The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 33: La Nuit or Le Roi est Mort

The night of King Edward's death...

Fresh blood stained the entire room. The red velvet carpet turned dark red, the floor was flooded with blood and cries. The air was filled with sorrow and vengeance, as well as the roar of a woman's heartbreak. A Queen loses her King.

Heavy rain, strong winds and rumbling thunder in the middle of the night rang out from outside the royal palace of Schiereiland, muffling the sound of screams and cries roaring the Queen as she saw her husband lying helplessly on the floor. The gold-encrusted crown and the gemstone he always wore proudly lay just about anywhere on the floor not far from him. The world collapsed before him. The sounds of footsteps could be heard faintly in his ears. The tears in her eyes blurred the view.

The Queen knew then that she had to be tough and prepared for the worst possible outcome. A Queen is not allowed to mope and grieve for too long. The cry had to be stopped immediately because their enemy was still somewhere inside the Palace. Sooner or later, they'll find him and probably kill him too. So lost was his hope to defend their kingdom. The fate of millions of his kingdom lies in the strength of his heart. If she was strong enough to leave her husband's body, gather the remaining soldiers around the Palace, devise a strategy of vengeance, her people as well as her kingdom might be able to save her. But the Queen could not think clearly. His heart was broken, his mind was in turmoil, he was overwhelmed by fear and sadness.

Queen Isabella knew that this was a sudden assault from Nordhalbinsel. Whereas that day they had just been partying happily celebrating the birthday of his eldest daughter, Princess Anastasia who had just turned adult, twenty years old. The Queen immediately remembered the face full of happy smiles of Princess Anastasia at that time. He could not imagine how scared and broken the Princess would be if he saw all of this. The Queen hurriedly moved from the place to summon Leon and the Schiereiland army to secure the place. The Queen gathered all her courage to leave the place to protect her children and her kingdom. Although it felt like his heart was very difficult to accept that fact, his legs were difficult to move, his voice seemed unwilling to come out. But he managed to get up and called for a call to Schiereiland's troops.

Just then, the Queen caught the movement of someone from the window. He immediately went to that window to see who was there. The queen opened the window leading to the balcony of the room. Suddenly someone held him back and covered his mouth from behind.

"Bella, I'm sorry... I promise I'll come back and fix everything." Whisper the man.

The Queen was trembling. Not because he was afraid, but because he knew the voice of the man. It was the voice of King Edward, her husband whom she had clearly just seen the body.

"B-Baginda—“

But before Queen Isabella finished her words, the man had already jumped off the balcony and disappeared behind the trees. The Queen could only see the man's back. She could not have mistaken the voice and back of her husband who had lived with her for more than twenty years. Only her husband called her 'Bella'. Queen Isabella was convinced it was King Edward. But he also believed that the man lying dead in the room was also King Edward.

Amidst all the confusion, the Queen immediately prepared to go out of the room.

Not yet had time to leave the place, in an instant the Queen was surrounded by the Nordhalbinsel army complete with their armor. All fully armed. Nordhalbinsel's forces filled the room circling the Queen and drew their swords in unison toward the Queen.

The Queen is unarmed. Nor do they have the strength to fight them all. He was surrounded and no one could help him. I think, by then, it was all over. Even against this, the man she loved is gone. There was no reason for her to stay afloat other than her obligations as a Queen. But without her King, without her kingdom, she was just an ordinary woman, not a Queen. So he sat weakly without a fight.

One of them walked forward before the Queen. The soldier in armor opened a red scroll containing the King's edict and read it.

"In the Name of the North Sun, King Vlad of Nordhalbinsel will take over Schiereiland."

"How dare you attack us!" Queen Isabella wrathful.

But the Nordhalbinsel soldiers had already restrained him and tied his hands before the Queen could fight back. If only the Queen was holding her bow with him, perhaps all the soldiers would have been defeated.

"You will all suffer the consequences soon! This is a declaration of war from you and we will respond to it!" Queen Isabella stared intently at their leader, the one who had read the word of the King.

