Hello! Im back! I be taking foreeeeeever.

I hope you guys like this chapter.

Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them.

Donutdreams28: Minho was just teasing Newt about being locked in with Roan lolololo. Thanks for reviewing!

kalisfandomstories: Im excited too! Thanks for the continued suppport.

Chapter 35

The broken wax was starting to stick to my fingers as I broke the fifth candlestick. The fire in the hearth was quickly disappearing but my frustration was not.

What if Newt had been delirious from exhaustion?

I had been running from my feelings, perhaps if I had faced them sooner, I wouldn't be on the verge of a fainting spell.

Not even smelling salts would calm my stomach.

What would happen now? What did Newt mean by 'Be my wife'?

By all means, we were married, not in every way but at the end of the day we were still married. I was an idiot. An idiot with an infatuation that was quickly spiraling out of control.

Breaking candlesticks and tossing them into the fireplace had given temporary relief but it wasn't enough of a distraction.

Minho, Newt, and I were all supposed to meet after dinner to go over what he had learned the previous night. Newt had a day full of meetings, meetings I was not allowed to attend. Minho had his guard duties to carry out. That left me to take care of a prime target.

The candlestick in my hand split in two at the thought of having to negotiate with Isabelle.

I had no idea how I was going to make it through my tea with Isabelle.

Sitting on the loveseat, I could feel my heart palpitate nervously. My arms felt weak and I was digging my fingers into my palm. I did my best to not rock back and forth. The nervous energy was eating me up.

I had worn one of my better dresses, Agnes had braided my hair in an intricate bun and I made sure to wear one of the more opulent necklaces that I had at my disposal.

Isabelle was one of the more fashionable ladies of the court so I couldn't possibly be underdressed to my own tea party.

I had rehearsed in my head what I planned to say. I was going to see how much she knew about Thomas, assure her of her sibling's well-being, and see if I could persuade her to bugger off.

Teresa was haphazardly setting up the tea table, she had knocked a couple things over and her hands were shaking visibly.

The guilt started to prick at my heart. It was not fair to subject her to this tea just to make myself feel better.

"You know what Teresa? Send Sonya in? We'll handle things just f-"

Before I could finish, the sitting room's oors opened, and in strutted the object of half of my nuisances.

It was irritating how her golden hair was always coiffed to perfection. The mauve dress made her look like the image of womanly perfection. The confident smirk on her face was, however, her crowning jewel.

"Your majesty," Isabelle curtsied and then took the seat across.

She turned her attention towards a skittish Teresa "Congratulations on your nuptials, I suppose I should start referring to you as your grace from now on. Although, it was a rushed affair wasn't it?"

Isabelle's eyes returned towards me, a triumphant glint lighting her blue eyes.

The mind games had begun.

"Well, it seemed like the best choice considering the circumstances. Now, Janson has taken care of some of your father's debts but it seems you are still not satisfied," I picked up a teacup in an attempt to appear indifferent to the tense atmosphere "I think we can come to some sort of agreement, don't you?"

Isabelle laughed and leaned back on the loveseat. "I've already made my request to Newt, he knows what I want."

Her casual use of Newt's name made me want to set the room on fire.

I gave her a forced smile and placed my teacup in its saucer.

"And I know that you were soundly denied. So I am here to offer you some terms."

Isabelle narrowed her eyes at me, her scrutinizing gaze taking me in.

"You changed your majesty. The little scared mountain girl has been replaced. Or perhaps that was all an act… perhaps this is an act." Isabelle motioned towards me with her eyebrows.

Mother's voice started to ring in my ears.

"Now remember Roan in any negotiation you must never lose yourself to emotion, if you do your opponent will surely best you."

I wanted to fight Isabelle like an adolescent stable boy.

Isabelle was trying to use her confidence to gain the upper hand. If I let it affect me, I'd lose any authority.

"Well we all put on an act, don't we? For example, you play demure and chaste for Lord Benjamin…but the truth."

Isabelle's smile didn't falter "And what truth would that be? Your majesty."

I sipped from my tea before answering "Oh well you know, your previous position of royal mistress. It's not a secret. Pity you were never officially appointed, you had a real knack for it."

