Blind Heiress Kissed The Mad Regent Chapter 03

Blind Heiress Kissed The Mad Regent Chapter 03

I turned to bolt, but a blaze of torchlight suddenly lit up the area. A crowd flanking the Queen Mother surged toward us.

Marlowe was at the front, loudly announcing, “Elara! You said you walked in on something scandalous and told me to bring everyone. Well, here they are.”

She glanced at the scattered clothes at my feet and feigned shock. “Elara’s so clever, guarding the clothes so the cheaters can’t slip away.”

“But this fabric looks awfully familiar… Isn’t this Queen Isolde’s gown? Could Her Majesty be having a secret little rendezvous back there?”

Her words sent a shockwave through the crowd. Everyone looked around and realized all the court ladies were present, except the Queen. Every pair of eyes landed on me.

I met the Queen Mother’s dark expression, and even in my obliviousness, it hit me.

Crap. I’ve been set up.

This involved the royal family’s honor. Since everyone present was an official’s wife or daughter, the Queen Mother couldn’t lash out at all of them. But Marlowe had made sure to pin the accusation of summoning everyone squarely on me. The blame would fall entirely on my head.

Sure enough, the Queen Mother’s voice was ice cold. “So this is the trueborn heiress of House Voss. You dare slander the Queen and stick your nose into the Crown’s private affairs? Do you have any idea what the consequences are?”

Everyone waited for my reply, but I turned a bewildered look on Marlowe and said innocently, “Wait, when did I say anything about adultery? I saw two people helping each other stretch. You know, work out some knots.”

“I got bored and was about to leave, and then you showed up with a whole mob and turned it into some huge spectacle.”

My eyes are so bad I could barely make out a couple of blurry shapes behind those rocks. Every word I said was the truth.

Marlowe stomped her foot, practically vibrating with frustration. “You told me yourself there was a couple in there going at it. Why are you lying now?”

She spun toward the Queen Mother, ready to pour gasoline on the fire. “Your Majesty, please, drag them out. If it really is the Queen with some secret lover, she shouldn’t get off easy.”

The Queen Mother’s face was thunderous as she ordered the guards to search the grotto.

The guards rushed forward, but when they saw the figure emerging, one of them gasped, “Y-Your Majesty, the King?”

Only then did everyone realize that King Aldric II had been absent just as much as the Queen. He adjusted his robes deliberately, blocking the person behind him from view.

The Queen Mother shot him a glare and hissed, “The King and Queen, stooping to such scandalous behavior behind a garden grotto.”

The King’s face went red. He cleared his throat. “It’s exactly as Elara said. The Queen and I were simply massaging each other’s backs. A bit of relaxation. I have no idea who would fabricate such a vicious rumor.”

His heavy gaze settled on Marlowe. Her knees buckled as she waved her hands frantically. “My sister told me to say it! She’s the one who made me bring everyone here!”

“Oh, is that so?” The crowd parted. Silas Thorne, who had left the banquet earlier, had returned. He stepped forward, his tone laced with amusement.

“I saw the whole thing with my own eyes. You’re the one who led a drunk Elara into the Royal Garden, then slipped off by yourself and came back with an audience.”

“And the whole time, Elara only said they were stretching. Not a single word against the Crown. You’re the one stirring up trouble.”

The Queen Mother nodded at me with approval. “Even when caught in a delicate situation, you protected the royal family’s dignity. Your words were careful. You’re a sensible, sharp girl.”

“Marlowe Voss, on the other hand, cooked up a royal scandal out of pure spite.” Her gaze went ice-cold. “Guards. Take her away. Fifty lashes.”

“Your Majesty, please! Have mercy!” Marlowe wailed as she was dragged off.

On top of the flogging, she was confined to the Chapel to copy scriptures for an entire month of solitary repentance.

When she finally returned to Voss Estate, she tried to play the victim and earn our parents’ sympathy. But Father just gave her a flat look. “You screwed up badly at the palace. You earned this punishment. There’s nothing to feel sorry for yourself about.”

Mother’s tone was equally distant. “You let your head get twisted. Take this as a lesson.”

Marlowe stood frozen. In the month she’d been confined, I had become the treasured darling of the entire household.

She watched Mother and Father fuss over me, a venomous jealousy burning in her eyes. Just as she moved to approach, a chamberlain’s sharp voice rang out from the gate. “The King’s decree! Make way!”