"General Orthion." Someone with other armor had just entered the room accompanied by his troops who were not outnumbered. The Queen could not see his face, but could see that the newly arrived person had a pair of Emerald-colored eyes. "Let me take the Queen."

"Your Majesty, what are you doing here?" That person, General Orthion looked surprised at the arrival of the man who had just arrived. He bowed respectfully.

"Take off Queen Isabella's bond! What did you do to the Queen of another Kingdom?" Said the man. From his tone he sounded like he was holding back his anger.

"Schiereiland now belongs to Nordhalbinsel. This woman is no longer a Queen."

"You didn't hear me? Untie the!" he said, half growling.

"Well, Your Majesty" said the other soldier and hurriedly untied Queen Isabella's hand.

The man, the Emerald-eyed man walked slowly towards the Queen, bowed then said "Sir Queen, I know this is very sudden and you must be very sad. I am also saddened by the passing of King Edward. But I beg you to come with me to Nordhalbinsel Palace. The entire army of Schiereiland was defeated. This palace will also soon burn out and you will not be safe if you continue to be here. I will take care of a proper funeral for the late King. Meanwhile, your son, Crown Prince Alexis has been willing to come with us. As much as possible I will guarantee your trip and Crown Prince Alexis is safe and comfortable."

"Who are you?" Queen Isabella asked, still with a cold stern tone.

"I'm sorry, Your Queen. For the time being I have not been able to introduce myself, but I have a high enough standing in Nordhalbinsel that Her Majesty will be safe to come with Me. I will protect Her Majesty the Queen and Crown Prince Alexis. Please trust your safety to Me."

The queen did not respond to him. He judged the young man. He could not be older than his adopted son, Leon. His eyes were full of sincerity and his words did sound trustworthy.

"All right." Queen Isabella finally agreed. "But do you know where my daughter and her bodyguards are?"

"We have searched the entire Palace and have found neither Princess Anastasia nor General Leon. But I promise to find her soon and bring her to you, Her Majesty."

After that Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis were taken to Nordhalbinsel Palace using a horse carriage usually used by members of the royal family. The man who took them there did not take part in the chariot, but his entire army took good care of the Queen and Crown Prince Alexis. Sometimes they would stop for a short break in a castle which was also a building belonging to members of the Nordhalbinsel royal family as well as in a luxurious inn.

Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis were treated like guests of honor. They were then placed in the Queen's Palace which had not been worn since twenty-three years ago. Queen Isabella asked the servants who served in the Queen's Palace why such a large Palace was not used.

"Mendiang Queen Irene died while giving birth to Her Royal Highness Crown Prince Xavier. Since then, His Majesty has not appointed a new Queen and the Queen's position has been left vacant so that no one occupies the Queen's Palace." Obviously the waiter.

The daily life of Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis in the Queen's Palace is not much different from their daily life at their Palace in Schiereiland. They were given friendly servants and loyal guards to guard and protect them. Luxury clothes and accessories to wear every day. Abundant good food, tea time in the magic-made garden inside the Palace and sweet snacks when they need.

The difference was only the Nordhalbinsel climate was extremely cold and they were not allowed to leave the Palace at all. The palace is guarded by magic so that no one can harm Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis.

A young girl with blond hair and very beautiful icy blue eyes used a certain magic that made the people inside the Queen's Palace unable to get out and the people outside the Palace The Queen cannot enter without her permission. Queen Isabella never got to know the beautiful young girl and only watched her from the window of her room when several times the girl went to the Queen's Palace to cast her magic, but from the servants she learns that her name is Eleanor Winterthur. After extracting information from the servants assigned to the Queen's Palace, Queen Isabella finally learns that Eleanor Winterthur is the fiancee of Crown Prince Xavier, the first son of King Vlad.

"She's very pretty. From the movements I noticed, his manners were also very good. And it turns out she's a witch?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Princess Eleanor is one of the greatest witches in the Kingdom." replied The Servant.

"But she will be a good Queen to her people. The queen who can protect her people and her kingdom with her own power." Queen Isabella sounded sad because she could not be such a Queen for her people.

