The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 321: Destroy Everyone

The news reached King Edward before midnight.

Eunuch Liam knelt beside the desk and spoke in a low voice. "Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth fainted during the arrest. The physician has examined her."

Edward did not look up. "Speak."

"She is with child."

Edward’s hand paused.

Silence filled the chamber.

"Bring another physician," he said at last. He would not believe anything that came from Elizabeth. What if this was her plan to escape punishment? "One who answers only to me."

Before dawn, two senior physicians stood before the king. They examined Elizabeth again, checked her pulse, her breath, her belly. They whispered to each other, then bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty," the elder said, "there is no mistake. The queen is truly with child."

Edward leaned back slowly. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He had hoped it was one of her schemes.

For a brief moment, anger rose again in his chest. He had planned to end it all cleanly—divorce her, strip her name, and even order her death. A traitor deserved no mercy. He wanted to use this incident to show goodwill; this way everyone would know he did not target Ernest, the man who was loyal to him.

Especially since news of Ernest had reached the palace the previous day. It was reported that Anastasia had also given birth, but because of the early birth, the children might not live past a few days.

But the child changed everything.

A royal child.

His child.

If he killed her now, the court would erupt. Many might even say he was using her as a scapegoat. The nobles would not stay silent. The priests would speak of cursed blood and broken law. The throne would shake.

Edward closed his eyes.

"I cannot kill her," he said quietly. "And I cannot cast her away."

The physicians lowered their heads.

"But she will no longer be queen." Edward made a decision. His eyes opened, cold and sharp.

"Draft the decree," Edward said. "Elizabeth is stripped of her title. She is forbidden from court, from council, from all royal duties."

"And her residence?" Eunuch Liam asked.

"Send her to the Western Courtyard," Edward replied. "The old one. Far from the inner palace. She will live there under guard. Her crime should also be known to all." He had no plans of covering for her, especially since he would be the one to bear the blame if he did.

"No visitors without my order. No letters sent or received."

He paused, then added, "She will be treated well. The child must not be harmed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

By morning, the decree spread through the palace.

Queen Elizabeth was no longer queen.

She was led from her chambers in silence, her crown removed, her silk robes replaced with plain cloth. Guards walked on both sides as she passed through halls she once ruled.

The Western Courtyard gates closed behind her with a dull, final sound.

Elizabeth smiled and touched her stomach. She believed that this child had come at the right time. She had heard whispers that the king was planning to kill her. As long as there was life, she had hope. If this child turned out to be a son, then perhaps she might even have a bright future.

After all, she had taken advantage of Dorothy’s confinement to poison her. Now Dorothy would not be able to bear another child.

If she had a son, he would be the eldest and have a claim to the throne.

...

Dorothy was released the same day.

The guards who once watched her with cold eyes now bowed and stepped aside. She walked out of confinement with her back straight, her face calm, as if she had always known this day would come.

"I knew I was right to expose the truth to General Ernest," Dorothy said. She had been confined to her courtyard, so she did not know what was going on within the palace.

"My lady is very wise," the maid by her side said.

King Edward summoned her.

"There was injustice done to you," he said, his voice steady. "You were framed, and you suffered for it."

Dorothy lowered her head. "I thank Your Majesty for seeing the truth." Although she had grievances against the king, she could not show them with many servants present.

"From this day, your position changes."

The king ordered that all palace matters pass through her hands. The inner court, the servants, the storehouses, even the guards—everything was placed under her authority. Stewards waited for her approval. Orders spoken in her voice were carried out without delay.

She moved through the palace with ease, giving calm instructions, correcting errors, rewarding loyalty.

Although no crown rested on her head.

No official decree named her queen.

Yet everyone could see it.

The palace answered to Dorothy. It was only a matter of time before she was crowned.

Whispers followed her through the halls.

"Do you think she will really become queen?" some whispered.

"Given the way the king treats her, definitely," another answered. "Don’t forget she already bore the eldest prince."

Servants bowed lower.

Nobles smiled carefully. Even those who once doubted her now watched her with respect.

Dorothy noticed it all.

At night, alone in her chambers, she would look at the empty space where a crown should be. She did not rush. She did not demand.

She believed time was on her side.

Elizabeth was gone. Confined. Forgotten.

And she stood at the center of power with the king’s love.

"It is only a matter of time," Dorothy told herself softly.

Then she touched her stomach. She wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible, especially when she learned that Elizabeth was pregnant.

Her first son was no longer fit for the throne.

...

The news spread quickly through the royal city.

At first, it was whispered behind closed doors. Then, once the king’s decree was issued, it was spoken openly in markets and tea houses. Soon, everyone knew.

The queen had poisoned her own sister and tried to frame the king’s mistress but failed, framing an innocent cook instead. The king directed the story that spread, afraid that he would be dragged into it.

The queen had brought chaos into the palace.

People were shocked. Then they were angry.

"She was smiling while doing such evil," someone said.

"A woman with a heart like that does not deserve the throne," another cursed.

In the streets, her name was spoken with disgust. Vendors spat on the ground when they heard it. Old women shook their heads and called her a curse to the kingdom.

Some even said the disasters of the past months were her doing, a punishment from the heavens.

Children threw stones at the palace walls and shouted insults. Guards chased them away, but the anger did not fade.

"If you ask me, locking her in some private courtyard is not punishment enough," people said.

"She is lucky she is still alive."

By the end of the day, Elizabeth’s name had become a stain.

Noble ladies who had not enjoyed her favor or had envied her celebrated her fall. A few even wondered if they would have a chance, but hearing that the king had put his mistress in charge of palace affairs, they began to give up. Others still looked down on her in their hearts for being from a humble background.

...

Ernest’s residence

The news reached Ernest by nightfall.

He was standing beside Anastasia’s bed when a guard delivered the message in a low voice. Ernest listened without interrupting. His face did not change. He had known all along; he had just wanted it to come into the open.

Anastasia had been awake. She had grown thinner, her face pale, but her eyes were clear. At his words, she slowly closed them.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

"I knew she hated me," Anastasia finally spoke, her voice weak but steady. "I did not know she wished me dead. She was already queen—why come after me?" Anastasia had never believed it was a mistake. She had suspected Dorothy; she did not expect to be wrong.

Ernest moved closer and took her hand, careful not to wake the infants sleeping nearby. The twins lay wrapped in soft cloth, their chests rising and falling in shallow breaths.

"Although the danger is not over, she cannot touch you again," Ernest said.

Anastasia turned her head and looked at the children. A faint smile touched her lips.

"They are still here," she whispered. "That is enough for me."

The physician had said there was hope. The twins were fragile, but they had cried at birth. They had taken milk. Each hour they survived was a blessing.

Ernest watched them in silence. His chest felt tight with relief and regret.

"I should have protected you better," he said softly.

Anastasia shook her head. "You did," she replied. "We are alive." She knew that he was blaming himself.

"No, I should have been more careful," Ernest said. He did not feel comforted.

"What do you plan to do with Physician Nathan? He has been here for a while," Anastasia asked, seeing that she could not comfort him and changing the subject.

"I will send him back to the palace tomorrow," Ernest said.

"Physician Nathan is loyal to the royal family..." Anastasia was worried. She then confessed that the one who had truly tried to poison her back at the palace was Physician Nathan, acting on the late king’s order.

Hearing that, Ernest balled his hand into a fist.

"Don’t worry. I have my plans," Ernest said. He swore to destroy everyone associated with King George.