บท 20: I'm not a gossip, I'm a good listener

The remainder of the festival went off without a hitch, as if the attempt on her life was simply an insignificant detail in the grand scheme of the celebration.

When she finally had the chance to ask for the list of those who had wanted to marry her, the steward Archibald came to deliver it personally.

Twenty names of men she'd never even heard of, much less seen.

She read over the list twice but they meant nothing to her.

"Your majesty? May I speak with you on a separate matter?"

The man's tone caught her attention and she looked up.

He looked serious.

"...Go ahead." She nodded at him.

He took a breath. "I would not normally mention such things as mere gossip, but there are whispers of strange happenings surrounding Lord Errol Hiernianos."

She squinted.

That ridiculous last name...

"...That's your..."

He grimaced. "That man is my son. But I am a mere steward. I do not claim ties to the man as my own."