, "How is Prince Harold?"
The guard stepped forward and bowed curtly before answering, "He isn't awake yet. However, the physician is doing his best."
She nodded and turned to another one: "Are the noblemen already waiting in the courtroom?"
The first guard stepped back while the one she was referring to stepped forward and also nodded curtly before answering,
"Some of them have already arrived. As for the others, I... guess they would be arriving late."
Her eyes turned cold, and her hands clenched in tight fists beside her.
"Make them arrive..." She said it in a tone that told him it didn't matter whatever method he used. "...and you will be getting a reward." She added. When the guard bowed and was about to walk away, she raised a hand to stop him.
"I changed my mind."
The guard looked at her as he waited for her orders.
"Lock their children in the dungeon. If they do not have any children in the palace, lock up their wives." She turned around to leave.
"Show no mercy to anyone who tried to stop you. Spare Lord Evan. Let him mourn his daughter," she added as she walked away with two buff guards following closely behind her. She didn't need anyone to tell her that Sir Evan was not present.
Instead of heading to the courtroom, she walked in the opposite direction. The aura she gave off was so different and strange that it made anyone she walked past step to the side and keep their heads down while she blissfully ignored all of them until she was standing outside Damon's chamber.
"Take a break." She said to the young men guarding the door. The two guards exchanged looks before they bowed and walked away, while the guards following Tyra also excused themselves.
She entered the room and found Damon standing by the window. He turned and looked at her.
He took in her appearance, almost confused at who this person was before he took a closer look and then noticed the royal token she was wearing as a necklace.
"What do you think you are doing?" He asked her in his usual gruff tone.
"I should be asking you that." She said calmly as she went to take her seat in the main chair and gestured for him to sit across from her.
His brows creased as his frown deepened.
"SSIT!" She said it in an annoyed and commanding tone while looking at him with dark eyes, hissing out the "S.".
He didn't move immediately. The anger, humiliation, and irritation were all evident on his face. But despite his ego, he sat down across from her, bringing a satisfying smile to Tyra's face.
"We should be having tea while conversing. Too bad I have to lead the morning assembly and cannot—"
"What do you mean by that?" He asked in a voice filled with disbelief.
"I came to tell you how to save yourself." She said this, ignoring his question.
"Give up on the queen. She should be executed together with Ivan for plotting treason."
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" He asked in a harsh tone, hitting the table so hard that it almost split in half.
"I'm not." She said as she drew closer while keeping eye contact with him.
"But you are. And that is why you are in this mess."
She drew back and crossed her arms as she looked at a fuming Damon intensely.
"I have always been wondering. You don't look like you have affection for the queen. Why did you have an affair with her?"