Chapter 300
Kelsey finally snapped upon seeing Willow’s utterly distraught demeanor.
She said, “At a time like this, you’re still wallowing in petty jealousy? If we can’t secure the Queen’s forgiveness, the entire Osborne family will be dragged down with you!”
Kelsey’s words, delivered through gritted teeth, snapped Willow back to her senses.
Willow thought, ‘Yes, there is no time for this now.’
Willow composed herself and said to Kelsey, “Everything is ready. I can accompany you to the palace whenever you wish.”
Kelsey nodded firmly. “We’re leaving right now.”
Kelsey had already sent people to investigate and found that Athena and Xander hadn’t returned to Pidence City yet.
Kelsey thought, ‘Athena and Xander might have been held up. This is the perfect opportunity to seek an audience with the Queen.’
Kelsey and Willow took a carriage to the Imperial Palace, swiftly arriving at Phoenix Hall.
The Queen was at her wit’s end over Athena’s affairs. In the hall, Federal Bureau Chief Leonard Beckham knelt on the ground with panic written all over his face. “Your Highness, Athena is utterly detestable. If she gets her hands on the damning evidence, we’ll be utterly ruined!”
No sooner had Leonard’s words fallen than he was met with the Queen’s icy glare.
His heart lurched with terror, and he quickly lowered his head.
The Queen glared at him, her composed facade barely masking the panic within. “Any word from the operatives that were sent out?”
Leonard wailed, his face ashen with grief, “They’ve all gone silent. If Lord Osborne hadn’t interfered, everything would have gone perfectly. He saved Athena at the last moment, which ruined everything for us.”
The Queen was fuming. Michael’s unexpected appearance had indeed thrown her carefully laid plans into complete disarray.
Just then, the chief palace maid stepped forward and whispered to the Queen, “Your Majesty, Lady Kelsey requests an audience.”
“Let that wretch come in,” the Queen snarled, her face contorted with rage. She was about to summon someone from the Osbornes, but they’d delivered themselves right to her door.
With her head bowed, the chief palace maid withdrew to the outer hall.
She said, “Her Majesty the Queen grants you both an audience.”
Kelsey and Willow, hardly daring to breathe, exchanged a quick, nervous nod before stepping inside.
The moment Kelsey and Willow entered, palpable tension filled the hall.
The Queen sat rigidly on her throne, her face livid as she glared daggers at Kelsey.
The instant Kelsey stepped through the door, the Queen snatched up a cup from the table and hurled it at her.
Neither Kelsey nor Willow dared to dodge; they took the full brunt of the impact.
Blood immediately trickled down from Kelsey’s forehead where she was struck.
Kelsey and Willow immediately dropped to their knees, their voices quivering with fear as they pleaded, “Your Majesty, please calm down. We beg for your mercy!”
The Queen slammed her palm onto the table with a thunderous crash, her voice icy with rage. “How can I possibly calm down? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble your son has caused? Where is he?”
Kelsey stammered with her head bowed low, “Your Majesty, Michael hasn’t returned yet.”
Hearing this, Willow stole a furtive glance at Kelsey.
Willow thought, ‘But Michael is already back. How dare she still deny it? He made a mistake, yet we have to pay for it.’
Willow’s resentment toward Michael now ran deep because of his involvement with Nona.
“Not back yet?” The Queen let out a sharp, mirthless laugh. “Do you really think hiding him means I can’t deal with him?”
At this point, the Queen’s voice suddenly turned razor sharp and menacing.
She jabbed a finger at Kelsey and Willow, her voice dripping with venom as she hissed through clenched teeth, “If anything happens to me, every last one of you will go down with me!”
“Your Majesty.” Everyone in the hall trembled, not daring to meet Her Majesty’s gaze.
In the hall remained only the Queen, Kelsey, Willow, and Leonard.
Now, they were all in the same boat, with no way out.
But Kelsey didn’t see it that way. In her mind, the Osborne family hadn’t been involved in Kurtis’s case at all.
Kelsey fumed inwardly, ‘We were just bystanders. Why should the Osborne family be dragged into this mess, too?’
But despite these thoughts, she bit back her words.
Otherwise, she’d be inviting the Queen’s wrath.
Leonard’s face turned ashen with fear. He whispered a desperate suggestion, “Your Majesty, with Prince Xander now shielding Athena, I’m afraid she may already have gotten her hands on the damning evidence.
“Your Majesty, you must quickly find a way out.
“If this evidence falls into His Majesty’s hands, it will inevitably lead straight to Prince Fermin!”
After a long outburst of fury, the Queen unexpectedly regained her composure.
She fixed her gaze on Leonard and demanded, “Lord Leonard, do you have a solution to this?”
Leonard pondered for a moment before speaking cautiously, “Your Majesty, the truth can no longer be hidden. Athena will surely pursue this matter relentlessly until everything comes to light. In my humble opinion, it would be wiser for Your Majesty to confess to His Majesty voluntarily.
“Your Majesty, as the head of the Six Palaces, you have shared many years with His Majesty. Surely, in consideration of your deep marital bond, His Majesty will show you leniency.”
The Queen turned to Leonard with a cold, sarcastic laugh. “You think His Majesty and I share some deep bond?”
She wore an unsettling smile that made Leonard’s skin crawl.
Kelsey’s back was slick with cold sweat. She cursed inwardly, ‘Leonard is such an utter fool! Everyone knows His Majesty has long since cast the Queen aside. He hasn’t set foot in her chambers for years.