"Your husband, Lord Cassian is dead."
"What?"
Diana was certain she heard wrong. Her Lord husband had been away for three years, fighting on the front lines for their kingdom. His last letter to her mentioned it would be a tough battle, but he didn't indicate that it could mean death.
[Morale is strong. The next battle will be the last.]
He wrote it in a positive tone.
If the situation were dire, he would have written 'The next battle will be my last.'.
"Do you think I have time to spin tales with you?" King Gabriel scoffed as he threw the parchment on the table for his daughter to see.
Diana grabbed it with trembling hands. It was a report sent from the frontlines. Lord Cassian Starshard was dead and so was his entire battalion. Not a single man survived the battle.
"No…'
"Hmph, some master tactician he was. Getting himself killed in action, what a disgrace," Gabriel continued to mutter.
Diana bit her lip. She curled her hands, wanting to speak up on behalf of her Lord husband but could not find the words to.
"He-"
Gabriel looked up at his daughter. He had nothing but contempt in his gaze.
"Three years away and you've already forgotten how to speak up?"
"Father-" Diana felt his intense glare, she quickly corrected herself, "Your Majesty, if there's nothing more for me here, I'll take my leave."
"Your duty to him ends with his death, Diana. Finish the funeral arrangements, gather up your things, and return to the palace."
"But I'm still Lady Starshard. The household…"
Gabriel slammed his hand down on the desk, causing Diana to flinch. She stumbled back, heart pounding in her chest. She didn't dare look up at the king, fearing his wrath.
"I will not repeat myself. You've made a fool of this family once, do not repeat the same mistakes, or else your fate will be worse than his," He warned.
Diana bit on her lower lip. She lowered her head as she bowed, knowing there was no other choice but to obey.
"Yes, your Majesty."
The immense pressure she felt was only lifted a little after she left the study. Diana hurried down the corridor, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. She didn't watch where she was going.
She collided with someone. The person pushed her away, causing her to fall backward onto the hard ground. Irene, Diana's personal maid, took two steps back when she saw her mistress fall.
Diana hit the ground hard. She winced in pain. There was no one to pity her. No one to worry for her. With Cassian gone, who else was there left?
"Lily, are you alright?"
Diana recognized that voice. The voice she used to look forward to hearing in her youth. It was her childhood friend, who was now her sister's husband, Crown Prince Randal Emberwood. As luck would have it, the person Diana bumped into was her sister, Crown Princess Lily Cindersnap.
Though they were both princesses, Lily was always the favored one. She was the prettier one. The one who had everything. The one who always got her way.
"I'm alright, Randy," She replied with a sweet smile.
A smile dripping with sweet poison.
"Sister, are you alright?" Lily asked, feigning concern, "I heard your husband's dead."
Diana didn't reply. She got back up on her feet on her own and was ready to leave when she felt someone grabbing her by the arm. It was Randal. His expression was dark.
"Your Highness, please let go of me," Diana said calmly.
"You hurt your sister, shouldn't you apologize?" Randal asked as he tightened his grip.
Diana bit her lip, he was digging his nails into the fabric of her sleeve. Lily placed a gentle hand on Randal's arm.
"It's alright, Randy. Sister must be distraught from receiving the news of her husband's death. I don't blame her. If hurting me can lessen the burden and pain she feels-"
Diana couldn't take it anymore. She wriggled her hand out of Randal's grasp and continued her way down the hall. Along the way, she passed nobles, maids, and servants. She heard what they whispered under their breaths. Nothing she had not heard before.
"How dare she hurt the crown princess? Especially when she's pregnant!"
"Did you hear? Lord Cassian, her husband, is dead! Serves her right."
"She's cursed, I tell you! This is retribution for trying to steal her sister's husband!"
"I couldn't agree more! She cursed her own husband to death and brought ill fortune to her husband's family. What an evil and vile woman!"
"You can't deny, she and her husband were a match made in hell! A traitor and an adulterer!"
"How dare she hurt the crown princess? Especially when she's pregnant!"
It was all so suffocating. It felt like hands wrapped around her throat, crushing her windpipe. Diana left the castle and headed into the carriage that was prepared for her. Only as they were leaving the castle grounds did she feel like she could breathe again.
But arriving at the Starshard estate an hour later did not bring her any peace. As soon as she got down from the carriage, head servant Arthur came to greet her with an anxious look.
"Thank goodness you've returned, Lady Diana. News of Lord Cassian's passing arrived a while ago. Lady Katherine saw it and she's not taking the news well."
"Bring me to her," Diana instructed.
Katherine was Cassian's ailing mother. The elderly woman had been through so much in her life. She'd lost her husband and now her son. Diana could barely imagine the pain she must be in.
As she approached Katherine's bed chamber, Diana could hear her wailing.
"Katherine," She called out to her as she entered the room.
"Diana… child, tell me the truth. Tell me that my son is still alive!" Katherine pleaded as she clung to Diana in tears.
Unable to hold back her own tears any longer, Diana broke down too. The two women hugged each other, mourning their loss. A husband. A son.
The days that followed were all a blur. Diana felt like a moving corpse. She went through the motions, keeping the Starshard household afloat while planning the funeral.
But how does one plan a funeral with no body?
An empty casket on the altar with a portrait of her late husband. That was all they had. Diana sat on the steps of the altar, facing the portrait she had painted of her husband. She'd only seen his face less than a handful of times before he left for the war.
She used to think it would be a loveless marriage, one she would keep till the end of time.
But Cassian wrote her letters. And she wrote back.
Their relationship grew and blossomed.
[I have much to tell you when I return, Diana. I hope I don't bore you.]
'Are you truly gone, husband?' Diana wondered to herself as a tear rolled down her cheek. She touched the pendant she always wore. A parting gift from Cassian, a star sapphire.
Just then, trumpets sounded in the distance. Diana thought she was hallucinating. But when they sounded for a second time, she perked up. She watched Alex, the messenger and errand-runner she had hired six moon cycles ago running up to her.
"Milady! Milady! His Lordship has returned!"