[M] Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

The room was lit only by a series of candles spread out across shelves and tables, casting an eerie glow on the walls. There was no sound but the turning of a page as Madalena, dressed in an elegant but comfortable robe, sat at in her favourite high-backed chair, a book in her lap that she wasn’t truly paying attention to. In reality, she was straining to listen to any approaching footsteps. She had dismissed her servants half an hour before and had told Daenarr she wasn’t feeling well and would sleep in her own rooms that night. The poor fool hadn’t even been remotely suspicious, despite Madalena’s appetite at dinner earlier, and had wished her a good night with a kiss to her cheek she had barely tolerated before leaving for the sanctuary of her chambers. How he had managed to fool her for four years, she would never understand.

It had been only yesterday she discovered him in bed with his maidservant – or concubine, as it turned out. She hadn’t slept all night afterward, only catching a few winks just before dawn. Despite this, she wasn’t tired – if anything, she was wide awake. Anticipation thrummed in her chest, fluttering through her like nerves, except that that was ridiculous; she had nothing to be nervous about. She had planned this down to the finest detail. Her servants were at the other side of the manor in their quarters with strict instructions not to disturb her until she called for them; Daenarr was in his own rooms and Madalena knew he wouldn’t check up on her, well aware of her sharp tongue if he did choose to do so – and even if he did, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. She was doing this to get back at him, after all.

All that remained was for Hidde to arrive. Madalena had summoned her by note earlier, delivered by one of her servant maids she knew couldn’t read and who depended on Madalena’s benevolence for her livelihood. In it, she had written that she expected Hidde’s presence in her rooms that night at precisely ten o’clock. It was almost that, now, and she expected the girl to be punctual; up until then, Madalena had only barely looked at her in passing, so to receive a summons should signal that it was important. Continuing the pretence of reading, Madalena turned her gaze back to her book, tapping a well-manicured fingernail against the side impatiently. Finally, there was a tentative knock at the door. Madalena hid a smile. “Enter,” she commanded in a bored tone of voice once she was sure her expression wouldn’t give the game away. Even when she heard the door open, she didn’t look away from her book. Best to let the girl stew in suspense for a while.

&Hidde