All throughout her travel, Emery was not able to get any sleep as she prepared herself for what was to come when she shows up. Breathing in and out, she braced herself as they finally enter the very first gate. The windows of the carriage were all open on both sides but were covered by the curtains. However, just by seeing the flag attached to the corner of the carriage, the people thought that the previous queen was the one inside. Thus, one guard hurried to the palace to inform the king about the arrival of his mother. Princess Garnet who was about to head back to the Vesuvia Kingdom that day once again had to postpone her leave so she could greet her mother whose arrival was so abrupt it caused an uproar. She did not receive any notice about her mother coming back to the capital so she was puzzled. As far as she knew, the previous queen did not want to return so she was curious about what had changed her mind. The king and the princess, together with the other ministers and maidse
The piece of cloth strangling Emery tightened causing her to cough and be short of breath. She desperately gasped for air, taking deep breaths, as she tried to claw at her attacker but it was futile. Dying of strangulation was definitely not the kind of death she wanted and she would not accept it if she were to die early after what she had gone through. Thus, she took a few steps backward, held her right fist, and with a full swing, she elbowed her enemy right on his right rib. Managing to free herself and finally gasping for some air, she turned on her heels to face the intruder. Despite her heavy heaving, she still charged toward him and slashed her dagger across. However, her first attempt at counterattack was simply dodged and the next second, she ducked to evade the sword that almost cut through her. Her sudden movements made the bandage press against her wound, sending those tingling pain in almost every part of her body. This was forcing her to limit her movements while it gav
The king chose to ignore the queen’s comment since he did not want to start another argument. He still needed to get to the bottom of the assassination attempt so he had a lot of things to do. He told her to rest since the maidservants will be the ones to bring her things to the West Palace before leaving her alone in the room once again. Though, he was still bothered by the fact that the queen seemed to still be fine despite almost losing her life a few moments ago. Normally, a person would feel frightened or scared after going through such an ordeal but he could not just see a single hint of trauma from the queen. And the only thought that could answer the question in his mind was the conclusion that Emery had probably experienced such a thing more than once or twice in her life. He did not know if he should be comforting her or he should interrogate her instead. But either way, he also felt like the queen would simply choose to fight him. Meanwhile, Emery thought she would have a
The two of them glared at each other as they fought over the poor scroll. For a few minutes, only the heavy tension lingered around them and if only it was possible, electric shocks could be ignited with their intense glare at each other. And neither of them dared to talk as if they knew that if they start speaking, it would only lead to yelling at each other. But the very first one to give up in their wordless fight was King Lawson. It was just that at the back of his mind, there was a lingering fear telling him to look away or else he will fall deep into the dark eyes of the queen. It was a feeling he was not used to. Thus, he let go of the scroll and proposed a deal. “Fine, you want the key? Then, tell me the real reason why you left the palace. Tell me where you went, what you did, and who you met,” the king stated as calmly as he could. “How many times should answer that same question? I told-” “I am not buying that lie, Emery.” The tone of his voice was low yet gravely. The
With the queen’s attention fully occupied by the food in front of her, the king turned his sight towards the maidservant still unconscious on the bed. He initially planned to interrogate Lila while the queen was gone but for some reason, he could not do it. Not because he was worried about how the queen would react but because the maidservant chose to be quiet despite the fact that he threatened her multiple times. And not to mention, she was oddly unconscious most of the time Whatever her real relationship with the queen, it was something that the king would not be able to severe easily. A little while after, Emery finished her food and noticed that the king’s eyes were focused on the maidservant she was looking after. She raised an eyebrow and simply stared at him without saying a word. “I am truly curious why you are so invested towards that sole maidservant,” the king commented. He, then, looked back at the queen. “That is why I had her background checked but I only found out th
The next morning, Emery woke up when she heard Lila’s voice just outside her chambers. The sun was already out outside the window, so she got out of bed and let Lila enter. However, her forehead creased when she saw the other maidservants holding some dresses as if she was about to get married again. When she asked what was going on, Lila replied, “Princess Garnet has invited you to attend the Flower Banquet held at the nearby lake.” Cocking her head to the side, Emery wondered what the Flower Banquet was. But then again, she heaved a sigh since she would not fully understand the different occasions or banquets held by the nobles. May it be out of a whim or not, banquets were the least favorite of the queen. “Can I not go? I am a bit tired of yesterday’s travel,” she tried to reason out. “Your Highness, the princess said that you are needed for the banquet. Royal Concubine Hazel is now waiting for you by the gates.” Saying that, Lila pushed Emery towards the bathing ward so she co
