Part 1When the New Favorite Came, I Chose Silence

Lady Winona Adler, the new consort, bears an uncanny resemblance to me when I first entered the palace.

King Edward Wright showers her with fine silk, rare pearls, and all kinds of expensive gifts.

She sets her sights on the white agate rabbit Edward has carved for me with his own hands.

"His Majesty says that if I fancy something, I may have whatever I wish. You're old now, Lady Rosalyn. You don't deserve something this lovely and delicate."

During the argument, the maid accompanying Lady Winona deliberately drops the rabbit and shatters it.

Edward rushes over upon hearing the news, his tone edged with reproach. "If Winona wants it, just give it to her. It's just a worthless piece of stone. Why are you making such a fuss over it?"

I stare at the shattered pieces scattered across the floor and suddenly remember how his hands were covered in small cuts and trembling when he gave it to me.

It has only been nine years, and everything has changed. I've had enough.

"Inform the Royal Household that I will be departing for Holy Brook Abbey to spend three years in prayer tomorrow."

* * *

Before dawn, my maid, Lily Cameron, began packing our trunks.

She grumbled, "That rabbit was carved from one of the finest stones brought as tribute for His Majesty's 20th birthday. It was a rare treasure, yet he called it a worthless stone because of Lady Winona. Your Grace, you have every right to be angry."

I told her to leave behind only two sets of plain clothes, a pair of shoes, and half a box of cough medicine. There was no need for silks and satins at the abbey, and bringing too much would only invite gossip.

Lily crouched on the floor, her eyes red from crying. "Your Grace, are we really going there?"

"I never go back on my word," I replied flatly.

By midmorning, a page arrived with a message from King Edward Wright. "Your Grace, His Majesty says life in the abbey is tough. If you can't get used to it, you're welcome to return whenever you please."

Lily bit her lip and looked at me.

I closed the hand mirror and set it back on the dressing table. "Let's go."

The walk from Rosewood Court to the palace gates meant crossing nearly half the inner court. It was a path I had walked for nine years, and this was the first time it felt so long.

Halfway along the path, we encountered Paula Gilman, Queen Charlotte Dicken's senior maid. She walked up to us with a beaming smile, holding a red velvet box.

"Greetings, Your Grace. Her Majesty had these prayer beads prepared especially for you. They've been blessed to keep you safe and give you peace of mind at the abbey."

I took the box and lifted the lid. It was an exquisite set of prayer beads. "Her Majesty is very kind."

Paula leaned in, her voice softening. "Do set your mind at ease at the abbey, Your Grace. Her Majesty will take care of everything here in the palace. You need not worry at all."

I wrapped the prayer beads around my fingers and said, "Please give Her Majesty my thanks."

After Paula left, Lily walked to my side and whispered, "The queen is practically showing us the door. You haven't even left the palace yet, and she's already making her move."

I kept walking without responding.

When we passed through the royal gardens, I stopped when I saw that not a single rosemary remained. The soil where they'd stood was freshly turned and still damp.

Several gardeners were crouched on the ground, digging holes. Beside them stood a row of jasmine seedlings waiting to be planted.

"How dare you pull up the rosemary!" Lily blurted out. "His Majesty planted it himself!"

The head gardener saw me and stood up quickly. "Your Grace, Her Majesty said rosemary is way too common, while jasmine would make the garden more elegant."

I caught Lily's wrist to stop her. "Let them be. I won't be here anyway. There's no point in keeping the rosemary."

As we passed through the eastern wing, a line of palace maids was carrying dressing cases, silks, and coral ornaments to Lady Winona Adler's quarters.

Then I heard Edward's laughter drifting over from the eastern garden wall. It was faint but unmistakably carefree. He hadn't laughed like that around me in a long time.

My steps faltered slightly. Lily tightened her grip on my hand to steady me.

I glanced through the garden gate. Edward was sitting beside a stone table with a small carving tool in hand, intently working on something.

Lady Winona sat across from him, resting her chin in her hand as she watched him with a smile. Several pieces of freshly cut stone lay scattered across the table.

He was teaching her to carve gemstones.

Lily's voice trembled. "His Majesty said he would teach that skill only to you."

I gently patted her hand. "There are so many things he said he did only for me. He planted the rosemary only for me and carved the white agate rabbit only for me. He said each of them was only for me, yet how many of those promises did he ever truly keep?"

I turned away and climbed into the carriage. The curtain fell, and the wheels rattled over the stone pavement.

I leaned against the side of the carriage and closed my eyes, my fingers unconsciously tightening around the prayer beads.

The carriage rolled through the main gates and rumbled across the stone bridge over the moat. Lily lifted the corner of the curtain and looked back. "Your Grace, don't you want to take one last look?"

I shook my head without opening my eyes.

Edward knew better than anyone what that piece of agate meant to me. Yet after nine years, he had even forgotten who he had carved it for.