Ash's POV

I was the first to spring up from my chair before beckoning the rest of the room to stay seated, except for my mother and Evelyn. I struggled to keep my pace at a brisk walk as the guards and the chambermaid trailed behind us to the guest quarters Lady Arabella had been staying in.

"I-I served her afternoon tea as usual and when I went back to collect the dishes, she lay unconscious on her desk! She's not responsive to me." The maid stuttered.

The footsteps nearly drowned out the tension in the air as we made our way up the winding cobblestone stairs to the West Tower.

I stopped in front of the door, which was left slightly ajar, finding that my hand trembled as it extended in midair at the knob. Evelyn's gentle touch steadied my anxiety.

"Go on, open it." My mother ordered, unable to bear the suspense.

I turned to face the small crowd that had formed, "No one is allowed in with us until I give the approval."

"Yes, your highness." They confirmed in unison.

I opened the door and showed Evelyn and my mother in before closing it behind us. Evelyn let out an audible gasp as my mother found a nearby chest to support her weight. I remained stoic as ever while looking at my grandmother's lifeless form hunched over the desk. Her face was turned away from us, her hands stiffly hung by her sides.

Next to the empty teacup, neatly arranged in a vase, sat an infamous bunch of low hanging purple flower buds. Most of them had been cut from the stem and a mortar and pestle had finished the job. I took a step closer to see that the cup still had some remnants in the bottom.

"Belladonna poisoning." I muttered.

"Maybe she figured it was a better way to go than being hanged." Ev said.

I didn't blame her. Poisoning seemed like a much more peaceful death and she did get to miss the public scrutiny.

Yet, I still couldn't find it within myself to sympathize with her.

My mother approached near her, finding something peculiar.

"She left a note."

I watched as my mother carefully reached over Lady Arabella's body to pick up the letter that lay next to her head. She brought it close to her face in order to make out her overdone cursive penmanship.

After a few moments, she began orating, "By the time you find this letter, I have already passed onto the next world. Some may see this as cowardice, but I believe I made a courageous decision to protect my pride and dignity - even in death she's insufferable!" My mother interrupted before regaining her composure, "Smite my name as you may, my dear grandson, but know that you would not be where you are today had I not made the decision to get rid of Annesley. Despite your unconventional legislation and radical ideology, I believe that you still make a better King than any descendant from his bloodline would have. You have already surpassed your father. I only wish that..." My mother's words faltered.

I took the letter from her hands and finished reading the last few lines, "I only wish that I had gotten to know you and Adele better, to have been a real grandmother. Perhaps I lost that right the moment my aged hands became tainted with blood. Without a doubt, I would commit the same sins again if they secured this future for us. God bless this land and our family with an heir that will continue to brighten the future."

I heard Evelyn groan, "Even in death, she doesn't forget about pressuring me for an heir."

I smiled back at her, not knowing how else to react. I couldn't help fixate on her lifeless form, filing away the scene to process later. After a few moments of silence, I let out a long sigh.

"I suppose we should clear the room out."

My mother denied, "We're not moving this body until the hanging tomorrow."

I gave her an incredulous look, "What?!"

"She didn't die - not yet. She was just in a deep sleep."

"Aunt Claire, what do you mean?" Ev piped in.

"The public will be in outrage if they find out she killed herself before justice was served, and then we'd be criticized for not moving fast enough or not properly arresting her like we did with Annesley. Tensions are high enough as it is, we can't risk tipping the scale."

I had not thought that far yet.

I gave my mother a thoughtful look, "But we can't lie. That's what brought us into this mess."

Her expression was solemn, her eyes grim, "We can if it's to survive through this fiasco. Everything will be normal again tomorrow morning, as soon as those two bodies dangle off of a rope. The spectacle of it is all we need for this to pass over."

Evelyn placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "She's right. Even if we were to release a statement on suicide, the public won't be satisfied. There's no way Lady Arabella could get a proper burial, but I can imagine many people demanding proof of her death considering our history. It would be a mess to parade her body through the kingdom while Annesley was hung and thrown into an unmarked grave."

I ran my fingers through my hair and frustration tinged my words, "Can we please talk about this away from my grandmother's corpse?"

My mother agreed, "I'll send everyone away and explain the situation to Sir William. He will station his men so that no one can enter this room. I want you to go dismiss the council, assure them that everything is okay."

I nodded in affirmation before turning around, Evelyn following in suit. As we made our way down the corridor, I could hear my mother reassuring the small crowd that had formed.

"Lady Arabella wishes to be left alone, she was just in a deep slumber. The court proceedings had left her unbelievably stressed." Her voice faded as we descended the stairs in a calmer manner than we ascended them moments earlier.

I stopped outside the meeting room, taking in Evelyn's countenance. She was rattled, it was made obvious by her reddened cheeks and perspiring forehead. Her lips pursed into a concerned line.

I took her hands into mine and looked into her eyes, "It's okay. It will be okay."

She nodded, unable to find her words. She was in no state to blatantly lie to a room filled with nobility.

"Do you think you could wait in the study for me?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, failing to regain her composure, before nodding once more.

I planted a quick kiss on her forehead, "I'll meet you there in just a minute."

It pained me to watch her walk away in that dazed state, as if the weight of what had happened just hit her all at once like a block of bricks.

"This has to be done." I breathed to myself, before entering to face the room of confused faces.

"What happened?" Annabelle was the first to speak up.

I plastered on a reassuring smile, "She just fainted. The court proceedings must have taken a toll on her, especially with her old age. But there will be no changes to our plan, we'll proceed as agreed upon."

The room seemed calmer as members of the Royal Court gathered their belongings and filed out of the room. I held Sir William back and was careful to ensure that the room had emptied before speaking again.

"Lady Arabella is dead." I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Momentary shock flashed across his face, "But what about the execution?"

"My mother wants the arrangements made so that her corpse is hung."

Sir William hesitated before answering, "That's... highly unconventional, but I suppose it could be done. Utmost secrecy is needed."

"Exactly, which is why I want your men tightly guarding that room these next few hours. Not a single person can enter or even suspect that's it's my grandmother's corpse in that room."

Sir William nodded, "Of course. The only issue would be transporting her to the gallows. We might manage with two men flanking her, but she will undoubtedly look unconscious."

"We can say it's a fainting spell... or tar her eyelids open, I don't know! The public just can't know that she escaped punishment this way, we'd lose everything we've worked towards all this time."

He nodded, "I completely understand. We'll take care of it, I will go speak to the Queen Mother too."

I gave him an appreciative pat on the back.

Even in death, that hag was a pain in the ass.