- 19 hours ago
Keyless Queen
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Short filmTranscript
00:06Leon finally noticed that I had gone three days without asking Lydia for a single key.
00:11He thought I had finally learned to be an obedient queen.
00:15So he sent a servant with a message that sounded more like a royal favor than an apology.
00:21His Majesty says, tonight he will have someone bring you the key to the royal apothetery.
00:26He will also send the royal physician to check on your father again.
00:30But I didn't react at all.
00:32Listening to the royal servant's announcement, I just sat quietly at the table, without the joy he had expected.
00:39His Majesty reminds you to abide by this rule.
00:42Never again employ crude theatrical ploys to threaten the crown.
00:48The gold the late king awarded your father will remain under the royal household's care.
00:54People of your black race should not hold that much gold all at once.
00:58It only invites trouble.
01:00I stood in the grandest chamber of Whitestone Palace and listened quietly.
01:04What Leon did not know was that by the time I received that message.
01:08I had already filed a petition to dissolve our marriage in the Archbishop's Court.
01:12My father had died three days ago in his blacksmith shop.
01:16After three years in the palace, the only things I could take with me were the old dress I had
01:20worn when I first entered the palace.
01:23And the little iron hammer my father had forged for me with his own hands.
01:27The servant waited for me to cry, shout, or beg for the king's mercy.
01:31I did none of those things.
01:32I only folded the message once, placed it on the table, and looked toward the locked wardrobe across the room.
01:39No one would believe that Aaliyah, the queen everyone envied, lived in the grandest chamber of Whitestone Palace yet could
01:46not even open her own wardrobe.
01:50My gowns were locked in the West Wing wardrobe.
01:53My jewelry was locked in the queen's jewel room.
01:56My carriage sat in the Eastgate carriage house.
01:58My father's reward money was sealed inside an iron coffer at the bottom of the royal treasury.
02:03Even when I wanted to call a royal physician for my father, I had to ask Lydia for the apothecary
02:09key and permission to leave the palace.
02:11And every one of those keys was in Lydia's hands.
02:14She was the king's chief court lady.
02:16And she had grown up with Leon.
02:18Before I appeared, everyone believed she would become the woman who ruled this palace.
02:23Later, on his deathbed, the old king insisted that Leon marry me because my father, Thomas, had saved the old
02:31king during a winter hunt.
02:33But Leon looked down on my low birth.
02:35He always believed that if a poor family suddenly received wealth, we would waste it the moment it reached our
02:41hands.
02:42The gold will stay in the royal treasury.
02:46It will be released whenever your father truly needs it.
02:50I believed him then.
02:52I thought being queen meant I had finally earned a place where my father would be safe.
02:57Instead, I found myself standing before locked doors, waiting for another woman to decide whether my needs were proper enough.
03:05Three days ago, my father was dying.
03:08I begged Leon to give me the key to my father's gold coffer.
03:11I also begged him to let me take medicine from the royal apothecary.
03:15Lydia kept holding back the treasury key and the apothecary key.
03:19Again and again.
03:21Until my father died in his bed.
03:23All these years, I endured everything so my father could keep receiving treatment from the royal, physicians and medicine from
03:30the palace apothecary.
03:32Now my father was gone.
03:33There was no reason for me to stay.
03:37When I asked Leon to end our marriage, he refused.
03:40He was in his study, reading the border tax ledgers.
03:44His eyes never left the parchment.
03:46His voice was as cold as if he were scolding a maid who had broken a cup.
03:53Stop making trouble.
03:54He treated it like nothing more than a childish error, not realizing for a moment that I meant every word.
04:00I'm not making trouble.
04:02I've already submitted the petition to the archbishop's court.
04:05I stood before his desk and said calmly.
04:08Only then did Leon look up at me.
04:11His eyes were cold, as though my words were a waste of his time.
04:16About your father.
04:17I was the one who told Lydia not to give you the apothecary key.
04:21It had nothing to do with her.
04:23She was only following my orders.
04:27My fingers twitched at my sides.
04:29In the past, the moment he mentioned my father, I would lower my head.
04:35My father's old wounds flared up every winter.
04:39Village healers could not help him.
04:41He had to rely on the royal physicians and medicine from the palace apothecary to stay.
04:46Alive, that was the reward the late king had promised him.
04:51But after the old king died, Leon said my father did not know how to manage money.
04:55He said a blacksmith who suddenly possessed that much gold would only be cheated, robbed, and perhaps killed for it.
05:02So he locked my father's gold coffer inside the royal treasury.
05:06He said he would release it whenever my father truly needed it.
05:11But every need had to go through Lydia.
05:13His majesty's commands are absolute.
05:15I have no special privileges even when my own father's life was hanging in the balance.
05:22My father was burning with fever.
05:24His old wound rotting open.
05:26I knelt outside the apothecary door and begged Lydia to give me the key.
05:30She wore a pale blue court gown and held a ring of keys in her hand.
05:34Her smile was gentle.
05:36Almost regretful.
05:38Your majesty.
05:39The apothecary key cannot be handed over carially.
05:44Vise de Thomas, your croupon tres colis.
05:47Master Thomas is only a commoner.
05:50He does not fall under royal emergency care.
05:54That treatment was promised to him by the late king.
05:57I'm not denying the late king's generosity.
06:00But rules are rules.
06:03Have the village healer write a note describing his condition first.
06:09Then have it sealed by a church physician.
06:12Only then can I open the apothecary.
06:17I brought back the note.
06:19She glanced at it and frowned lightly.
