- 7 minutes ago
Keyless Queen HD
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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.
00:14So 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.
00:57It 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.
01:15After 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,
01:22and the little iron hammer my father had forged for me with his own hands.
01:26The servant waited for me to cry, shout, or beg for the king's mercy.
01:31I did none of those things.
01:33I only folded the message once, placed it on the table, and looked toward the locked wardrobe across the room.
01:38No 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.
01:49My gowns were locked in the west-wing wardrobe, my jewelry.
01:53Was locked in the queen's jewel room, my 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,
02:06I had to ask Lydia for the apothecary key and permission to leave the palace.
02:11And every one of those keys was in Lydia's hands.
02:13She was the king's chief court lady, and 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,
02:27because my father, Thomas, had saved the old king 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,
02:39we would waste it the moment it reached our hands.
02:41The gold will stay in the royal treasury.
02:45It 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,
03:01waiting for another woman to decide whether my needs were proper enough.
03:05Three days ago, my father was dying.
03:07I 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.
03:29Physicians and medicine from the palace apothecary.
03:31Now my father was gone.
03:33There was no reason for me to stay.
03:36When I asked Leon to end our marriage, he refused.
03:40He was in his study, reading the border tax ledgers.
03:43His eyes never left the parchment.
03:46His voice was as cold as if he were scolding a maid who had broken a cup.
03:52Stop making trouble.
03:54He treated it like nothing more than a childish error,
03:57not 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.
04:10His eyes were cold, as though my words were a waste of his time.
04:15About 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.
04:26My 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.
04:50But 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.
05:10But 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.
05:21My 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 carrily.
05:44Vise de Thomas, the group in tres colise.
05:47Master Thomas is only a commoner.
05:50He does not fall under royal emergency care.
05:53That treatment was promised to him by the late king.
05:56I'm not denying the late king's generosity.
06:00But rules are rules.
06:02Have 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.
06:18She glanced at it and frowned lightly.
06:20I brought back the note.
06:22She glanced at it and frowned lightly.
06:26The date isn't clear enough.
06:28It only says fever.
06:29It doesn't specify whether his life is in danger.
06:32Your majesty.
06:33I'm not trying to make this hard for you.
06:36Every bottle in the royal apothecary must be recorded.
06:40You are clean now.
06:42You cannot act like you are still in a blacksmith's shop,
06:45taking whatever you want whenever you want it.
06:47After that, she made me bring a travel permit,
06:50a 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,
07:19and Lydia only asked whether the church seal was placed in the correct corner.
07:29By the time the key finally arrived at the blacksmith's shop,
07:32my 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,
08:03I 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's shop.
08:13Last 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.
08:21With that, he stood and turned to leave.
08:24He was certain I would lower my head soon enough,
08:26just 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.
08:35Even when Lydia smiled and took one key after another away from me,
08:39I endured it.
08:40I once thought that as long as my father was alive,
08:44I could endure anything.
08:45Now 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.
08:53Later, 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.
09:16I picked up the quill and wrote carefully,
09:20Lady Lydia is diligent indeed.
09:23With one ring of keys,
09:25she rules over both the queen and the servants.
09:35Aladia.
09:38May she keep guarding every door and may she keep guarding the place she hopes to move into one day.
09:45Your Majesty,
09:47should I really deliver this?
09:49The maid's face went pale.
09:53Deliver it exactly as written.
09:55His Majesty wanted praise.
09:58I gave him praise.
09:59After writing it,
10:01I closed the ledger.
10:02Then I returned to my chamber and began to pack.
10:05There was not much to pack.
10:06Everything that seemed to belong to me in the
10:08palace 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.
10:15A few faded shirts and the little hammer my father had given me.
10:19For all these years,
10:21I had lived in the palace like a temporary guest.
10:24Only now did I understand.
10:26Even a guest could at least open a
10:28door for herself.
10:30I folded the old dress carefully and placed my father's hammer on top of it.
10:34The iron handle was cold,
10:36but the weight of it steadied me more than any crown ever had.
10:40Outside,
10:41the bells of white stone palace rang for Lydia's private dinner.
10:45Inside.
10:46I closed my trunk and finally felt something like peace.
10:49No longer a queen,
10:50no longer in need of anyone's keys.
10:52I am just me the me who can make any decision.
10:57Leon came back very quickly.
10:59Whenever it involved Lydia,
11:01he was always prompt.
11:03He strode into my chamber and did not even notice the small leather trunk at my feet.
11:07I said flatly,
11:09I heard.
11:10I didn't want to.
11:12Leon looked as if I had said something outrageous.
11:15I already told you.
11:16Lydia has managed the palace household well lately,
11:19so I held a dinner to reward her.
11:22There are already enough people in the palace misunderstanding her.
11:26After what you wrote in the ledger,
11:28how is she supposed to face anyone?
11:30I could not help laugh.
11:33So not everyone is blind.
11:37If people misunderstand her so easily,
11:41maybe they already know what she's been doing.
11:43Leon's face darkened.
11:46Aaliyah,
11:47when 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.
12:04If you hadn't made us fade a scene in the household office,
12:07would 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,
12:17I won'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,
12:27I had wanted him to ask that question sincerely,
12:30now that he had finally asked it.
12:32But now,
12:33there's no point in my answering anymore.
12:37But if you keep targeting Lydia,
12:39don't blame me for being harsh.
