Edmund did not visit me for the next seven days. Even when we crossed-paths, he would only greet me coldly before walking off.

He was true to his words though, and nobody knew about the misfortunes of Dame Lacey Rivers. Her death was immediately covered up, and everyone gradually forgot that she ever existed.

      "You made the right decision, Your Majesty," Lillianna reassured me. "If she were left alive, she would use all that she has to steal your position."

        "My husband treats me like a criminal, Lillianna," I retorted. "He thinks that I am a monster !"

         "But the throne he sits upon is built by your family's power and wealth. As long as the House of Winterbourne remains strong and influential, he can never set you aside. You mustn't be afraid, Your Majesty. Although..." she paused. "I would advise you to be careful of Rosamund, Your Majesty."

           "Rosamund ?" I murmured. "Why is that ?"

           "I saw her talking to the Marquis of Hasteburn. I am afraid that she might be selling information to him, especially about the events of that night."

           "Tell her that she is now in charge of my wardrobe. I will deal with her later," I told Lillianna. That position was one of great importance, and with great importance comes great responsibility.

Lillianna nodded curtly, not at all fazed by this sudden change. "I understand. Your Majesty knows best," she said, eyes twinkling.

         That afternoon while I took my lunch, Argenta stormed into my bedchamber, her face as pale as a sheet, as if she had just seen a ghost.

             "Your Majesty, you must come and take a look at the Princess Elisabeth!" she urged, tears steadily flowing down her cheeks. "She's sick, Your Majesty! The physician said that she might have the sweating sickness!"

I hastily stood up, my mind devoid of all thought except for that of my daughter. Extreme fear gripped my heart, and I felt as if I were in a trance.

Elisabeth was my only child, my only hope. If I were to lose her, then all hope is lost. With the current state of my relationship with Edmund, there is no way that we could hold on.

When I recovered from my shock, I realise that I was already in front of the royal nursery. Sir Pattesley was by my daughter's side, carefully mixing up herbs inside a wooden bowl.

            Elisabeth lay still inside the cradle, her face pale and slick with sweat. Her lips were completely white, the same shade as her skin. I leaned over to grasp her hand, which felt hot to the touch.

                 "It is best if you don't stay here, Your Majesty," Sir Pattesley reprimanded, milky blue eyes filled with concern. "The disease is contagious. You wouldn't want to contract it."

                  "I want to stay," I say stubbornly. "I need to be here, with her.

She was so still, so quiet. Elisabeth had always been a crybaby, but now she was so silent. My poor girl was barely a year old. I could not bear to lose her now. Not yet, not ever.

I clutch her hand tightly, not wanting to let go. I wonder if this is God's punishment towards me. I had killed so many, robbed the children away from their mothers, and now my poor girl is paying the price.

The souls of Leanne McCarthy, Queen Helene and Lacey Rivers must be cursing me, wanting me to suffer a life worse than death.

        Elisabeth's breaths were so weak, like a fish out of water. I knew how deadly the sweating disease could be. Grown adults fall down like flies each year, and it could easily take away an infant child if it wanted to.

Sir Pattesley then arrived with a basin of cold water, into which he dipped a towel and placed it onto Elisabeth's forehead. "If this still does not work, then we must dip her into the cold water to lower her temperature, Your Majesty."

         By dusk, Elisabeth's condition had yet to improve. When it came to the sweating sickness, one's life and death is determined by this one day. If midnight falls and she has yet to recover, then all hope is lost.

I sent Argenta to inform my mother-in-law about this, but I had forgotten to tell Edmund. Argenta had yet to return, so I said to Lillianna, "Tell the King that Princess Elisabeth is not well."

          She had yet to leave the room when Argenta finally returned, her face grim and full of dread. She glances at me with pity and sympathy, her lips trembling.

              "What is it, Argenta ?" I ask her, and she immediately began to sob.

              "Your Majesty-" she sputtered between sobs. "I have news for you! Terrible news!"

Argenta wilted to the floor, her hands covering her face as she sobbed heartbrokenly.

