The Bride the Queen Tried to Erase

Chapter 03 - The Ledger Beneath the Altar

Gabriel led them into the monastery chapel after evening prayers.

Behind the altar stood a wooden kneeling bench donated by King Edmund decades earlier. A narrow compartment had been carved beneath its cushion. Inside was a weathered leather ledger wrapped in oilcloth.

The pages documented millions redirected from pediatric wards into private accounts controlled by Minister Roland Vane. Several transfers ended at a foundation chaired by Adelaide’s brother.

King Edmund’s handwritten notes appeared in the margins.

Investigate discreetly. Sofia Marlowe witnessed the exchange. Protect her and the child.

The final page was torn out.

Gabriel said the missing sheet identified the person who approved the transfers. He believed Adelaide removed it before the ledger left the palace.

Even without that page, the evidence could destroy reputations and trigger a criminal investigation. Julian wanted to deliver it immediately to the attorney general.

Gabriel warned him that the palace security director, Lord Harcourt, owed his position to Adelaide. If they moved too soon, the Queen would claim the ledger was forged and the monastery politically motivated.

They needed King Edmund’s signed statement.

The east archive had been sealed for renovation, and access required authorization from Adelaide or the Crown Prince.

Julian could enter legally, but any request would alert his mother.

Elena suggested waiting until the palace became occupied with wedding preparations. The royal household would be moving flowers, furniture, uniforms and guest lists through every corridor. One additional archive visit might disappear inside the confusion.

Julian disliked using their wedding as cover for an investigation, but Elena reminded him that Adelaide had already made Sofia’s humiliation part of their marriage.

“If we do nothing,” she said, “your mother will stand beside us at the altar as though she did not build her position from my mother’s ruin.”

They returned to the capital with the ledger hidden inside a case of old church music.

Three days later, Adelaide invited Elena to tea.

The Queen spoke pleasantly about seating arrangements and ceremonial etiquette. Then she placed a photograph of Gabriel’s monastery on the table.

“You traveled a long way for spiritual guidance,” she said.

Elena felt the trap close.

Adelaide smiled.

“Whatever that old man gave you, return it. Otherwise, your wedding will become the day the entire kingdom learns exactly what kind of family you come from.”

Elena folded her hands so the Queen would not see them tremble.

“My family already knows what it survived.”