I know you guys have been waiting for this chapter since I posted the prologue almost three years ago, so here it is!

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Lady Therese De Beauharnais, Duchess of Roche

9 December, Year 32 of King Frederick V of Monrique's reign

Bordeux Castle, Bordeux

Monrique

"I am sorry I am late."

The next morning, the eighteen women gathered around me outside the Council chambers turned around to find Jules slowly waddling towards us. They made way for her, as she approached me.

"It is only five minutes past 11," Lisa assured her, patting her shoulder, "do not worry."

She smiled at her, although it did not quite reach her eyes. Her small, heart-shaped countenance was pale, and etched with exhaustion.

My forehead creased, as I observed her. "What happened to you?"

Her gaze fleeted from mine. "I could not sleep well last night," she muttered, "I think I was a little too excited for today." She jested weakly.

The tension in the air eased at once. While the others chuckled with her, I did not fail to notice her discreetly grip her lower back while pretending to smoothen out the wrinkles on her gown, or the brief flash of discomfort that crossed her eyes.

My frown deepened.

"We had best go in now," Liv spoke up quietly just then, "Your Royal Highness, if you please." She gestured to the door.

Silence fell over our group. Jules nodded at her, taking a deep breath, and strode forward towards the guards standing by the door. The rest of us followed behind her.

Upon seeing us approach, the guards exchanged looks. "Your Royal Highness, the Council is in session," one of them stated flatly, "we cannot allow you – "

"Let them know that the matter is urgent," she cut him off, "and that all of us intend to wait here until we are allowed to enter." Her right hand deliberately moved to rest over her belly.

The guards swiftly slipped inside the chamber at that.

Jules turned her head towards us in the meanwhile, her hazelnut brown eyes twinkling impishly. "I could not resist taking advantage," she admitted, "I want to enjoy what is left of my pregnancy."

"Amuse yourself with it as much as you like," Lady Camille chuckled, "you wasted most of those months in confinement, after all."

She grinned at her, before turning to face the door once more. While the rest began to debate about the need for confinement during pregnancy, I continued watching Jules.

From her side profile, I noticed her smile from earlier thin into a pained, determined line. Her eyes gleamed with tears, as she shifted her weight on her feet.

Anxiety brewed in the pit of my stomach. I took a step closer to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Cousin," I murmured from the corner of my mouth, "are you all right? Do you need to sit down?"

She did not turn around, but took my hand on her shoulders, and gripped it. "A little bit of unease in my back, nothing more," her lips barely moved, "do not worry about me."

The force with which she gripped my hand told an entirely different story.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Was she about to go into labour?

Her term was nearing its end, after all. Although her advocacy for the petition today was important, it was not worth the risk of losing the baby she had loved and carried all these months –

"Jules – "

The guards came out of the Council chambers just then, their countenances void of all emotion. "Your Royal Highness, His Majesty has refused you entry," they informed her, "and we have been ordered to bring you back to your chambers, and disperse your...troublesome companions." They eyed us with some distaste.

With that, they strode forward towards her, no doubt to grab hold of her forearms. Before they could touch her, however, she had crouched slightly in a defensive position, almost knocking into me as she did so.

A dagger, which I knew she always kept within the sleeves of her gown ever since she had grown too large to fit a sword by her waist, was within her grasp.

Her eyes grew flinty. "Do not dare touch me," she warned, "I can have both of your throats slit before you can say 'Your Royal Highness'."

A gasp went up among our group at the sudden sight of the dagger in her hands. Even I would have been amazed, if I had not stood close enough to her to see how she got hold of it.

"Jules," Lisa hurried forward, alarmed, "please – "

She ignored her. "I do not have time to stay here and spar with you. We need to speak to the Council," she stated firmly, "you will either step aside, or I will make you. Take your pick."

These two guards were towering over us all, with pounds of muscles and strength on us, armed with swords. Yet, a flash of fear crossed their countenances at the words of a petite, pregnant woman who only had a dagger to defend herself with.