              "Tell us, Argenta !" Lillianna urged, but Argenta shook her head.

              "I can't! Oh, it's horrible! Horrible!" she wailed through hiccups.

              "I must know, Argenta. What is the matter ?" I ask her calmly despite my erratic heartbeat.

Argenta crawled towards me and laid her tear-ridden face against my skirt, her sobs not yet ceased. "It's the King !" she cried out. "He's taken a concubine !"

               "You can't be serious !" Lillianna interjected, shaking her head in disbelief.

                "I am serious ! He's taken Melissa Hasteburn as his concubine! I overheard the King talking to the Marquis of Hasteburn when I was looking for My Lady the King's Mother!"

                "All while his daughter is sick in bed !" Lillianna said through gritted teeth. She hastily stood up and rushed towards me, grasping my hands tightly. "It is alright, Your Majesty. You still have Argenta and I," she consoled.

I shake my head, feigning calmness eventhough my tears were threatening to spill. "I am fine, Lillianna," I fake a lighthearted laugh. "He is the King. He is simply doing what is expected of him. There is no need to inform him about this, lest we ruin their first night together."

Argenta's sobs grew louder, and she briskly shook her head, saying, "I will throw her out of the window if you want me to, Your Majesty. Just say the word!"

           "There is no need," I chuckle. "I would rather have you with your head intact, sweet Argenta."

I did my best to forget about Edmund taking Melissa Hasteburn as his concubine, and I spend the entire night caring for my darling Elisabeth. In the early hours of the morning, she had begun to cool down, much to my relief.

            "You should go and rest now, Your Majesty," Lillianna says with concern. "Argenta and I will care for her from now on."

I was at the verge of passing out due to fatigue, but I forced myself to stay awake. "No," I declared stubbornly. "I will only sleep when Sir Pattesley says that she has recovered."

Then, there was a loud knock on the nursery door. It opened to reveal my mother-in-law on the other side, her face full of shock and confusion.
             
          "What is going on, Anne ?" she questioned dazedly, but when she saw the buckets of water and bowls of ground up herbs, she eventually pieced two and two together.

                "Why did you not tell me, Anne ?" she urged, rushing to Elisabeth and feeling her temperature.

                 "I sent one of my ladies to inform you, but you were not in your chambers," I say coolly, and her expression immediately transformed to that of guilt.

                 "That," she murmured quietly, afraid to meet my gaze. "Anne, there is something that you must know-"

                 "I already know," I chuckled, turning away from her. I played with Elisabeth's little fingers, which had become red once again.

                 "Have you told Edmund about this ?" she questions in return.

                  "No, I haven't. I wouldn't want to ruin their marital bliss."

                  "It is barely a marriage, Anne. It was more like a business deal!"

I ignored her words. Morning finally came, and Sir Pattesley told me that Elisabeth was free from the sickness, though they still needed to monitor her for a few days or so.

                    "You heard him, Your Majesty," Lillianna says in both joy and relief. "Now, you must get some rest."

                    "She is right," Sir Pattesley added in support. "You have been taking care of the Princess for a whole day, Your Majesty. Get all the sleep that you need."

I eventually went back to my chambers, leaving Elisabeth in the care of my mother-in-law. After taking a warm bath and changing into my nightgown, I was about to hop into bed and reclaim all the sleep that I lost. But then, the door to my sleeping chamber was roughly swung open.

       I did not have to look to know who it was.

My husband was standing in the middle of the room, garbed in festive colours, a golden belt wrapped around his waist.

          "My Lord Husband," I say, letting go of the pillow that I had been fluffing up earlier. "Did you have a pleasant night ?"

Edmund stared blankly at me, utterly speechless. His gaze was stormy and conflicted, and I could not tell how he felt. Was it anger ? Or perhaps it is guilt ?

Either way, I chose to poke the hornet's nest.

            "Oh dear, I must have forgotten," I chuckle. "I should have held a feast to welcome the Lady Hasteburn into the royal family. Look at you, already dressed for the occasion."

And it worked. Edmund rushed towards me, grasping my shoulders tightly, his lip trembling in silence.