06:21I brought back the note.
06:23She glanced at it and frowned lightly.
06:26The date isn't clear enough.
06:28It only says fever.
06:30It doesn't specify whether his life is in danger.
06:32Your majesty.
06:34I'm not trying to make this hard for you.
06:36Every bottle in the royal apothecary must be recorded.
06:40You are queen now.
06:42You cannot act like you are still in a blacksmith shop,
06:45taking whatever you want whenever you want it.
06:47After that, she made me bring a travel permit,
06:51a physician's certificate,
06:52a written reason for withdrawing from the gold car,
06:55a statement explaining why my father
06:57could not be treated by a village healer.
07:00I ran back and forth again and again.
07:02My father's breathing grew weaker each time.
07:04I returned.
07:06The village healer pressed the last certificate into my hand and
07:09whispered that there might still be time if I hurried.
07:15By the time I returned with the paper,
07:17my shoes were soaked through with mud,
07:20and Lydia only asked whether the church seal was placed in the correct corner.
07:29By the time the key finally arrived in the blacksmith shop,
07:33my father never opened his eyes again.
07:41So now, when Leon said he would have someone bring me the apothecary key tonight,
07:46I found it absurd.
07:47The apothecary no longer mattered.
07:49My father had no use for it anymore.
07:51Leon watched my silence and thought I had finally learned to be afraid.
07:55He closed the parchment in his hand.
07:57Impatient.
07:58Alia, if you hadn't stormed into the household office a few days ago and shouted at Lydia,
08:04I would never have let her hold back the keys to teach you a lesson.
08:07You are queen, not some little girl throwing a fit in a blacksmith shop.
08:14Last night, I already told her to give you the apothecary key.
08:17My time is precious.
08:19I don't have the patience to watch you lose your temper.
08:22With that, he stood and turned to leave.
08:24He was certain I would lower my head soon enough,
08:27just like I had for the past three years.
08:29Even when he said in front of the nobles
08:31that I looked desperate to please,
08:33I only smiled and said nothing.
08:36Even when Lydia smiled and took one key after another away from me,
08:40I endured it.
08:41I once thought that as long as my father was alive,
08:44I could endure anything.
08:46Now my father was gone and I did not need to stay anymore.
08:49But Leon did not know that he had never been willing to let me finish a sentence.
08:54Later, a maid brought me the celebration ledger Lydia had sent.
08:58His Majesty asks Your Majesty to write a line of praise,
09:02so no one missed a stand, Lady Lydia.
09:05I sound that joke and laughed.
09:08The maid lowered her eyes,
09:10afraid I would tear the ledger apart.
09:12Instead, I took the quill with steady fingers.
09:17I picked up the quill and wrote carefully,
09:20Lady Lydia is diligent indeed.
09:24With one ring of keys,
09:25she rules over both the queen and the servants.
09:35Lady Lydia...
09:36Aladia...
09:38May she keep guarding every door,
09:40and may she keep guarding the place she hopes to move into one day.
09:46your majesty should i really deliver this the maid's face went pale
09:53deliver it exactly as written his majesty wanted praise i gave him praise after writing it i
10:01closed the ledger then i returned to my chamber and began to pack there was not much to pack
10:06everything that seemed to belong to me in the palace was locked in someone else's hands
10:11the only things i could take were the old dress i wore when i entered the palace
10:16a few faded shirts and the little hammer my father had given me for all these years i had
10:22lived in the palace like a temporary guest only now did i understand even a guest could at least
10:28open a door for herself i folded the old dress carefully and placed my father's hammer on top
10:34of it the iron handle was cold but the weight of it steadied me more than any crown ever had
10:40outside the bells of white stone palace rang for lydia's private dinner inside i closed my trunk
10:47and finally felt something like peace no longer a queen no longer in need of anyone's keys i am just
10:53me the me who can make any decision leon came back very quickly whenever it involved lydia he was always
11:02prompt he strode into my chamber and did not even notice the small leather trunk at my feet
11:07i said flatly i heard i didn't want to leon looked as if i had said something outrageous
11:14i already told you lydia has managed the palace household well lately so i held a dinner to reward
11:21her there are already enough people in the palace misunderstanding her after what you wrote in the
11:28ledger how is she supposed to face anyone i could not help laugh
11:34so not everyone is blind
11:38if people misunderstand her so easily maybe they already know what she's been doing
11:43leon's face darkened
11:47alia when did you become so vulgar
11:50you know exactly how hard it is for a young woman without a noble title to rise this far
11:55why would you smear another capable woman like this
12:00lydia only manages the palace for me
12:05if you hadn't made us fade a scene in the household office would people be talking about her now
12:09he looked at me with exhaustion and blame in his eyes
12:12if you want to be a queen who knows nothing except how to hold out her hand for keys i
12:17won't blame you
12:20i gave you a crown
12:22a palace
12:23and status
12:25what more do you want
12:26for three years i had wanted him to ask that question sincerely
12:30now that he had finally asked it
12:33but now there's no point in my answering anymore
12:38but if you keep targeting lydia don't blame me for being harsh
12:42think about your father
12:46i finally laughed out loud
12:49it hurt my throat
12:51then i opened my trunk right in front of him
12:57a crown
12:58a palace
12:59dignity
13:01leon
13:02look at what my life in your palace has been
13:07i'm leaving
13:08and i can't even pack four decent dresses
13:16if i wanted to change into a ball gown i had to ask your lady of the court for a
13:20key
13:23if i wanted to visit my father i had to explain the reason to lydia first