12:42Think about your father.
12:45I finally laughed out loud.
12:49It hurt my throat.
12:51Then I opened my trunk right in front of him.
12:56A crown?
12:58A palace?
13:00Dignity?
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.
13:15If I wanted to change into a ball gown,
13:18I had to ask your lady of the court for a key.
13:23If I wanted to visit my father,
13:24I 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,
13:45and deliberately tried to ruin her name?
13:47My heart went cold,
13:48inch by inch.
13:49If he truly thought this was wrong,
13:52he 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.
14:08Dissolved.
14:09Leon 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.
14:42In a moment,
14:44I'll have Lydia give you the keys to the queen's wardrobe,
14:47the jewel room,
14:48and the carriage house.
14:51From now on,
14:52your daily expenses won't need to go through the household accounts.
14:56After three years as Leon's wife,
14:59I 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,
15:15yet 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.
15:29Aaliyah,
15:30don't forget how you became queen.
15:33Your father saved the late king.
15:36That is why the late king rewarded your family with honor.
15:41If you leave me,
15:43those rewards,
15:45that gold,
15:46those properties,
15:48you won't get a single copper orange.
15:50And your father's illness.
15:53Without the royal physicians and the royal apothecary,
15:56how long do you think he 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.
16:05I fastened my trunk again and said lightly,
16:10do whatever you want.
16:13Leon froze.
16:14He seemed unable to understand why a threat that had always worked on Aaliyah suddenly had no effect,
16:19but his pride would not let him lower his head again.
16:23So he watched her drag her trunk toward the door with a cold face.
16:27When Aaliyah 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 Aaliyah learn that Lydia went to his study that night.
16:38Your majesty doesn't need to humor her.
16:41Leave her alone for a few days.
16:44She'll come back and apologize.
16:46Her majesty has simply grown too comfortable as queen,
16:49and wants to make a scene.
16:52Leon believed her.
16:53He even found a honey mint in his study and thought of Aaliyah.
16:57His throat always hurt more into her.
16:59So Aaliyah had once learned to make those candies for him.
17:02Leon turned the candy between his fingers for a long while.
17:07She is not completely useless after all.
17:10Lydia lowered her eyes to hide the shadow of jealousy in them.
17:13Even now,
17:15even while he was angry,
17:16one small candy was enough to make Leon think of Aaliyah first.
17:20He told himself that Aaliyah was not completely useless after all when she came back.
17:25He would make her apologize sincerely,
17:27and 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.
17:47That 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.
18:00Now 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?
18:13Madam 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 isn'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 and 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 and 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.
19:05After I had cried enough,
19:07Madam Martha set slowly.
19:13Done crying?
19:15Then wash your hands.
19:19I'm sure to lock repairer,
19:20and 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 is lucky enough.
19:38What is there to ask?
19:39Or did three years as queen make 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.
19:53At first, I was not used to it.
19:57The wind in the north was hard.
19:59The furnace was scorching.
20:00And 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 and held out a strip of cloth.
20:14Miss Aurelia, maybe you should rest.
20:17I wrapped my palm and picked up the hammer again.
20:23If I stop every time I bleed, I will never make anything strong.
20:28But as time passed, the 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.
20:47The steadier my hands became.
20:49Once.
20:50I repaired a cracked bracer for a night.
20:52He tested it twice and raised his thumb in surprise.
20:56I smiled.
20:59I thought someone from the palace would only know how to wear rings.
21:07I couldn't afford rings before.
21:11The soldiers around us froze for a second.
21:14Then burst into laughter.
21:16That was the first time I laughed easily after leaving the palace.
21:19Then an unwelcome voice sounded behind me.
21:22A lady?
21:23I looked up and saw Lydia.
21:25She wore a white fox fur cloak and stood not far away.
21:28Several servants behind her.
21:29Her gaze swept over my hands, stained with coal and iron dust.
21:34Then over the soldiers beside me.
21:36The corner of her mouth lifted.
21:41So this is why Her Majesty suddenly made such a fuss about ending the marriage.
21:46You came back to a place like this.
21:49Some people can wear a crown and still never forget they came from a blacksmith's shop.
21:55I would breastfeed your face.
21:58My face went cold.
22:00The people of the Northern Armory mended armor, forged swords, and repaired gates in wind and
22:06snow to protect the border.
22:07They did not deserve her contempt.
22:13I set down the tongs in my hand.
22:17Lydia, do you not have a room of your own?
22:20Why are you behind every door I open?
22:22Lydia's expression changed at that moment.
22:25A familiar voice came from behind her.
22:29What happened?
22:32So, he had come to inspect the Northern border.
22:35And of course Lydia had come with him.
22:37Her eyes reddened as she lowered her voice.
22:40Nothing, Your Majesty.
22:44I only saw Her Majesty away from the palace for so long, surrounded by soldiers and smith and
22:51worried she might be taken advantage of.
22:54I tried to advise her, but she misunderstood me.
23:00Only then did Leon notice me.
23:03His brows drew together slightly.
23:05There was that familiar certainty in his eyes.
23:09Aelia, did you bully Lydia again?
23:12If you came here to admit your mistake, apologize to her first.
23:17I looked at him once, then turned away without wasting a word and picked up my tools.
23:22The young apprentice beside me whispered.
23:27Miss Aelia, who is that?
23:29I said coldly, my blind, brainless husband.
