Chapter 376: A Request for Loyalty

Chapter 375: A Request for Loyalty

Lyria’s POV

I slept longer than usual.

The exhaustion from the previous night had settled deep into my bones. When I finally stirred, it was not because I had woken naturally, but because I heard the soft murmur of voices somewhere nearby.

I blinked my eyes open slowly.

My maids were moving about the chamber, their footsteps light against the polished floor. Margery was arranging fresh linens near the wardrobe. Debbie was adjusting the curtains, letting in slivers of pale morning light. Pippa was setting a tray upon the small table near the window. Bridget was tidying the writing desk, her movements quiet.

And there was Elara.

She was standing near the door, her face still bearing the marks from the previous night. The bruises had darkened, turning from red to deep purple along her cheek. She caught my gaze and offered me a small smile.

I returned it as best I could.

But it was Kathryn who drew my attention.

She stood near the window, her satchel resting at her feet. She must have arrived while I was still asleep.

"Kathryn," I said, my voice still rough with sleep. "Y-you are h-here."

She inclined her head.

"I came to check on you, Your Highness," she said. "I was informed you had retired early last night."

There was nothing improper in her words, yet I could not help noticing the careful manner in which she spoke them. Kathryn was always cautious within the palace. She knew as well as I did that even harmless words could be repeated by the wrong person and given an entirely different meaning.

I sat up slowly, the blanket pooling around my waist. The movement pulled at the tender skin on my shoulder and I winced, though I tried to conceal it.

Kathryn noticed anyway.

"I f-feel b-better," I said. "The s-salve h-helped."

Kathryn nodded, though her expression remained serious.

"I have prepared some herbs for you," she said. "They will assist with the healing."

She paused.

"But Your Highness, I must speak plainly with you."

I looked at her.

"You must be careful," she continued, her voice lowering slightly. "If you are hurt again, it will only worsen matters. I would urge you to avoid any altercation that might result in further injuries."

Her choice of words was remarkably gentle.

Perhaps too gentle.

I was quiet for a moment, my fingers playing with the edge of the blanket.

"D-do you t-think that is q-quite p-possible?" I asked softly.

Kathryn’s brow furrowed.

"I beg your pardon?"

"To l-live in this p-palace without o-offending anyone," I said. "Intentionally or n-not. D-do you truly b-believe that is p-possible?"

Kathryn paused, her frown deepening.

"There must be a way," she said.

I chuckled softly.

The sound came out hollow even to my own ears.

"There m-may be a w-way," I said. "But is t-that truly so? After a-all, I am b-but a s-spawn. I should n-never have e-existed in the f-first place."

Kathryn’s expression shifted at once.

Her hands tightened at her sides.

"I did not say that, Your Highness."

"I k-know you d-did not," I said. "But s-someone has s-said it to m-me. More than o-once. And I am o-only relating i-it back to y-you, my p-physician, who w-wants the best f-for me."

I paused, my gaze dropping to my hands.

"All in a-all, there is n-no way to r-reduce what r-results in these i-injuries. If there were e-even a ch-chance that I w-would be injured for b-breathing, it would n-not matter what I d-did or d-did not do."

Kathryn’s hands curled into fists at her sides.

For several moments, she said nothing.

The morning light fell across her face, revealing the tension in her features. She looked toward the window, as though gathering her thoughts before daring to voice them.

Then she sighed, long and weary.

"I was being naive," she said quietly. "I understand all too well, Your Highness. Forgive me."

I looked at her.

There was something in her voice I had not heard before.

A weariness that went beyond the exhaustion of a long night. Something older than that.

It made me wonder what sort of life she had experienced. What had she endured to speak with such certainty?

I wondered what her story was.

But I did not ask.

Some questions were better left untouched until a person decided, of their own accord, to offer the answers.

I pushed the thought aside and slowly rose from the bed.

My feet had barely touched the floor when Pippa immediately stepped forward.

"Your Highness."

She extended an arm to steady me.

I gave her a small smile and waved her off gently.

"I am f-fine."

Pippa hesitated.

She clearly wished to argue, but instead withdrew her hand and watched as I crossed the chamber.

I reached the chair where my dressing gown had been laid and pulled it around my shoulders.

The fabric was warm against my skin.

When I turned back towards Kathryn, she was watching me carefully.

"Other t-than that," I said, "there i-is s-something I r-require your e-expertise for."

Kathryn tilted her head.

"What is it, Your Highness?"

"It w-would be b-better to s-show you," I said. "But I c-cannot show you n-now."

I lowered my voice.

"You m-must come at n-night."

Kathryn’s brow furrowed slightly.

She glanced towards the maids.

They had returned to their tasks, but I could see that several of them were listening despite their attempts to appear otherwise.

Kathryn noticed it too.

Her gaze returned to me.

"What is it you wish to show me, Your Highness?"

I took a breath.

"First, I m-must ask you s-something."

She waited.

I could see the question in her eyes, but she did not press me for an answer.

"Are y-you willing t-to be on m-my side?"

Kathryn’s eyes widened.

"Your Highness—"

"I k-know you r-report back to the Q-Queen about m-my condition," I said. My voice was steady despite the slight tremor in my hands. "I am n-not accusing y-you. I am s-simply stating a f-fact."

It was a fact.

I did not hold it against her.

She had not chosen the position she occupied any more than most people in this palace had chosen theirs.

A physician serving the royal household could hardly refuse an order from the Queen without consequences of her own. Kathryn had obligations, just as I had obligations. There were things neither of us could simply disregard because we disliked them.

But that did not mean I could afford to remain ignorant of where she stood.

I needed to know.

Not what she was required to do.

What she was willing to do.

She was silent for a while.

The chamber had grown quieter. Even the soft rustling of fabric seemed to have diminished, as though the maids understood that something important was taking place.

When she finally spoke, her voice was softer than before.

"What is it you are asking of me, Your Highness?"

I met her gaze directly.

"I am a-asking if y-you are w-willing to s-stand with m-me," I said. "Not as a p-physician reporting t-to the Q-Queen. As s-someone I c-can trust."

Elara’s gaze was fixed upon me, her expression unreadable.

Kathryn stared at me for a long moment.

There was no immediate answer.

She merely stood there, her expression thoughtful, her eyes searching mine as though she were attempting to determine whether I understood the weight of what I had just asked.

Perhaps I did not.

Or perhaps I understood it far too well.

To stand with me meant more than offering medical assistance. It meant risking the Queen’s displeasure. It meant keeping certain matters to herself when she could have easily reported them. It meant choosing, even if only in small ways, to place her trust in me.

And trust was a dangerous currency within the palace.

One could spend it only once.

I watched her quietly.

For the first time since I had asked the question, I wondered whether I had been too bold.