I watched Isabelle's gaze turn cold and her practiced smile falter. It was only for a second before she was back to her usual performance.

"Newt is a little confused at the moment. I'm sure he'll regain his senses and things will go back to normal. I'd enjoy his attention while you have it…your majesty."

The audacity.

"I don't think I have anything to worry about but you on the other hand do. Three things to worry about actually. I would absolutely hate for the Health council to turn its attention to your three brothers."

The color on Isabelle's rosy cheeks faded and her relaxed pose stiffened.

I had her.

A part of me felt downright vile and the words I spoke felt foreign in my mouth but Isabelle had really left me no choice.

"I care for my cousin, you see," I said, leaning forward to pour some tea into Isabelle's teacup. "He can be such a fool at times and I just hate when people take advantage of that. I'd prefer if we could all just…not have to worry ourselves about the health council, wouldn't you agree?"

Isabelle slowly nodded and picked up her cup.

"Which is why I would like to offer your brothers some sort of protection, in exchange, you will forget all about Thomas's mishaps."

I watched as Isabelle pondered my words. Blood was starting to thump in my ears; I was desperate for her to agree.

"What type of protection? No one will marry them due to their lack of patronage."

I sipped my tea once again; I needed something to calm my faltering façade.

"The Palace guard seems like a good fit. If they do well, they might even be appointed as Knights. If they cause trouble…the king's roads always need more helping hands."

Isabelle placed her cup down and straightened up. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"You have information to use against my cousin. I want to keep him safe. Seems pretty straightforward to me."

Isabelle sat silently for what felt like an eternity, I didn't want to speak and give my desperation away.

"Fine. I concede but I expect my brothers to be placed accordingly to the weight of what I know."

I nodded my head "Of course. You're more than excused."

Isabelle curtsied once more before she left. As soon as the door clicked behind her, I let out a groan and slumped down.

"It looks like that worked your majesty."

My entire being had been so enveloped in Rosemary I had all but forgotten about Teresa.

"I sure hope so." I took a big gulp from my tea and then leaned my head back against the loveseat. I needed a moment.

"Although, do you not think it odd that Janson's bribe wasn't enough? It doesn't make any sense."

I turned my head towards Teresa.

"Teresa darling, I think we have enough to worry about before we start looking at the financials of Isabelle's father."

Once I regained my bearings, I decided to finally get to the task I had been itching to do.

The removal of all the awful curtains.

I was giddy as I bounded through the halls, Alby hot on my trail.

Newt decided Alby was too smart to be just a valet and promoted him to the steward of the King's household. The old one apparently had lost the majority of his sight and mainly wandered through the castle looking for servants to berate. The old man had been retired with a generous yearly stipend.

My chest flourished warmly at the thought of Newt's consideration for the elderly steward.

A smile had made its way to my face and I was eager for dinner to come around. I would get to see Newt. It quickly turned to paranoia, varying versions of how I would ruin our newfound peace circulating.

I turned towards the vast expanse of curtains that covered the palace windows.

"Do you see this nonsense Alby? Three sets of curtains over the windows. It's unnecessary. The winters aren't cold enough here for such measures. We will keep the thickest curtains and the other two sets are going to be cut up and turned into blankets for the poor. We will hire some women from the poorest quarters to do this and pay them 10 shillings for each blanket they produce."

Alby had a nervous look on his face.

"Your majesty, where will we get the money for this? Lord Bass has expressed his desire for some restraint after the recent events. The wedding, the coronation, the attack…they've all hit the purse rather harshly."

I smiled at Alby.

"Alby I come with my own money, Lord Bass does not need to concern himself. The Modeicci fortune will fund this entirely."

Alby pursed his lips in doubt "I do not think the Dowager Queen will take well to this. She likes the palace to look opulent. If you are hoping to gain favor with the commoners, I would like to recommend something else, your majesty."

Any other servant would have already relented and stayed quiet. I could see why Newt had promoted Alby.

"Enlighten me then," I said, crossing my arms.

"Well the people enjoy seeing the royal family ride by in the royal carriage but we could take it further. We could visit some of the orphanages or the laundresses. The king could visit male places of employment. Taking time to listen to the people would prove beneficial."