23:33Leon's face darkened.
23:35Aelia!
23:38You've followed me all the way to the north.
23:40How long do you plan to keep this up?
23:44You've been away from the palace for so long,
23:47ignoring your father completely.
23:54Are you really trying to force me to never give him the apothetory key again?
23:59I looked at him, tired of him to the bone.
24:04Then don't give it.
24:06That's what you're best at, isn't it?
24:11Something in my eyes must have cut Leon.
24:14He turned sharply to the servant beside him.
24:17Send orders back to the cathedral.
24:19From today on, Thomas is not to be given the apothetory key again.
24:25And the gold coffret is not to be opened.
24:28Panic flashed across Lydia's face.
24:31Your Majesty, perhaps we shouldn't...
24:35Leon coldly pressed down the hand she had placed on his arm.
24:38She needs to be taught a lesson.
24:41Otherwise, she will never learn how to be queen.
24:45The servant's face went deathly pale, and he did not answer.
24:49Leon frowned.
24:50What?
24:51The servant lowered his head.
24:53His voice tightened.
24:55Your Majesty, Master Thomas has passed away.
24:58Leon froze.
25:00What did you say?
25:02The servant forced the words out.
25:05Three days ago,
25:07Her Majesty
25:10requested that the apothetory be opened,
25:12but the key was never delivered.
25:15By the time the physician arrived,
25:18Master Thomas had already...
25:19He did not finish.
25:22Leon stood there as if he had suddenly forgotten how to understand language.
25:26A long time passed before he murmured.
25:29How is that possible?
25:34Why didn't anyone tell me?
25:39The servant looked even more troubled.
25:42Someone did report it to Your Majesty at the time.
25:45Leon stared at him.
25:47What did I say?
25:50The servant clenched his jaw.
25:52You said that while you and Lady Lydia were watching the Winter Lantern Parade,
25:57you did not want to hear anything related to the queen.
26:00In that instant, Leon's face went white.
26:02I watched him finally remember.
26:05That day,
26:06I had burst into the household office and begged Lydia to give me the apothecary key.
26:11He said I had shamed the crown.
26:13Later,
26:14to comfort Lydia after she had been frightened,
26:17he lit Winter Lanterns across the capital for an entire night.
26:20The nobles all said His Majesty truly favored his chief court lady.
26:24My father took his last breath that same night.
26:28Leon turned sharply toward Lydia.
26:31Tears welled in Lydia's eyes as if she had suffered a great injustice.
26:35Leon,
26:36I didn't mean to keep it from you.
26:39I only thought Master Thomas had already received so much grace from the late king.
26:44And Her Majesty always makes things sound worse than they are.
26:48I was afraid she would influence you.
26:51I, Frohling,
26:53give me your key ledger.
26:55For the first time, Leon cut her off.
26:58What?
27:00Lydia froze.
27:04The record from the apathetic key,
27:07the treasury key,
27:08and the carriage house key from the past few days.
27:12All of them.
27:14The blood drained from Lydia's face.
27:17Leon,
27:18these are household affairs.
27:20You've never investigated me like this before.
27:23What was left to explain.
27:25Everything I had said was true.
27:26I had not been jealous of Lydia.
27:28I had not used my father's illness to threaten him.
27:31I had truly wanted to leave.
27:33The way Leon looked at me finally began to change.
27:36But,
27:37I only felt tired.
27:38I looked away and lowered my head to sort my tools.
27:41Three whole years had been wrong.
27:43Leon took one step toward me.
27:45But the soldiers of the armory camp shifted almost at the same time.
27:49No one drew a weapon.
27:51They only stood there,
27:52silent and solid,
27:54between the king and the woman he had cornered for too long.
28:02Aaliyah.
28:03Aaliyah.
28:03Don't.
28:05That single word stopped him more sharply than any royal command.
28:09Lydia's fingers closed around the edge of her cloak.
28:13Your majesty.
28:14I can explain the ledgers.
28:17Her majesty always demanded things outside procedure.
28:21I was protecting your reputation.
28:24Leon looked at her,
28:25and for once he did not immediately believe her.
28:29Then you will explain them in writing.
28:31Every missing hour.
28:34Every delayed key.
28:36Every sealed door.
28:38I heard those words and felt nothing like triumph.
28:41There was no victory.
28:43In being believed after the person you loved most was already dead.
28:51Late that night,
28:52I came out of the armory camp to dump furnace ash
28:55and saw Leon standing not far away.
28:57The firelight was dim,
28:59and snow rested on his shoulders.
29:01I had only seen him that afternoon,
29:03yet he looked as if his soul had been drained out of him.
29:06When he saw me,
29:07he stepped toward me at once.
29:09Aaliyah.
29:09I frowned and stepped back.
29:11He stopped.
29:12His voice was hoarse.
29:14I've taken all the keys back from Lydia.
29:16She is no longer the chief court lady.
29:19About your father,
29:20I didn't know.
29:21Give me a chance to make it up to you, alright?
29:23My heart did not soften.
29:25I only found it absurd.
29:26Once,
29:27I had begged him to listen to one sentence,
29:29and he found me annoying.
29:31Now he stood in the snow,
29:32finally willing to bow his head.
29:34But it was too late.
29:36I looked at him calmly.
29:38Leon,
29:38do you think Lydia is the only problem between us?
29:41He seemed caught off guard.
