Evelyn's POV

I looked on as the minister proceeded with the Coronation Ceremony. I felt excited because this momentous occasion marked the evolution of our relationship to an official status, bound by the duties of the kingdom. Being the Queen of Sedalia meant serving in court as an equal to the King. This scarce privilege of equality is one that I cannot tarnish, at any cost. I admit that it is a great responsibility, one that would actually scare many. But admittedly, I relished in it. I've always held strong opinions on the politics of this land and looked forward to sharing them with my fellow leaders.

Ash took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as the crowns were finally placed on top of our heads after the seemingly endless incantations of oaths. I felt the weight on my head in more ways than one. The bejeweled piece was a treat to the eyes, but a burden nonetheless. Ash then led me up the steps to the ornate thrones. The gilded wood was faded from age, despite their minimal use over the decades. We will hardly use them in the future, other than for highly publicized events a few times a year, with today's being an exception. I could only imagine how hectic our schedules would be after the ceremony. Once we were seated, a musical procession was held, followed by various entertaining acts - as per tradition. None of them could distract us from our thoughts of what awaited us afterwards. It all passed by in a few hours and an aide ushered us into the meeting room immediately after the final event.

There, seated in an orderly fashion, a council full of higher officials and noblemen surrounded a majestic mahogany table. Two distinct chairs awaited us at the head of the table, both of which we took. The Crown seated themselves after us.

An older man cleared his throat.

"Pardon the rush, your majesty. Normally, the new king has time to familiarize himself with the council and various matters of administration, but seeing the circumstances of your ascension, there are urgent matters to be taken care of as quickly as possible." He spoke with such distinction, the kind that only comes from decades of experience.

Ash merely nodded in understanding. I tried to ignore the fact that I wasn't addressed.

"Do not worry, we have already wasted much time over ceremony. I would like to proceed with these matters of urgency." He assured with a delicate but authoritarian voice.

Everyone nodded in affirmation. The royal secretary took this as his cue and began unraveling a long list of duties.

"The first matter deals with Canterbury and the death of his former majesty, the late King Gavin." He spoke clearly.

Ash turned rigid at the mention of his father's death. I gave him a knowing glance and gently took hold of his hand, which clenched into a tense fist, under the table.

"A Canterbury citizen has been confirmed to have indeed caused the death of the late king. However, the nation is unwilling to surrender the perpetrator to us for conviction and wish to trial the suspect on their own land, without our judgment." An elder gentleman at the table informed.

Another hit the table with his fist, "That's preposterous! It's their own citizen; of course, they'll be lenient with punishment when it comes to it. Those filthy Canterburians, or should I say barbarians, are the ones that started these border disputes which prompted that ill-fated visit in the first place. In our land, that murderer would receive a public death sentence! Beheaded in the square!"

"I understand the concern that resides in everyone's mind, but surely they'll still sentence that wretch to prison for life?" A noblewoman said from the other end of the table.

"Of course, they won't! I bet they'll make the fella' compensate for his freedom, and if not, only throw him in a cell for a month to show that they did something!" A man near her said.

"If we want justice served, then we must go to war!" One man cried out.

'War? That's irrational!' I thought to myself.

"Your Highness, what is your opinion on this? He was your father." The elder man who spoke at the beginning asked.

Ash looked up. A sudden intensity clouded his eyes.

"Is war the only way to ensure that justice is served?" He asked.

Everyone looked at each other.

The hesitancy heightened my anxiety, appalled that not a single one of them knew the obvious answer. I wanted to scream, 'Fools, of course not!', but found myself holding back. I arguably held the second highest position in the room, if not tied with the first, yet I couldn't help but fall to the sidelines as their aggressive discussion escalated.

"The only sure way, your highness." One replied.

Everyone around the table nodded in response.

I didn't like where this was going. I had to speak up. It was now or never.

"If I may share my concerns with the court," I said, looking up to garner attention before continuing, "are we in a suitable position for war?"

"Does your majesty doubt the military capability of this land?" The elderly man asked with a raised eyebrow.

Whoever he was, he was getting on my nerves. I didn't know how to respond to that. It isn't that I lacked pride in Sedalia, but I didn't want to blindly proclaim war for the means of this so called "justice". It sounded more like bloodthirsty revenge to me. The whole table continued staring, making me uncomfortable.

