Heiress Unmasked: Shaking the World With Geomancy novel Chapter 2119

"From this day forth, should anyone question the queen's observance of ritual, they shall be punished for offending the queen, dismissed from office, and caned 50 times.

"No need to report to me again," Benjamin announced.

With that, he ignored the pale and panicked faces of the surrounding courtiers. Still holding Shannon's hand, he led her away with the palace servants trailing behind.

As yesterday's event had just been a coming-of-age ceremony, few courtiers had attended, though many noblewomen had been present. In comparison to the overwhelming spectacle of phoenixes, Benjamin's "she stands as my equal" had largely been drowned out.

Most of the noblewomen had forgotten to mention the detail after returning home.

Coincidentally, it was the wife of the Minister of Rites who'd failed to bring this up upon returning home.

Like him, some present today had simply not heard it, while others had and kept silent on purpose. They had meant to test Benjamin's boundaries, but now, the line had been drawn clearly.

Today might have been just a warning, but next time, it wouldn't be as simple as a demotion or written punishment.

As for the Minister of Rites, who'd just received the penalty head-on, no one bothered with his inner collapse.

Benjamin no longer paid any mind to the shaken courtiers and palace servants after making his point. He led Shannon to her pavilion.

Since she had yet to undergo the official coronation ceremony, she did not move into the Queen's chamber. Instead, Benjamin had arranged for her to stay in a pavilion close to his King's Chamber. The pavilion had been readied days in advance.

Every detail of the furnishings and layout had been tailored to Shannon's personal tastes. Other than it being close to Benjamin's chambers, it stood beside a courtyard with a maple tree.

Though it was mid-winter and the tree was buried in snow, its familiar trunk and lingering scent instantly made Shannon fall in love with the place.

Knowing she disliked crowds, Benjamin only assigned her one palace servant. The other palace servants would avoid entering her space unless absolutely necessary.

Shannon understood that this was his way of being considerate and dismissed the palace servants. Then, she couldn't resist stepping forward to hug him again.