Chapter 555 - Five Hundred And Fifty-Five: The Queen's Days Were Numbered
The third point of view:
In a certain living room late at night, a secret meeting was being conducted without an invitation being extended to the Queen.
"A-hem," One of the old men around cleared his throat, "Lord Albert, I still don't understand why you called us to your manor in this unholy hour of the night," Lord Simon initiated the conversation, his eyes flickering around to the other Lords available.
In Lincolnshire, there were about six major Lords and they were all members of the inner cabinet who saw to the day-to-day running of the kingdom and assisting Queen Roselle in her rule.
No matter how powerful Queen Roselle was, she still needed their help as they were influential and had fair control of Lincolnshire as well. But then all must bow to the queen because she's the sovereign authority.
Lord Albert sat on the largest chair in the living room while the others sat directly across from him from both sides. If Lord Albert had been unsure of his ambitions earlier, he was sure of his plans now especially after the encounter with the little boy.
Although the boy had no clue about the chat, that incident had woken him up from his slumber. As far as the queen was on the throne, his future and that of his daughter was in her hands - and the hands of her son, Kai. She couldn't even send her daughter back home without the permission of the crown prince. Doesn't that speak volumes of what was to be expected in the future?
His daughter Fiona was right, he had been blind all this while. Lord Albert had helped the queen recover the kingdom from the hands of those invaders but how did she pay him back? By banishing his daughter abroad for the crimes she pushed her into doing.
No, it was unacceptable. Lord Albert didn't need her apology or pity, he would take what belongs to him. It was time Lincolnshire had a change of monarchy.
Lord Albert snorted, "I'm sure you know why I called you here already," He pointed out and the other lords turned the other way, none willing to be the first to speak out.
Of course, they all knew the reason for this secret meeting else the queen would be present, but sometimes it was better to be pretentious than to acknowledge.
After a short while of uncomfortable silence, one of the lords summoned the courage to speak, "Eeh, lord Albert, we get the point but treason against the queen, isn't that too much? It's not even possible!"
"Lord Ezra, I heard you slept with a ten-year child who died from the ordeal, but then, you were able to hide the secret because she was an orphan with no one to trace and bring justice to her. But then, how long do you think you can keep this secret before the queen finds out?" Lord Albert asked him, staring him straight in the eyes.
There was murmuring in the living room as no one expected that kind of huge secret to be revealed nor had they expected that horrendous behavior from Lord Ezra of all people. The man was a humanitarian, not a pedophile - so they had thought.
Cold sweat broke out across Lord Ezra's face, how had Lord Albert known that? He was sure he had kept that incident a secret. The only person who knew was he and his butler - who buried the child. Realization dawned on him, if Lord Albert knew this, it wouldn't be long before the queen hears of it as well.
Seeing the dilemma Lord Ezra was undergoing, Lord Albert smiled, he had gotten him where he wanted him to be. He had to use that weakness to gain what he wants.
"The queen won't spare you, lord, or not," He told the old man whose hands were shaking even though he tried to hide it.
"But then, dead men tell no tales. If I get on that throne, you can consider your secret as good as gone," Lord Albert enticed him with the offer of treason against the queen.
But then, amid the undertoned threat, there was still a trace of hesitancy in Lord Ezra. He couldn't bear to plot against the queen, she was a kind person.
Noticing his indecision, Lord Albert went ahead with his persuasion, "I know you all might be thinking, the queen has done so much for us? We're betraying the late king? But then, have you thought about your future and that of your family? The queen might have reigned we'll and treated us good, but what about her son?"
Lord Albert stood up, making sure he was making eye contact with the five other lords one after the other - the eyes were the window to the soul. He had to know who was with him and who was against him.
He went on, "We all know how arrogant the crown prince Kai is nor does he know the sacrifices we made in the war against the invaders.... " he turned to Lord Simone, "You lost your wife in the war,"
"And you, your hand," Albert pointed to one of the lords whose hand was hidden inside his sleeve.
"The point is we all made sacrifices and yet the kingdom would be offered on a platter of gold to the young ignorant fool.
"The queen's only concern is her family and the continuity of the royal bloodline which is why I confided in you, my fellow lords. We all need someone like me to guarantee your future and the happiness of the family," Lord Albert said to them.
Human nature is greedy, not to talk of a time when their survival is questioned? They would do anything to survive even if that means making a deal with the devil.
"So who's in and who's out?" He asked, yet added, "And think twice because your answer determines your survival,"
It dawned on them, whoever was against Lord Albert's proposal would not make it out of his residence alive - they knew his plan. Lord Albert would shut their mouth forever and judging from the serious look on his face, he must already have a cover-up story to render for their death.
Although Lord Albert made it look like he was giving them a choice, the truth was that their attending this meeting already sealed their fate. Now, it was to join him or die.
Unfortunately, none of them wanted to die yet. So one by one, they raised their hands until five hands were high up in agreement.
A smirk of satisfaction crossed Lord Albert's face at the sight. The plan has been set in motion. The queen's days were numbered.
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