Mayhap being a Commander General had its benefits.

They did not move. Taking it as their acquiescence, she moved around them, beckoning us to follow her. She threw open the doors forcefully, such that the hinges trembled.

I was surprised yet again. For as long as I could remember, Jules simply hated it whenever anyone slammed doors. It was one of the rare few things that my cousin and I had in common.

Mayhap she intended to scare the Crown Councillors and the King within.

If she did, she succeeded. The Crown Council jumped in their seats together, almost in a comical manner, as the twenty of us swarmed into the room. The guards stationed started forward at that, but one fierce look from their Commander General pinned them where they stood.

She then turned to face the Council. "A very good morning to you all, my Lords, Papa and Your Majesty," she inclined her head, "the next time you want to send someone to their rooms by force, I would suggest you check if she is a trained army officer first."

I suppressed a smile.

In the meanwhile, Liv's father, Lord Tessensohn, had leapt out of his seat. "What is the meaning of this?" he blustered, "you chits cannot barge in – "

"Auguste," Lord Avignon, who was seated across him, warned him, "be careful of whom you are calling a chit. You are speaking to the Crown Princess Consort of Monrique."

Lord Tessensohn pressed his lips together, shaking with indignance, as he slowly sat back down.

Jules' father and my Oncle, Lord President of the Council, stood up just then. "Julie, Ladies, we are having a meeting," he told us quietly, "whatever the matter is, we can discuss after – "

"There will be no discussion, Henri," the King shook his head at Oncle Henri, before gazing straight at me, "the Council has already made it clear. Lady Roche's petition has been rejected – "

" – without even presenting it to the Council?" I raised an eyebrow, "I am certain you know the laws of this land better than me, Your Majesty. As citizens of Monrique, we have the right to at least present a petition to the Council before you decide to reject it."

The King began to tremble in anger. It was clear he was about to tell me off, but Jules stepped in front of me before he could lash out at me.

"Your Majesty," her eyes were blazing, "may I, for once in these few weeks, please speak to you – and the Crown Council - without having to constantly address your misplaced prejudices?"

Her forceful voice silenced the whole room. She stared straight at the King without breaking eye-contact even for a moment, silent and smouldering, almost wearing him down with her gaze.

The King had always doted on her, even as a child.

After several minutes, she succeeded. He gave in, and nodded at her to continue.

"This petition is not about the Duchess of Roche or Lord Bertrand," she began fiercely, "if any of you sitting here voted against it simply based on your opinions of the Duchess' character, or her rapist's recent sentencing, you have utterly and completely failed our great nation, and you are an embarrassment to the Crown Council. I cannot even begin to describe how ashamed I am of you."

Her tone was neutral, but her words were sufficient to cause visible discomfort among the Council. Some of the men went red in the face – I did not know whether it was from shame or anger - but none of them was redder than the King himself.

"If you bothered to look at the documents, over three thousands of our people have signed the petition. Each of them is well aware of what they want out of it, what they are risking, by doing so," she continued, "the twenty of us currently standing before you are only a fraction of the many stories that led to this point."

She began to walk around the table, resting one hand on her lower back.

"The heiresses initially started this petition to give Lady Madeleine a voice, and help her fight for her choice – all their choices – to inherit their fathers' lands one day, use their talents and intellect to rule, and make a difference in the lives of their people, as they so dearly wish to do," she pointed out, "but this petition is not just about them either."

"A good portion of the common folk have signed it as well, even though they do not have lands to rule, or inherit," she took a deep breath, "when they die, men leave behind their homes, a meagre amount of their savings if they had the habit of saving, and a piece of farmland if they were fortunate enough to own one. All of these are inherited only by their sons, followed by their married daughters. Especially when these sons also have their own families to raise – or are deep in their gambling debts, or have an addiction to drinking and whoring - they are unable to support their widowed mother and any unmarried sisters. As a result, the latter are left in destitute."