13:28what queen has to live at the mercy of her husband's favorite court lady
13:32there was not a trace of guilt on leon's face
13:34he only frowned and asked
13:36genuinely baffled
13:39all this over that
13:43so you were jealous of lydia and deliberately tried to ruin her name
13:47my heart went cold
13:48inch by inch
13:50if he truly thought this was wrong
13:51he would not have let lydia take my keys again and again for three years
13:56he would not have allowed the entire palace to know the queen had no right to open her own doors
14:01i lowered my eyes
14:03fine
14:04think whatever you want
14:07i want our marriage dissolved
14:08leon laughed instead
14:10there was a knowing look in that laugh
14:13as if he had finally seen through my cheap little trick
14:16enough
14:16i don't have time to coax you through another tantrum
14:21you're doing all this because of lydia aren't you
14:25don't assume every woman is like you
14:28always fighting over a man
14:30as he spoke
14:31he smoothed the wrinkle from his sleeve as though making a great concession
14:36tomorrow
14:37i will send the royal physician to see your father in person
14:43in a moment
14:44i'll have lydia give you the keys to the queen's quadro
14:47the jewel room
14:49and the carriage house
14:51from now on your daily expenses won't need to go through the household accounts
14:57after three years as leon's wife i understood him well enough
15:00for him
15:01this was already the greatest compromise he could offer
15:04under normal circumstances
15:06i should have known when to stop
15:08but i was tired of this marriage of three people
15:11just like now
15:12he had made so many promises
15:14yet he never mentioned lydia holding back the apothecary key
15:19i don't want anything
15:21except to end this marriage
15:22leon finally realized i was not acting poor
15:25his impatience instantly turned into anger
15:29alia don't forget how you became queen
15:33your father saved the late king
15:37that is why the late king rewarded your family with honor
15:41if you leave me
15:43those rewards that gold
15:46those properties you won't get a single copper oil
15:50and your father's illness
15:53without the royal physicians and the royal apothecary
15:57how long do you think it can last
15:59not long at all
16:01i knew that better than anyone
16:03now everything was only returning to where it should have been
16:06i fastened
16:07my trunk again and said lightly
16:09do whatever you want
16:13leon froze
16:14he seemed unable to understand why a threat that had always worked on alia
16:18suddenly had no effect
16:19but his pride
16:21would not let him lower his head again
16:24so he watched her drag her trunk toward the door with a cold face
16:27when alia pulled open the chamber doors
16:30he seemed as if he wanted to call her back
16:32in the end
16:33he said nothing
16:34only later did alia learn that lydia went to his study that night
16:39your majesty doesn't need to humor her
16:42leave her alone for a few days
16:44she'll come back and apologize
16:46her majesty has simply grown too comfortable as queen
16:50and wants to make a scene
16:52leon believed her
16:53he even found a honey mint in his study and thought of alia
16:56his throat always hurt morning to her
16:59so alia had once learned to make those candies for him
17:02leon turned the candy between his fingers for a long while
17:08she is not completely useless after all
17:10lydia lowered her eyes to hide the shadow of jealousy in them
17:14even now
17:15even while he was angry
17:16one small candy was enough to make leon think of alia first
17:20he told himself that alia was not completely useless after all
17:24when she came back
17:25he would make her apologize sincerely
17:28and she would never again threaten him with a petition to dissolve their marriage
17:33after leaving the palace
17:35i did not leave the kingdom
17:37i first went to the archbishop's court to confirm that my petition had been filed
17:42then
17:43carrying my father's ashes
17:45i went to the armory camp on the northern border
17:48that was where my father had worked when he was young
17:50he used to say that in the north
17:52people did not ask where you came from
17:55they only asked whether you were good with your hands
17:57i did not understand that before
17:59now i did
18:01when i arrived at the armory camp
18:03dragging my trunk behind me
18:05the soldier at the gate looked at me with obvious suspicion
18:11who are you looking for
18:14madam martha
18:15madam martha was the old blacksmith of the armory camp
18:18and she had once trained with my father
18:21before i married into the palace
18:23she had come to persuade me not to go
18:25a place like the palace
18:27isn't meant for people like us
18:29people who live by our hands
18:31i did not listen then
18:33now when i saw her again
18:35her hair had turned white
18:36she looked at the trunk in my hand
18:38and the urn in my arms
18:40she did not ask a single question
18:43come in
18:45she simply stepped aside
18:50my nose stung
18:51and tears fell before i could stop them
18:54for the first time since my father's death
18:56no one asked me for a permit
18:58a seal
18:59or a reason
19:01one door opened because someone chose to open it for me
19:06after i had cried enough
19:07madam martha set slope
19:13done crying
19:15then wash your hands
19:19i'm sure to lock repairer
19:21and someone who can mend armor
19:22if you still remember what your father taught you stay
19:25i stared at her
19:28you're not going to ask why i'm here
19:31madam martha snorted
19:33anyone who can walk out of the palace alive
19:36is lucky enough
19:38what is there to ask
19:39or did three years as queen
19:42make you too delicate to hold a hammer
19:44i smiled through my tears
19:49i can hold one
19:50for myself
19:51i can hold anything
19:54at first i was not used to it
19:57the wind in the north was hard
19:59the furnace was scorching
20:01and the armory camp was nothing like the palace
20:03no maids came to make my bed
20:05blisters soon formed across my palms
20:08a young apprentice saw the blood on my fingers
20:11and held out a strip of cloth