When Emery finally reached the pavilion, she curtsied at the princess who was wearing her usual smile that hid some unpredictable sinister. The queen felt a bit relieved when Princess Garnet asked the other ladies to leave them alone for a while. “Thank you for inviting me to this banquet.” Those were the first words of the queen. She first thought that the princess had already gone home to the Vesuvia Kingdom when she left the palace but she was wrong. She wanted to ask why she stayed longer in the kingdom but that would sound like she did not like her presence so she chose to just keep it to herself. Pouring herself some tea, Princess Garnet smiled. “I have heard that you got in an argument with the king the moment you returned. But what really worries me is that he let you come here without him despite the attempted assassination.” “His Majesty needed to attend important meetings today so he needed not to accompany me to attend the banquet. Besides, he is already investigating th
Emery was still speaking with Lady Ruby when everyone got on their knees and lowered their heads. “Your Majesty, please spare our lives!” they begged. Looking behind her, the queen locked gaze with the king who was coming in their direction exuding some deadly aura. She turned on her heels to face him and asked if the royal concubine was doing fine. The king did not reply and was about to walk past her, however, Emery stepped to her right and blocked his way. She received his infamous icy and striking glare but it did not stop Emery from stepping to her left when the king attempted to get past her for the second time. “Step aside.” His command was absolute and full of authority but the queen knew that if she did let him be, he would scare the shit out of the already frightened ladies behind her. “If Lady Hazel is doing fine, there is no need for you to be merciless towards these young ladies. Other than that, did she tell you who pushed her?” “She is not saying anything so I woul
It was already night time but the grandest brothel house here in the Realgar Kingdom was very much alive like it was the peak of the day. Noblemen continued to enter with much anticipation but I cannot truly tell if it was because they were planning to rise against the king or if it was for the women who will soon serve them or probably both. It was a huge party to cover up the noblemen’s real purpose of gathering here in this pleasure house. Thus, it was also a chance for me to test my girls’ ability to gather intelligence without getting caught. Beneath the main brothel, I gathered the 10 ladies I had been training for four years now for their briefing before they would go out there and do their very first mission. “I am reminding you again that all you have to accomplish this night is to gather information regarding the supposed rebellion. Serve the guests with food, wine, sweet talks, lip service, and whatnot but never engage in sexual activities. I forbid you to be in that kind
Emery, then, turned on her heels and started to away. Taking only a few steps, the king finally spoke. “Your accusations against them will be considered treason. To add up to that, you are still the prime suspect in killing the royal concubine. If you turn your back now without proving your innocence, you won’t be able to leave this place alive.” The assassin did not bother listening to whatever he had to say and still continued to leave. With her position as queen taken away from her, she had to pretend to leave the kingdom. She also needed to speak with the Arcana Heads to ask what shall be her next move with all the situations going beyond her control. “Your stubbornness annoys the hell out of me.” King Lawson, whose patience just snapped a few moments ago, grabbed Emery by the arm and dragged her into the tent. He strictly instructed the royal soldiers to make sure that no one would ever dare step inside the tent until he says so. Upon entering, Emery was a bit taken aback when
After the sudden appearance of the queen and Lady Mica, they met with King Lawson inside the tent, and even though he never said a word, his icy gaze said it all. He was not at all pleased with their visit as if this was some kind of vacation trip. “Your Majesty, I apologize for not telling you ahead of time about our arrival. I was simply worried about what was going on in here so I came,” Queen Natalia stated. Clearing her throat, Lady Mica intercepted since she noticed that her son was not convinced of the queen’s reason. “Lawson, that is not the way to treat your new queen. The two of you just got married and did not even spend your honeymoon in peace. At least, appreciate her efforts.” Clicking his tongue, the king shifted his attention back to the reports and said, “Mother, would you step out for a while? I need to speak with Natalia alone.” Lady Mica was about to negate but the queen gave her a reassuring look that everything would be just fine. Thus, the king’s mother left
