Chapter 112 I AM QUEEN ATHALIA
The palace of Arrandelle had never been so restless.
From inside the quiet stone corridors, whispers traveled faster than footsteps. Servants spoke in hushed voices, guards exchanged uneasy glances, and noblemen pretended not to hear the rumors spreading through the court.
A new heir had been named.
Prince Kaelion.
And everyone had no choice but to welcome him.
In the dim candlelight of her private chamber, Celine stood beside the tall window overlooking the palace courtyard. Her fingers tapped slowly against the stone sill as she stared into the darkness. Behind her was the glass she had thrown in rage.
Behind her, Mara, her maid shifted uneasily.
"You've been silent for too long," she said carefully. "Silence from you usually means trouble."
Celine gave a faint smile.
"It means I am thinking."
She turned, her eyes sharp and calculating.
"A stranger appears from nowhere, and suddenly he is the king's chosen heir?" she said. "What's worst, he managed to expose Casvian. Isn't that enough to trouble anyone?"
Mara folded her arms. "Many things in this palace should trouble you, your highness. But this should not, because your name was not mentioned."
Celine walked toward the table and poured wine into a silver cup.
"Prince Kaelion is a mistake," she continued calmly. "A mistake that must be corrected."
Mara raised a brow. "Do you still speak of removing him?."
"I speak of protecting the throne," she replied coolly. "Before the throne destroys itself."
Outside the chamber, thunder rolled faintly across the sky.
The game had begun.
But as Celine plans, the people's heart were warming up to the crown prince.
Many of what he had predicted came true.
Three weeks after the Prince's decision in court, the river swelled beyond its banks.
Caravans barely cleared the crossings before the roads vanished beneath water.
The southern provinces did not starve. And word spread quickly.
The young lord predicted it.
It did not stop there.
A minor border dispute in the east resolved itself after Kaelion advised a troop rotation no general had considered.
A fever outbreak in the lower districts was contained after he insisted wells be inspected — before any physician suspected contamination.
Each time, Adrian approved the action.
Each time, it worked.
The court began to notice.
Not openly but in glances.
In hesitation before contradiction.
In the subtle way lords now looked to Kaelion before speaking — as if measuring whether he had already seen the outcome.
Maeron watched more carefully than anyone.
One evening, he approached the prince privately in the library.
“You read reports before they arrive,” Maeron said quietly.
Kaelion did not look up from the map spread before him.
“No, I don't.” As he gestured to him.
“Then how do you know?”
Kaelion’s fingers traced the inked border of a province.
“Patterns,” he replied.
Maeron studied him.
“You are three years old.”
“In years, yes, but not in mind and heart,” Kaelion said softly.
The lamps flickered.
Maeron lowered his voice. “You are altering the balance of this court. It is good in some way because the people are accepting you as prince.”
“I am only preventing mistakes,” Kaelion said.
“That is not the same thing.”
Kaelion finally looked at him.
And for a moment, Maeron felt something cold pass through him — not malice, not exactly.
Perspective.
“Do you fear I will replace him,” Kaelion said.
“I fear,” Maeron replied carefully, “that the kingdom will begin to rely on you instead of him.”
A pause.
“I do not want my father's throne but I have the right to it. So your fear is invalid,” Kaelion said.
But as the kingdom warmed up to prince Kaelion, Athalia was in rage. And far from the palace chambers, at the edge of the city, another storm was brewing.
Athalia walked through the crowded streets like a woman possessed. Her clothes were worn as she walked weakly, her hair slightly disordered, yet her posture carried a pride that had not been broken by years of hardship.
Her thoughts burned with rage.
How could Adrian do this?
How could King Adrian seat a stranger on the throne that belonged to her son?
Her son.
Her hands trembled as she approached the towering gates of the palace.
Two armored guards crossed their spears as she stepped forward.
"Halt."
Athalia lifted her chin.
"I demand audience with the king."
The guards exchanged glances.
"And who might you be?" one of them asked with faint amusement.
Athalia's voice rang with authority.
"I am Queen Athalia."
There was intense silence at first.
Then the guards burst into laughter.
"Another one," the second guard muttered.
But Athalia did not move.
"I will like to speak to the king," she said firmly. "Now."
Just as the guards were about to push her away, the sound of approaching wheels echoed across the courtyard.
A royal carriage.
The carriage rolled through the gates, escorted by royal guards. The emblem of the crown glinted beneath the late afternoon sun.
The guards straightened instantly.
The gates opened.
Inside sat two men.
Prince Kaelion and Maeron, the chief Adviser.
Maeron leaned back casually, glancing through the window.
"It seems someone is causing trouble already?" he said with a smirk.
Kaelion followed his gaze.
At the gate stood a woman arguing fiercely with the guards.
Then she turned.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Kaelion froze.
His heart skipped.
"It's her…"
He remembered her immediately.
The same woman he had met weeks earlier near the outer palace gate.
The strange woman who had been kind while he waited to reclaim his position as heir.
Before he could speak, the carriage stopped.
Athalia suddenly rushed forward.
"Maeron, Get down here!"
Her voice broke with emotion.
Maeron stepped down from the carriage, confused.
"Is that an order?" He said in annoyance.
The woman ran slowly toward him.
"Maeron! It's me!"
He frowned slightly.
"How do you know my name, though."
"My Lord..." A guard cut in before Athalia could speak. "Everyone knows who you are."
"Yes..." The other guards nodded
"Well I'm sorry, madam… but I'll be grateful if you leave here and avoid further embarrassments." he said slowly, handing her some money.
Her face fell.
"You… you don't recognize me? It's me. Queen Athalia"
Maeron looked surprised but then....