"And at the end, we leave them blankets and food, all funded by my family. Brilliant idea Alby, have it arranged."

I turned from Alby and began heading down the hallway, excitement was pouring out of my pores. This is exactly the thing I wanted to be involved in.

"Your majesty!" Alby raced after me "I must insist the Queen mother will be very upset. We must give her something in return for tearing the curtains off the walls."

I stopped and turned to face Alby.

He seemed anxious, the wooden writing slab kept slipping from his grasp.

The poor boy must be overwhelmed by his new position.

"All right Alby, if you insist on appeasing the Queen mother, weren't you urging me to make a decision on the color for the summer season? Let's have the Queen Mother decide what all the young ladies will wear while they hunt for husbands."

"That is a step in the right direction but she will need more, your majesty."

I groaned.

"Fine she can also design the set up for the gardens this summer too. I have no interest in arranging plants. Now we need to speak to the head stewardess on all of this unnecessary sacking of my staff."

I took off once again, not missing the dejected sigh that escaped Alby.

The sun's rays were inching out of the new quarters, leaving a cold and empty feeling.

The rooms had been empty since the death of Newt's father. The furniture was covered by white sheets but heavy dust still clung along the floors and walls.

"Well Agnes, these are certainly bigger but I do not know if I am a fan."

Agnes wandered around the new room, her nose scrunched.

"The air is dirty. We must use herbs to clean it and there is not enough light. The mattress must be replaced. The former king's illness could have seeped in. I shall take care of it all before tonight, your majesty."

I bristled at Agnes's words

"Agnes, do not call me your majesty. It makes it feel like you don't know me at all."

Agnes frowned at me, her feet shuffling in indecision.

"There is something I must tell you."

Wonderful, more unrequited information.

"I have received a letter from your mother," Agnes avoided eye contact by looking at the ceiling, "She urges me…to keep track of your sheets. She wants to know….if the marriage had been consummated….she also says that if you do not conceive by the end of the year…she will be forced to intervene."

My stomach squeezed at Agnes's words and I could feel my face turn cold as the blood left it.

"W-when did she…when was this letter delivered?"

Agnes finally met my eyes; a sheepish red overcrowded her face.

"Last night, I did not know if to tell you but I figured it would be best to do so."

No grandiose gift could ever replace a loyal servant.

"Thank you for telling me, Agnes. I will…think of something to do."

Agnes nodded before curtsying and hurriedly exiting the room.

I blew out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

I had only briefly and jarringly ever thought about consummating my marriage.

The thought could only exist for a couple of seconds before it was readily rejected by a wave of fear and anxiousness.

Newt was agreeable and I had found myself drawn to his presence but… consummating the marriage….that was a field of study I was severely underqualified in.

I could not be expected to take the lead in the matter. I was a prudish being.

However, the curiosity to know what Newt thought seemed too enticing to ignore. I could always dance around the subject and see what I could gather. After dinner seemed like the best time to garnish the information I impatiently wanted.

"The count is eager to marry but after this affair…"

Sonya was mindlessly chirping the daily gossip into my ear as she prepped me for dinner. Not that I cared much but it was always good to stay informed on the happenings of the palace.

I was trying my best not to fall asleep when the doors to the new quarters creaked open.

My whole body tensed when I saw Newt through the reflection of the vanity.

He looked around the room before sighing and throwing his overcoat unto the new mattress Agnes had found.

I was frozen as I watched him approach me but I didn't miss the cheeky smirk Sonya was trying to hide.

"All done your majesty," Sonya smoothed my hair one last time before stepping back "You are all ready for dinner."

Sonya curtsied and rushed out of the room rather quickly. It was as if she was eager to vacate the premises.

With my lips pressed together, I turned to face Newt.

I had not interacted with him since last night. Any excitement I had felt previously turned into sheer panic.

Newt had a soft smile as his eyes examined the top of my head to the bottom of my dress.

"Gold suits you love," Newt said, approaching.

I could feel my blood thump in my ears and the heat of it color my face brightly.

Something needed to fill the space created by the palpable tension.

