Chapter 10: Quarrel

“What did you just say?” Asteria stood up in shock when the news of the fate of her loyal servant reached her.

“His Majesty ordered to imprison your servant with no water and food for four days, Your Majesty,” a knight told her while kneeling.

Asteria did not waste any time and immediately took her robe and wore it. She needed to see the condition of Leilana.

****

The underground prison was dark and quiet.

The floor was partially wet from the ground above it.

Asteria thought it was no place for someone like Leilana.

She walked through the dark and quiet hallway of the underground prison with a knight leading the way for her.

“We are here, Your Majesty,” the knight told her when they reached a small prison cell.

“Leilana,” Asteria called out her servant’s name.

“Y — your Majesty?” a voice emerged inside the cell.

When Asteria’s eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw Leilana lying on the ground.

“Yes. It’s me.”

The servant looked up and cried upon seeing her.

“My Queen, I didn’t do anything to Her Grace. I just said they could not touch your belongings without your permission,” her servant cried out.

Asteria held Leilana’s hands. “I understand. I’d do anything to get you out of here.” Her grip on her servant’s hand tightened.

****

“Her Majesty, The Queen, is here,” the messenger exclaimed upon arriving in front of the King’s chamber.

Asteria came to give him a piece of her mind.

She stood in front of Alaric’s chamber when suddenly she heard him answer.

“What is she doing here? I cannot possibly talk to her right now. Tell her to leave.”

“Apologies, Your Majesty. You cannot talk to His Majesty right now.” The messenger told her while she was impatiently standing there.

Asteria clenched her fist tightly and then forced the enormous door in front of her. The surrounding people and the king inside were shocked by her action.

She saw Alaric inside with his concubine, Jestina.

“What is your problem, Queen?” The king asked her; his eyes were dilated.

She turned her sight on the concubine standing beside the king.

“Out,” Asteria told Jestina with a resounding voice.

Jestina gazed at the king with seemingly sad eyes.

The king, displeased with Asteria’s action, retorted, “No. She will stay here with me.”

Asteria smiled sarcastically. “All right,” she said as she clenched her fist again. “What did you do to my servant?”

“I punished her for disrespecting Jestina!” 

“So, I must punish your concubine for wanting to touch my belongings without my permission!” Asteria said calmly, despite the anger building up inside her.

Alaric was quite taken aback at hearing her bold remark. “N — no, you cannot do that,” he answered.

“Yes! I can. I am the queen!” Asteria answered authoritatively. That was the first time she called herself by that title.

Alaric smirked at her as he retorted, “Yes, you are the queen. That — I understand. But I am still your king, and your power is directly under me.”

Asteria’s face became fiery.

Her chest pounded so hard as she clenched her fist so tight she could feel her nails embedding in her flesh. “Your concubine isn’t the king nor anything higher than me. I can punish her if I want to.”

“You are truly an arrogant woman! Why are you going crazy for a mere servant?” The King yelled, his voice reaching even the outside of his chamber.

“She is not a mere servant! She is also a friend!” 

“Really? Then you can die with her in prison,” the king told her, sending shivers down her spine. 

Asteria couldn’t say anything at that moment. 

“You can die with her.” 

She could not believe the king could tell such a thing so casually.

Asteria let out a smirk and answered, “Very well, then.”

***

Two days had passed since the King ordered the imprisonment of Leilana.

Asteria was lying down on her bed.

She had not eaten or drank anything for the past two days.

It was her way of empathizing with Leilana since she could do nothing.

The attendants were all standing at the side of her bed, persuading her to at least drink water. “Your Majesty, you’d become sick with your actions.”

Asteria answered nothing.

Her heart was in pain whenever she thought of Leilana crying underground. 

“Your Majesty, the second commander of the knights, wishes to have an audience with you,” her messenger informed her.

“Second in Command? It’s Keane!” she said to herself.

“Tell him to wait for me at the waterfall garden,” she answered weakly. 

***

It was a dark afternoon.

The loud streaming of water from the fall could be heard.

Asteria walked towards the waterfall yard where Keane was waiting for her.

As soon as she reached the garden, she saw him standing there holding a basket, wearing a knight’s uniform.

He was as stunning as ever.

“Keane…” Asteria called for him. “What is it you’re holding?” she asked while slowly walking towards him. 

He turned his sight on her as soon as he heard her voice. “This is food,” he said, smiling. “I heard you didn’t eat any food or drink water. That is why I brought some.”

Asteria’s face became gloomy. “I cannot eat knowing that Leilana can’t,” she told him with apparent sadness.

Keane flicked her forehead. “Do not worry. I ordered the knights to give her food discreetly,” he smiled again. “So, do your share and eat this food.”

Her face suddenly lightened up. “Really? You did that?”

“Of course! That’s a simple task, and I knew she’s your attendant,” he reassured her.

“Oh goodness, gracious! Thank you so much, Keane!” Asteria unconsciously hugged the man in front of her out of happiness. She felt relief upon hearing his words.

Keane laughed. “Show your gratitude by eating this,” he said as he handed her the basket he was holding.

Asteria immediately took out the bread and ate it.

“I think you could be a perfect King,” she said while chewing the bread she was holding.

“Really? Do you think so? Or you just said that because I gave you food?” Keane asked her while laughing. 

“Yes! I am serious. A talented and good-looking man like you could be a King,” she said.

In complete honesty, she thought Keane could be an ideal King. It was a shame that he didn’t hold any royal title.

Asteria then remembered something she wanted to ask him.

“Why didn’t you have a title? You should be a Prince, right?”

Keane smiled at her as he explained, “Only the sons of the Kings can be called Prince. My father is a prince because he is a son of a former King. But he wasn’t the crown prince, so that he couldn’t be the King. Therefore, I am not eligible to be called a Prince.”

“That’s too bad because you are competent, and I think titles such as King or Prince suit you,” she answered with apparent regret.

“It’s alright because I never wanted to be the King,” Keane answered while handing her a bottle of water.

Asteria’s face wrinkled. “Yeah, too bad,” she mumbled.

Keane suddenly looked straight into her eyes.

Asteria raised her eyebrows, implying curiosity as to why the man did that.

But she unconsciously stared back at his eyes — his ice-blue eyes.

It was the same color as Alaric.

She remembered the way Alaric looked at her that night, two years ago.

“Did I tell you before that I thought you could be a perfect Queen?” Keane suddenly mouthed a question, still looking straight into her eyes.

Asteria’s imagination of what happened two years before halted upon hearing the voice of the man in front of her. “Yes, you did in the royal ball.”

“Do you know why?”

“No, Will you tell me?”

“When I heard you were speaking about your passions and dreams of equality, I thought you could be a perfect Queen,” he said, then looked away. “I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t King, nor I have any ambitions of that sort.”

Keane then glanced at her again; his ice-blue eyes were glimmering.

“But now that you are the Queen, this is the only time I wished I am the King.” 

Asteria was stunned by his words.

She felt like listening to a lovely poem. She didn’t know why, but she could not answer his words.

Keane flicked her forehead again as if waking her up from her dreams. “Don’t think further about it. I am just jealous that our Phoenix has become Her Majesty.”

“Oh really? I thought you were confessing your affection towards me,” she answered, teasing him.

The man in front of her seemed taken aback by her teasing but quickly fixed his countenance. “Why would I fall in love with a violent, unladylike, and arrogant woman?” He said while uncontrollably laughing.

“You adapted the insults of the nobles for me!” she said with annoyance, but Keane just laughed at her.

****

Behind the trees was the King, listening to their conversation. His face was dark as he was clutching his fists.