29:43I know I was wrong.
29:45He seemed caught off guard.
29:46I shouldn't have let her control your keys.
29:50I shouldn't have used that method to teach you rules.
29:53I just thought the palace had always been like this.
29:57Noblemen manage their common-born wives this way all the time.
30:02I never thought it would hurt you.
30:05And I never truly meant to abandon your father.
30:09I looked at him.
30:11Leon,
30:12even now,
30:13you still think that if you are willing to give,
30:15I should be grateful enough to take it.
30:18You made me queen,
30:19then handed my wardrobe,
30:20the apothetry,
30:20and my father's life-saving money to Lydia.
30:22You saw my humiliation.
30:23You just believed someone of my birth
30:24had no right to feel humiliated.
30:25His face turned paler by the second.
30:28I went on.
30:30We are over.
30:31I don't want anything.
30:33When the Archbib's court asks for your response,
30:36don't stand in the way.
30:37That's all.
30:38Confusion filled.
30:40Leon's eyes.
30:41He seemed unable to understand
30:42why I refused to forgive him
30:44when he had already lowered himself this far.
30:46Carefully, he asked.
30:48What will it take for you to come back with me?
30:51I can give you the keys to the queen's wardrobe.
30:54The jewel room,
30:55the treasury,
30:56the apothetry,
30:57all of them.
30:58From today on,
30:59no door in the palace will stand in your way.
31:03I could not help laughing.
31:05If all you needed was a vase beside your throne,
31:07you should never have been kind to me in the beginning.
31:09Yes.
31:10I had loved him once,
31:12during my first year in the palace.
31:14Leon had not always been cold.
31:16He taught me my first court dance.
31:18He taught me my first court dance.
31:23When noble ladies mocked my accent,
31:26he took my hand and walked me across the entire ballroom.
31:29She is my queen.
31:32In that moment,
31:33I truly believed I had been chosen.
31:38Leon began to say I did not understand the rules.
31:41That I was too sensitive.
31:43Too petty.
31:44Too embarrassing.
31:46That Lydia was only helping him.
31:48His tenderness was like winter fog on a window.
31:51The moment I touched it,
31:52it disappeared.
31:53I looked at Leon and said softly,
31:55I don't need your compensation.
31:58I only need this marriage to end.
32:01Leon looked as if he had been struck.
32:03He stumbled one step forward and reached for me.
32:06I avoided him.
32:08His hand froze in the air.
32:12Aelia, even a prisoner dragged before a court
32:15gets to defend himself once.
32:16His voice was almost pleading.
32:19You can't deny me even one chance to explain.
32:22I gave you many chances.
32:24I said calmly.
32:26Every time I waited outside your study.
32:30Every time I went to the household office
32:32to beg for a key.
32:34Every time I was told you
32:36stake for me when key.
32:39Every time I told you
32:41Lydia was delaying me on purpose.
32:44Every time you said listen to Lydia.
32:47Those were chances.
32:50You were the one who threw them all away.
32:52Leon had nothing left to say.
32:55I knew how stubborn he was.
32:57I also knew dissolving our marriage
32:59would not be easy.
33:00But I did not expect him to arrive
33:02at the armory camp the next morning
33:04with a train of carriages.
33:05They were loaded with silk.
33:07Medicine, gold coffers, and food.
33:13The northern armory is always short on funds.
33:17I've already ordered the treasurer
33:18to allocate money to you.
33:23Leon stood in the snow when he saw me.
33:25There was even a careful smile on his face.
33:30These medicines and iron supplies
33:32are for the camp as well.
33:33Then he took a small box from a servant.
33:36These are candid figs.
33:38I remember you used to ask for them late at night.
33:41Eat while they're still warm.
33:42I did not reach for them.
33:44You don't like them?
33:45The hope in Leon's eyes stiffened little by little.
33:48I don't like candid figs.
33:50Lydia does.
33:51I said lightly.
33:53Leon froze.
33:54I looked at the box and remembered long ago
33:57for a period of time.
33:58He often asked me to have the kitchens
34:00make candied figs late at night.
34:02I thought he liked sweets while working late.
34:05Only later did I learn they were for Lydia.
34:07Once I saw her sitting at the small table
34:10in the king's study with my own eyes.
34:14Your majesty,
34:15please have the kitchens make another serving next time.
34:18At Leon tried them
34:19and thinks they're good too.
34:23That day I argued with Leon.
34:28It's just a bit of food from the kitchen.
34:30You are queen
34:31and Lydia runs the palace household for me.
34:34What's wrong with rewarding her?
34:35Stop acting so small-minded.
34:37Now, thinking back,
34:39I found myself almost laughable.
34:41So I had once been that devoted.
34:44I'm sorry.
34:45I remembered wrong.
34:46Leon gave a difficult smile.
34:49Then what do you like?
34:51I'll wish to her it.
34:53I'll have someone prepare it.
34:54I lowered my head
34:55and continued inspecting a broken sword.
34:58No need.
34:59But Leon did not give up
35:01over the next few days.
35:03He kept sending gifts.
35:05Sometimes it was a sapphire necklace.
35:07Sometimes a gold-threaded shawl.
35:09Sometimes white roses
35:10from the royal greenhouse once.
35:13He even sent a pair of ivory gloves
35:15set with tiny pearls.
35:16I looked at those things
35:18and became genuinely curious.