"I do not, Sir." I addressed him, choosing my words carefully. "But I do not want the noble intelligence of this wonderful land to be blinded by its emotions, which would only regrettably cost precious lives."

A moment of silence fell upon the table as everyone analyzed my words. Ash shot me a thoughtful glance as well, to which I responded with a smile.

"I think your highness has a point there." The noblewoman at the end of the table addressed me.

I began to silently rejoice in my head—until the old man interrupted.

"What point do you see, Annabelle? Do you want the kingdom's honor to be tarnished and made a fool of by the surrounding lands? It will forever go down in history as the kingdom that sat and watched as the murderer of its former king waltzed around free in his native land! We would be seen as weak and powerless." He argued. "Much like a woman." He muttered at the end.

I frowned in distaste at his last comment. Comments like that, when made in passing, do not warrant much attention- but in the middle of the night, when you're accompanied by nothing more than your thoughts, they rise up like a needles in a haystack and repeatedly prick your soul until it bleeds.

Now that I paused and looked around the table, that noblewoman was the only other lady in the room. Men outnumbered us by tenfold. I felt unease building up in the pit of my stomach.

"Marcellus has a very good point." The man beside him supported. "Our kingdom's honor is far too important and the stakes for war are low. If we start preparing now, while Canterbury is still in that state of development, the odds will be in our favor."

So, the annoying old, fart's name is Marcellus. I'll unkindly remember that. I noted Annabelle as well, as the only other woman in the room, the only one who was levelheaded enough to agree with me.

"But have we even negotiated with Canterbury? And what about the motive for murder? Do we even know that? I really don't think that we can carelessly jump into war without knowing these important details!" I persisted.

"Is your highness suggesting that the king's murder is justifiable?" Marcellus asked, making several in the room gasp.

I mentally groaned. This man definitely had a talent for twisting words to trick the mind.

"No, that is not how I meant for my statements to be interpreted. I'm just insisting that we should look at this rationally, war is not a game and lives cannot be made so worthless as to—"

"Your Majesty, King Ashton, I would like it if you taught the queen the ways of this council. Being from the background that she is, she must not understand how we address each other here. I will excuse her rash behavior for today." He stated, immediately rising from his place and walking out, leaving me dumbstruck.

Ash immediately stood up to follow him, shooting me a stern look before walking out. This left me more shocked than before. In all earnestness, what did I say wrong? And just when I thought we were making progress...

I heard his voice fade away as he started apologizing to Marcellus. I don't understand, he's the king! Why does he need to explain himself to that man, who is clearly ranked beneath him? I had hoped that, even though this is all an act, he'd play well by supporting me as his wife when that man insulted me. My hopes always seem to be too high.

The council room was left in an eerie silence. After a few seconds of uncomfortable glances at one another, the secretary finally cleared his voice.

"I pronounce that the meeting for today is over. Please be present at the same time tomorrow, as we have much to accomplish." He dismissed the meeting.

Shortly, everyone else filed out behind him.

Annabelle gave me a kind smile and said, "Do not worry, your highness. He's a bit old and still holds those traditional views on society. He values honor and pride more than anything else, so please pardon his rashness." She said referring to Marcellus.

I nodded, not fully understanding her. Honor? Pride? If he cared about any of those things, he wouldn't have dared to address me, his queen, in such a manner.

"Excuse my curiosity, by why do you seem so intent on defending him?" I asked.

She laughed, "It's quite understandable. He is my grandfather. Not by blood, you see, I was adopted by his daughter when I just a babe. My parents passed away soon after my birth and he was kind enough to take me in." She explained.

"Oh! I see." I answered.

Personal bias is always tough to erase.

She bowed and left quickly. I hoped to learn more about the council from her, especially considering that she was the only other woman. I thought equality between the genders was widely accepted around Sedalia nowadays, but apparently not considering the discrimination I just experienced in this very room, despite holding the most powerful position that a woman can possibly hold in this land.

Slowly I stood up and walked out of the empty room. My thoughts wandered to Ash as my legs wandered the halls of the castle. I wondered how upset he would be with me once he returned. Surely, he sees the reason behind my contributions today. I certainly won't let him jump into war merely due to his bitter emotions!