"I-I've just …I have…I talked to Isabelle she's agreed to our terms and-"

Before I could finish, Newt shook his head and held out his hand.

"No business love. I just finished a three-hour council meeting about import tithes."

I nodded my head "Sorry, I just…I got nervous."

Newt cupped my face, rubbing his thumb on my cheek.

"Are you saying I make you nervous, your majesty?"

My eyes widened and I gasped. This was torture.

"No. I was nervous…because….I-"

"Because I make you nervous. It's all right, you can admit it."

Newt's mischievous smirk only fueled the fire of irritation that started to burn in my chest.

I pulled my head from his grasp and grabbed onto his collar, pulling slightly.

"Absolutely not. I think you're nervous"

Newt reached out and pulled me into him by my waist, making my legs feel like my bones had disintegrated.

"Of course I'm nervous; there is a gorgeous woman in my private quarters."

I could have died then.

I was tongue-tied as I stared up at Newt.

"Something wrong Ronnie? You usually have something to say by now."

The man was enjoying inflicting this torture upon me. Newt knew I never knew what to do when things started to take a more intimate turn.

I needed to regain some sort of control.

Avoiding any chance to second-guess myself, I pulled Newt down into a kiss.

His surprise quickly turned into eagerness. His lips were just as soft as yesterday's and all the panic that had been flooding me, quickly dissipated.

I cupped Newt's face, the warmth of his face spreading to my fingers, down my arms, and to the rest of my body. A strange longing started to twist through me; it scared me enough to pull away.

I leaned my forehead against Newts.

"You need to get ready for dinner," I whispered against Newt's lips.

He pressed his lips against mine, it was a light and quick kiss before he backed away to change.

With a flushed face, I leaned against the table of the vanity.

Roan from four months ago would have stabbed me in the eye for all the lip-locking I had been participating in.

"I would insist your majesty that the gallery collection of paintings is of great value…"

Lord Bass was eagerly controlling the conversation at the head of the table while the end of the table was dominated by Antonietta.

I knew technically I was supposed to be leading the conversation but I couldn't be bothered. I was preoccupied with watching Rosemary.

She seemed just as always, a demure and decorous lady. The epitome of courtly behavior and manners.

If only she knew what I did.

I didn't understand matters of the heart well, the concept terrified me. Love could have been the only thing to motivate someone like Rosemary to get involved with a knight. She risked demotion, squalor, and death. The extra payments the knight was receiving were another alarming factor of the situation.

As if we didn't have enough problems. If ruling over a court was going to be like this, I would have a receding hairline in two years.

The best thing to do was to marry Rosemary as quickly as possible to Prince Winston and get her out of the country. As far away from the knight as possible.

A knight who I was eager to identify.

Minho must already have met him as a guard himself but I doubted I had ever run into the man.

I had been so enthralled in my musings, that when the table turned quiet and I felt the eyes of everyone around me that I realized I had been asked a question.

I stared at Lady Bass, confounded as to what I could possibly say.

After another grueling silence, Lady Bass seemed to realize she needed to repeat her question.

"You must pardon me your majesty, but as I said, I can't help but wonder if we will be blessed with an heir this upcoming summer. I just love the sight of a wee babe."

The tone of her voice was gleeful, but the glint in her eye carried an ulterior motive.

I glanced at Newt who was gripping his golden fork tightly.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. I wasn't going to let her humiliate me in front of the whole dinner table.

"Well Lady Bass, I'll have you know that the king and eye take our duties very seriously. And ensuring a future heir is something we have been working arduously at."

The stifled snickers and barely contained giggles of the dinner guests only seared in the sting of my indecent response.

I struggled to keep the smirk off my face as Lady Bass forced a smile and tilted her head in acceptance of my words.

"Well that is good the hear, your majesties"

Lady Bass looked away, slight irritation seeping through her forced smile.

My triumphant attitude quickly melted away to mortifying embarrassment when Newt caught my eye.

I looked away quickly and concentrated on the meal I had been mostly ignoring.

With certainty, an awkward exchange was headed my way.

Minho had the servant's set tea before we entered the Kings council room. I had only been there once.

The images of a barefoot Georgios trying to intimidate Thomas and I were inked into my brain.