35:20How did a man who listened this badly
35:22manage to rule a country?
35:23When the armory finished repairing
35:25a batch of border longswords,
35:27Leon came again.
35:29This time,
35:30he carried a delicate wooden box.
35:34I did not let him open it.
35:36The palace keys?
35:39His eyes lit up.
35:40How did you know?
35:42I looked at him
35:43and gave a small smile.
35:44Because you finally remembered
35:46that keys were what I lacked most
35:47for the past three years.
35:49A hint of joy appeared on his face.
35:51As if he thought
35:52he had finally done something right,
35:54he opened the box.
35:55Inside lay a ring of golden keys,
35:57the wardrobe,
35:58the jewel room,
35:59the apothecary,
36:01the carriage house,
36:02the treasury,
36:03the inner chamber.
36:04Each key bore the queen's crest.
36:08From today on,
36:10you can open every room in the palace.
36:14A'Lelia,
36:16I will make up for everything I owe you.
36:20I looked at those keys,
36:22so late in coming,
36:23and suddenly felt exhausted.
36:25Leon, you still don't understand.
36:27Leon, you still don't understand.
36:29I wanted keys before
36:31because I was still trying
36:32to survive inside that palace.
36:35I don't need them now.
36:37I never wanted the keys
36:39to every door in the palace.
36:41I never want to go back
36:42to that palace at all.
36:45The color drained from Leon's face.
36:47Yes, I continued.
36:49The sapphire you sent
36:50is what Lydia likes.
36:51The gold-threaded shoal
36:53is something she wears often.
36:56White roses sit in her room all year.
36:58The ivory gloves are what she wears
37:00before every winter hunt.
37:03See?
37:04You remember another woman's taste
37:06so clearly.
37:07So why not dissolve this marriage
37:09smoothly and marry her?
37:10Leon answered almost without thinking.
37:13Thinking.
37:13She cannot be queen.
37:15Her birth is not suitable.
37:17She only likes power
37:18and the things inside the palace.
37:20I suddenly understood.
37:22He saw Lydia clearly.
37:23He had simply never considered
37:25her someone who could stand beside him.
37:27As for me,
37:28I had the late king's command
37:30and the title of the savior's daughter.
37:32My birth was low,
37:33but I had no noble family
37:34that could threaten me.
37:36I was suited to be a queen
37:37placed beside his throne.
37:39Perhaps there was love
37:40in his attachment to me.
37:42But more than that,
37:43he could not accept
37:44that I had chosen to leave him.
37:47I looked straight at Leon.
37:49So you think I walked away with nothing
37:51because I loved you?
37:52Because you broke my heart
37:54because I wanted you to regret it?
37:56Leon looked away.
37:58I said softly,
38:00You're wrong.
38:02I married you because my father
38:04needed the physicians and medicine
38:06the late king promised him.
38:08I stayed in the palace
38:09because he was still alive.
38:13Now he is dead.
38:15I don't need your money.
38:16I don't need your keys.
38:18I don't need your love.
38:22And I don't need you, Leon.
38:27The ruling from the archbishop's court
38:29came sooner than I expected.
38:31Perhaps because Leon did not interfere again.
38:34Perhaps because too many people
38:35in the capital already knew that
38:37before the queen's father died.
38:38The apothecary key
38:40had been delayed again and again.
38:42The marriage is dissolved
38:44on the grounds
38:45that it was arranged
38:46by the late king's command,
38:47that there are no children
38:49and that the relationship
38:50has broken beyond repair.
38:54Leon did not appear, Dot.
38:56Royal judges handled everything
38:57on his behalf,
38:58to my surprise.
39:00He did not leave me with nothing
39:01as he had once threatened to do.
39:03He sent all the reward money
39:04my father should have received
39:05to the north.
39:06He also gave me an estate
39:08near the border.
39:08A box of jewels
39:10and everything that had once
39:11belonged to me
39:12in the queen's chamber.
39:14I returned to the palace once.
39:16Nothing in that chamber
39:16had been moved.
39:17The wardrobe stood open.
39:19The jewel room stood open.
39:21Even the inner room
39:22I could not enter for three years
39:24had its door wide open.
39:25On the table
39:26lay that ring of golden keys.
39:28Each one had been polished
39:29until it shone.
39:30But I no longer wanted them.
39:34I spent two days
39:35handing the gowns,
39:36jewelry,
39:37and properties in the capital
39:38over to the merchants' guild
39:40for auction.
39:41Part of the money
39:41went to repairing
39:42the northern armory camp.
39:44Part went to the families
39:45of fallen border soldiers.
39:46The rest,
39:47I used to build a small workshop
39:49in my father's name.
39:51One that would take in girls
39:52with nowhere else to go
39:53and teach them a trade.
39:54On the third evening,
39:56a royal servant
39:57came to the armory camp.
39:58He carried a small gold chest
40:01and looked uncomfortable.
40:02Miss Aaliyah,
40:04His Majesty said
40:05the earlier compensation
40:06was not enough.
40:09These are new deeds
40:10and letters of credit.
40:12I looked at the black carriage
40:13parked in the distance.
40:14I took the chest
40:15and walked over.
40:17After a while,
40:18the carriage window lowered.
40:20Leon sat inside.
40:21He had lost
40:22a great deal of weight.
40:24Dark stubble shadowed his jaw
40:26and his eyes
40:27were full of exhaustion.
