The Slave Queen - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

A sharp, stabbing pain tore through her. Raelynn's face went pale as she struggled to break free from Gabriel's grasp, but his hold was too strong. She staggered as he dragged her inside.
Once they were in the room, he was about to call for a maid to help her change when he caught sight of the layers of scars crisscrossing her arm.
Gabriel froze. His grip loosened instinctively.
'So many wounds?' he thought.
His face went ashen. Staring at the whip marks, he asked hoarsely, "How did this happen?"
"There's no need to act concerned. You should already know exactly where they came from."
Raelynn bit back the pain, her tone tinged with mockery. "If you think I'm being difficult, just pretend I don't exist in this household. I only came back to care for Grandmother during her illness—I have no intention of playing games with Lady Julia."
"As for not wearing her clothes..." she glanced down, "I simply didn't want to cause Grandmother distress. They're too short to cover the bruises."
With that, she turned and walked toward Margot's courtyard.
Gabriel's hands clenched into fists. His eyes burned red, as if on the verge of bleeding. He was just about to follow her when he saw Esther Johnson, Margot's trusted maid, approaching.
Her expression was grave. She gave Raelynn a respectful bow before speaking, her tone layered with meaning. "You've suffered, Lady Raelynn. Lady Margot has asked to see you... Lord Ian and Lady Rachel of the Lindsay family are there as well."
Raelynn stopped in her tracks.
Lord Ian of the Lindsay family—her fiancé, Ian Lindsay, the heir of the marquis' estate.
'Why has he come at this hour?' she wondered.
Raelynn simply nodded and followed Esther toward Margot's quarters.
Gabriel stood frozen, watching her leave without even a glance back. A strange, unsettling feeling washed over him—like something important was slowly slipping through his fingers.
'But if she never says a word, how am I supposed to know?' he thought.
He tightened his fists, eyes reddening again. Esther's words echoed in his mind, stirring unease.
Why would Ian show up now? Could it be... he knows Raelynn has returned and is planning to propose?' he wondered.
He didn't notice the faint, cold glint that flashed in Julia's eyes.
When Raelynn reached the courtyard gate, she saw Margot seated at the head. Since the last time they'd met, Margot seemed to have aged significantly. Her expression was stern and cold.
Sitting on either side of her were Rachel and Ian. Neither looked particularly pleased.
Raelynn didn't care why they were here. The moment she laid eyes on Margot, her throat tightened, and her eyes reddened despite her efforts to hold it in.
If there was anyone left in this household who truly cared for her, it was Margot.
When Margot learned that Raelynn had argued with Julia, she'd rushed to the noble consort to explain. But Cecilia, more concerned with the family's reputation, had accused Margot of favoritism—saying she was only trying to cover for Raelynn.
Poor Margot—she had lived her whole life with dignity and integrity, only to be slandered so cruelly. Yet even after all that, she still humbled herself time and again, pleading with the noble consort and even the king...
Tears fell uncontrollably as Raelynn bowed in front of Margot. Choked with emotion, she could barely speak, but forced a smile through her tears. "Grandmother... I am back. I missed you so much."
Margot's cloudy eyes welled up instantly. "My precious Raelynn!"
She pulled Raelynn into her arms, her hands trembling as though she were holding something fragile and irreplaceable. "You've lost so much weight... and your skin's so dark now. My poor girl, how much suffering have you endured in the palace?
"This is all my fault. I'm old now, no use to anyone—I couldn't protect you..."
The two clung to each other. If not for the others in the room, Raelynn might've cried her heart out right then and there.
Rachel looked uncomfortable and cleared her throat. "Raelynn really has been through a lot. She's... changed quite a bit."
Raelynn pressed her lips together and glanced in their direction, catching the flicker of guilt—or was it avoidance?—in Ian's eyes.
Still bowing beside Margot, she nodded politely. "Lady Rachel. Lord Ian."
Ian's fists clenched. He looked like he wanted to speak but held himself back.
Raelynn was still trying to guess why they had come when Margot suddenly grasped her hand.
"Raelynn, now that you've returned to the Duke's estate, it's time to think about marriage—about finding someone worthy of you."
Margot's gaze settled meaningfully on Rachel and Ian. "You and Ian from the Lindsay family grew up together. There were feelings between you, weren't there? Would you be willing to marry him?"
Raelynn was caught off guard.
'Why is Grandmother bringing this up the moment I get home?' she thought.
Before she could even respond, Ian suddenly stepped forward, blurting out, "Lady Margot! I already said it before—I'm in love with Julia. No matter what, I won't marry Raelynn!"
His words landed like a slap. Rachel's face tensed slightly, but she didn't try to stop him.
Margot's expression turned icy. Her grip on Raelynn's arm trembled with anger.
"Lord Ian," she said, voice hard as steel, "this marriage between the marquis' estate and ours was arranged by your grandfather and my late husband. It was meant to be between the children of both houses."
Her chest rose and fell with fury. She held Raelynn close, like a mother hen shielding her chick. "Raelynn is this family's true daughter by blood. Julia is merely a girl we took in out of kindness."
Ian faltered beneath Margot's sharp gaze.
But then he remembered how worried Julia had looked a few days ago, when she found out Raelynn was returning—and how distressed she was when she heard Margot wanted to revive the engagement. That memory hardened his resolve.
He and Julia truly loved each other. Raelynn was just someone who came in late. 'Why should a childhood promise tear us apart?' he thought.
"Lady Margot, forgive my bluntness," he said stiffly, "but I cannot obey this arrangement."