"Some of these women do manage to find work as seamstresses, maids, or governesses to wealthier households. A significant number of them, however, are forced to turn to the taverns or pleasure houses," she sighed, "and work there until their bodies waste away, though they may hate it, for a roof over their heads and some food in their belly. All because they do not have the right to inherit, or even own, land and wealth without a man to help them manage it."

"They find it unfair. We find it unfair," she came to a stop behind the King, "I find it unfair."

The Duke of Vareniol – Lady Estelle's husband – cleared his throat just then.

"You mentioned each of you have a reason for signing this petition, Your Royal Highness," he narrowed his eyes at her, "why did you sign it? The King made you an army officer, for the Lord's sake. What are you lacking?"

Her gaze grew cold. "His Majesty only allowed me to apply for the army. I am a Commander General because I worked hard to become one for the last twelve years, Lord Vareniol," she reminded him, "unlike some people, I did not have to marry to rise to a position of power."

He scowled at her. It was well known that Lord Theon had only been a second son of an Earl, destined for archbishopship, until his arranged marriage to Lady Estelle had catapulted him to prominence.

"But to answer your question, my husband the Crown Prince and I both signed the petition," she emphasised, "for the sake of our child."

The King frowned at that. "The soothsayers have predicted it would be a son, my dear," he pointed out, "what are you worried about?"

"But what if I have a daughter, Your Majesty?" she shot back, "what if I am rendered infertile by the birth, unable to bear more children? What if she is our only heir? Can you imagine the hate and scorn she would be subjected to from the moment she is born?" The fear in her voice was unmistakable, and her hand involuntarily tightened around her belly.

"Cousin," I called out sharply.

"Then we can have your marriage annulled, and find His Royal Highness a younger, fertile wife," Lord Vareniol suggested callously, "it is imperative the Crown Prince bears a son as soon as possible. He is the last heir left."

The nerve -

Before any of us, or even Jules can respond to that, the King had swiftly reached over the table to smack the impertinent Duke on the upside of his head.

"If you have nothing constructive to contribute," his voice was cold, "I suggest you remain silent, Lord Vareniol."

It was nice to see he still had a heart.

Jules tossed Lord Vareniol a scowl, before continuing. "This is my baby. Son or daughter, I will love them both the same, and so will my husband," she told everyone fiercely, "and we want to bear them into a world where he or she would be able to achieve all that they worked hard towards, and enjoy the same rights and quality of life, regardless of their gender."

"Unfortunately, the world is not that way at the moment," she sighed, "but this petition, if implemented, can ensure that a step is taken towards the right direction, towards a better world – "

At that very moment, a tortured gasp left her lips.

Her eyes widened to saucers, and filled with tears. She clutched at her stomach, and grabbed hold of Oncle Henri's chair to steady herself.

A trickle of blood moved down her ankles, and stained the carpet beneath her feet.

The King and the Dukes stood up at once, stunned. Oncle Henri was the first to swiftly jump out of his chair to hold her up, before her knees could buckle beneath her.

"Sugar," he murmured anxiously.

She had been in labour all along, I realised with growing horror, the idiot -

"Oh, dear Lord," Lady Camille crossed herself, "I will fetch the midwives right away." Her countenance was white, as she left the chambers with all speed.

"And I will get the maids to bring hot water and towels to her chambers," Lady Violante added, grim-faced as she turned to my uncle, "Your Grace, will you be able to bring the Crown Princess Consort there?"

Oncle Henri nodded tersely.

"Please inform my son the Crown Prince while you are at it," the King requested her tiredly, "he will want to know, even if he is not allowed into the birthing chambers. The rest of us will wait here."

She bobbed a curtsey, and left with all haste as well. In the meanwhile, Lisa and I rushed to Jules' side.

"You are a madwoman," I told her bluntly, "how long have you been bearing with your contractions in silence?"

