The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 186: reasonable cause

Chapter 186: reasonable cause

Days passed in a flash. Anastasia began learning how to manage palace affairs under the guidance of the king’s mother. Mary no longer mentioned the idea of letting Amber join the queen’s court. She resented the subtle threat from her old friend. After sitting as queen for so long, she found it insulting. Amber was merely the daughter of a mid-ranking official. If her second son had been healthy, they would have eagerly agreed to the marriage.

She wasn’t a fool. They looked down on the second prince because of his health. And what did she mean, saying it wouldn’t be fair for Amber to marry the second prince just because she was in love with the first? In their circle, how many were fortunate enough to marry for love?

Which woman dared to develop feelings for a man she wasn’t engaged to? Given that, why should she lower herself to ask her daughter-in-law for a favor?

That day, Dorothy visited the main palace to deliver medicine to Anastasia. Coincidentally, the king was present, as he had just finished dinner with the queen.

As a wife, Anastasia was responsible for caring for her husband, so she often sent someone to ask if he would be joining her for lunch or dinner. King Edward, in an effort to cover up the northern rumors, played the role of a dutiful husband and shared two out of three daily meals with her.

"Your Majesty," Dorothy greeted them with a bow, holding the medicine in her hands. She had deliberately come at this hour, having heard the previous day that the king usually dined with the queen. So, she delayed her visit to coincide with his presence.

Anastasia noticed the affectionate gaze the two shared and felt her heart grow cold.

Rosa, standing nearby, wanted nothing more than to slap Dorothy for her behavior, but she remembered her mistress’s instructions. Anastasia had told her not to get involved with Dorothy, so she restrained herself.

"Physician Dorothy, are you here to deliver my medicine or to serve the king?" Anastasia asked calmly, though her disdain was evident.

King Edward frowned but said nothing. He looked away and cleared his throat. He hadn’t seen Dorothy in a few days and only now realized how much he had missed her. Yet, in the presence of his wife looking at her for so long was inappropriate.

Dorothy, seeing the king remain silent, became anxious.

"I apologize, Your Majesty," she said with a bow, her eyes red as if she were about to cry. She looked as though she had suffered great injustice.

Seeing her like this, King Edward felt guilty. After all, he had promised to take her as a mistress. It was just that so many things had happened, forcing him to delay.

"It’s fine. Go ahead and deliver the medicine," he said, offering a reassuring smile; perhaps out of guilt.

Anastasia observed all of this, and it felt like a dagger was driven into her chest. Though she knew the king had deep affection for Dorothy, the daily meals they shared had given her hope; hope that perhaps there was still a chance. She had thought that as long as the king could balance the positions of wife and mistress, she would tolerate it. But in that moment, she realized how wrong she had been.

The king had never once smiled at her, like he did with Dorothy.

They had been married for three months, and he had yet to visit her chambers. She was still a virgin.

Anastasia clenched her handkerchief in frustration, though her expression remained calm.

Meanwhile, Dorothy felt her anxious heart settle upon seeing the king’s smile. She felt reassured.

Rosa stepped forward to receive the medicine bowl from Dorothy.

With a small smile, Rosa deliberately loosened her grip, causing the bowl to tip and splash its contents onto Dorothy.

But Rosa was the first to cry out in pain. "Physician Dorothy, are you unwell? How can holding a medicine bowl become so difficult?" she said, her face twisted in irritation.

The medicine hadn’t been very hot, but having it spill over her hand and clothes was irritating. Dorothy had intended to use the opportunity to cry and draw sympathy from the king but she hadn’t expected Rosa to speak first and even blame her.

"You..." Dorothy was shocked, unable to find a defense.

The king glanced in her direction. He saw the grievance in her eyes but didn’t want to get involved in such a trivial matter. In his opinion, it was just an accident. The queen should handle it. Intervening unnecessarily might not be wise.

"Physician Dorothy, if you’re not in good health, there’s no need to force yourself to deliver the medicine. You can write the prescription and have my maid or someone else prepare it," Anastasia said. Her voice was calm, but her displeasure was clear.

"Your Majesty... I truly am in good health, it—" Dorothy began to explain, trying to shift the blame to Rosa, but Anastasia cut her off.

"You’re in good health? Then why was my medicine delivered more than half an hour late? And now you couldn’t even hold the bowl properly. Are you perhaps dissatisfied with serving me as my personal physician?" Anastasia asked.

Dorothy stared at her, speechless. Though she had spent years in the mines, she didn’t have the eloquence to match Anastasia. Despite being oppressed for years, Anastasia was still the daughter of a duke.

"Your Majesty misunderstands," Dorothy said, her voice heavy with grievance as tears welled up in her eyes.

For some reason, the scene felt eerily familiar to Anastasia. It wasn’t something she had experienced in real life, but rather a fragment from her dreams. Her heart clenched. She instinctively looked at the king and saw that his gaze had grown cold. Just a few tears had already made him annoyed and impatient.

King Edward opened his mouth to speak. He felt that Anastasia was being overly harsh with Dorothy. He assumed his wife must have heard the gossip from the military camp and was now acting out but before he could say a word, Anastasia spoke first.

"I wonder what grievance Physician Dorothy has suffered to make her cry so much. Please, speak freely, His Majesty is here. You once saved his life; he will certainly uphold justice for you," Anastasia said. She knew the king wanted to defend Dorothy, so she offered him the opportunity to do so deliberately invoking Dorothy’s life-saving act to frame the conversation around merit, not romance.

More importantly, she wanted to see if the king would defend Dorothy without a reasonable cause.