The decision to delay the engagement was delivered exactly as Eleanor had planned carefully, wrapped in gracious language, every word chosen with precision. Duke Marcus's reply carried nothing that could be read as an outright refusal. But beneath the careful phrasing, the meaning was clear. They were asking for time.
The palace responded with calm. Too much calm.
Eleanor stood on the balcony of her family's estate, watching the evening sky shift through shades of amber and rose. She knew this stillness wasn't reassuring. It was only a pause before something started moving.
"My Lady… do you think they'll accept this reason?" Mira asked quietly.
Eleanor didn't answer right away. Her gaze stayed distant.
"They don't have much choice but to accept it for now," she said at last. "But that doesn't mean they've stopped watching."
She turned slowly, her expression settling into something more serious.
"And we can't stop moving either."
Mira nodded, though the worry on her face remained.
"The next step… Prince Arthur?" she asked.
Eleanor smiled faintly. "Yes. He's the piece they haven't accounted for."
The palace garden was quieter than usual that afternoon. A gentle breeze moved through the leaves, catching the midday light and scattering it in soft patterns across the ground.
Beneath the shade of the same large tree, Arthur was there again, leaning against it with that familiar air of someone who had decided the world wasn't worth the effort. But this time, Eleanor hadn't come to observe. She had come to move.
"Your Highness, Prince Arthur," she greeted him calmly.
Arthur didn't turn right away. He simply exhaled.
"You again," he said flatly.
Eleanor wasn't bothered. She stepped closer.
"I want to have a serious conversation."
Arthur finally looked at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly. "Go ahead," he said, unbothered.
Eleanor held his gaze without wavering. "I want to ask would you be willing to marry me?"
Arthur let out a short laugh. "Have you lost your mind?"
Eleanor didn't flinch. "I'm perfectly sane. And I mean it."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I'm not interested in marriage."
Eleanor took one more step forward. "It's not that you're not interested. It's that you don't want to get involved."
A silence settled between them. Arthur didn't respond immediately.
His expression shifted just slightly sharper. "And you think you can make me get involved?" he asked quietly.
Eleanor shook her head. "I'm not making you do anything."
She leaned in just slightly, enough to lower her voice.
"I'm just pointing out that you were already involved from the very beginning."
Arthur went still. For the first time, he didn't have an immediate reply.
But only for a moment then he leaned back again, the lazy ease sliding back into place.
"You think too much, Lady Eleanor," he said.
Eleanor smiled faintly. "Maybe. But I've never misread someone twice."
Arthur looked at her again, longer this time.
Then finally, he exhaled. "My answer is still no."
Eleanor gave a slow nod. "Alright."
She turned to leave. But before she had taken more than a few steps, she stopped.
"Then I'll find another way."
Arthur didn't call after her but his eyes followed her all the same. And somewhere in the back of his mind, something had started to stir.
The corridor leading to the former Queen's residence was quiet, rarely visited and perhaps because of that, it felt more honest than the rest of the palace. Eleanor stopped before the door and knocked.
"Come in."
The voice was soft, but carried an authority that couldn't be ignored.
Eleanor stepped inside.
The woman sat with quiet composure, her bearing elegant, but her eyes holding something far deeper experience, loss, and a strength that didn't need to announce itself.
"Lady Eleanor," she said.
Eleanor bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty."
The woman studied her for a moment. "It's rare for someone to seek me out without a reason," she said softly.
Eleanor didn't try to conceal her purpose. "I came precisely because I have one."
The woman's expression opened slightly. "I'm listening."
Eleanor met her gaze directly. "I want to marry Prince Arthur."
Silence filled the room immediately but it wasn't a cold silence.
It was an interested one.
"Straight to the point," the woman murmured.
Eleanor stayed composed. "I don't see any reason to circle around it."
The woman let out a quiet laugh. "I like that."
She rose slowly and walked closer. "You know who I am, don't you?"
Eleanor nodded. "Arthur's mother. The first Queen the one who was pushed aside."
For a moment the air tightened, but the woman didn't look offended.
She smiled instead. "You also know more than you should," she said.
Eleanor didn't step back. "I only see what others choose not to."
The woman looked at her more carefully. "And knowing all of that, you still want to step into this game?"
Eleanor nodded. "Because I have no intention of losing."
Another silence but this one was full of consideration.
The woman finally gave a slow nod. "I like you, Lady Eleanor."
Eleanor dipped her head slightly. "That's an honor."
The woman returned to her seat. "Arthur refused you, didn't he?"
Eleanor didn't deny it. "Yes."
The woman smiled. "Good."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why?"
The woman settled back. "Because it means he sees you as a threat."
Eleanor paused. "And that's a good thing?" she asked.
The woman's smile deepened. "For me? Very much so."
She looked at Eleanor with quiet, measured interest. "Alright. I'll help you."
That evening, Arthur's mother went to find her son.
"No," Arthur said, before she had barely begun.
His mother fixed him with a sharp look. "You haven't even heard the reason yet."
Arthur let out a breath. "I don't need to."
She stepped closer. "Then hear this I want it."
Arthur went quiet.
That wasn't a request. It was a statement.
"This isn't about what you want," he said.
His mother smiled thinly. "It always is, in the end."
Arthur looked at her more seriously. "Mother, you know this is a dangerous game."
She nodded. "And you know we've been in it for a long time already."
Silence fell.
Arthur couldn't deny that.
His mother continued. "Eleanor isn't an ordinary girl."
Arthur exhaled slowly. "I know."
His mother's smile was small but knowing. "And you're still saying no?"
Arthur looked away, as though turning something over in his mind.
Then, finally… "What does she actually want?"
His mother smiled with quiet satisfaction. "Now you're asking the right questions."
The following day, Eleanor returned to the garden.
This time, Arthur was already there and he wasn't leaning against anything. He was standing.
"Seems like you don't give up," he said as she approached.
Eleanor walked toward him unhurriedly. "I never intended to."
Arthur looked at her more carefully than before.
"Then explain it to me."
Eleanor didn't hesitate.
"I want to enter the palace without being under the Crown Prince's control."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And you think marrying me is the way to do that?"
Eleanor nodded. "Yes."
Arthur folded his arms. "And in return?"
Eleanor held his gaze. "I'll be an ally who will never betray you."
Silence.
The breeze moved quietly between them.
Arthur finally smiled faint, almost reluctant. "You're genuinely strange."
Eleanor didn't disagree. "And yet you're still here."
Arthur laughed softly.
Then, for the first time he nodded. "Alright."
Eleanor didn't react with any great display, but something in her eyes sharpened.
"Does that mean…."
Arthur cut in. "Don't get too pleased with yourself. This is only a trial."
Eleanor smiled faintly. "That's enough."
Arthur looked at her. "Don't make me regret this."
Eleanor met his eyes. "I won't give you the chance to."
And with that, an agreement was formed not from love, not from trust, but from a shared purpose.
For Eleanor, this was the most important step she had taken. She was no longer just inside the game, she had chosen her position within it.
And this time, she had no intention of being anyone's pawn.