"Since I woke up this morning," she gritted her teeth, as she hung on to her father, "but this one is stronger, and by God, it hurts - "

"Why the hell would you come to this meeting today? Nothing is more important than birthing your child safely!" Lisa demanded, her voice cracking, "we could have managed just fine without you – "

Oncle Henri lifted Jules up into his arms effortlessly. His countenance was pinched with fear, which was understandable, since he had lost his third child during his wife's last trimester.

"We will continue this conversation later," he frowned, "Julie – "

"A moment, Papa," she gasped out, and turned in his arms towards me.

She grabbed both my hands in hers. "Do what you need to do," her hazelnut brown eyes bore into mine, "but you must succeed. We have come too far to lose."

I nodded, squeezing her hands. "Go in peace, and take care," I murmured, "you have done what you can, and now it is my turn."

She released my hands, and Oncle Henri swiftly carried her out of the chambers. When the doors closed, the remaining women gathered around me.

"What do we do now, Tess?" Liv asked me, squeezing my upper arm.

"Stay by me," I requested all of them, swallowing, "please."

With that, I walked to the front of the group, and faced the men once more. They had already begun chatting among themselves, assuming that the meeting had ended, now that Jules was indisposed.

I cleared my throat loudly.

The King looked up, startled, before he frowned. "What do you want?"

"We were presenting our petition to you all earlier, Sire, Your Graces," I reminded, "and we would like to know about your opinions on it."

The King's countenance was almost filled with boredom. "Well, it is a good effort," his voice carried no weight, "unfortunately, our nation does not only comprise of the three thousand people who have signed this petition, but also of the seven thousand who have not. I cannot have riots all over the country simply because of this. I still reject this petition."

"How about the rest of you?" he surveyed the remaining men at the table, "those in favour of legalising this petition, raise your hands."

Six hands slowly raised. Dukes of Louvre, Avignon, Cavarriere, Carcassonne, Anchorvale and surprisingly, Vareniol.

I knew the Southern duchies would take my side. As impertinent as Lord Theon of Vareniol was, he knew well not to offend me, especially during a time most of the South was teetering on rebellion over the recently amended tax.

He had better sense than the King.

The King's eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction. "Six out of thirteen. Well, I am sorry, Duchess," the apology was utterly insincere, "I am afraid we still have to reject your petition."

That prick. He had intended this from the very beginning. Listening to Jules' speech was nothing but a farce -

"But Lord Henri is not here, Sire," Lisa pointed out with a frown, "is it not six out of twelve? It is a tie."

"His vote is a null vote, since he is absent. The Council has rejected the petition," he dismissed us, "and that is that. Please clear the chamber."

I could feel the women tense in dread behind me. I hardened my heart, and took a deep breath. I did not want it to come to this, but it seemed I had no other choice.

I shook my head. "Nay."

"Nay?" the King arched an eyebrow, "are you openly disobeying your King – "

"Not yet, at least," I amended, "you see, Your Majesty, I have never seen the whole Council gathered together like this, in one place. Now that you have rejected the petition to change the law, I will have to marry within the year - and my husband will sit on the Council for me. I would never be able to address you all together again."

I felt Lisa lean towards my ear. "What are you doing – "

I clasped my hands by my waist, and drew myself up. "Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you all a bit about the south, where I come from," I began, "most of my northern friends, especially those who live at the royal court, know so little about their southern borders, that it is embarrassing."

The change of topic threw the King completely off guard, as it did the rest of the Dukes present. Taking the chance, I plunged on.

"I am the sovereign Duchess of Roche, which is an island comprising of eleven earldoms. It is located 2 miles offshore of mainland Monrique, connected by Guillame Bridge," I smiled faintly, "we make up a quarter of Monrique's population. Our people are mostly fishermen who contribute the majority of the seafood produce consumed by Monriquans, but we also have farmers who cultivate crops, and dedicate their lives to raising poultry and cattle."

