Fated Eclipse: The Illegitimate Princess And Her Alpha Suitors

Chapter 277: The Revenge They Sought

Lyria’s POV

The maids were quiet again, staring at each other with the kind of look that spoke of decisions being weighed, of words being chosen carefully before they were spoken. I observed them carefully, taking in the tension in their shoulders, the way their gazes flickered from one to another, the silent communication that passed between them.

Then Margery spoke.

”I have known you for a long time, Your Highness,” she said. ”And that is the truth. I have watched you from the shadows of this palace for years. I saw the way you carried yourself, the way you endured. But I ignored everything that happened with Princess Jacinta. The abuse you faced. The way she treated you. It shames me, but I thought perhaps you were the reason.”

She paused, her voice dropping lower.

”I assumed something like that. I did. And I was foolish. I should have known that you were not at fault. That it was the princess all along. It was not until I saw exactly how brutal Princess Jacinta was that I realised I had been wrong. The one who was at fault, the one who did wrong, was none other than Princess Jacinta herself. She was the monster. Not you.”

I was still in shock from her words when suddenly her knees met the floor.

Her head bowed until her forehead touched the cold floor.

”Forgive me, Your Highness,” she said. ”For every moment I looked away. For every time I told myself it was not my concern. For every time I let you suffer alone in silence when I could have done something.”

This was highly unexpected.

My eyes widened. I turned to the other maids, but they looked as surprised as I felt. Pippa’s eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open. Bridget’s lips had parted in disbelief. Elara’s expression was unreadable, but even she seemed taken aback by the intensity of Margery’s confession.

”R-raise your h-head,” I said.

Margery did.

Her eyes were glistening, but she held my gaze.

”Regarding the question you asked us, Your Highness, I want revenge,” she said. ”I want to do to Princess Jacinta what she did to me. I want to take from her the same way she took from me. I want to see her ruined. I want to watch her fall from the pedestal she has built for herself. I want her to know what it feels like to lose everything.”

She looked at me directly, her gaze unwavering.

”To do that, I chose you. People may not know it, but you are smart, Your Highness. You observe. You notice. You see things that others miss. And I also know that you hate the royal family. So I approached you to ally with me. I knew that if anyone could help me bring her down, it would be you.”

Pippa spoke up next, her voice fierce.

”I want revenge too,” she said. ”I must return the favour. I must make them pay for what they took from me.”

Debbie nodded, her expression grim.

”I want that as well,” she said.

Elara’s voice was calm and steady.

”So do I.”

Bridget’s voice followed, quiet but certain.

”And I.”

I stared at them one by one, taking in the weight of their words, the fury that burned beneath their composed exteriors.

”I have n-no power,” I said. ”I h-have no army, no allies, n-no influence. What makes you t-think I can h-help you?”

Elara chuckled then.

”Power can be gotten, Your Highness,” she said. ”It is not given. It is taken. And besides, the royal family’s influence is dwindling. The subjects are seeing just how incapable they are. Territories turn their noses up at their existence. The cracks are already forming. We merely need to widen them.”

I shook my head slowly.

”E-even if that is true, do you r-really think I would be able to a-ally with those nobles? I am i-illegitimate, and they h-hate it. They would n-never follow me. They would never s-support me. And even if the r-royal family’s p-power is d-dwindling, it is n-not enough. There are p-people who benefit from this b-bad governance. They gain m-more power because of it and would do a-anything to keep the royal family seated because they b-benefit from the fact that they have power.”

There was a beat of silence, and I noticed Bridget observing me, her eyes sharp.

”Your Highness, are you willing to help us just like that?” she asked. ”You do not suspect us?”

I held her gaze.

”I do s-suspect you,” I said. ”And I am n-not asking these questions because I am willing to help you.”

I was quiet for a moment, letting my words settle.

Debbie spoke then, her voice thoughtful.

”You are trying to get what you want,” she said. ”You need to understand us. You are trying to gather that information before you decide whether to trust us. You are testing us.”

I nodded slowly.

”There m-must be a reason you p-picked me,” I said. ”But I have n-no power. So what is y-your plan?”

Elara answered, her voice calm.

”There are people from whom you can gain power, Your Highness,” she said. ”But to answer your question, I picked you because I see potential. Because you are different. Because there is more to you than meets the eye.”

She smiled softly.

”I know the look of someone who is on the verge of giving up while still clinging to hope all too well. You have that look.”

She paused.

”But mostly...” she said quietly, ”you hate the royal family. Surely you do not intend to let them walk away freely after everything they have done to you?”

I stared at her.

Once more, I felt as though Elara knew more than she was letting on. Did she know about Patricia? Was that it?

I was not certain.

But the way she looked at me, the way she spoke, made me think she had seen more of my suffering than she had ever admitted.

And she was right.

I did not intend to let the royal family go free for what they had done to me.

For Patricia especially.

I might not be able to destroy them completely, but I could do something.

I could make them suffer.

”I may n-not be able to give you the r-revenge y-you seek, though,” I said.