Queen Victoria’s eyes fluttered open and all she could see was utter darkness. Her head moved sideways and she spotted Lord Richard seated on a chair beside her with his eyes closed. But what was he doing here? Oh! Right. Now she remembered. The dizziness, the falling, and Lord Richard coming to her rescue before she kissed the cold floor. He had been her knight in shining armor when she was a damsel in distress. She had him to thank for that.

Her mind felt foggy when she moved again. She shook her head to clear her mind, but instead of clarity, she was greeted by a wave of weariness that seemed to emanate from the depths of her being. She tried to sit up on her bed but her limbs felt heavy, as if each limb carried an invisible burden. The simple act of moving seemed like an uphill climb, her muscles protesting against the effort.

Why was this happening to her? She rubbed her back as she tried to stay in a sitting position but it felt like she was lifting a heavy load. Attempting to sit up, Queen Victoria felt a sudden twinge in her stomach, followed by a wave of nausea that surged through her. She pressed a hand to her mouth, suppressing the urge to retch. The queasiness subsided momentarily, leaving behind a bitter taste in her mouth. Why was she feeling this way?

The sweet aroma of food hit her nostrils making her stomach to growl. She didn’t know where she got the energy to move from the bed but she found herself standing at the table as she stared at the food that was placed there. Rice and chicken soup were served alongside some chunks of meat. Meat! Yes, she wanted meat. More at that. Without wasting time, her hands grabbed one chunk of the meat and she tore it in her mouth. The sweet taste filled her mouth replacing the retch feeling she had.

A fly suddenly entered the room, the buzzing sound of its wings spreading across the room before it landed softly on Lord Richard’s calm face. It moved on his face, lips, and nose giving him a ticklish feeling. He slapped his face instinctively making the fly go away. He succumbed back to sleep but the annoying fly came again. He opened one of his eyes before he caught it with his hand right on his face.

"Got you," he said smashing it with his hands. He threw it on the floor before he rubbed his eyes and yawned like a cat when he paused midway at the sight that welcomed him. He had to blink twice to believe what he was seeing was real. And there, Queen Victoria was standing, bone after bone of chicken meat falling on the floor constantly. His eyes followed each of her actions as she picked several pieces of meat and ate them in one go.

"Victoria?" He called her startling her. She turned around and looked at him with a surprised face. "What happened?" He asked standing up and stalking towards where she was. He glanced at the table and there was no meat, only rice, soup, and bones. Was she craving meat? But why would she eat that way? The eating behavior she had was nowhere close to that of the queen he knew her to be.

"I... I was just... hungry," was all she managed to say.

Lord Richard just nodded before he gestured for her to sit on the bed, which she gladly did. He tapped her gently on her shoulder before he gave her that look that she really hated. It was those alluring blue eyes of his that had made her fall head over heels for him. He had taken advantage of her when she was at rock bottom and showed her what it meant to live again. That was when her husband suddenly felt sick. She would always stay in her room all day, talking to no one as she silently prayed that he would get better soon. Lord Richard and Alexander were the ones to run state affairs at that time.

She could clearly remember that evening when Lord Richard gave her another chance to live. She had stayed in her room all day after visiting her husband that morning with the hopes she would find him better, to only be informed that the condition he was in was incurable. That had shut all her hopes of ever seeing him back to his old self, alive and kicking. And every time she stepped into that room, she could see it in his eyes. He knew he would die eventually.

And that day, when she received the dreadful news, she refused to eat or drink anything. She just lay coiled in her bed hoping that all the pain and suffering she and her husband were going through would end soon. She just prayed for the quick recovery of her husband.

"Please eat Your Majesty," a maid had tried to plead with her. "The crown prince wouldn’t like it if he finds this out." She of course would use Alexander to force her to eat. But she would not buy that. She didn’t care if the maid told Alexander or not.

The door to the room flew open revealing Lord Richard. He wore that annoying smile on his face as he walked in. He gave the maid a gesture and she understood what he meant. She slightly bowed and left.

"I’ve heard that you’ve refused to eat," he began walking closer to where the queen was coiled on the bed. He could see she had lost weight these last few days. That was not what the king, his friend, would have wanted had he been well.

"This is not what everyone wants for you. You can do better than this Victoria," he called her by her name for the first time. Well, that was as far as she could remember, and she had to admit that it sounded good.