Everett shifted in his seat, his gaze darting from face to face. "And what of an investigation?" he asked, the impatience creeping into his voice.
Caldur turned to him, a tired sigh escaping his lips. "An investigation?" He arched a brow, his expression unreadable, but the weariness in his eyes betrayed his frustration. "For what purpose?"
"To find out who was responsible for the queen's abduction," Everett answered, his fingers tapping anxiously on the arm of his chair. "Do you not see the necessity?"
"I don't see the need for a full investigation. The queen is not dead." His words, though spoken with conviction, had an edge of finality to them.
Everett's eyes narrowed, his lips pressed into a tight line. "She may very well be," he said, his voice lowering.
Thurston slammed a fist against the table, the sound sharp, reverberating through the chamber. His patience had worn thin, and now it showed in the hard set of his jaw and the fire that flickered in his storm-grey eyes. "She is alive," he bit out, his voice strained, a trace of anger barely contained. "I won't stand and watch as you speak about her as if she were dead."
Norbury's lips curled into a dismissive scoff. "You speak with such certainty, but how can you be so sure?" He leaned forward, his voice low and challenging. "And how do we even know it was a kidnapping? What if it was an assassination attempt?"
"If they wanted her dead, they would have killed her at the scene," Caldur argued, his voice tight, his throat constricting with a thought he could hardly bear. "No, they wanted her alive. Likely for leverage." His voice faltered slightly, and he cleared his throat.
"I will make sure that the borders are well protected," Herald spoke up, his voice firm.
"Like they would be using obvious routes" Everett snorted.
"But still, she can't be used as leverage in Malveria. They'd take her out."
"The roads should be guarded too," Edward added, his brow furrowed in thought. "The people must feel protected. And as for the countryside, citizens should avoid traveling alone until we are certain it is safe."
Then, Everett cleared his throat, his voice breaking the stillness. "Speaking of the countryside… where is Lord Ellingford?"
Edward's gaze flicked toward the councilman, a shadow of concern flickering across his face. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"
"The queen was taken not far from his estate," Everett pressed, leaning forward. "Surely he must have heard by now."
"A letter has already been sent to him. Twice," Mortimer muttered, a slight edge to his voice. He shifted in his seat as though the very mention of Baldric made him uncomfortable. "His arrival to the palace has been… delayed."
"I had requested that he move his family to take residence in Aldenbury." Caldur's voice broke the tension.
Thurston snapped his head toward Caldur, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Take up residence in Aldenbury?" He spoke slowly, as though struggling to comprehend what he'd just heard. "Have you lost your mind?"
Caldur's eyes darkened, and his jaw clenched, the muscles visibly tightening. His hand gripped the armrest of his chair as he fought to maintain control. "Careful, Thurston," he warned, his voice low. "You are speaking to your king."
"King consort," Herald corrected, his tone frigid, his gaze unflinching.
Thurston's eyes narrowed, his lips pulling into a thin line. "You have no power to revoke the proclamations of the late king."
Caldur's grip tightened on the chair, his knuckles turning white. He leaned forward, his voice hard and unyielding. "I am the king now, and my decision stands."
Herald let out a mirthless chuckle, the sound bitter in the silence that followed. He shook his head, a knowing smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "The queen's absence does not make you king."
Caldur ignored the jab, his eyes cold and unwavering. "I did this for the family's safety," he said, his voice hardening with each word. "The countryside is no longer secure. Keeping the Ellingfords there would be cutting them off from us, leaving them vulnerable to attack." He leaned further forward, his gaze locked on each of them in turn. "Victoria would have stood by me in this. She is a just queen. Would you go against a decision we all know she would have supported?"
"I have known the Queen for years," Thurston began, his voice even yet unyielding, "and I know with certainty that she would never do anything to dishonor the memory of her grandfather. Your actions not only disgrace the late King's name but trample on Victoria's as well. And even if such a decision were to be made"—his eyes narrowed—"it was never within your power to make it."
Caldur opened his mouth to speak, indignation flaring, but Thurston raised a single hand.
To his own surprise, Caldur fell silent. The gesture was not commanding in volume, yet it cut through the air like a blade. And it shamed him—how effortlessly the man could still him.
"But it matters little," Thurston continued, his tone now colder. "It's become abundantly clear that your intentions lie not with the throne, not with justice, but with obliterating the Queen's legacy—and by extension, that of the King she so revered. You may do as you please with the kingdom; after all, it seems to be your only concern. As for me—I will find Victoria."
Caldur scoffed. "And how do you intend to do that?"
Thurston didn't blink. "I've already sent word throughout the realm. A reward shall be granted to anyone with verifiable information that can lead us to the Queen. An amount so considerable, they'll never know hardship again. And should someone return her to the palace—alive and unharmed—they will be awarded a title, an estate… and perhaps even a seat on the Council. Who knows, maybe there would be an empty seat or two when she returns."
"The royal treasury will not support such foolishness—"
"I won't be needing the treasury," Thurston cut in smoothly. "The expenses are mine to bear."
"You leave the Queen's fate in the hands of peasants?" Caldur barked, incredulous. "You would put her life into the grasp of coin-hungry commoners?"
Thurston stood then. Deliberately. Calmly. He brushed his palms over his coat, smoothing out imaginary creases, then leveled his cold grey gaze upon Caldur—icy, unforgiving, and unflinching.
"You'd be surprised how far people are willing to go when given the right incentive," he said quietly. "What I offered wasn't merely gold or land—I appealed to a primal instinct in all men." He tilted his head. "The hunger for more. A hunger you are intimately familiar with, I believe."
With that, he turned and left the room. Caldur didn't bother to continue the discussion again. Thurston's exit had marked the end of the council meeting.