Cowardice

Agatha sneezed out of nowhere. Maybe it was the rain from yesterday. She put away the book in her hands and looked up at the cloudy sky. It seems like it will rain again.

"Your Highness, we should go back inside," Stanley commented, seeing the depressed weather.

Agatha nodded, her eyes glancing up at the sky. It seemed the storm will come. She got up, walking back to her room. By the time, she reached her room, it was pouring cats and dogs. Agatha sighed, and sat down on her bed, leaning her back on the wall, as she continued to read her book.

Luna saw Agatha emerge in her book, as she lit the candles up in her room. With a smile on her face, Luna sat down on the floor beside the bed.

"Your Highness," Luna called out with a quivered voice.

"Hm?" Agatha didn't glance up from her book, as she lend an ear to hear Luna.

"I did what you asked. He agreed." Luna shared the news with her.

Agatha shifted her gaze towards Luna, with a smile, "That's good news."

"It's all thanks to you. No matter how many times I thank you, it would never be enough. I will be forever grateful to you." Luna quotes, bowing down before, "Even my life belongs to you." Luna declared with a voice filled with gratitude.

Agatha scoffed hearing her speech. Her life? What will she do with her life? Funny how she was the one who serves her poison later in life. No matter how many loyalty oaths she takes, once power and money get involved loyalty gets sold.

"What if I tell you to kill the king? Would you do it?" Agatha questioned, raising her brow. Her eyes twinkled in fun as Luna fumbled in bewilderment. Luna looked at her eyes, unsure of what to say. Assassinate the king? That's treason!

"Your…h-highness… that's…" Luna tried to answer.

"Treason?" Agatha snarled, finishing it for her. "Don't give me words of loyalty when you can't be. Leave." Agatha spoke.

"Please forgive me, your highness." Luna tried to plead for forgiveness.

"I said Leave!" Agatha yelled, not in the mood to hear any of the pleadings.

Luna whimpered as she got up from the floor in hesitation, and stepped towards the door to leave. Luna gave one desperate look at Agatha while she opened the door.

Luna's gaze fell on the man standing before her. In an instant, she plopped to the ground in fear.

"Y-your m-majesty…" Luna stammered, and her face turned ghostly pale.

Agatha heard the commotion, and glanced up to see Xavier entering the room with Reginald behind him. She looked at Luna who was on the ground, pleading.

"Didn't I ask you to leave?" Agatha yelled, getting off the bed and going up to her, completely ignoring Xavier's presence in the process.

Luna looked at her, then at him. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Xavier held onto Agatha's arms before she reached Luna.

Xavier calmly ordered, "Reginald, take her away."

Reginald was fast to react, dragging Luna out of there and closing the door, leaving Xavier and Agatha alone. Agatha withdrew her arm, glaring at him and went back to her bed and pulled up her half-read book.

Xavier sighed, sitting down beside her, "Aren't you going to explain?"

"There is nothing to explain. I asked her something, and she refused to do it." Agatha answered with a stern voice.

Xavier had already heard everything between Agatha and the maid. The fact that she wanted to kill was not something to care about. He already knew how much bitterness she had for him. What made him curious was her lashing out at a maid when she reacted the way she should. He knows that she wouldn't get angry about that. There must be something she was hiding.

"You got angry at a maid for refusing to do treason? You want me to believe that?" Xavier scoffed, pinching her cheeks.

Agatha glared at him, slapping his hand from his cheeks. "Don't touch me." Agatha gritted her teeth, pouting her lips.

"Is that why you are asking a maid to kill me?" Xavier inquired.

Agatha went quiet, clenching her jaws tightly. She put the book away, "Asking it again wouldn't change the answer." Agatha scoffed.

Xavier burst out into laughter, causing her to be perplexed whether he lost his brain. He patted her head, "Agatha, try to be honest with your heart sometimes, it will answer all your questions. You never want me to die to begin with. You can lie to yourself that you are not killing me for Adrian." Xavier stated.

Agatha remained silent, her gaze lowered. Taking the chance, Xavier grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. "Truth is, you are just as big of a coward as me. Adrien was not the bridge holding us, it was us and our cowardice." Xavier spoke, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Agatha stared straight into black eyes, brimming with tears, "Let's say you are right, then does it change anything? Even if you didn't kill me, the pain I suffered was valid. I almost died while I gave birth there, and I asked one thing from you in our whole marriage that you hold my hand as I go through it. But what did you do? Turned your back against me and left. Didn't you discard me once you learnt I am barren? Forget this. Let me ask you, have you ever tried to talk to me? The only time we met alone was at night when you wanted me to warm your bed. Even the mistress gets treated better than that." Agatha smiled bitterly, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Now she wonders why her heart never believed that he had another woman to warm his bed. Or the rumours of his might be true. Was she self-absorbed in her misery to think her husband might be cheating? It just didn't sit right with her, that she never thought of him having an affair.