"While we either consume or sell most of our produce in the markets in the mainland, we also do export a significant amount overseas through Guillame Port," I continued, "it is the most lucrative port in the region. Our people greatly benefit from maritime trade, but the Royal Treasury benefits the most – as of a few weeks ago, it pockets 70% of the revenue we make from our trade under the guise of taxes. People are not happy about this raise in percentage, as you might have heard by now. Vareniol, Anchorvale and Avignon are one step away from declaring open rebellion against the Crown."

The Duke of Avignon nodded. "It is true, Your Majesty," he sighed, haunted, "the army officers in Avignon are trying to contain these uprisings, but they are not very successful."

"Same in mine," the Duke of Anchorvale agreed worriedly.

"Why are you not keeping the peace in the South, Duchess?" the King addressed me, scowling, "Roche holds a third of the Monriquan Armed Forces, does it not?"

"We do," I confirmed, "but at the moment, we have yet to declare our position on this matter."

"What – "

I placed my hands on the table, and leaned over to look each of the men in the eye. "In addition to the army officers whom I command, every man above the age of eighteen in my duchy has been trained to fight. We have enough men, and we have more than enough arms," I stated clearly, "which is why I have an offer for you."

I let that sink in for a moment, before continuing.

"I am ready to help you put an end to these uprisings," I told the Dukes, "and of course, work out a deal among the southern duchies that can help your poor get back on their feet. The sudden reduction in their revenue must have affected them greatly, which is why they are rebelling in the first place."

The southern Dukes' countenances began to fill with unadulterated relief. The King, however, leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion.

"In exchange for?"

I spread my hands. "For legalising our petition, of course, Sire."

A gasp went up behind me from the women. Lisa and Liv both grabbed each of my arms.

"Tess, what are you doing – " Liv hissed in my ear.

"Absolutely not," the King snapped at once.

"Lady Roche, we did vote for your petition. All of us in the south did," the Duke of Avignon pleaded, "please reconsider – "

"I can, and I do order you to send your troops to help suppress the uprisings, Duchess," the King growled, "do not forget, you are still my subject, and Roche is under my rule."

"It is not," a small smile played upon my lips, "you forget, Sire, that I have still not paid homage to you for Roche – since, by the laws that yourefuse to change, I am not eligible to do so until I am married."

"That makes you no true Duchess as well," he stood up.

"Well, that is not for you to determine, is it?" I answered softly, "I have already been crowned by my people – the only ones whom I serve, the only ones whom matter. As of my father's death, Roche is neither under your rule, nor am I yours to command in any way."

The King was stunned into silence. I knew not why, but I loved and relished in the expression on his face. The fury, the utter helplessness.

Now he knew how the rest of the women and I felt last night, when he rejected the petition in such a biased manner.

I took a deep breath. "If you do not accept my offer - "

"What can you do?" the King sneered.

"Then you will be forced to accept the alternative," I answered coldly, "Roche will declare independence from Monrique, and we will become a free state. We will hold Guillame Port in its entirety, and none of our people, produce or revenue will reach an inch of the mainland. We will hold no sort of treaty with the mainland, or even help defend you if Vantauge, or any other country, chooses to attack from the south one day."

The Council froze in their seats, their mouths opening and closing like fishes. I could hear almost no sounds of breathing – neither from the Council, or from the women gathered behind me.

"Oh, Tess," Lisa whispered in horror in my ear, "what have you done?"

"That is treason," the King's eyes thinned to slits.

"You have one week to decide on the petition," my voice was dangerously soft, "if a missive is not sent to me or the Earls of Roche within that time, my men will burn down Guillame Bridge – and that will be the end of any association between our two countries."

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A/N: Thank you for all your guesses on why Tess was arrested in the previous chapter! Some of  them were pretty close :) I am so proud of you guys!!

The one thing I was truly, truly afraid of while writing this chapter is that it will not be satisfying enough - especially after all the suspense that led up to it :p If you guys have any suggestions on how I can improve, do let me know!!

And of course, do not forget to leave your thoughts below :)