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He had stopped her in her tracks. Adelie no longer dared to breathe, the King himself had placed his hand on her forearm. This hand so large and adorned with signet rings.

Adelie had immediately lowered her head at this contact. The room had become silent and everyone was waiting, hanging on to His Majesty's actions.

" Miss ? »

The King's voice, so suave, authoritative and gentle at the same time. He had just spoken to Adelie. She thought she was fainting at that moment but the hand still resting on her kept her awake.

She didn't know if she should answer or if she was forbidden to. Nevertheless she ventured to mumble a weak "yes?" »

“Who did this to you? »

He was pointing at the marks on his fingers. The same marks that had led her to where she was, next to the King.

Adelie looked at her hand, the pulpit was raw. She was ashamed of showing up with a bloody hand in front of the royal family.

"I wasn't fast enough in the kitchen Your Majesty..."

In front of the silence of the room she answered softly. Her voice was thin and her legs felt like cotton wool.

"So they did this to you to punish you?" he asked softly to the young woman

- Y...yes Your Majesty

- Who ?! »

This time his voice had rumbled throughout the room. Adelie still hadn't raised her head for fear of meeting her King's gaze.

The other servants had also lowered their heads. She didn't want to denounce the soup chef but she had no choice, she couldn't lie to her Sovereign.

“- The soup chef, she whispered lest he hear her.

- Forgive me Miss, I misheard you, can you repeat? »

The more the King began to get impatient, the more Adelie felt the panic rising within her. She shouldn't cry in front of Her Majesty. She took her courage and repeated what she had just said.

"You say the soup chef whipped your hands because you weren't going fast enough in your work?" I would not accept such things in my palace! Bring me this wretch! »

The King's hand had still not left the arm of the young woman. She couldn't escape, she was going to be confronted by her executioner. And if he managed to convince the King that she was lying, she would be beheaded on the spot.

Adélie was beginning to see blurryly, the room rocking around her. She recovered when the chief arrived.

The poor man arrived with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes on his shoes.

The King stood up, still holding Adelie's arm firmly.

“You dared to whip the hand of this young woman because she was too slow for your taste in her work?! »

The Sovereign's voice echoed through the room, no one dared even breathe. Adelie kept her eyes lowered, she didn't want to look the soup chef in the eye, too ashamed to have denounced him.

"Your Majesty, if I hadn't done this...

- Enough ! Your act is unforgivable, I would not tolerate this kind of antics in my kitchens! Take him to the dungeon I will decide his fate later! »

As soon as the King was finished, two guards grabbed the condemned man and dragged him out of the room. When calm returned, the servants resumed their work. Adelie was pale before this scene. By his fault a man risked dying.

“- Gustave, I doubt that this kind of reaction on your part will calm the revolts in the country, you have just defended a poor maid...

- Stop calling me that mother! I am your King, need I remind you?

- Forgive me, but I think that...

- My reaction concerns only me now if you wanted to go back to your place of Queen Mother and stop taking care of business that is not yours. »

Her voice had been so firm that The Queen Mother immediately changed her mind. Adélie was only waiting for one thing: for the King to release her so that she could flee. But obviously it was not in the projects of this one.

He turned to her.

“Miss, I am sorry for your situation, if you don't mind, my sister will be happy to have you treated and cleaned. »

Adelie dared to raise her eyes for the first time since the altercation. She plunged into those of the King. Eyes blue like the sky and deep like the ocean. But this vision was short-lived because the room began to sway again and the poor young woman fainted.