You were running down the stairs to get to the king and queen's chambers. Today was your day off and the queen had summoned you into her room. You were running to get there as fast as possible so you wouldn't disappoint her. The halls were cold as you ran through them. The weather outside was getting chilly and the king's attitude has not improved whatsoever. 

It scared everyone, and the assassins never stepped out of line after Jin was taken. You visited him almost every night and gave him a small portion of food. You would talk with him for a bit and you found your crush deepen. Now when you would think of him a blush appeared on your cheeks. You still talked with Genevive about the feelings.

She was still sick and had to be moved to the infirmary. She had a fever and she seemed to be sweating buckets full. She could hear and see everything still but it hurt to try and move. You missed having her in your room, now you were lonely without Elena and Genevive. You opened the door to the queen's room and you saw the queen sitting on her bed, staring out of the window.

   " My queen? You summoned me. "

    " Yes, I did. I'm sorry I just needed someone for comfort. "

She turned towards you and you could see her face filled with tears. You walked over to the queen and sat beside her. Her tears started pouring out more and she clung to you. You held her and rubbed her back and she clung to your dress. 

   " What's wrong, m'lady? "

   " Just call me Aileen when it's just you and me. THat's what Genevive and Elina did. "

   " Genevive and Elina? "

   " Yes, you three were my favorites and I wanted us all to be friends and I befriended them at the ball. I haven't had time to do the same to you. "

   " I see. "

   " I-I just wanted comfort from someone. Someone who wouldn't turn their back on me. "

   " What happened? "

   " It's Francis. "

   " The king? "

   " Yes, he's not the same man I married. I don't like this new person that I'm sleeping beside every night. "

   " What happened Aileen? You can tell me. "

   " I found out he was having an affair with one of the maids. "

   " Oh, I'm so sorry. "

The flashback of the garden came back to your mind. You remember having lunch in the garden and seeing Ray on the king's lap. You had seen it while you were eating lunch and ran from the garden so you wouldn't fully witness the affair. You rubbed Aileen's back and she clung to you.

   " How do you know? "

   " I was taking a walk through the garden when I saw them. It was Racen Cilstrome. You call her Ray, don't you? "

   " Yeah, we do. "

   " I saw them sitting together in the garden and the king seemed so comfortable with her. He was talking to her about his frustrations and I saw her comfort him. She rubbed his back and then kissed his cheek. Y/n I thought I was a good wife to him but I guess I wasn't. "

She cried now into your shoulder and you held her tight. You started thinking about what you would say to her. You picked your words wisely. Not because she was the queen, but because she was now your friend.

   " It wasn't your fault. It's his. You are a very kind and wonderful woman. He's an idiot for cheating on you and he shouldn't have done that. He should have been loyal to you because that's what a husband should do. "

   " But then why would he-"

   " Because he's a guy.  A lot of guys do that and there's only a select few that are not like that. You just happened to be arranged to marry someone like that. Aileen, you are a good woman and person. You don't deserve this. "

Aileen was quiet for a moment. Her tears stopped and she leaned her head on your shoulder. Her thoughts were blank as she leaned her head on you. After a few minutes, she raised her head and looked at you. Her eyes were filled with sadness and you wanted to hold her in a hug once more. 

   " Thank you, very much Y/n. You are very kind. "

   " Aileen it's my pleasure. Are you better now? "

   " I am. Francis just has been acting rude and cruel lately. He threw our son into a cell and has kept him there for days and I don't know what's been going on there. Y/n, I feel so helpless. He just uses me to make him look good but I want to help our empire and make sure that the staff here are treated better. "

   " I understand and you are very kind for doing that. Why don't you start studying? "

   " Studying? "

   " Aileen you came from a family of nobles. They taught you how to read and write. You can go to the library and grab books on government, politics, and how to rule a kingdom. You can study up on strategies and when the king has a meeting with someone you can ask to be there. That way you can prove to him that you know what you're doing. "

You grabbed her shoulders and brought her close to you. You stared her in the eyes with seriousness. Aileen wondered where all the power came from that was in your voice and eyes. To her, you seemed like someone capable of leading. You seemed confident and stronger, making her envy you.

   " You can do this. I believe in you, Aileen. "

Aileen nodded and hugged you once more. You dismissed yourself and left the queen's quarters. You went to your room to rest a little before you work or read a book.