Chapter 39: Of Praise Bestowed and Mercy Postponed
Chapter 38: Of Praise Bestowed and Mercy Postponed
Lucian spoke before the Queen could respond.
His voice was low, properly subdued, and shaped with the careful smoothness expected of a gentleman who knew precisely where he stood within a royal chamber.
"I am very sorry," he said quietly, turning his gaze toward Jacinta, "that Lyria had the audacity to speak back to you, Your Highness."
Jacinta lifted her tear-bright eyes to him.
Lucian inclined his head, the movement respectful and measured.
"But surely," he added gently, "you did not simply allow her to go uncorrected. Lyria is... beneath you after all."
The words tasted unpleasant in his mouth, and he forced his expression to remain composed.
He knew deep down that Jacinta must have already punished Lyria, but the fact that she was still here begging her mother meant she wanted more, and he needed to know exactly what punishment Jacinta had given Lyria.
Jacinta’s lips curved.
She drew a small handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed delicately at the corner of her eyes.
"Who do you take me for, cousin?" she asked lightly. "Of course I did not let her go as though nothing had occurred."
She straightened a little where she knelt.
"After all," Jacinta continued, her tone sharpening with faint satisfaction, "she is beneath me."
Lucian’s hands tightened behind his back.
"I instructed Kyia," Jacinta went on calmly, "to take her to the stables."
The Queen’s eyes lifted with mild interest.
"And I ensured that the stable master was told to give her the hardest work available," Jacinta added. "She is to labour there today."
Her mouth softened into a smile.
"So that she may finally learn her place."
The Queen’s lips curved slowly.
A look of gentle approval crossed her face.
"You have done well, my dear," Her Majesty said softly.
Jacinta’s shoulders eased at once.
She turned her head toward her mother and returned the smile with open pleasure.
"But that is not all," Jacinta said quietly.
The Queen’s brows lifted a fraction.
Jacinta rose to her feet, smoothing the front of her gown.
"I do not merely wish to punish her," she continued. "I want her to understand."
Lucian raised his gaze carefully.
"To understand what, precisely?" he asked.
Jacinta glanced at him sidelong.
"That she is where she belongs and that she will never leave there, no matter what she does."
Lucian hesitated at her words, a frown on his face.
"What more could you possibly require, Your Highness?" he asked softly. "You have already seen that she is disciplined."
Jacinta’s eyes narrowed.
"Are you suggesting," she asked coolly, "that I am unreasonable for punishing disobedience?"
Lucian stiffened.
He cleared his throat.
"No," he said at once. "Not at all."
He allowed a brief pause to settle before continuing.
"There is no possibility that you could be unreasonable in this matter," he said smoothly. "From what I have heard, Lyria’s behaviour was... deserving of correction."
The words were arranged with exquisite care.
Outwardly, his posture remained untroubled.
Inwardly, his thoughts had already strayed far from the quiet warmth of the withdrawing room.
He was already counting the ways he might reach the stables without drawing notice.
Already wondering how long the work would last.
Already shaping small, foolish plans—of water offered in secret, of quiet assistance, of some slight kindness that might soften the edge of what had been inflicted upon her.
But none of that could touch his face.
Instead, he inclined his head again.
"I merely wonder," he continued carefully, "whether another punishment, so soon after the first, might invite... misunderstanding."
Jacinta watched him closely.
"In what manner?"
"There are eyes within the palace," Lucian replied mildly. "And guests besides. If another discipline were imposed immediately after such a severe task, some might—quite unfairly—conclude that Your Highness is being unduly harsh."
Jacinta considered him.
The Queen’s gaze shifted between them, attentive but silent.
Lucian held Jacinta’s stare without flinching.
"I would not wish," he added gently, "for anyone to mistake your rightful authority for cruelty."
Jacinta’s eyes flickered.
The faint suspicion in them gave way, slowly, to something more calculating.
"You are right," she said after a moment.
Lucian felt a breath ease quietly from his chest.
"If I were to punish her again today," Jacinta continued, "in the same manner..."
Her lips pursed.
"People might indeed speak." She lifted her chin. "And I have no desire to give anyone the impression that I am unreasonable."
Lucian inclined his head.
"Of course not, Your Highness."
Jacinta turned back to her mother.
"All I require," she said calmly, "is that Lyria finally perform the role she was always meant to fulfil."
"That she stands behind me," Jacinta told her mother. "That she watches from the shadows. That she remains where she belongs while I am honoured."
Her fingers curled lightly at her side.
"I want her to see it," Jacinta continued softly. "I want her to watch while I am bowed to. While I am addressed. While I am chosen."
Her eyes glinted.
"I want her to watch me be what she is not, and what she will never be... the true princess of the kingdom, the one everyone bows to and listens to."
The Queen nodded slowly.
"Yes," she said. "There is no doubt that that will happen, my dear. And I would like to put Lyria in her place so that she never speaks back to you. But like His Grace said, we cannot punish her again with something similar to what she is doing now—but she can know her place."
Jacinta nodded in reply, her smile still plastered on her face.
"She will be summoned at once," the Queen said calmly.
Jacinta shook her head.
"No."
Both the Queen and Lucian turned toward her.
"Not now, Mother," Jacinta said gently. "She should finish her labour first."
"It will serve its purpose better," she continued lightly. "If she is done with her punishment when she comes. That way, she will have no strength to speak back."
Lucian’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"And besides," Jacinta added, as though remembering something of little importance, "she is meant to present herself to me this evening in any case."
The Queen regarded her daughter for a moment longer.
Then she smiled.
"That," Her Majesty said softly, "is a very good idea."