Uncle Georgios had disappeared to mourn his son, but I doubted he would be gone for long.

Instead of the original darkness, the council room was lit with candles, and I could actually see.

I was pacing uniformly back and forth. Minho was slouched on one of the chairs around the advisors' table. We were waiting for Newt, he had been held up after dinner, I wasn't exactly annoyed at the outcome.

"If you don't stop pacing, I will tie you to a chair," Minho said, annoyance radiating from his tone.

I glared at the maze guard "What does it matter to you if I'm up? I'm no-

Before I could finish, the council room door opened to allow Newt and Thomas in.

I choked on my spit and lowered my gaze. I still couldn't bring myself to look Newt in the eyes after what I had said.

"I caught Thomas up earlier in the day; we need to formulate a plan to figure out who is paying the guard the money, how to transfer him without suspicion, and how to get Isabelle married to Prince Winston quicker than what we had agreed to." Newt walked past me without a glance and took a seat at the head of the table.

His down-to-business tone made Minho sit straight up and I hurried to slip into a chair as unseen as possible. Thomas stood at the far end of the table

"I made a casual excuse to see him today. He's always been a handsome lad, was tempted myself." Minho's joke was ill-fated for Newt's grim expression "He's a good guard I'm sure it would be no issue to promote him."

"Any Ideas where we could place him? He can't be demoted: it would arise too much attention." Newt was looking so intently at Minho that I couldn't help but want to disappear into my chair,

I had never seen Newt like this, so determined and matter-of-fact. It was very kingly. I missed the softness he usually displayed.

"I heard the Warden of the Bay has been struggling. We could add the guard as an assistant. Making sure the piers and ships that are coming into port are as they should be is no easy task."

I hadn't heard Thomas speak normally in a long time. It was refreshing to hear his usual voice void of resentment.

Newt paused for a moment before he nodded. "Very well, I'll task you with the transfer Minho. On to the next matter, how do we get Rosemary married now."

The table fell silent,Minho blowing air out of his mouth was the only sound.

Without looking at Newt, rather than at the wall behind him, I steeled myself to talk.

"We could write them and say that traveling a year from now would be too difficult for us due to the winter ice. A summer wedding would make things easier for the royal entourage to be able to attend the nuptials. They should get the hint we would like a quick marriage."

As he had done before, Newt paused before accepting.

"I will have the Royal Correspondent send a missive tomorrow. Now we need to figure out the why and the how of the money."

Minho raised his hand "I got my people on it. We should hear something by the end of the week."

Newt nodded and slapped his hands on the table lightly. "Everything seems squared away, lets's meet again once Minho's people hear something. Now, if you don't mind, my wife and I have a matter to attend to." Newt motioned towards the door and Minho and Thomas got the hint.

As he left the room, Minho gave me a devious smirk. The jerk. Thomas was still ardently ignoring me.

I stared at the grooves of the wooden table long past the shutting of the door. It wasn't until I heard Newt sigh and lean back on his chair that I looked up.

"So we've been arduously working have we?"

A hot red enveloped my face as I fiddled with the hem of my sleeve.

"No we haven't but…but she wanted to embarrass me Newt!"

My poor attempt at defending myself left me feeling like a petulant child.

I finally looked at Newt and was shocked to find a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Ronnie, love…you've just made an enemy of the Purse Bearers wife, at dinner of all places," Newt stood from his kingly chair and walked around the table. He placed his palms on my shoulder and leaned his head close to my ear.

"And last time I checked, the closest we've ever been to arduously working is when I accidentally walked in during your bath."

At his words, I sprung up and turned to face him. The chair wasn't enough space between us.

"I wasn't going to let her embarrass me in front of the court and I think I can handle Lady Bass, your majesty."

Newt rolled his eyes "Oh Roan, ever on the defensive. Let's go to bed, we have some arduous work ahead of us."

I became a heaping pile of red.

I narrowed my eyes; I would not be me if I let him get away with his teasing.

"Well I mean it will happen eventually won't it?"

Newt stopped in his tracks, I could see his shoulders tense at the implication.

I walked past him but not before adding a final stroke

"I only hope you can deliver, after all, we both know I'm fertile ground."