Chapter 292: Chapter 292 Tears and Trust
The conversation between Phoebe and Jude was taking longer than expected. When Timothy came back with Harlow, who was savoring her chocolate treat, they found themselves locked out.
"But my mama’s in there..." Harlow’s innocent eyes blinked up at Timothy, as though the royal gamma was being utterly unreasonable. "I wanna see my mama."
"Your mother’s having an important talk with the queen right now." Timothy tried explaining to the little one, expecting resistance, but Harlow grasped the situation surprisingly quickly without making a fuss.
"Okay, but I can see mama after?" Harlow received assurance that she could reunite with her mother once the queen finished.
"How about we check out the garden? Want to see something awesome?"
Harlow cocked her head with curiosity. "What is it?"
"Come here." Timothy scooped her up and headed toward the garden, leading her to the greenhouse.
"I’ve been here tons of times with mama. There’s nothing awesome here." Harlow wasn’t impressed. This spot held no magic for her.
Timothy winced internally. He’d brought Harlow here because he was out of ideas, and more importantly, he didn’t want to interrupt the conversation between Phoebe and Jude—not when there was a chance Phoebe might actually persuade Jude to accept his proposal.
"Did you know you can craft jewelry from roots?" Timothy settled on the ground and began pulling at some roots while Harlow crouched in front of him, watching intently.
"What are you making?" Harlow’s curiosity sparked.
"Hmm. What would you like?"
"A necklace!" she declared cheerfully.
"A necklace it is."
——
Phoebe’s POV
"Thank you, my queen. I’m so sorry..." Jude felt terrible for staining my shirt with her tears. Shame washed over her, though her fear of me had diminished. She hadn’t expected such gentleness from the queen.
"Don’t worry about it." I rubbed her back reassuringly. "Now go find Timothy and share your decision with him. You’ll both be just fine. I promise Timothy will protect and treasure you both with his life. You won’t regret this choice."
I offered Jude a warm smile, which she returned, though she still couldn’t meet my gaze directly, especially after hearing the personal story I’d shared.
"I won’t breathe a word about what you told me. You don’t need to worry, my queen." Jude didn’t need to elaborate—I understood her meaning perfectly.
"I know." I embraced her briefly before releasing her and shifting the conversation. I didn’t mind if others knew my story; I’d never considered it secret. Of course, speaking ill of their queen would bring consequences, and Perry’s fury wasn’t something anyone wanted to face. "You can call me Phoebe from now on."
Jude’s head snapped up, shock written across her features. "No, I couldn’t dare." She shook her head vigorously, eyes dropping again. "I wouldn’t dare, my queen." Being allowed to touch me, cry in my arms, and soil my dress was already overwhelming—she couldn’t bring herself to be so bold as to use my name.
Fortunately, I didn’t push. I knew it would take time for Jude to feel comfortable around those in power.
"Go find Timothy," I said, dismissing her gently.
"Yes, my queen. Thank you for everything. I’ll work even harder now. Thank you..." Jude looked ready to cry again, overwhelmed by the warmth radiating from me.
My presence felt radiant to her, not blinding but comforting—like light piercing the darkness of her difficult life.
"Thank you... thank you so much, my queen. Thank you."
——
After that, Jude left to locate Timothy and share her decision. A few inquiries led her to the greenhouse, where she discovered Timothy with Harlow.
Her daughter must have come looking for her during the conversation with the queen.
Relief flooded through Jude—she was grateful Harlow hadn’t witnessed her tearful breakdown. She didn’t want her daughter worrying or crying because of her.
"No, this isn’t a necklace," Harlow complained, pursing her lips in disappointment at the root creation Timothy had crafted. "This is ugly."
Jude hurried closer, alarmed by how Harlow was speaking to Timothy. Even knowing Timothy would never harm her daughter, painful memories surfaced—a warrior had once kicked Jude in the stomach for talking back and displeasing him.
But as Jude approached, she found Timothy laughing at Harlow’s upset expression.
"Why not? This is definitely a necklace—can’t you see? It’s gorgeous." Timothy’s grin stretched wide, making him look childlike himself.
"Nooo..." Harlow pulled off the necklace. "You wear it." She circled around to drape it over Timothy’s neck.
"See? Beautiful, right?" Timothy asked the little girl with a brilliant smile.
"Beautiful is for girls," Harlow giggled. "You’re not a girl."
"So am I handsome then?" Timothy wiggled his eyebrows, making Harlow laugh at his silly expression. "Come on, tell me I’m handsome."
"I dunno." Harlow teased him right back.
To her surprise, Jude realized Timothy was looking directly at her. He’d known she was there all along. "So, am I handsome?" This time he directed the question to Jude.
