The Slave Queen - Chapter 4: Chapter 4

"Hurry, take Lady Raelynn to Evermist Hall to change. And make sure someone serves her properly!"
Cecilia called for the maids, her eyes already swollen like peaches after crying for just a short while. "Raelynn, my child—I will make it up to you, I swear. I'll never let you suffer like this again."
Raelynn kept her head lowered and said nothing, though a flicker of wryness flashed in her eyes.
Evermist Hall?
Her former residence had been Lunebloom Hollow—second only to the main house, the finest courtyard in the estate. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer, with a picturesque view. When she was first brought home, her parents had personally overseen the demolition of several other courtyards just to build that one for her.
She liked orchids, so Gabriel had spent a fortune to have them planted all throughout the garden. When she'd worried about killing them by accident, Gabriel had only laughed indulgently. "As long as you're happy, Raelynn. Even if every flower in this courtyard withers, I'll buy them all again for you."
Every piece of furniture had been handpicked by Cecilia—from the wood to the design, Cecilia had personally supervised the craftsmen down to the last detail.
Even the painting in the main hall had been crafted by her father Hugo Lennox himself. He'd even built a swing for her in the garden with his own hands.
And now? Lunebloom Hollow wasn't hers anymore.
Cecilia must have caught the shift in her expression, because her eyes flickered uneasily.
"Julia hasn't been feeling well lately," she explained, forcing a smile. "Your old courtyard has such a lovely view, and it's more comfortable, so I let her stay there for now..."
She paused, then added quickly, "Evermist Hall is still very nice. But if you're not used to it, just say the word—I'll have you moved somewhere else."
Raelynn lowered her gaze. "Thank you, Lady Cecilia. Anywhere is fine for me."
The formal tone and distant address—Lady Cecilia—made Cecilia pause. Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she couldn't speak.
She had imagined their reunion so many times—Raelynn running into her arms, sobbing out all her grief... or maybe full of anger, shouting and accusing. But never this.
This calm. This cold politeness. As if nothing that had happened mattered anymore. As if she—her mother—no longer mattered at all.
She wondered, 'How has it come to this?'
She had longed for Raelynn's return. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to make right. But now, standing here with Raelynn in front of her—she didn't even know where to begin.
She thought, 'Have a few small things really driven Raelynn this far away?
'This is my daughter—flesh of my flesh. How have things ended up like this?'
Cecilia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, Raelynn had already lowered her head and quietly turned to follow the maid toward the distant Evermist Hall.
A strange sense of unease stirred in Cecilia's heart. She instinctively wanted to call out, to ask her to wait. But before she could move, Julia—still bowing at her side—suddenly leaned against her, her expression strained with pain. "Mother... my head hurts..."
Cecilia immediately turned her full attention to her younger daughter, concern flooding her eyes. "Another headache? Did something just upset you? Come, I'll take you back to rest."
As she looked at Julia's pale, delicate face, her heart tightened with worry. She quickly called for servants to help Julia back to her room, to prepare medicine and make her comfortable, cooing softly all the while.
And just like that, her thoughts about Raelynn slipped to the back of her mind.
After all, Raelynn was home now. Surely, in time, things would work themselves out.
Families didn't hold grudges forever. As long as Raelynn was sensible, she'd come around. She had to.
Meanwhile, Raelynn had arrived at Evermist Hall.
It was clear the place had been unoccupied for quite some time. Though someone had recently cleaned it, the flowerbeds were bare and neglected, the windows loose and creaky in their frames. It was obvious the space had been prepared hastily.
So... there really was no place for her in this home anymore.
Raelynn pressed her lips together. A cold emptiness crept slowly into her chest.
Inside, the maids quickly stoked the fires and heated water for her bath. One of them stepped forward, ready to help her undress and wash, but Raelynn gently held up a hand. "No need. I'll do it myself."
The maid hesitated, offered a few polite words of insistence, but seeing that Raelynn's tone left no room for argument, she made a show of offering help once more, then quietly left.
Only then did Raelynn begin to slowly remove the thin, worn robe from her body—revealing skin marked by layers of bruises and scars. There wasn't a single place left untouched.
If the maid had seen this, she might've gossiped. And if that reached Margot's ears... she would worry. Raelynn didn't want that.
Carefully, she stepped into the wooden tub, lowering her cold, aching body into the warm water. The sensation was so unfamiliar, it felt almost unreal.
She hadn't had a hot bath in four years. Back in Aether Sanctum, even in the dead of winter, she'd been forced to use freezing well water—rushed, rough scrubbing in the bitter cold. There had never been time, never been warmth.
To the noble consort, she hadn't been a servant. She'd been a symbol—punishment incarnate for the child she lost before it was ever born.
But what crime had she committed, really? What sin had she ever been guilty of?