I understood her meaning. As queen, I could easily adopt another prince and raise him as my own, ensuring that he would become emperor. Then I could secure my position and influence in the palace.
But I didn’t want to take another woman’s child, and I didn’t want this little life before me to wither away before it had even had a chance to bloom.
The Queen Mother sighed, though her gaze softened slightly.
Deep down, perhaps, even she felt some compassion...
From that day on, her attitude toward me changed. She became warmer, more willing to teach me the ways of palace life – how to rule as queen and manage the vast and treacherous court. Through countless lessons and grim examples, she showed me how to survive in this pit of vipers.
Three years later, the emperor passed away. My father, returning in triumph from the battlefield, brokered an alliance with Lord Alistair, the most powerful man in the kingdom.
Against all expectations, Alistair supported the ascension of eight-year-old Caelan as emperor.
On her deathbed, the Queen Mother cursed me, pointing a trembling finger in my direction: “You will bring ruin to the realm!”
…