40:30I handed the chest back
40:32through the window.
40:35Leon,
40:36I am grateful
40:37you didn't truly send me away
40:38empty-handed.
40:40What you have already
40:41given me is enough.
40:44But I will still sell
40:46the gowns,
40:47the jewels,
40:49and the houses.
40:51I have enough money.
40:54I simply don't want
40:55to keep anything
40:56from the palace.
40:57Leon's voice
40:58was hoarse.
41:00Aaliyah,
41:01I only want
41:02to make it up to you.
41:05You've already
41:06made up enough.
41:13We owe each other
41:14nothing now.
41:16Leon suddenly grew agitated.
41:18How can we owe each other
41:20nothing?
41:22Your father,
41:23and the way
41:24I treated you before.
41:27I wronged you.
41:28I was silent
41:29for a moment.
41:32I did hate you.
41:35My father saved
41:36the late king,
41:37but the reward he earned
41:38was locked inside the palace.
41:40When he needed
41:41those things to live,
41:42I couldn't even get a key.
41:45There was a time
41:46when I wanted to burn
41:47that palace down.
41:48Leon's face
41:49turned pale.
41:51I went on.
41:52But I also have
41:54to admit,
41:55Leon,
41:56that my father
41:56survived those
41:57three years
41:58because of the royal
41:59physicians
42:00and the apothetry.
42:01That was what
42:02the old king
42:02promised him.
42:05And it was something
42:06you never
42:07complete, Leon.
42:10He never
42:11completely took away.
42:12Before my father died,
42:14he held my hand
42:15with the little strength
42:16he had left.
42:20Alia,
42:22don't spend
42:23your whole life
42:24inside hatred.
42:26My greatest regret
42:28is not that I never
42:29lived in a grand house.
42:31It's that I never
42:32got to see you
42:33return to the forge.
42:36My daughter
42:37could have made
42:38the finest keys.
42:40win the finest keys.
42:43At that moment,
42:45the person I hated
42:46most became myself.
42:47I hated myself
42:48for being useless.
42:50I hated that
42:51even though I knew
42:51the palace
42:52was not my home.
42:53I still endured
42:54three years there
42:55for my father,
42:56and I hated that
42:57in the end.
42:57I still failed
42:58to save him.
43:00So now everything
43:01is only returning
43:02to where it should be.
43:04And it was something
43:05you never
43:05completely owned.
43:08He never
43:09completely took away.
43:11Something seemed
43:11to shatter
43:12in Leon's eyes.
43:17We sat in silence
43:18for a long time
43:19in the end.
43:20There was no
43:21unnecessary farewell.
43:23When the carriage
43:23left,
43:24I did not look back.
43:26Over the next
43:26few years,
43:28I poured almost
43:28all my time
43:29into the armory camp.
43:31I repaired gates,
43:33adjusted crossbows,
43:34redesigned horseshoes
43:35for the northern cavalry.
43:37Eventually,
43:38even the minister
43:39of war in the capital
43:40heard that there
43:41was a female armorer
43:42in the north
43:43who could make
43:44ruined plates of armor
43:45look new again.
43:46When Madam Martha
43:47grew older,
43:48she often sat
43:49by the forge
43:50and watched me
43:50train apprentices.
43:53Choose your students
43:54carefully.
43:55I'm too old
43:56to rescue you first
43:57and then rescue
43:58your useless
43:59little apprentices, too.
44:01My apprentices
44:02and I all laughed.
44:05That winter,
44:06I suddenly received news.
44:08Leon had been injured.
44:09A fire had broken out
44:11in the old queen's chamber
44:12and he had rushed in
44:13to save someone.
44:17Half his face
44:18had been burned.
44:19The messenger said
44:20Lydia had set the fire.
44:23After she was driven
44:24from the palace,
44:24she never accepted it.
44:26She believed
44:27his majesty
44:27refused to marry her
44:28because you were still alive
44:31and because he had kept
44:32the queen's chamber.
44:34Untouched.
44:35She used an old key
44:36she had secretly copied,
44:38slipped into
44:39Whitestone Palace
44:39and tried to burn
44:40the chamber down.
44:42Maybe she wanted
44:43to kill Leon.
44:44Maybe she wanted
44:44to kill me.
44:45The woman she believed
44:46would one day return.
44:48After hesitating
44:49for a long time,
44:51I went to see him once,
44:52my heart had not softened.
44:54Something simply needed
44:55a real ending.
45:00Leon lay in the palace
45:01infirmary.
45:02Half of his face
45:03was wrapped
45:04in white bandages.
45:05The physicians whispered
45:06that the scar
45:07would likely be deep.
45:08When he saw me,
45:09he gave a smile
45:11uglier than crying.
45:12You came.
45:13I nodded politely
45:15as if visiting
45:15an old acquaintance.
45:17I heard you were hurt.
45:18He said,
45:20Lydia will stand trial.
45:22Falsifying the key ledger,
45:24holding back
45:25the apothetory key,
45:26hiding the queen's
45:27travel permits
45:28and arson.
45:29She will pay
45:30for all of it.
45:31I did not ask further.
45:33None of those things
45:34had anything to do
45:35with me now.
45:35I only asked
45:37a few polite questions
45:38about his injuries.
45:44Will the burn
45:45affect your sight?
45:50The physicians say
45:52one eye may blur
45:53in winter.
