“I don’t need to affirm myself anymore,” Annabel replied, glancing at the secretary. “I am the monarch of a nation. Seeking familial affection is childish. Go tell the queen consort that I agree to let them leave the capital, but they cannot return without my consent. Also, ask Amelia and Georgiana to see me after the court session.”
A guard entered to report: “Marshal Selberg requests an audience.”
“No!” Annabel threw the napkin on the table. “I have issued orders. As my marshal, his job is to execute them, not to manipulate me!”
“But, Your Majesty. He says he has urgent military matters to report.”
Annabel frowned. “Let him come in.”
Marshal Selberg strode in, his usually calm demeanor tense, biting his lips as he saluted.
Annabel nodded, then heard him say: “Your Majesty, there’s a civilian uprising.”
Annabel scoffed. “They’ve been uprising for a week already, sir.”
“I apologize, I wasn’t clear,” Marshal Selberg cleared his throat. “This time it’s a large-scale armed uprising, Your Majesty.”
Annabel stared at him and slowly stood up. “Repeat that, sir.”
“A large-scale civilian armed uprising has broken out, Your Majesty,” the imperial marshal stated steadily. “The outbreak is in the White Lan star system, 7.31 light-years from the capital. The rebel army has already captured the capital…”
His communication device vibrated. He glanced at it, frowning slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Annabel’s voice trembled.
“Three more uprisings have broken out in different locations, Your Majesty.”
“Three?” Annabel exclaimed sharply. “In such a short time?”
“They must have been planning this for some time,” Marshal Selberg said quietly.
Annabel stood motionless, like a wax statue. Just as Selberg was about to speak, the queen suddenly erupted. Furious, she grabbed a delicate porcelain vase and smashed it on the ground.
“How dare they—”
Selberg stepped back cautiously, allowing the maids to clean up the fragments.
Annabel’s anger surged. She pushed aside a maid and strode to the marshal. “Isn’t this what you expected? If you had suppressed them early as I instructed, this would never have happened!”
Selberg had no intention of discussing how to be a good monarch with the enraged queen.
He stepped back and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, while there’s still time, please agree to negotiate with the Democratic Party.”
“Is this what you think? Retreat?” Annabel glared at Selberg.
“This is a peaceful resolution, Your Majesty.”
“To save you some trouble and make me a queen who compromises with political enemies?”
“The Senate agrees with my suggestion.”
Annabel’s face turned pale, her gaze piercing, “I do not accept coercion.”
“This is not coercion, Your Majesty. It’s just a suggestion.”
“I will not agree!” the queen insisted. “This is non-negotiable. You should be dispatching troops to suppress the rebellion, not bargaining with me here!”
Selberg fell silent, seemingly giving up on persuasion. He saluted, “As you command, Your Majesty.”
As Selberg left, Annabel’s cold voice echoed, “Don’t let me hear news of failure, sir.”
In the audience room, Albert awaited his father’s news, not anxious as he had anticipated the queen’s response. Growing up together had made him familiar with Annabel’s character: intelligent yet arrogant, self-important, and extremely proud, shaped by her privileged life into a self-centered personality.
Born noble and fortunate, she reached the pinnacle of power but quickly lost herself without a good mentor.
The Senate underestimated Annabel, unaware of how difficult it is to control an unreasonable woman. Political factions never fully trusted her, which is why the uprising was proceeding methodically.
Annabel was so concerned with saving face that she would not easily compromise. Failure only fueled her rage, not self-reflection.
A monarch out of control is not someone the Selberg family should serve. Their secret precept emphasizes that “family interests are above all else.” Children raised with this understanding know that adapting to circumstances, rather than blind loyalty, is key to maintaining family inheritance and prosperity.
Sometimes, Albert felt like a small-time schemer just trying to survive. He had been in and out of the palace since childhood, keeping company with princesses and flattering the Annabel sisters while ignoring his true feelings.
As the heir of the Selberg family, he was at ease in the palace and excelled in school and the army. He appeared clever and sincere but was, in fact, hypocritical.
Sometimes, even he didn’t know what his true self was like.
Annabel was infatuated with him but didn’t really understand him. And Wilhelmina? That always-anonymous girl who quietly observed everything from the corner with her sea-blue eyes. In front of her, he felt he had nowhere to hide.
As his father entered the audience room, Albert stood up.
“How did it go, Father?”
Marshal Selberg shook his head but didn’t seem disappointed.
“Prepare for war and expedition, Albert. I want you to lead the troops personally.”
Albert was stunned for a moment, his inner joy bursting forth. The military genes began to burn in his blood.
“Yes, sir,” he said, standing at attention. “Does His Majesty know?”
“How to deploy troops is my right. Besides, it’s better if you see each other less.”
“Of course, Father. Please be at ease.” Albert had grown tired of soothing Annabel’s spoiled temper. Annabel had always wanted to marry him—not for love, but to gain power. The Selberg family did not want to become a tool for a queen’s oppression.
Marshal Selberg looked at the time. “I still need to go to the Senate and inform them of the queen’s decision. It will be a heated argument, and I can’t leave early.”
Selberg replied playfully. “I want you to focus on your expedition.”
Albert nodded with a smile, feeling the warmth of his mother’s support.
As the housekeeper returned with the wine, Mrs. Selberg poured a glass for herself. “To your success,” she said, raising the glass. “May you return safe and sound.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Albert said, contemplating the journey ahead.
“Now run along. You have preparations to make,” she urged, giving him a gentle push towards the door.
“Yes, I will,” he responded, stepping out while feeling the comfort of his mother’s love linger in the air.
Selberg laughed. “A soldier thinking about his mother during war is not a good soldier. You can think more about the girl in your heart. Oh, would you mind telling me her name?”
“Mother,” Albert smiled bitterly, “I don’t have anyone special.”
“Liar!” his mother said confidently. “You’re my son; I can see what you’re thinking. You’re in love! Sometimes you smile secretly, you look at yourself more in the mirror, you’ve even changed your aftershave brand.”
“Mother!” her son became embarrassed, “I’m not in love, at least not now.”
“But there’s definitely a ‘she’, right?” Mrs. Selberg asked nervously. “Oh, gods protect me, please don’t let it be a ‘he’.”
“Of course not!” Albert replied, “What are you talking about, Mother?”
His mother laughed. “So you’ve fallen for a girl!”
Albert, realizing he had been trapped, blushed.
“Oh, my darling!” Mrs. Selberg exclaimed, “You were once that little boy following my skirt, and now you’re about to lead troops into battle! I’m so proud of you, Albert!”
At this moment, Mrs. Mary walked over excitedly holding a bottle of red wine.
“Madam, there really was good wine.”
“Look, son, your father is such a simple man!” Mrs. Selberg poured wine for her son. “Come, child, here’s to your first expedition—may you succeed and be victorious!”
After drinking the red wine in one gulp, Albert hugged his mother without tasting it.
“Mom, take care of yourself.”
“You take care of yourself too. Is Nick going with you?”
“Yes.”