20:15miss alelia
20:16maybe you should rest
20:17i wrapped my palm and picked up the hammer again
20:24if i stop every time i bleed
20:26i will never make anything strong
20:28but as time passed
20:30the skills carved into my bones slowly returned
20:33how to hear the quality of
20:35metal how to tell where a lock's inner teeth were stuck
20:38how to shape a horseshoe with the right curve
20:41how to mend a broken sword
20:50the more i worked
20:52the steadier my hands became
20:54once
20:55i repaired a cracked bracer for a night
20:57he tested it twice and raised his thumb in surprise
21:02i smiled
21:04i thought someone from the palace would only know how to wear rings
21:12i couldn't afford rings before
21:16the soldiers around us froze for a second
21:18then burst into laughter
21:20that was the first time i laughed easily after leaving the palace
21:24then an unwelcome voice sounded behind me
21:27a lady
21:28i looked up and saw lydia
21:30she wore a white fox fur cloak and stood not far away
21:33several servants behind her
21:35her gaze swept over my hands
21:37stained with coal and iron dust
21:39then over the soldiers beside me
21:41the corner of her mouth lifted
21:46so this is why her majesty suddenly made such a fuss about ending the marriage
21:51you came back to a place like this
21:53some people can wear a crown and still never forget they came from a blacksmith's shop
22:00i would brush them to face
22:03my face went cold
22:05the people of the northern armory mended armor
22:07forged swords
22:09and repaired gates in wind and snow to protect the border
22:12they did not deserve her contempt
22:18i set down the tongs in my hand
22:22lydia do you not have a room of your own
22:25why are you behind every door i open
22:28lydia's expression changed at that moment
22:30a familiar voice came from behind her
22:34what happened
22:37leon walked over
22:38he wore black hunting clothes with the royal cloak over his shoulders
22:42so
22:43he had come to inspect the northern border
22:45and of course lydia had come with him
22:47her eyes reddened as she lowered her voice
22:50nothing your majesty
22:54i only saw her majesty away from the palace for so long
22:58surrounded by soldiers and smith
23:01and worried she might be taken advantage of
23:05i tried to advise her
23:06but she misunderstood me
23:11only then did leon notice me
23:13his brows drew together slightly
23:15there was that familiar certainty in his eyes
23:19alia
23:20did you bully lydia again
23:23if you came here to admit your mistake
23:26apologize to her first
23:27i looked at him once
23:29then turned away without wasting a word
23:31and picked up my tools
23:32the young apprentice beside me whispered
23:36miss alia
23:38who is that
23:39i said coldly
23:40my blind brainless husband
23:42leon's face darkened
23:44alia
23:48you followed me all the way to the north
23:51how long do you plan to keep this up
23:54you've been away from the palace for so long
23:57ignoring your father completely
24:04are you really trying to force me to never give him the apothetory key again
24:09i looked at him
24:10tired of him to the bone
24:14then don't give it
24:17that's what you're best at isn't it
24:21something in my eyes must have cut leon
24:23he turned sharply to the servant beside him
24:27send orders back to the cathedral
24:30from today on
24:31thomas is not to be given the apitary key again
24:35and the gold coffin is not to be opened
24:38panic flashed across lydia's face
24:40your majesty
24:43perhaps we shouldn't
24:44leon coldly pressed down the hand she had placed on his arm
24:48she needs to be taught a lesson
24:51otherwise
24:52she will never learn how to be queen
24:54the servant's face went deathly pale
24:57and he did not answer
24:59leon frowned
25:00what
25:01the servant lowered his head
25:03his voice tightened
25:04your majesty
25:07master thomas has passed away
25:09leon froze
25:10what did you say
25:12the servant forced the words out
25:15three days ago
25:17her majesty
25:20requested that the apothery be opened
25:22but the key was never delivered
25:25by the time the physician arrived
25:28master thomas had already
25:29he did not finish
25:32leon stood there as if he had suddenly forgotten how to understand language
25:36a long time passed before he murmured
25:39how is that possible
25:44why didn't anyone tell me
25:49the servant looked even more troubled
25:52someone did report it to your majesty at the time
25:55leon stared at him
25:58what did i say
26:00the servant crunched his jaw
26:02you said that while you and lady lydia were watching the winter lantern parade
26:07you did not want to hear anything related to the queen
26:10in that instant
26:11leon's face went white
26:12i watched him finally remember
26:15that day
26:16i had burst into the household office
26:18and begged lydia to give me the apothecary key
26:21he said i had shamed the crown
26:23later
26:24to comfort lydia after she had been frightened
26:26he lit winter lanterns across the capital for an entire night
26:30the nobles all said his majesty truly favored his chief court lady
26:34my father took his last breath that same night
26:38leon turned sharply toward lydia
26:40tears welled in lydia's eyes as if she had suffered a great injustice
26:45leon
26:46i didn't mean to keep it for you
26:49i only thought master thomas had already received so much grace from the late king
26:55and her majesty always makes things sound worse than they are
26:58i was afraid she would influence me
27:01i froli
27:03give me your key ledger
27:05for the first time leon cut her off
27:08what
27:10lydia froze
27:14the record from the catheter
27:16the treasury key
27:18and the carriage house key from the past few days
27:22all of them
27:24the blood drained from lydia's face
27:27leon
27:28these are household affairs
27:31you've never investigated me like this before
27:33what was left to explain
27:34everything i had said was true
27:36i had not been jealous of lydia
27:38i had not used my father's illness to threaten him
27:41i had truly wanted to leave
27:43the way leon looked at me finally began to change
27:46but
27:47i only felt tired
