Back at the palace, the tension was far from over.
Gerald was heading to his chambers, desperate for a moment of solitude after the storm of misfortunes that had just unfolded—but Queen Athalia refused to let him go.
After the humiliating insults hurled her way due to her son's fall from grace, there was only one person she could blame—her husband, Gerald.
"Answer me, Gerald, or you're not leaving!" she shouted, blocking his path. "Why? I thought you loved me. You promised—you swore—that my son, the firstborn, would inherit the throne. Why the change?!"
Gerald, nearing the edge of his temper, he was irritated that she dared to confront him. He paused, breathing deeply. She wasn't his real problem. It was that classless whore who'd slithered into their palace and poisoned Stephen's mind. Now, Stephen was marrying him and destroying everything Gerald built.
