Chapter 31: Alicent, Rose, and Grea

Angelique's POV

I woke up earlier than usual, leaving Damien still asleep in our bed. After last night's events, I had to get away from him. I cannot stand breathing in the same room as him. I could imagine the horrible things he could possibly do to our own children. I can't do anything about it now, unfortunately. All I can do is endure it until the time comes when I get to strike him down.

I sat in the garden, waiting for a specific person. As expected, Queen Grea would see me immediately in fear of the prince.

"Angelique," she greeted, taking the seat across from me. "Why did you ask for me this early in the morning?" The look of concern spread on her face.

"Queen Grea," I greeted, pouring her a cup of tea. "I appreciate your coming here at such short notice."

"Of course," she nods, "I am at your mercy, after all. I can't actually decline your offer without facing any consequences."

I smiled at her. Her life hangs by a thread that I am weaving. "I wanted to share something with you, Grea," I said, "I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the relationship we have. You have been a very reliable informant."

"And now you want more," she completed my sentence. She sipped on her tea, saying, "So, tell me what you want."

"I want you to tell me how it is you manipulate the king," I said, "Damien is surely like his father. I want your knowledge. You're nothing but a lady in waiting before you became queen. How did you get so much power over his royal highness?"

"We have to go to the very beginning," she sighed.

Many years ago, at a ball in Castle Strong, there were three noble ladies—Alicent Strong, Rose Wood, and Grea Ritz. The three girls were the best of friends and have been since they were born. They were born on the same day after all, and the ball was the celebration of their fifteenth birthday. One of the people who attended this grand ball was Prince Richard of House Cross and his best friend, Sir Silver Cold. They were two of the most eligible bachelors in the country.

I fell in love the minute I laid my eyes on him. He too fell for my beauty. We danced, we kissed, and we exchanged words that only lovers would say. It was love at first sight. We courted for three years, and on our third anniversary, I surrendered my virtue to him. We made love under the moonlit sky in the woods. Our indiscretion later made us parents. Well, we should've been.

When my courses stopped, only one thing was for certain—I was with child. I thought of the consequences over and over again. If people found out, my house and family would be shamed and I would be sent to a convent. I decided to get rid of the baby in order to save us from the inevitable fate we had, but Richard found out and stopped me. Without hesitation, he knelt down and proposed my hand in marriage. He claimed that being apart from me would be a sentence like death. So, I accepted.

Days passed and he asked his parents for their blessing. Unfortunately, they refused. He failed to mention the important thing that could've changed their minds—my pregnancy. We had an intense fight that night and the stress cost me our child.

Insult to injury, his parents announced his engagement to none other than my best friend, Alicent Strong. That engagement broke my heart into a million fragments. Alicent didn't know anything about our relationship, so there was nothing I could do. Richard married Alicent dutifully. Rose and I became her ladies in waiting.

Richard swore that he would only love me forever. For a year, Richard and I saw each other without the knowledge of Alicent. We were happy, but it was never enough. None of it was enough.

When Alicent gave birth to Damien, my relationship with Richard fell apart. He left me for her claiming that he didn't intend to fall for her. He fell in love. It was different. I saw it in his eyes. I became nothing but a past to him. Something he used and finished.

I was filled with hatred and rage. I did everything I could to win his affection. Luckily for me, Alicent wasn't lucky with bearing children. She failed multiple times to give him spares. Richard soon came back to me and we continued our romance as though nothing had happened. Again, it wasn't enough. I had to have the crown. I would never settle for being the King's mistress.

When things were falling into place, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I poisoned Alicent day by day while she carried the King's next child. It was a solid plan of mine. When their young son was introduced to his future wife and failed to sign the agreement, I put my plan into action. I sent my men to kill ALicent and her unborn child, framing the Whites.

Soon after, Richard was free to make me his queen and he did. I married him, promising to give him heirs. I sent Damien to live in the estate where Rose became a Maidservant. Because of me, she was unable to marry whom she wanted.

"That's the end of the story," Grea says, "Now as for manipulating the king, it's easy. He loves me."

I nodded, taking in every bit of information. The story of Alicent and Rose was tragic. I then wondered what would happen to Hera and I. She's in love with Jonah. Should my father succeed and puts Jonah instead of Conner by my side, will Hera follow in Grea's footsteps and kill me? For the first time, I felt the threat to our friendship. I didn't want to end up like Rose, Alicent, and Grea. Even just the thought of it breaks my heart.

"If Damien loves you, it will be easy for you to keep him in the palm of your hand," she says, "Love is the ultimate weapon. I assume you already know that." She then shifted her gaze from me to another person. "Damien," she greets, putting her cup down. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

Great. Just great. Damien might blow the entire thing up. We haven't spoken yet. This is leading to a great big disaster. What the hell will I do?

"Right back at you, stepmother," he replied with a sinister smile sprawled across his face.