27:48i looked away and lowered my head to sort my tools
27:51three whole years had been wrong
27:53leon took one step toward me
27:55but the soldiers of the armory camp shifted almost at the same time
27:59no one drew a weapon
28:01they only stood there silent and solid
28:03between the king and the woman he had cornered for too long
28:14that single word stopped him more sharply than any royal command
28:19lydia's fingers closed around the edge of her cloak
28:23her majesty
28:24i can explain the ledgers
28:27her majesty always demanded things outside procedure
28:31i was protecting your reputation
28:34leon looked at her and for once he did not immediately believe her
28:38then you will explain them in writing
28:41every missing hour
28:44every delayed key
28:47every sealed door
28:48i heard those words and felt nothing like triumph
28:51there was no victory
28:52in being believed after the person you loved most was already dead
29:01late that night
29:02i came out of the armory camp to dump furnace ash
29:05and saw leon standing not far away
29:07the firelight was dim
29:09and snow rested on his shoulders
29:11i had only seen him that afternoon
29:13yet he looked as if his soul had been drained out of him
29:16when he saw me
29:17he stepped toward me at once
29:19alia
29:19i frowned and stepped back
29:21he stopped
29:22his voice was hoarse
29:25i've taken all the keys back from lydia
29:26she is no longer the chief court lady
29:29about your father
29:30i didn't know
29:31give me a chance to make it up to you all right
29:34my heart did not soften
29:35i only found it absurd
29:36once
29:37i had begged him to listen to one sentence
29:39and he found me annoying
29:41now he stood in the snow
29:42finally willing to bow his head
29:44but it was too late
29:46i looked at him calmly
29:48leon
29:48do you think lydia is the only problem between us
29:51he seemed caught off guard
29:54i know i was wrong
29:55he seemed caught off guard
29:56i shouldn't have let her control your keys
30:00i shouldn't have used that method to teach you rules
30:04i just thought the palace had always been like this
30:07noblemen manage their common born wives this way all the time
30:12i never thought it would hurt you
30:15and i never truly meant to abandon your father
30:19i looked at him
30:21leon
30:22even now
30:23you still think that if you are willing to give
30:26i should be grateful enough to take it
30:28you made me queen
30:29then handed my wardrobe the apothetry
30:31and my father's life-saving money to lydia
30:32you saw my humiliation
30:33you just believed someone of my birth
30:34had no right to feel humiliated
30:36his face turned paler by the second
30:37i went on
30:40we are over
30:42i don't want anything
30:44when the archbip's court asks for your response
30:46don't stand in the way
30:47that's all
30:48confusion filled
30:50leon's eyes
30:51he seemed unable to understand
30:53why i refused to forgive him
30:54when he had already lowered himself this far
30:56carefully he asked
30:58what will it take for you to come back with me
31:02i can give you the keys to the queen's wardrobe
31:04the jewel room
31:05the treasury
31:06the apothetory
31:07all of them
31:08from today on
31:09no door in the palace will stand in your way
31:13i could not help laughing
31:15if all you needed was a vast beside your throne
31:17you should never have been kind to me in the beginning
31:19yes
31:21i had loved him once
31:22during my first year in the palace
31:24leon had not always been cold
31:26he taught me my first court dance
31:28he taught me my first court dance
31:33when noble ladies mocked my accent
31:35he took my hand and walked me across the entire ballroom
31:40she is my queen
31:42in that moment i truly believed i had been chosen
31:49leon began to say i did not understand the rules
31:51that i was too sensitive
31:53too petty
31:54too embarrassing
31:55that lydia was only helping him
31:58his tenderness was like winter fog on a window
32:00the moment i touched it
32:02it disappeared
32:03i looked at leon and said softly
32:06i don't need your compensation
32:08i only need this marriage to end
32:11leon looked as if he had been struck
32:13he stumbled one step forward and reached for me
32:16i avoided him
32:18his hand froze in the air
32:23elia even a prisoner dragged before a court gets to defend himself once
32:27his voice was almost pleading
32:28you can't deny me even one chance to explain
32:33i gave you many chances
32:34i said calmly
32:37every time i waited outside your study
32:40every time i went to the household office to beg for a key
32:45every time was told you stake for me when key
32:49every time i told you lydia was delaying me on purpose
32:54every time you said listen to lydia
32:58those were chances
33:01you were the one who threw them all away
33:03leon had nothing left to say
33:05i knew how stubborn he was
33:07i also knew dissolving our marriage would not be easy
33:10but i did not expect him to arrive at the armory camp the next morning with a train of carriages
33:15they were loaded with silk
33:17medicine
33:18gold coffers
33:19and food
33:24the northern armory is always short on funds
33:27i've already ordered the treasurer to allocate money to you
33:33leon stood in the snow when he saw me
33:35there was even a careful smile on his face
33:40these medicines and iron supplies are for the camp as well
33:43then he took a small box from a servant
33:47these are candied figs
33:48i remember you used to ask for them late at night
33:51eat while they're still warm
33:52i did not reach for them
33:54you don't like them
33:55the hope in leon's eyes stiffened little by little
33:59i don't like candied figs
34:00lydia does
34:01i said lightly
34:03leon froze
34:04i looked at the box and remembered long ago
34:07for a period of time
34:08he often asked me to have the kitchens make candied figs late at night
34:12i thought he liked sweets while working late
34:15only later did i learn they were for lydia
34:18once i saw her sitting at the small table in the king's study with my own eyes
34:24your majesty
34:25please have the kitchens make another serving next time
34:28at leon tried them
34:29and thinks they're good too
