Chapter 4: The Queen’s Hidden Truth
The palace hallway had never felt so long.
Every step I took echoed against the polished marble floor.
The guards walked ahead of me, silent and expressionless.
Behind me, the stable doors had closed.
Behind those doors was Shadow.
The only creature in the kingdom who seemed to know exactly who I could trust.
And he had tried to stop me from coming here.
That thought stayed with me.
Animals did not understand titles.
They did not care if someone wore a crown or carried a sword.
They only understood what people revealed when they thought no one was watching.
The guard finally stopped before a large wooden door decorated with golden flowers.
“The queen is waiting.””
He opened the door.
I stepped inside.
The room was nothing like the king’s throne hall.
There were no crowds.
No nobles.
No servants whispering behind their hands.
Only a woman sitting beside a fireplace, staring into the flames.
Queen Elara.
I had seen her from a distance during royal ceremonies.
But never this close.
She looked different from the portraits hanging around the palace.
Not like a powerful queen.
Like a tired mother.
A woman who had spent years carrying a secret too heavy for one person.
“Come closer,” she said softly.
I obeyed.
But I remained cautious.
The queen noticed.
A small, sad smile appeared on her face.
“You are afraid of me.””
“I do not know you, Your Majesty.””
“Good.””
Her answer surprised me.
“Never trust someone simply because they wear a crown.””
I studied her carefully.
Those were not the words I expected from a queen.
She looked toward the door.
“Is Prince Adrian with you?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“He told me not to come.””
The queen closed her eyes briefly.
“Of course he did.””
“You expected that?””
“Yes.””
She turned back to me.
“Adrian has spent five years trying to protect everyone except himself.””
There was pain in her voice.
I remained silent.
The queen gestured toward a chair.
“Sit.””
I sat.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she said:
“Your father’s name was Thomas.””
My entire body stiffened.
“How do you know?””
The queen looked down.
“Because I knew him.””
The room seemed to become colder.
“You knew my father?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
She stared into the fire.
“Before I became queen, I was only a noblewoman traveling through the countryside.””
Her fingers tightened around a small ring.
“I became sick during a journey. Your father saved my life.””
I remembered my father telling stories about helping strangers.
He never mentioned royalty.
“He never told me.””
“He would not.””
The queen smiled faintly.
“Your father was the kind of man who helped people because they needed help, not because he wanted a reward.””
I swallowed.
“Then why did he die?””
The queen’s expression changed.
The sadness disappeared.
Fear replaced it.
“Because he found something he was never supposed to see.””
“What?””
She stood and walked toward a locked wooden cabinet.
From inside, she removed a small box.
My heart started beating faster.
She placed it on the table.
“Open it.””
I hesitated.
Then I lifted the lid.
Inside was a piece of black fabric.
A torn piece of a royal uniform.
And stitched into it…
Was the same silver wolf emblem.
My breath caught.
“The royal guard.””
The queen nodded.
“Not just any guard.””
She looked at me.
“The king’s private guard.””
I frowned.
“Then why would my father have their emblem?””
“Because he found one of their members injured near your village.””
I stared at her.
“Who?””
The queen looked toward the window.
“Your father never told you?””
“No.””
“He protected you.””
The answer made my chest tighten.
“Protected me from what?””
The queen hesitated.
Then whispered:
“From the truth.””
A cold silence filled the room.
“Five years ago, Prince Elias discovered that members of the royal guard were secretly taking orders from someone inside the palace.””
“Lord Marcus.””
The queen did not answer.
She did not need to.
“The prince tried to expose them,” she continued.
“What happened?””
“He disappeared.””
“And everyone believed he died.””
“Yes.””
“But you didn’t.””
The queen’s eyes filled with sadness.
“No mother believes her child is dead when she has no body to bury.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
She walked back to the table.
“Your father found evidence after Elias disappeared.””
“The emblem.””
“Yes.””
“He came to me.””
I looked at her.
“He trusted you?””
“He knew I loved Elias like my own heart.””
The queen touched the broken uniform.
“He wanted me to know the truth.””
“Then why didn’t you tell anyone?””
Her face changed.
A painful answer.
“Because I tried.””
I said nothing.
“I went to the king.””
The fire cracked.
“He listened.””
She laughed quietly.
“But he did not believe me.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“The king refused to believe his own wife?””
The queen looked away.
“No.””
Her voice became barely audible.
“He believed me.””
A chill moved through me.
“Then why did he do nothing?””
The queen’s eyes met mine.
“Because he already knew.””
The words landed like a stone.
My hands went cold.
“The king knew what happened to Prince Elias?””
“He knew something.””
“And he hid it?””
“I do not know everything.””
The queen’s honesty surprised me.
“But I know this. The night Elias vanished, my husband changed.””
“How?””
“He stopped asking questions.””
I remembered the king’s face when Shadow reacted to Lord Marcus.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Fear.
The queen sat again.
“That is why I called you here.””
“Because of the emblem?””
“Because of Shadow.””
I looked up.
“The horse?””
She nodded.
“Elias trusted very few people.””
“People?””
“No.””
A faint smile crossed her face.
“Creatures.””
She reached for my hand.
“When Elias disappeared, Shadow returned carrying something.””
“What?””
“A message.””
My heart stopped.
“A message from Prince Elias?””
“Yes.””
“Where is it?””
The queen looked toward the locked cabinet.
“I hid it.””
“Why?””
“Because the person Elias warned me about was still in the palace.””
I leaned forward.
“Who?””
The queen’s face became pale.
Before she could answer, the door suddenly opened.
A servant rushed inside.
“Your Majesty!””
The queen stood.
“What happened?””
The servant looked at me.
Then at the queen.
“The king knows the girl is here.””
The queen froze.
“How?””
The servant swallowed.
“Lord Marcus told him.””
My stomach dropped.
The queen immediately moved toward me.
“You need to leave.””
“What?””
“Now.””
A loud voice echoed from the hallway.
“Where is she?””
The king.
He was coming.
The queen grabbed my arm.
“There is a hidden passage behind the fireplace.””
I stared at her.
“You knew this would happen.””
She looked at me sadly.
“I feared it would.””
The footsteps grew louder.
The queen pressed a small key into my hand.
“Take this.””
“What does it open?””
“The place where the final piece of the truth is hidden.””
The door handle moved.
The king was outside.
The queen looked directly into my eyes.
“Listen carefully.””
I waited.
“Do not let the king take Shadow.””
The door began to open.
“Why?””
The queen whispered:
“Because Shadow is not the only survivor from that night.””
The door swung open.
The king stood there.
Behind him was Lord Marcus.
And when Marcus saw the key in my hand…
His calm expression finally broke.
For the first time, I saw fear on his face.
The king looked between us.
“What is happening here?””
Nobody answered.
Then Shadow’s cry echoed through the palace courtyard.
A sound so loud that everyone turned.
The black stallion had broken free from his stable.
And he was running straight toward the palace.
Toward me.
May you like
Toward the queen.
Toward the secret everyone had spent five years trying to bury.
