Chapter 127

Annalise;

My mother had always been controlling and manipulative and sometimes, I wondered how she did that, how she was feared by everyone in the kingdom and beyond.

She ruled over my life, having a say over who I spoke with, where I went, what I did and who I was going to marry.

I watched as they exchanged pleasantries, charming them with her smile, but when she glanced at Raven, the smile completely disappeared from her face.

“Be careful, Your Majesty,” she said softly. “Curiosity is a dangerous habit.”

If she intended for Raven to be intimidated, then she had failed as Raven smiled at her. “So is underestimating me, my lady.”

It took a lot for me not to laugh and when our eyes met, I waved at her.

She wasn’t that naive girl that I first met when I went to the palace, she had shown my mother that she was a formidable foe and I loved that. While my mother would be focused on bringing her down, she wouldn’t see me coming.

“Ungrateful wench!”

I turned around slowly, meeting my mother’s eyes. Her hands were clenched tightly to her side and she looked as though she was going to murder me.

“Mother…”

“What the hell have you done!” She yelled and her eyes seemed to darken. I had never seen her this angry before.

She grabbed a vase lying by the corner and smashed it on the wall, almost hitting one of the guards who was quick enough to duck. “You invited then here in hopes of what? Huh? You useless thing!” She moved fast, clasping her hands tightly on my neck.

“Ughh..” I tried to pry her hands out of my neck as I felt the air leaving my lungs. For a woman her age, she sure was strong.

“Do you think you’re clever? Do you think I haven’t noticed your pathetic little games?”

Tears slid down my eyes. I was right about her. She didn’t love me, I was just a means to an end and now that I was getting in her way, she was going to kill me, her own daughter.

I shook my head, my eyes pleading with her to let me live.

Her words dripped with disdain as she spoke. “Do not even try to lie to me, girl. You have done nothing but bring disgrace to this house. You have no purpose beyond what I allow you, no worth beyond the tasks I set before you, and yet you dare to humiliate me in my own home?”

“Get the hell out of my sight!” She said, removing her hands from my neck. “Get out!”

I began to cough as I felt life rushing back to me, tears blurring my vision.

I had endured her scorn for years, taken every insykt, obeyed every command and  I had been paraded as a bargaining chip in the endless game of alliances. She never let me have the one man I truly wanted, but  tonight, in front of Raven and  Liam, and Ellie, she had looked shaken, and what I felt was more than power, it was fulfillment.

I stood up slowly. “I am not the one who humiliated you tonight.”

She halted in her tracks and turned around, facing me. “What did you say?”

“I said,” I repeated, my voice becoming more steady now. “that I am not the one who humiliated you. You’ve done that all by yourself. You’ve turned this kingdom into a stage for your power plays, treating everyone, me included, as pawns on your board. And now you’ve lost control, and you can’t stand it.”

Her silence stung. I wanted her to react, I wanted her to say something, I wanted her to realize that I wasn’t a toy to be played with. “So before….”

SLAP!!!

A sharp crack split the air as her palm connected with my face.

My head jerked to the side, my skin burning where her palm had struck me.

My hand slowly rose to my cheek, my eyes moving to hers. I sniffed, but I didn’t cry again.

“Mother,” I shook my head. “You can’t handle the truth.”

Her voice shook with fury as she spoke. “You dare speak to me that way in my house?”

My lips curved into the smallest of smiles. “Of course, Joanna, it’s yours, since you denied me the right to know my father.”

She took another step forward, her hand raised, ready to strike me again. But my words stopped her.

“Tell me, mother, where is my father?”

Her hands froze mid-air. He expression faltered, just a flicker, but I saw it.

“Your father is dead!” She dropped her hand. “I will forgive you for tonight and believe that your actions are due to some kind of ailment.”

“I am fine!” I half yelled, moving forward now, standing in front of her. “Did lord Gasty know that I wasn’t his daughter? Was that why he sent me away when I was little? Was that why I was never allowed in the family’s gathering?”

Joanna’s lips parted, but no sound came.

My voice dropped to a low whisper. “I finally realized that it must be because I wasn’t his daughter, that you lied. That you’ve lied to everyone. And I think…” I tilted her head, studying her face. “Judging from the look on your face,  you’ve been terrified that  I would find out.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Nonsense.” She scoffed. “You really are sick, I’m going to have to call a healer to check you…”

“Did you think I would never find out?”

She tried to touch me, but I moved away. “Don’t touch me!”

“I don’t know what has come over you, if it’s the sickness or if you’ve been listening to baseless gossips or whispers from the servants and you now think of yourself as some clever….”

“Is that so?” I cut in, my voice, higher than intended.“Because, mother, I also found letters. Letters you thought you’d burned. Letters you wrote to him and the ones he wrote to you. You both spoke of a child, a child you swore to hide its lineage from lord Gasty  in order to keep your position here secure. That child… is me, isn’t it?”

I had never seen my mother so powerless. Her  mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. This was the first time, I saw her being scared. It looked like she was hoping for a miracle, but she was wrong, nobody was getting her out of this.”

I stepped back, savoring the moment. “I’m done being your pawn, mother. Now, from this moment on, you will listen to me. Because if you don’t, I will expose everything. To the council. To the king. To everyone.”

Her eyes darkened,but o could still see the fear in them. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I chuckled. “Try me.”

I didn’t wait for her to speak, I rurned and began to walk towards the staircase, my heart slammed hard agsinst my chest. I had always dreamt of this moment and now that it was here, it still felt unreal.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and glanced back over my shoulder. “You’ve spent years pulling everyone’s strings, Mother. But the game’s changed. I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

Then i walked to my room, leaving her frozen in place. I could feel her eyes on me until I left her sight.

Once inside my room, I exhaled and leaned against the door. I touched my cheek where the slap still sting, but found myself smiling, not with joy, but with satisfaction.

“Checkmate, mother.”