"Surround the house" Saint orders and the soldiers stands in position.
"The king has allowed everyone to remain here until the day of execution. As long as no one moves, then he wouldn't make it difficult for you." he says but Emilia wasn't listening.
Saint hands her the written edict, but her hands won't move. Louis takes it instead.
"Sister… what do we do?" he pleads.
The men with Saint, starts to seize everything in the house, turning it upside down and took a whole lot of boxes.
"I will take my leave." Saint bows slightly and left with them.
Emilia stands frozen, voices swirling around her like a storm. If she breaks now, they all die.
No. Not like this.
If she becomes weak at this point then they will really lose their life and since the king has decide not to help, she can only reply on the late king.
She straightens.
"Alice," she calls.
"Go to my safe. Use this key. Bring me the dusty white scroll."
Alice stares, wide-eyed.
"What scroll, my lady?"
"Just go."
She hands over the key and blocks the guard who tries to follow.
"She'll return," Emilia says firmly.
Thankfully after getting back last night, she retrieve the scroll from where it was kept and hides it. Otherwise, it would have been taken with the rest of the things Saint seized.
Minutes pass before Alice returns, breathless. She hands Emilia the scroll. Everyone falls silent as Emilia breaks the seal.
The red insignia of the late King gleams in the dim light.
The guards freeze. Even the officer who wait behind pales.
"Get me a carriage," Emilia commands.
"And send word—I'm entering to the palace."
"What foolishness is this?" Hannah cries, she was born in the countryside and isn't familiar with the seal.
"Do you think he'll see you? You're no longer royalty!"
"Sister, what are you doing?" Louis whispers cautiously as well.
Emilia doesn't answer. She lifts the scroll high, letting its significance fill the room.
This scroll—gifted by the late King upon her birth—is the one thing her father never dared to use.
A blank royal decree, sealed with the King's mark, good for one request.
Emilia never imagined she'd use it after her father reveal the existence to her. But now, as her family faces the noose.
"Take me to the King," Emilia says, voice steady as steel.
Emily and the others watch in stunned silence. A carriage is summoned. Emilia steps outside, the scroll clutched in her hand like a sword.
"Take the madam and everyone back inside, await my return from the palace." she instructs before stepping unto the carriage.
~
Emilia arrives at the palace just as the evening shadows stretch across the cobblestones.
Her carriage slows before the towering gates, where a cluster of royal guards stands firmly on alert. One, clearly the leader, steps forward with disdain written across his face.
"How dare a criminal walk into the palace with such boldness?" he spits, his tone cutting.
Unshaken, Emilia steps out of the carriage, her hand holding a tightly rolled scroll — the royal edict.
She presents it calmly to the guard.
He hesitates, his brows furrowed in disbelief, but eventually takes it from her. As his eyes scan the parchment, his expression shifts instantly.
His arrogance melts into stunned obedience. He hands the scroll back, almost reverently.
"You… you may proceed," he stammers, prompting confused looks from the other guards.
Without a word, Emilia instructs June and Alice to wait by the gate and strides toward the palace entrance.
Each step echoes in her ears, nerves twisting in her gut. She halts briefly to catch her breath — and a gentle tap on her shoulder makes her flinch.
"The king's study hall is way," Thomas says simply, gesturing down a marble corridor.
Wordlessly, Emilia follows him through the winding halls until they reach the King's private study.
"The king is waiting inside," Thomas says before turning and walking away.
Emilia stands before the door, her heart thundering. She inhales sharply, straightens her back, and pushes it open.
Inside, King Lucas sits rigidly in a high-backed chair. A sheer divider screen separates them. Robert stands nearby, and when his eyes meet Emilia's, he offers a respectful bow. She returns a small nod.
"I have soldiers ready to drag your family to the prison grounds," Lucas says coldly. "You should choose your words carefully."
Emilia drops to her knees.
"Your Majesty, I have come to speak with you," she says, extending the edict with both hands. Robert steps forward to receive it.
"The late King entrusted this to me years ago," she begins, her voice steady.
"After my mother resigned her title, he gave it to me as a token of royal blood. He promised to grant me one request."
Lucas frowns as he reads the scroll, recalling what Markham once told him. But reading the edict now raises more questions about his late father's intentions.
Lucas place the scroll on the table and sighs.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" he asks.
"How do you plan to use this to save yourself and your family?"
"I will marry the King in three days," Emilia replies firmly, lifting her chin.
"I will enter the royal harem and pledge my loyalty to you as the a daughter of the royal family, not a Markham."
Lucas's eyes narrow.
"You're willing to renounce your family?"
"Yes," Emilia confirms.
"Since my father has already been convicted as a rebel, then I have no reason to protect him. I will take on my mother's name and live as a loyal servant to the king forever."
"Hmm" Lucas mumbles.
"Go on"
"But in return, the rest of the Markham family must be spared. And my father… will bear the consequences alone."
Robert gasps.
"Miss Emilia…"
He can't believe what he's hearing. He's known her since childhood. She adores her father.
This—this is betrayal. This is binding herself to the very man who condemned her family.
Lucas leans forward.
"Why not simply ask me to save your father? You could request anything."
"I have pledged my loyalty to the King," Emilia answers, her voice trembling with restraint.
"Since I am pledging my loyalty, I must put the king first and won't sin against the crown to save one that is convicted."
Her fingers tighten around the hem of her dress, her words bitter.
Referring to her own father that way feels like acid on her tongue, but she knows that asking too much would only give the officials another excuse to destroy her.
If she ask for her father to let go, then they will surely cause an uproar and find another crime to accuse them.
Lucas studies her in silence.
"You're certain? You'll be wed a day after your father's execution?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," she says as tears well in her eyes. She bows low, hiding them beneath her lashes.
"I, Emilia will always be loyal to the King."
Lucas doesn't speak for a moment.
Since the issue with the Markham happened mainly because of the position of the Queen then he is also responsible for it.
Although he fears that he won't be able to protect her if she truly enters the palace harem.
But then, he will be able to thwart his mother's schemes.
"Thomas," Lucas calls,
"Escort the future Queen back to her mansion. Post guards at the Markham estate until the day of the wedding ceremony, no one must get hurt."
Thomas steps forward promptly to obey.
"Call Saint," Lucas tells Robert.
"Have him write down my decree and send it to the council."