She remembered the time before she became Queen. He was appointed by King Eustacius to be Prince Edward's fiancee. At that time Crown Prince Schiereiland was not Edward, but his brother, Crown Prince Philip. But thanks to the war won by Edward and the death of Crown Prince Philip in the war, the title of Crown Prince was turned to Edward. From then on various lessons to become Crown Princess, which were originally learned by the Wife of Crown Prince Philip, had to be learned by Isabella quickly. She did not have much time because soon after the coronation of Crown Prince Edward, they would soon marry and Isabella would automatically obtain the title of Crown Princess and stay in the Palace. The Queen reminisced about those times when becoming Crown Princess was not easy and even after ascending the throne as Queen, many more things were not easy for her.

Recalling those memories, Queen Isabella recalled the figure of the Crown Princess Nordhalbinsel who from the outside looked impeccably perfect. Just like how the nobles used to think of him as a perfect figure. But more than anyone else, Queen Isabella knows just how many things a girl who bears the title of Crown Princess must sacrifice. Freedom, ideals, dreams, desires, youth that should be filled with a variety of fun new experiences, association with fellow noble girls, and, until his first love all of that he must let go to become the figure of the perfect Crown Princess.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I know someone who is also a Winterthur. My old foster brother was the highest general in Schiereiland. He had such amazing sword skills that he, who was an orphan, was adopted as a child by my father, Grand Duke Smirnoff. At that time we all did not know that she was the Princess of Grand Duke Winterthur who was exiled to Schiereiland. He is General Irene Smirnoff. But here people know her as Queen Irene."

"I did hear a story about the late Queen Irene who had been a General in Schiereiland. But I didn't know that the story was true. What was Queen Irene like, Sire?"

Queen Isabella smiled in memory of her foster sister. "Before I tell you, can you pour me another cup of tea?"

"Oh, my God, forgive me for not realizing your teacup has started to empty, Your Majesty." The servant hurriedly poured tea into the Queen's cup.

"It's okay. You too, drink the tea. It's very tasty. If you refuse, I'll pour it directly for you."

"Let me pour it myself, Sire." The servant said, giving up because the Queen insisted on having tea together.

After the servant poured tea into her own glass, Queen Isabella just started telling stories.

"Irene and Irene were only one year different. But Irene who was only twelve years old was already very mature for a girl her age. What we do know is that Irene was a child living in a special house of abandoned children that was taken care of by the Royal family. In Schiereiland there is such a place, where abandoned children will be cared for and cared for until they are old enough. Of course their living expenses were all borne by the Kingdom. Once they are old enough, they will be taught various kinds of knowledge and skills. Gifted children will be employed in the palace.

At that time, twelve-year-old Irene showed an incredible sword talent. It caught my father's attention, Grand Duke Smirnoff. Our family is the spearhead of the kingdom. Almost all of the knights working in the Palace were people from the Smirnoff family. The Palace, who knew Irene's talent, recruited her to become the youngest squad leader. Since then I have met him very rarely. But I remember she had pure white skin like freshly falling snow, dark hair as dark as night and Emerald-colored eyes. She has such an amazing beauty that all men fall in love with her and all women envy her.

Ever since she was recruited by the Palace, I never saw her again and only heard from my half-brother, Kris, who was then working as Prince Edward's personal bodyguard.

Ah, I haven't told you that my real mother died of a deadly disease. The new Grand Duchess Smirnoff, formerly a widowed Marchioness who had a son from a previous marriage. That boy is my half-brother, Kris. Although we have no blood relation, but Kris was very kind to me. The new Grand Duchess also really loves me and treats me like her real daughter.

Kris told me that Irene was appointed General when she was only seventeen and led the war against the Orient. Every time he got a day off and came home from the Palace, Kris always told me about Irene. She always praised how amazing Irene was to the point that sometimes I felt jealous. But by then I knew that my stepbrother was in love with Irene. Although what I heard, Edward at that time also paid attention to Irene. Edward visited Smirnoff's residence several times and asked my father to allow him to make Irene his future partner. Of course my father refused and I ended up being Edward's fiancee at the behest of King Eustacius.

