Chapter 422: The Queen's Failed Attempt
Minutes passed after Lyria's departure.
The Queen remained seated upon her chair, her hands gripping the armrests with such force that her knuckles had gone entirely white. Her countenance, composed throughout the Princess's visit, now twisted with fury.
"Cease," she said.
Her voice was low, yet it carried through the chamber. Most of the guards heard her and paused at once, their whips falling still at their sides. One, however, positioned at the far end, did not.
His whip fell again.
The woman he struck cried out, a raw and broken sound that echoed off the stone walls. The Queen's head turned sharply towards him.
"I said cease," she repeated, her voice raised higher still. "It is finished. Let them go."