             "Why did you not tell me, Anne ?" he began, his tone dripping with remorse. "You have three ladies-in-waiting and twenty maids to do your bidding, yet you could not spare even one of them to tell me that my daughter is lying ill with the sweating sickness ?"

             "I was about to inform you," I say coldly, "but then I learnt that you had just taken a concubine, Lady Melissa Hasteburn. I wouldn't want to disturb you."

His grip on my shoulders softened.  "Anne, if it is about you or our daughter, you must tell me no matter what. I need to know."

His words indicated that he wanted reconciliation, but I was still dissatisfied, and I wanted more blood.

      "I didn't know that. You barely even look at me these past few days, so I assume that I am of no importance to you."
             "Anne, of course you are important to me-" he declared exasperatedly, but I rudely cut him off.
 
             "There must be a reason why you are dressed so extravagantly today. Tell me, is it for a special occasion ?"

He lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists at his side. "It is the feast. I requested my mother to arrange it for today."

              "Oh ?" I say in a cheerful tone, though my heart felt as if it were stabbed and stomped on repeatedly. "I thought that planning for feasts and events was my task."

               "Anne, do you think that I am cruel enough to force you to arrange a feast to-"

               "To welcome my husband's new whore into the family ?" I say through gritted teeth. "Of course I would have planned it beautifully, if only you had let me. But as the feast is already to be held, at the very least I should attend, no ?"

I walked towards the door, where my ladies waited outside. "Rosamund, bring over the new damask gown. There will a grand feast today, so I must dress for the occasion."

                "Mama told me that you were awake the entire night looking after Elisabeth," Edmund said softly. "You must rest today. Forget about the feast."

I shook my head and laughed, as if he had said something incredibly comical. "So that my seat will be emptied for Melissa Hasteburn to sit it ? I think not."
      I brushed past him and walked towards the armoire, pulling open the chest of drawers. "I think I will be wearing violet today," I say while picking up a sheer veil.

         "You should wear emerald instead of gold, dear husband," I gestured to his black and gold ensemble. "Emerald is the colour of the Hasteburn family. It would be a kind gesture, to show your affiliation to them."

         "Anne, I didn't take her as my concubine because I wanted to, it's because I had to," he retorts grimly.

          "But the outcome is the same, is it not ? You are now married to Lady Melissa Hasteburn," I interject while rummaging through the drawers.

        "Come see, isn't this emerald brooch lovely ? You should wear it to the feast."

I took it out of the drawer and held it out to Edmund, wanting to add more oil to the already rampant flames. As I turned to glance at him however, black and blue spots filled my view, and the brooch slipped from my fingers, falling onto the carpeted floors with a soft thud.

       My head was spinning wildly and my vision became weirdly distorted. I tried to shake it off and then bent down to pick up the brooch, and my vision darkened once more.

I could feel Edmund's hands around me as he captured me before I tumbled down, and as I rested my head against his chest, I could hear his loud, rapid heartbeat.

                 "Anne, did you touch Elisabeth when you were taking care of her ?" Edmund questioned urgently.

                 "I-I did," I answer weakly, unable to understand why he was panicking. But then, I felt something warm flowing freely from my nostrils, trickling all the way down to my chin.

In my dazed state, I did not notice the mortification on my husband's face, and I simply reached out for a rag to blot my face with. But as I did, I saw my reflection in the mirror.

          There I was, my skin pale like a corpse, my face and nightgown stained with thick red blood, and I looked as if someone had roughly punched me in the face.

                  "Husband, is it the-"
I was too afraid to say it, to utter the name of that sickness.

                   "Hush, Anne," he soothes. "You will be fine, I promise."

A/N: Hi! Do vote on this chapter if you liked it! It means a lot to me ❤︎ Also, I have an announcement to make. The Usurper's Queen, the first book in this series has won First Place in The Seasonal Awards in the Historical Fiction category! As a special treat, here's a sneak peek for the cover of Cecily's story!

Let me know what you think of it! Have a great day! ❤︎