45:53It doesn't matter.
45:56Then follow
45:57their instructions.
45:58When the next group
45:59of nobles came
46:00in to visit,
46:01I took the chance
46:02to leave at the door.
46:04Leon suddenly
46:05called my name.
46:10Aaliyah.
46:11I stopped
46:12but did not turn around.
46:14His voice was low.
46:17That chamber
46:18is gone.
46:22Everything
46:22from before
46:23is gone too.
46:24I said calmly,
46:26that's alright.
46:28I never wanted
46:29any of it.
46:31I said calmly,
46:34behind me,
46:35there was
46:35a long silence.
46:37I opened the door
46:37and walked out
46:38of the infirmary.
46:39The sunlight outside
46:40was bright,
46:41like my new life.
46:44I said calmly,
46:51Lydia's trial
46:52was held
46:53in the old
46:53judgment hall
46:54of White Stone Palace.
46:55She no longer
46:56wore pale blue silk
46:57or white fox fur.
46:59Her wrists
47:00were bound.
47:01Her hair
47:01was loose
47:02and smoke stains
47:03still clung
47:04to the hem
47:04of her gown.
47:05Lydia,
47:06former chief court lady,
47:07you are accused
47:08of falsifying
47:09household ledgers,
47:10withholding royal keys,
47:12concealing travel permits,
47:13delaying royal medicine,
47:14and setting fire
47:16to the queen's chamber.
47:17How do you answer?
47:19Lydia lifted her head
47:20and laughed sharply.
47:23Queen's chamber?
47:24She was never
47:25worthy of that chamber.
47:26The noble's whisper dot,
47:28Leon sat behind
47:29the carved screen,
47:30half his face
47:31hidden beneath bandages.
47:33He did not speak.
47:35The recovered ledger
47:37shows that
47:38the apothetery key
47:39was requested
47:40five times
47:41on the night
47:42Master Thomas died.
47:43Each request
47:45was delayed
47:46under your seal.
47:48I followed
47:49palace.
47:50I followed
47:51palace rules.
47:52The travel permit
47:53was also hidden
47:54under your seal.
47:56Because she always
47:58wanted to run back
47:59to that filthy forge.
48:02Not the furls.
48:05Leon closed his eyes.
48:07Lydia suddenly
48:08turned toward the screen
48:09as if she could see him.
48:11Leon, if Allelia
48:12had not appeared,
48:13I would have been
48:14queen long ago!
48:17You kept that chamber
48:18untouched
48:19because you still
48:20dreamed she would return.
48:21If she died,
48:23everything would go
48:24back to how it was!
48:27The judgment hall
48:28fell silent.
48:30Then you admit
48:31you set the fire
48:32knowing she might return.
48:33Lydia's face twisted.
48:35I admit nothing
48:37except that she stole
48:38what should have been mine.
48:46After the trial,
48:47Leon dismissed
48:48every guard
48:49and walked alone
48:50to the ruins
48:50of the old queen's chamber.
48:52The corridor
48:53still smelled of smoke.
48:55The portraits
48:55of past queens
48:56remained on the walls,
48:57but the place
48:58where Allia's portrait
48:59had once hung
49:00was black and empty.
49:02Your Majesty,
49:04the physician said
49:05you should not
49:05be near Ash.
49:10leave.
49:11The guard bowed
49:12and retreated.
49:14Leon stepped over
49:15burned silk,
49:16broken beams,
49:17and melted glass.
49:18The wardrobe
49:19that he had finally
49:20opened for Allia
49:20was gone.
49:21The jewel room
49:22was gone.
49:23The table where he had
49:24placed the polished golden.
49:26Keys was split in half.
49:28A half-melted key
49:29lay in the ashes.
49:30Leon picked it up
49:32with his bandaged hand.
49:36Your Majesty,
49:38your wound will reopen.
49:39It should.
49:40He looked at the twisted key
49:42and suddenly remembered
49:43Allia standing before him
49:44with a small trunk
49:45at her feet.
49:50Allia's voice
49:51seemed to return
49:51from the fire.
49:53I don't need them now.
49:56Leon pressed the key
49:57against his palm.
49:58Four years,
49:59he had believed
50:00that if he kept
50:01the chamber,
50:02kept the gowns,
50:03kept the keys,
50:04he could keep
50:05the possibility
50:06of her return.
50:08But the chamber
50:09had burned,
50:10the portrait
50:10had burned,
50:11even the keys
50:12had lost their shape.
50:14Only then
50:15did Leon understand
50:16that Allia
50:16had not disappeared
50:17from his life
50:18because a door
50:18had closed.
50:19She had left
50:20because
50:21he had never
50:22given her
50:22one worth opening.
50:25The palace corridor
50:26looked as brilliant
50:27as it had before,
50:29with portraits
50:29of past queens
50:30hanging along the walls.
50:32There had once
50:33been a portrait
50:33of me there too
50:34after the dissolution.
50:36Leon never
50:37ordered it removed.
50:38Now that portrait
50:39had burned
50:39with the chamber.
50:41Good.
50:41Some things
50:42should never
50:43have been kept later.
50:44I heard that Lydia
50:45cursed my name
50:46throughout her trial.
50:48She said
50:48that if it
50:49had not been
50:49for me
50:50she would have
50:50been queen
50:51long ago.