After a few days of travel along with a few royal soldiers, King Lawson was able to reach the western border. Just like what Vasmir reported, the planes that used to be ablaze were now only covered with the remnants of the war. He could see some of the soldiers cleaning up and gathering the dead bodies but before he could go and see what was going on beyond the borders, he headed to the campsite of the general. Seeing the king wearing his armor, all the royal soldiers got on their knees and lowered their heads. King Lawson simply passed them by and came face to face with General Kyan. Getting off his horse, he entered the tent and the general followed. “I have always regarded you as one of the greatest soldiers that the kingdom could offer. But hearing that you forbid the soldiers to fight alongside the people of the Thorine Kingdom changed my mind. You are nothing but a coward,” the king commented as he took his seat and his chin leaning on the back of his hand. Instead of getting
Emery did not want to force General Kyan into her plan but she had no plans of staying put either. Stepping out of the tent, she walked towards the battlefield but when she felt that the soldiers whom she just led a few hours ago, she stopped in her tracks and faced them. “Our mission is considered as a failure and I apologize for dragging you into a decision I made for myself. But I won’t be apologizing for the decision I made. Our mission has ended, thus, I am no longer your leader so wait for the general’s further instructions.” After saying that, she turned on her heels and scanned the vicinity, hoping to locate where the general of the Damas Kingdom was. It was not hard to spot him despite the wide horizon as her eyes reflected their group backing away with their weapons raised above their heads. The royal soldiers, however, were a bit puzzled at the sudden change of mind of their enemies. And for the ceasefire to be led by the well-known undefeatable general, they found it rat
Emery still did not budge and was on the verge of shooting the arrow right in the face of the general. However, she clicked her tongue when he managed to push away the royal soldiers surrounding him. With a thunderous roar, he claimed, “You will never win this war! The soldiers of the Thorine Kingdom shall back us up and your kingdom shall be eaten by fire!” Emery cocked her head and slowly dropped her weapon. She, then, walked towards the general with a crease on her forehead. “With what you said, am I right if I say that you are associated with the Thorine Kingdom? But how could that be possible now that Princess Natalia just became the queen of our kingdom?” Instead of getting a decent answer from him, Emery twitched as the laughter of the general rang in her ears. It was a burst of laughter to mock her as if she was the craziest woman in front of him. “She married him to kill your king and conquer Silex with our help!” This time, it was the general and the soldiers’ turn to l
When the night embraced the land, Emery briefed the soldiers first on what they should do upon arriving at the site of their ambush. Though, she started to feel a bit uncomfortable as she felt their stares at her as if they were becoming more and more suspicious of who she was. Her heart almost skipped a beat when one of them took the courage to ask about her identity since it seemed like it was their first time to see her. And to avoid that topic, she simply stated that it was not the right time to know her since they were about to do something important that could either give their side an advantage or not. She even almost got busted when a few of them claimed that she looked familiar. If she were to be too defensive, it would make them more suspicious. “Captain, the general of the enemies had arrived in their camp,” the scout came to report, helping Emery get out of the tight situation. She stood from her seat and grabbed her spear. “Everyone, in your positions. At exact midnight
Emery stared at the royal physician who was on his knees right in front of her. She did not know what it was all about but since he dragged her into an empty room, she thought that there was something going on. However, she never dared speak up and ask about it as she still felt a bit discouraged to do anything after witnessing the king getting married to another woman. “Your Highness, please forgive me. I… I know what I did is something unforgivable and I deserve to lose my head for lying but… Your Highness, I beg for your mercy,” he pleaded. He bowed to her until his forehead touched the cold floor. His lips quivered as he anticipated the reply of the queen who still remained quiet after a few minutes of silence. “I am no longer the queen of this kingdom so do not act so formal. But that aside, what lie are you saying?” The royal physician gulped. He could feel the tips of his fingers growing cold but this could only be the last chance he had to redeem himself so he had to speak
Not wanting to be recognized, Emery immediately turned away, swinging her sword towards an enemy. She did not dare look back because she just saw a glint of shock in the general’s eyes despite the few seconds of looking into his very eyes. With a grunt escaping her mouth, she lunged towards another enemy and swung her weapon down to injure his leg. Her enemy fell to his knees, giving Emery the chance to slit his throat and end his life. She kept chanting in her mind not to pay much attention to what she just saw but her anxious heart was unsettled. The thought of her getting arrested at that very moment was not just the best idea. Just then, she felt someone behind her but before she could turn on her heels to see who it was, the general spoke. “What did you come here for?” he asked just loud enough for her to hear. Emery was able to feel a bit relieved when she heard his voice without even a hint of threat. She simply hoped that he would not turn her into the king, at least, not f