34:34that day i argued with leon
34:38it's just a bit of food from the kitchen
34:41you are queen
34:42and lydia runs the palace household for me
34:44what's wrong with rewarding her
34:45stop acting so small-minded
34:46now thinking back
34:49i found myself almost laughable
34:51so i had once been that devoted
34:54i'm sorry
34:55i remembered wrong
34:56leon gave a difficult smile
35:00then what do you like
35:01i'll wish to her it
35:03i'll have someone prepare it
35:04i lowered my head and continued inspecting a broken sword
35:07no need
35:10but leon did not give up over the next few days
35:13he kept sending gifts
35:14sometimes it was a sapphire necklace
35:17sometimes a gold-threaded shawl
35:19sometimes white roses from the royal greenhouse
35:22once
35:23he even sent a pair of ivory gloves set with tiny pearls
35:26i looked at those things and became genuinely curious
35:30how did a man who listened this badly manage to rule a country
35:33when the armory finished repairing a batch of border longswords
35:37leon came again
35:39this time he carried a delicate wooden box
35:44i did not let him open it
35:46the palace keys
35:49his eyes lit up
35:51how did you know
35:52i looked at him and gave a small smile
35:54because you finally remembered that keys were what i lacked most for the past three years
35:59a hint of joy appeared on his face
36:01as if he thought he had finally done something right
36:04he opened the box
36:05inside lay a ring of golden keys
36:07the wardrobe
36:08the jewel room
36:09the apothecary
36:11the carriage house
36:12the treasury
36:13the inner chamber
36:14each key bore the queen's crest
36:18from today on
36:20you can open every room in the palace
36:24alelia
36:26i will make up for everything i owe you
36:30i looked at those keys
36:32so late in coming
36:33and suddenly felt exhausted
36:35leon you still don't understand
36:37leon you still don't understand
36:40i wanted keys before because i was i was still trying to survive inside that palace
36:45i don't need them now
36:48i never wanted the keys to every door in the palace
36:51i never want to go back to that palace at all
36:55the color drained from leon's face
36:57i continued
36:59the sapphire you sent is what lydia likes
37:01the gold-threaded shoal is something she wears often
37:06white roses sit in her room all year
37:08the ivory gloves are what she wears before every winter hunt
37:13see
37:14you remember another woman's taste so clearly
37:17so why not dissolve this marriage smoothly and marry her
37:21leon answered almost without thinking
37:23thinking
37:23she cannot be queen
37:25her birth is not suitable
37:27she only likes power and the things inside the palace
37:30i suddenly understood
37:31he saw lydia clearly
37:33he had simply never considered her someone who could stand beside him
37:37as for me
37:38i had the late king's command and the title of the savior's daughter
37:42my birth was low
37:43but i had no noble family that could threaten me
37:46i was suited to be a queen placed beside his throne
37:49perhaps there was love in his attachment to me
37:52but more than that he could not accept that i had chosen to leave him
37:57i looked straight at leon
37:59so you think i walked away with nothing because i loved you
38:02because you broke my heart because i wanted you to regret it
38:06leon looked away
38:07i said softly
38:10you're wrong
38:12i married you because my father needed the physicians
38:15and medicine the late king promised him
38:18i stayed in the palace because he was still alive
38:24now he is dead
38:25i don't need your money
38:26i don't need your keys
38:28i don't need your love
38:32and i don't need you
38:34leon
38:37the ruling from the archbishop's court came sooner than i expected
38:41perhaps because leon did not interfere again
38:44perhaps because too many people in the capital already knew that before the queen's father died
38:49the apothecary key had been delayed again and again
38:52the marriage is dissolved on the grounds that it was arranged by the late king's command
38:57that there are no children and that the relationship has broken beyond repair
39:05leon did not appear dot royal judges handled everything on his behalf
39:08to my surprise
39:09he did not leave me with nothing as he had once threatened to do
39:13he sent all the reward money my father should have received to the north
39:16he also gave me an estate near the border
39:19a box of jewels
39:20and everything that had once belonged to me in the queen's chamber
39:24i returned to the palace once
39:26nothing in that chamber had been moved
39:27the wardrobe stood open
39:29the jewel room stood open
39:31even the inner room i could not enter for three years had its door wide open
39:35on the table lay that ring of golden keys
39:38each one had been polished until it shone
39:40but i no longer wanted them
39:44i spent two days handing the gowns
39:46jewelry and properties in the capital over to the merchants guild for auction
39:51part of the money went to repairing the northern armory camp
39:54part went to the families of fallen border soldiers
39:56the rest i used to build a small workshop in my father's name
40:01one that would take in girls with nowhere else to go and teach them a trade
40:04on the third evening
40:06a royal servant came to the armory camp
40:09he carried a small gold chest and looked uncomfortable
40:12miss aliyah
40:14his majesty said the earlier compensation was not enough
40:19these are new deeds and letters of credit
40:22i looked at the black carriage parked in the distance
40:24i took the chest and walked over
40:26after a while
40:28the carriage window lowered
40:30leon sat inside
40:31he had lost a great deal of weight
40:34dark stubble shadowed his jaw
40:36and his eyes were full of exhaustion
40:41i handed the chest back through the window
40:45leon
40:47i'm grateful you didn't truly send me away empty-handed
40:50what you have already given me is enough
40:54but i will still sell the gowns
40:57the jewels
40:58and the houses
41:01i have enough money
41:04i simply don't want to keep anything from the palace
41:07leon's voice was hoarse
41:10aliyah
