219 Protect The One You Love

King Sylvy held on to the hems of her dress as she made her way down the hallway. Sweat trickled down her brow as she focused on getting to her destination as quickly as she could. Tinee and Ramas followed closely behind, barely catching up to her. 

All this running was making her regret the decision to wear the ceremonial heels. 

"I should have just gone with the boots," she muttered to herself as she continued making her way through. 

Unfortunately for the King, a fold in the carpet that she had not seen caused Sylvy to trip. She felt herself falling forward, with her ankle twisted towards the side. In a moment of panic and blue, Sylvy swiftly repositioned herself. 

With that move, she successfully prevented herself from falling over. The adrenaline was pumping in her veins as she stood there, steadying herself. Tinee and Ramas, who had witnessed it from behind, had felt as if they nearly suffered a heart attack. 

Tinee rushed forward to grab hold of Sylvy's hand to help the King steady herself. 

"My King! Are you alright?" Tinee asked as she looked to ensure she was alright. 

"Yes… yes I think I am," Sylvy replied as she gathered her senses before continuing, "Let's go."

When they finally arrived at the doors, the guards had seen them arrive from a few metres away and ready to open the door for their entrance. Tinee gave them the signal to open the doors, just in time as Sylvy straightened her outfit. 

Taking in a deep breath, she straightened her back and entered the Rosera Waiting Room. Tinee moved forward and curtsied to the lady who was seated in the room. 

"Presenting King Sylvy, of House Flutterheart," Tinee said as Sylvy entered the room with Ramas trailing closely behind her. 

The lady who was originally seated stood up and curtsied to Sylvy, "My King,"

As she rose up, the lady's eyes met the eyes of the King. The disapproving eyes belonged to none other than the Lady Yvon of the Flutterheart Manor, her mother. Lady Yvon, ever so graceful, sat back down on the sofa. 

She picked up her pot of tea as Sylvy sat down on the chair that had been prepared for her by Tinee. 

"Is there something I can help you with, mother?" Sylvy asked. 

"You should be addressing me as Lady Yvon, your Majesty," her sharp words cut through the air like knives. 

Sylvy forced a light smile upon her face, "My apologies…"

"A King does not apologise. Do I need to remind you of that, your Majesty?"

Sylvy bit the insides of her lip. Her hands tightened into fists, but she did not hold onto them tightly. She needed to keep her calm, in order to take care of the situation. Since Lady Yvon wanted everything to be done by the book, Sylvy decided that this was how she would treat the matter at hand. 

Sylvy smiled genuinely, although some might say it ended up being more of a smirk, and said, "Lady Yvon, may I know why you've so urgently called to meet me?"

Lady Yvon shot her daughter a look, "I am here to ask for the release of Grand Advisor Eskyl. From what I was told, he had been wrongfully…"

"Wrongfully?" Sylvy asked. 

The interruption caught Lady Yvon off guard, this was not how she raised her daughter to be. 

"Indeed, wrongfully. And-"

"How so?" 

"I beg your pardon?" Lady Yvon asked. 

Sylvy leaned forward and asked, "You claimed that Grand Advisor Eskyl was wrongfully imprisoned, how so?"

Lady Yvon had rushed here as soon as she was told of what had happened. Her son had been imprisoned for treason. Treason against the King. When she heard the news, Lady Yvon had no discernable expression. 

She called for a carriage and headed straight to the castle. Upon arrival, she called for an audience with the King, citing it as an urgent matter that needed to be dealt with immediately. Lady Yvon had threatened to make a scene if she had to. 

Seeing her mother so silent was highly unusual for Sylvy, but she was not about to let this down. 

"Do you know on what charges he was imprisoned for?"

"Of course, I do. False charges of treason," Lady Yvon snapped back without hesitation. 

Before she had even stepped foot into the waiting room, Sylvy told herself to give her mother a fair chance. Both were her children, yet the love she had for them was so imbalanced. For years Sylvy had hoped to gain the favour of her mother. 

But nothing was ever good enough for her. 

"False charges? I can assure you, Lady Yvon, those charges are quite real. All of the ministers who were present in court can be my witnesses. Would you like me to call them in for-"

"There's no need." Lady Yvon interrupted Sylvy, "This is a family matter after all."

Sylvy could not help herself but laugh. 

"A family matter?" she echoed her mother's words. 

"Do you know what your precious son is accused of, mother?" Sylvy savoured each and every word she said as she looked straight into her mother's eyes. 

She could tell immediately that her mother was trying to avoid her gaze. But Sylvy was not about to let any of this go. She did not wait for her mother to formulate a reply either. 

"Your son, Grand Advisor Eskyl, brought a platoon of guards into the Throne Room. He made a daring declaration in front of everyone." 

-You have to be strong, Sylvy. For yourself.- Sylvy said to herself. 

"Do you know what he said?"

No reply. 

"Do you know what he said?" she asked again when her mother refused to reply. 

Her question was met with silence. 

No one dared to say anything. 

"He said he was born to rule," Sylvy could feel her voice wavering with emotion towards the end, "I wonder why."