The Slave Queen - Chapter 20: Chapter 20
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Julia stormed out of Lunebloom Hollow, fuming with rage.
She had barely taken a few steps when she looked around to confirm no one was nearby. Spinning around, she snapped at Isabel and Katherine.
"What happened today—none of you breathe a word of it. Got it?"
"Yes, Lady Raelynn!"
The two maids trembled like leaves in the wind, nearly dropping to their knees.
Julia shot a venomous glare at the courtyard gates behind her. In her eyes flickered both hatred and murderous intent.
She thought, 'Raelynn is nothing without that old crone backing her. Once I find a way to get rid of the hag, I'd take my time making that little tramp suffer.'
The thought alone brought her some small measure of satisfaction.
She lifted her skirts and headed off to complain to Cecilia.
Meanwhile, Cecilia was already on her way to the cemetery, walking briskly with the help of a maid.
Gabriel knelt in silence on the mat, posture rigid, his face unreadable.
When Cecilia arrived, the sight of Gabriel's tall, solitary figure knelt in punishment brought tears to her eyes.
She hurried forward. "Gabriel!"
She quickly took a fur cloak from Tuesday's hands and draped it over him.
Gabriel turned, his breath forming pale clouds in the cold air. As he saw the streaks of white in Cecilia's hair, his voice softened.
"Mother, why are you here?"
"You'll freeze out here! Here—" She pressed a hand warmer into his palms and handed him a cup of coffee. "Drink this, warm yourself up."
Her voice wavered with emotion.
Gabriel paused, staring at the cup in his hands.
Cecilia urged gently, "Drink it, son. What's wrong?"
Something unreadable flickered in Gabriel's eyes.
He set the coffee aside and shook his head. "Mother, I spoke out of turn to Grandmother. I deserve this punishment."
"Don't say that!" Cecilia snapped. "If that Raelynn girl weren't so thoughtless, would any of this have happened?"
Seeing Gabriel kneeling in the cold only made her resentment toward Raelynn grow.
Yes, both were her children—but one was her own flesh and blood, raised by her side, the future heir to the family. Naturally, her heart ached more for him.
But Gabriel only shook his head. "I made a mistake, and I should be held accountable. It's just one night kneeling here. But Raelynn... she endured four years."
Yes—four years.
Ever since kneeling here, he hadn't been able to get her image out of his mind.
He'd always thought: if Julia had been the one sent to the palace, how would she have survived?
But he had never truly considered how Raelynn had lived through it.
The noble consort and the King had believed she caused the death of a royal heir. What sort of punishment would she have suffered?
No—he had considered it.
But he had chosen to ignore it.
Now that the punishment was his, after barely half an hour, he was already shaking from the cold, his strength nearly gone.
What about her?
How had she endured it, a young girl on her own?
And those scars... the fresh ones overlapping the old, covering her frail frame...
Gabriel shut his eyes tightly.
Cecilia went quiet.
After a moment, she said, "Raelynn did it for this family—for Julia. She's a daughter of the Lennox family. Of course I feel sorry for her. But if she hadn't taken the fall, it would've been Julia. Could you have watched Julia suffer in the palace?"
Gabriel lowered his head. He couldn't answer.
Of course he couldn't bear that thought.
Julia was the sister he had loved and spoiled since childhood—even if they weren't truly related by blood.
Seeing him soften, Cecilia sighed. "Raelynn's my daughter too. I'll make it up to her. She's back now, isn't she? She even got Lunebloom Hollow returned. She's not losing anything."
But she didn't stop to think—Lunebloom Hollow had been Raelynn's all along.
Giving it back wasn't a reward. It was just setting things right.
Gabriel seemed convinced. He nodded. "Alright. Then we'll make it up to her, twice over."
"That's more like it."
Cecilia smiled and placed the hand warmer back into his hands.
This time, he didn't hesitate. He drank the coffee in one go, feeling the warmth spread slowly through his body, chasing away the chill—though not quite the guilt.