41:12i only want to make it up to you
41:16you've already made up enough
41:23we owe each other nothing now
41:27leon suddenly grew agitated
41:29how can we owe each other nothing
41:33your father
41:33and the way i treated you before
41:37i wronged you
41:38i was silent for a moment
41:43i did hate you
41:45my father saved the late king
41:47but the reward he earned was locked inside the palace
41:50when he needed those things to live
41:52i couldn't even get a key
41:55there was a time when i wanted to burn that palace down
41:58leon's face turned pale
42:01i went on
42:03but i also have to admit
42:06leon that my father survived those three years
42:08because of the royal physicians and the apothetry
42:11that was what the old king promised him
42:16and it was something you never complete leon
42:21he never completely took away
42:22before my father died
42:24he held my hand with the little strength he had left
42:31aliyah
42:32don't spend your whole life inside hatred
42:37my greatest regret is not that i never lived in a grand house
42:41it's that i never got to see you return to the forge
42:46my daughter could have made the finest keys
42:50win the finest keys
42:54at that moment
42:55the person i hated most became myself
42:57i hated myself for being useless
42:59i hated that even though i knew the palace was not my home
43:03i still endured three years there for my father
43:06and i hated that in the end
43:07i still failed to save him
43:10so now everything is only returning to where it should be
43:14and it was something he never completely on
43:19he never completely took away
43:20something seemed to shatter in leon's eyes
43:27we sat in silence for a long time
43:29in the end
43:30there was no unnecessary farewell
43:32when the carriage left
43:34i did not look back
43:36over the next few years
43:37i poured almost all my time into the armory camp
43:40i
43:41repaired gates
43:43adjusted crossbows
43:44redesigned horseshoes for the northern cavalry
43:47eventually
43:48even the minister of war in the capital heard that there was a female armorer
43:52in the north who could make ruined plates of armor look new again
43:56when madame martha grew older
43:58she often sat by the forge and watched me train apprentices
44:03choose your students carefully
44:05i'm too old to rescue you first and then rescue your useless little apprentices too
44:11my apprentices and i all laughed
44:15that winter i suddenly received news leon had been injured
44:19a fire had broken out in the old queen's chamber
44:22and he had rushed in to save someone
44:27half his face had been burned
44:29the messenger said lydia had set the fire
44:33after she was driven from the palace she never accepted it
44:36she believed his majesty refused to marry her because you were still alive
44:41and because he had kept the queen's chamber
44:44untouched
44:45she used an old key she had secretly copied
44:48slipped into whitestone palace
44:50and tried to burn the chamber down
44:51maybe she wanted to kill leon
44:54maybe she wanted to kill me
44:55the woman she believed would one day return
44:58after hesitating for a long time
45:00i went to see him once
45:02my heart had not softened
45:04something simply needed a real ending
45:10leon lay in the palace infirmary
45:12half of his face was wrapped in white bandages
45:15the physicians whispered that the scar would likely be deep
45:18when he saw me
45:19he gave a smile uglier than crying
45:22you came
45:23i nodded politely as if visiting an old acquaintance
45:27i heard you were hurt
45:28he said
45:30lydia will stand trial
45:32falsifying the key ledger
45:34holding back the apothetory key
45:36hiding the queen's travel permits
45:38and arson
45:40she will pay for all of it
45:41i did not ask further
45:43none of those things had anything to do with me now
45:45i only asked
45:47a few polite questions about his injuries
45:54will the burn affect your sight
46:01the physicians say one eye may blur in winter
46:04it doesn't matter
46:06then follow their instructions
46:08when the next group of nobles came in to visit
46:11i took the chance to leave at the door
46:14leon suddenly called my name
46:21alia
46:21i stopped but did not turn around
46:24his voice was low
46:28that chamber is gone
46:32everything from before is gone too
46:34i said calmly
46:36that's all right
46:38i never wanted any of it
46:41i said calmly
46:44behind me
46:45there was a long silence
46:47i opened the door
46:48and walked out of the infirmary
46:49the sunlight outside was bright
46:51like my new life
47:02lydia's trial was held in the old judgment hall
47:04of white stone palace
47:05she no longer wore pale blue silk
47:08or white fox fur
47:09her wrists were bound
47:10her hair was loose
47:12and smoke stains still clung to the hem of her gown
47:15lydia
47:16former chief court lady
47:17you are accused of falsifying household ledgers
47:20withholding royal keys
47:22concealing travel permits
47:23delaying royal medicine
47:25and setting fire to the queen's chamber
47:27how do you answer
47:29lydia lifted her head and laughed
47:33queen's chamber
47:34she was never worthy of that chamber
47:36the noble's whisper dot
47:38leon sat behind the carved screen
47:40half his face hidden beneath bandages
47:42he did not speak
47:45the recovered ledger
47:47shows that the apothe 3 key
47:49was requested five times
47:51on the night master thomas died
47:53each request was delayed
47:56under your seal
47:57i followed palace
48:00die followed palace rules
48:02the travel permit was also hidden under your seal
48:07because she always wanted to run back to that filthy forge
48:13not the furls
48:15leon closed his eyes
48:17lydia suddenly turned toward the screen as if she could see him
48:21leon if allelia had not appeared
48:23i would have been queen long ago
48:27you kept that chamber untouched
48:29because you still dreamed she would return
48:31if she died
48:33everything would go back to how it was
48:37the judgment hall fell silent
48:39then you admit you set the fire
48:42knowing she might return
48:43lydia s face twisted
48:45i admit nothing
48:47except that she stole
48:48what should have been mine