50:52She said
50:52that if it
50:53had not been
50:53for me
50:55she said
50:56that if I died
50:57everything would
50:58go back
50:58to how it was.
50:59I only found
51:00it ridiculous
51:01in the end.
51:02They really
51:03were a perfect match.
51:05One believed
51:05that as long
51:06as he kept
51:06the old chamber
51:07I would one day
51:08return.
51:09The other believed
51:10that as long
51:11as I disappeared
51:11she would be able
51:13to walk through
51:13that door.
51:14They were both
51:15stubbornly guarding
51:16things that did
51:16not belong to them.
51:18Both of them
51:18were trapped
51:19in the past
51:20refusing to move on.
51:21What a shame
51:22I had not seen it sooner.
51:23One regret
51:24in a lifetime
51:25was enough.
51:26A young girl
51:27at the work table
51:28glanced at the
51:29messenger's letter
51:29in my hand.
51:31Teacher
51:31is that news
51:32from the palace?
51:34I folded the letter
51:35and pushed it
51:36into the fire.
51:39No
51:40it is only ash.
51:42Madame Martha
51:43snorted from the corner.
51:45Good answer.
51:45Now teach
51:47that girl
51:47how to file
51:48a clean edge
51:49before she ruins
51:50my tools.
51:51After that
51:52I never went
51:53back to the palace.
51:54I never followed
51:55any news of Leon
51:56again.
51:58Several months
51:59after Lydia's
52:00sentence
52:00the minister
52:01of war
52:02placed a northern
52:03armory report
52:03before Leon.
52:05Your majesty
52:05the border cavalry
52:07requests more
52:08horseshoes
52:08from Miss
52:09Alia's workshop
52:09but their design
52:11has reduced winter
52:12injuries by nearly half.
52:14Leon's fingers
52:15paused on the seal.
52:17The capital
52:17armory could use
52:18her skill.
52:19We may invite her
52:20to Whitestone
52:21for a royal commission.
52:22For a moment
52:23the chamber
52:23was silent.
52:25Then Leon
52:25said quietly
52:26send the invitation.
52:28He told himself
52:28it was for the kingdom.
52:30He did not tell
52:31the minister
52:31that he had read
52:32every northern report.
52:33With her name on it
52:34he did not say
52:36that each mention
52:36of Alia's work
52:37hurt worse
52:38than the scar
52:38across his face.
52:39Days later
52:41a royal messenger
52:42arrived at
52:43Thomas' workshop.
52:45Miss Alia
52:45his majesty
52:46invites you
52:47to the capital
52:47to oversee
52:48a new lock system
52:49for Whitestone Palace.
52:51I did not stop
52:52filing the iron plate
52:53in my hand.
52:54Tell the ministry
52:55to send the measurements.
52:57I will design
52:58what the palace
52:59needs from here.
53:00His majesty
53:00hoped you would
53:01come in person.
53:02I finally looked up.
53:04I am an armchair
53:05not a memory
53:06he can summon.
53:07That evening
53:08I wrote a formal reply.
53:11Thomas' workshop
53:12accepts commissions
53:13for tools,
53:14hinges,
53:16armor plates,
53:17locks,
53:17and keys.
53:18It does not accept
53:20invitations
53:20to reopen
53:21closed doors.
53:22When Leon
53:23received the letter
53:24he read the last line
53:25three times
53:26then he folded it
53:27carefully
53:27and placed it
53:28beside the ruined
53:29golden key
53:30he still kept
53:30in his desk.
53:33The winters
53:34in the north
53:34were long
53:35but the forge fire
53:36never went out.
53:37One of the new girls
53:39held up a broken lock
53:40and asked softly,
53:41Teacher,
53:42what should I do
53:43if this won't open?
53:44I glanced at it
53:45and pushed a bar
53:46of iron
53:47into the fire.
53:49If it won't open,
53:50replace it.
53:51Same with doors.
53:53Same with people.
53:54The fire rose.
53:56The red hot iron
53:57slowly took shape
53:58beneath the hammer.
53:59I suddenly thought
54:00of the night.
54:01I left the palace
54:02three years ago.
54:03Back then.
54:04I thought I had
54:05lost everything.
54:07Only now
54:07did I understand.
54:08I had simply
54:09carried myself
54:10out of a palace
54:11where I had
54:12never been given
54:13a key.
54:15From then on
54:16my life would
54:17only move forward.
54:18I would never
54:19look back.
54:20The new girl
54:21stared at the broken
54:22lock in her palm
54:23then looked at
54:24the iron glowing
54:25in the furnace.
54:27Teacher,
54:28can I make
54:29my own key?
54:30I handed her
54:31the smaller hammer
54:31my father once
54:32made for me.
54:34You can make
54:35a key.
54:36You can make
54:37a door.
54:37You can even
54:38decide there should
54:39be no door
54:39there at all.
54:40Less talking.
54:42More hammering.
54:43The apprentices
54:44burst into laughter.
54:45I laughed with them.
54:47Outside,
54:48the northern snow
54:49covered the road
54:50to the capital.
54:51Inside,
54:51the forge burned
54:52brighter than
54:53any palace chandelier
54:54I had ever seen.
54:55I raised the hammer.
54:56The first strike
54:57rang clear.
54:58Then the
54:59second,
55:00then the third.
55:01a new shape
55:01began to form
55:02beneath my hands.
55:03A new shape
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