She had barely taken a few steps when she looked around to confirm no one was nearby. Spinning around, she snapped at Isabel and Katherine.
"What happened today—none of you breathe a word of it. Got it?"
"Yes, Lady Raelynn!"
The two maids trembled like leaves in the wind, nearly dropping to their knees.
Julia shot a venomous glare at the courtyard gates behind her. In her eyes flickered both hatred and murderous intent.
She thought, 'Raelynn is nothing without that old crone backing her. Once I find a way to get rid of the hag, I'd take my time making that little tramp suffer.'
The thought alone brought her some small measure of satisfaction.
She lifted her skirts and headed off to complain to Cecilia.
Meanwhile, Cecilia was already on her way to the cemetery, walking briskly with the help of a maid.
Gabriel knelt in silence on the mat, posture rigid, his face unreadable.
When Cecilia arrived, the sight of Gabriel's tall, solitary figure knelt in punishment brought tears to her eyes.
She hurried forward. "Gabriel!"
She quickly took a fur cloak from Tuesday's hands and draped it over him.
Gabriel turned, his breath forming pale clouds in the cold air. As he saw the streaks of white in Cecilia's hair, his voice softened.
"Mother, why are you here?"
"You'll freeze out here! Here—" She pressed a hand warmer into his palms and handed him a cup of coffee. "Drink this, warm yourself up."
Her voice wavered with emotion.
Gabriel paused, staring at the cup in his hands.
Cecilia urged gently, "Drink it, son. What's wrong?"
Something unreadable flickered in Gabriel's eyes.
He set the coffee aside and shook his head. "Mother, I spoke out of turn to Grandmother. I deserve this punishment."
"Don't say that!" Cecilia snapped. "If that Raelynn girl weren't so thoughtless, would any of this have happened?"
Seeing Gabriel kneeling in the cold only made her resentment toward Raelynn grow.
Yes, both were her children—but one was her own flesh and blood, raised by her side, the future heir to the family. Naturally, her heart ached more for him.
But Gabriel only shook his head. "I made a mistake, and I should be held accountable. It's just one night kneeling here. But Raelynn... she endured four years."
Yes—four years.
Ever since kneeling here, he hadn't been able to get her image out of his mind.
He'd always thought: if Julia had been the one sent to the palace, how would she have survived?
But he had never truly considered how Raelynn had lived through it.
The noble consort and the King had believed she caused the death of a royal heir. What sort of punishment would she have suffered?
No—he had considered it.
But he had chosen to ignore it.
Now that the punishment was his, after barely half an hour, he was already shaking from the cold, his strength nearly gone.
What about her?
How had she endured it, a young girl on her own?
And those scars... the fresh ones overlapping the old, covering her frail frame...
Gabriel shut his eyes tightly.
Cecilia went quiet.
After a moment, she said, "Raelynn did it for this family—for Julia. She's a daughter of the Lennox family. Of course I feel sorry for her. But if she hadn't taken the fall, it would've been Julia. Could you have watched Julia suffer in the palace?"
Gabriel lowered his head. He couldn't answer.
Of course he couldn't bear that thought.
Julia was the sister he had loved and spoiled since childhood—even if they weren't truly related by blood.
Seeing him soften, Cecilia sighed. "Raelynn's my daughter too. I'll make it up to her. She's back now, isn't she? She even got Lunebloom Hollow returned. She's not losing anything."
But she didn't stop to think—Lunebloom Hollow had been Raelynn's all along.
Giving it back wasn't a reward. It was just setting things right.
Gabriel seemed convinced. He nodded. "Alright. Then we'll make it up to her, twice over."
"That's more like it."
Cecilia smiled and placed the hand warmer back into his hands.
This time, he didn't hesitate. He drank the coffee in one go, feeling the warmth spread slowly through his body, chasing away the chill—though not quite the guilt.
End of The Slave Queen Chapter 20. Continue reading Chapter 21 or return to The Slave Queen book page.