48:56after the trial
48:57leon dismissed every guard
48:59and walked alone
49:00to the ruins of the old queen's chamber
49:02the corridor still smelled of smoke
49:05the portraits of past queens
49:06remained on the walls
49:08but the place where alia's portrait
49:10had once hung
49:10was black and empty
49:13your majesty
49:14the physician said you should not be near ash
49:20leave
49:21the guard bowed and retreated
49:24leon stepped over burned silk
49:26broken beams and melted glass
49:28the wardrobe that he had finally opened for alia was gone
49:31the jewel room was gone
49:33the table where he had placed the polished golden
49:36keys was split in half
49:38a half-melted key lay in the ashes
49:40leon picked it up with his bandaged hand
49:46your majesty
49:47your wound will reopen
49:49it should
49:50he looked at the twisted key
49:52and suddenly remembered alia
49:54standing before him
49:55with a small trunk at her feet
50:00alia's voice seemed to return from the fire
50:02i don't need them now
50:06leon pressed the key against his palm
50:08four years
50:09he had believed that if he kept the chamber
50:12kept the gowns
50:13kept the keys
50:14he could keep the possibility of her return
50:18but the chamber had burned
50:20the portrait had burned
50:21even the keys had lost their shape
50:24only then did leon understand
50:26that alia had not disappeared from his life
50:28because a door had closed
50:29she had left because
50:31he had never given her one worth opening
50:35the palace corridor looked as brilliant as it had before
50:39with portraits of past queens hanging along the walls
50:42there had once been a portrait of me there too
50:44after the dissolution
50:46leon never ordered it removed
50:48now that portrait had burned with the chamber
50:50good
50:51some things should never have been kept later
50:54i heard that lydia cursed my name throughout her trial
50:58she said that if it had not been for me
51:00she would have been queen long ago
51:02she said that if it had not been for me
51:06she said that if i died
51:07everything would go back to how it was
51:09i only found it ridiculous
51:11in the end
51:12they really were a perfect match
51:14one believed that as long as he kept the old chamber
51:18i would one day return
51:19the other believed that as long as i disappeared
51:22she would be able to walk through that door
51:24they were both stubbornly guarding things that did not belong to them
51:28both of them were trapped in the past
51:30refusing to move on
51:31what a shame i had not seen it sooner
51:33one regret in a lifetime was enough
51:36a young girl at the work table glanced at the messenger's letter in my hand
51:41teacher is that news from the palace?
51:44i folded the letter and pushed it into the fire
51:49no
51:51it is only ash
51:52madam martha snorted from the corner
51:54good answer
51:56now teach that girl
51:58how to file a clean edge
51:59before she ruins my tools
52:01after that
52:02i never went back to the palace
52:04i never followed any news of leon again
52:08several months after lydia's sentence
52:10the minister of war placed a northern armory report before leon
52:14your majesty
52:16the border cavalry requests more horseshoes from miss alia's workshop
52:20but their design has reduced winter injuries by nearly half
52:24leon's fingers paused on the seal
52:26the capital armory could use her skill
52:29we may invite her to white stone for a royal commission
52:32for a moment the chamber was silent
52:34then leon said quietly
52:36send the invitation
52:37he told himself it was for the kingdom
52:40he did not tell the minister that he had read every northern report
52:43with her name on it
52:45he did not say that each mention of alia's work hurt worse than a scar across his face
52:50days later a royal messenger arrived at thomas's workshop
52:54miss alia his majesty invites you to the capital to oversee a new lock system for white stone palace
53:01i did not stop filing the iron plate in my hand
53:04tell the ministry to send the measurements
53:07i will design what the palace needs from here
53:10his majesty hoped you would come in person
53:12i finally looked up
53:14i am an armature
53:15not a memory he can summon
53:17that evening i wrote a formal reply
53:21thomas's workshop accepts commissions for tools
53:24hinges
53:25armor plates
53:27locks
53:27and keys
53:28it does not accept invitations to reopen closed doors
53:32when leon received the letter
53:34he read the last line three times
53:36then he folded it carefully and placed it beside the ruined golden key he still kept in his desk
53:43the winters in the north were long
53:45but the forge fire never went out
53:47one of the new girls held up a broken lock and asked softly
53:51teacher
53:52what should i do if this won't open
53:54i glanced at it and pushed a bar of iron into the fire
53:59if it won't open
54:00replace it
54:01same with doors
54:03same with people
54:04the fire rose
54:06the red hot iron slowly took shape beneath the hammer
54:09i suddenly thought of the night
54:11i left the palace three years ago
54:13back then
54:14i thought i had lost everything
54:16only now did i understand
54:18i had simply carried myself out of a palace where
54:21i had never been given a key
54:25from then on
54:26my life would only move forward
54:28i would never look back
54:31the new girl stared at the broken lock in her palm
54:33then looked at the iron glowing in the furnace
54:37teacher
54:38can i make my own key
54:40i handed her the smaller hammer my father once made for me
54:45you can make a key
54:46you can make a door
54:47you can even decide there should be no door there at all
54:50less talking
54:52more hammering
54:53the apprentices burst into laughter
54:55i laughed with them
54:57outside
54:58the northern snow covered the road to the capital
55:01inside
55:01the forge burned brighter than any palace chandelier i had ever seen
55:05i raised the hammer
55:06the first strike rang clear
55:08then the
55:09second then the third
55:11a new shape began to form beneath my hands
55:13a new shape began to form beneath my hands
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