The love triangle story did not go well. Irene, the Princess of Grand Duke Winterthur, was driven out by King Eustacius to Nordhalbinsel and eventually married King Vlad. My half-brother, Kris died in the war even though we won. And Edward who led the war lost his brother who was also killed, thus making him ascend the throne as Crown Prince. In the end, Edward, who only loved Irene, married me for political gain."

After saying that, the Queen looked sad. Sad to remember the past. Saddened to remember her half-sister who had died in the war and her husband who had recently been killed. There were too many deaths approaching those nearby. Even her foster sister, now known as Queen Nordhalbinsel, died before she could see her again.

"Is a political marriage such a bad thing, Your Majesty?" the maid asked, breaking the silence as the Queen looked very sad.

"What?"

"Ah, sorry if my question is impolite. I was just wondering if the political marriages that the nobles used to do were a good thing or not."

Queen Isabella smiled gently at the maid, "It depends on how you feel. Whether you let it go or not. It would be a good thing if both parties ended up falling in love after marriage. Although most, both to the end, were only trying to pretend to care for each other but could never truly love having someone else in their heart."

"Does Her Majesty the Queen love King Edward? Is Her Majesty the Queen sorry in the end?"

"No. I don't regret anything. And even now I still love her even though I never know how she really feels about me." The Queen then clasped the two servants' hands which for a moment seemed sad to hear the story. "The most important thing is your heart. To whom you entrust your heart. If you think that marriage will not produce anything good, you do not have to force it and end up making yourself suffer forever. Actually, you can choose to run away if you don't like the wedding. Not that I can't, but most noble women like me choose to save the family's good name by not running away from political marriage. But if you believe that marriage is a good thing, even if you don't love her yet, if that man is a good man, then you can trust him. Because the human heart can change."

The servant looked surprised because the Queen seemed to be able to read his heart.

"Ah, it seems that I should welcome His Majesty's arrival. Thank you very much for the tea and the story, Your Majesty. And thank you very much for your advice. I beg you to step down first." The maid then hurriedly left the smiling Queen looking at her from afar as Queen Isabella already knew who the servant really was.

No waiter ever poured tea that way. How to sit and how to stand up to the way he walks is very indicative of who he really is. Only people who have been trained hard from small to act following the royal manners can move so gracefully. The Queen already knew because she also studied all the ethics. Because the servant girl was actually the Crown Princess of Nordhalbinsel, Eleanor Winterthur.

***

A week after King Edward's death, the Queen heard the news that Princess Anastasia, who was not found, had been killed and her body thought to have washed up in the river with her bodyguard, Leon the Lion of the South.

“How dare you lie to me!” The Queen's cries as Xavier visits her after the news is widespread.

“I'm not lying to you, Her Majesty. Please calm yourself.” Xavier.

“My daughter... My daughter who I love more than anything in this world... How can he..” Queen Isabella could not continue her words. The news of Princess Anastasia's death left her devastated. All this time he tried to think positively that his daughter might still be alive and was hiding somewhere. All this time he was eaten by his savior's words so he just believed that he would soon be reunited with his daughter.

“She's alive.”

“How can I trust you?” Queen Isabella threw a cynical look at Xavier.

“I beg you, trust me. He's still alive. He and General Leon who were with him at the time of the incident that night are still alive. This is the proof.”

Xavier took something out of his pocket. It was a lion emblem and a red rose necklace.

While staring at the two objects, the Queen's cry came to a halt. He looked at the lion's necklace and emblem with a look of disbelief.

“This... this is the necklace I gave to Anastasia on her seventeenth birthday. And this is Leon's first prize win from my late husband. How did you get it?”

“I bought it in a market in a small village not far from Schiereiland Palace. The seller said a red-haired girl sold the necklace and a very tall young man with Hazel-colored eyes sold the lion emblem.”

“It must be Anastasia and Leon. My daughter is alive. So too with my son.” A glimmer of hope once again filled the Queen's heart.

“Ya, Sire. They're still alive. I will keep my promise to Her Majesty. Therefore, until then, please be patient waiting for them in this Palace.”

***