The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 379: Silence

Chapter 379: Silence

Mineah couldn’t help but sigh as she made her way to her friend Niran to give her a visit. Things have started to spiral out of control, and yet she had no power to stop it from happening. Well, she did, but Nikolai had told her that everything was still under control, so she had no choice but to play the damsel in distress even though she had every right to do something about the worsening conditions in the kingdom.

"And that minister wants my hand in marriage too," she mumbled to herself as she seethed in anger. "To think I didn’t notice his plans too..."

It was something of a sore spot for her to know that she had failed to read Ahmed’s thoughts properly. If only she had managed to do so, then Nikolai wouldn’t have had to fake his death and everything would be the way they were before things got worse. The plague ravaging the kingdom probably wouldn’t have existed too if she just managed to suss him out.

As such, all she could do now was sigh to herself just as she reached Niran’s door. It wouldn’t be much, but she wanted to cheer her friend up, and she managed to do something for her that would do exactly that.

"Ah, it’s you, milady," Niran greeted, her tone subdued compared to her usual disposition. "I almost didn’t hear you knock."

"Don’t worry. You still managed to open the door for me, right?" Mineah chuckled as she reassured her friend. "That’s more than enough for me."

Weakly shaking her head, Niran casually ushered her into her room and closed the door behind them. Taking her spot on the nearest empty chair, Mineah couldn’t help but frown as she observed her friend’s movements. She was clearly worried about everything that had happened, and it didn’t help that Raul was currently in prison as well. If only she could tell her everything that was supposed to happen. Unfortunately, Niran wasn’t immune to being hypnotized, so that meant keeping her in the dark to make sure that Nikolai’s plan would still come to fruition.

"Would you like some tea, milady?" Niran asked.

"Anything’s fine, Niran," she replied with a sincere smile.

Watching Niran nod and go through the motions, Mineah took a small breath as she remembered why she was there in the first place.

"Here’s your tea," Niran said with a smile as she served her tea. She then took her seat in front of her as she asked, "So, what brings you here, milady?"

"Honestly, I’m here for you, Niran," Mineah corrected. "You’re worried, right?"

"O-Of course, I am," her friend admitted with a sigh. "With everything that’s happening... It almost feels like it’s all falling apart."

"Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll all turn out fine in the end," she reassured her friend. "I’ll do everything I can to save Raul. In fact, why don’t you visit him right now?"

Niran immediately perked up at the offer, and Mineah couldn’t help but smile at seeing her friend show some life in her eyes again.

"Truly?"

"I pulled some strings to make it happen," Mineah replied with a chuckle. "So if you want, you can visit him right now. You don’t have to keep me company here, you know."

For a brief second, Niran was conflicted on whether or not to do what her queen asked or if she wanted to keep her queen company. In the end, however, Mineah’s warm smile convinced her to take the opportunity to visit her husband.

"I... Thank you, milady," Niran deeply bowed, her voice almost coming out with a sob. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"It’s of no consequence, Niran," Mineah chuckled back as she waved her friend off. "Believe me, I’m doing everything in my power to swing things in our favor. You just have to wait, alright?"

Niran eagerly nodded. "Of course, milady!"

Mineah faintly smiled as she watched Niran all but sprint out of the room, leaving her with her tea as she then let out a soft sigh. While things were still a work in progress, at least she didn’t have to see her friend sulking anymore. At the very least, Niran would perk up after this.

"I hope you the best, Niran," she muttered to herself before taking a sip of her tea. "I really wish I could tell you..."

***

Niran was eager in her steps as she made her way down the dungeons. True to Mineah’s word, she was allowed to see Raul without too many problems, and she could only gasp the moment she saw her husband unconscious in his cell. She saw him being beaten when he was taken away, and she could only hope that he was recovering swiftly. She had hoped that he was awake, but this was fine too. She shouldn’t be too greedy.

"Hey," she weakly greeted, making sure to keep her voice down to not wake him up. "I missed you, Raul..."

Silence responded to her in kind. Despite this, however, she had a feeling that he was hearing her words.

"I don’t know how or why they thought that you’re guilty of everything you supposedly did, but I know you’re innocent," she continued. "I know you, Raul, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t fall in love with a traitor."

She let out a soft chuckle at her own joke. "You know, Queen Mineah’s doing her best out there. No matter what happens, I’m sure she’ll have our backs. I trust her, and I know she’ll do everything in her power to get you out of here."

Another stretch of silence greeted her, and she had a feeling that she wasn’t doing much anymore.

"I should let you rest," she said with a soft smile. "Rest up, alright? I love you, Raul..."

Giving the nearby guard a nod, she then let herself be escorted out of the dungeon. All the while, a small hint of hope began blooming within her. She trusted her queen’s words. Surely, this will all be over soon.