Jane had been affected by the Dream Flower poison, and while waiting for news from Wallace outside the palace, she also attempted to purge the poison on her own.In a careless moment, she fainted inexplicably.Then it felt as though she had returned to the past, or perhaps fallen into a nightmare.She saw someone who hadn't appeared in her dreams for a long time. She spoke to him for quite a while...When Jane woke up, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious.She only felt the room was eerily quiet. Her breathing was uneasy.Lily was by the bed, looking pale as paper, her hands trembling."Your Majesty... You're awake..." Lily said.Jane sensed that something was wrong. She sat up, and upon looking around, saw that George was also there.He was sitting on a small couch not far away, his expression as cold as ancient ice, now staring at her with an intense gaze.Jane's mind briefly went blank.Had he figured out that she was affected by the Dream Flower?Swoosh—G
Richard bowed first. "Your Majesty."George's gaze bypassed Richard entirely, settling on Jane. In an authoritative tone, he ordered, "Leave. The great queen dowager dislikes being disturbed by outsiders."Lily seethed silently, too afraid to speak up. How could the queen, the king's lawful wife and Teressa's granddaughter-in-law, be reduced to an outsider by that tyrant king?Jane remained composed and bowed gracefully. "Yes."She had never wanted to come in the first place. Since he said she wasn't needed, she was more than happy to leave.Inside Longevity Palace, Teressa sat in the seat of honor, with the king and Richard on both sides. Her sharp gaze swept across the room. "It's already this late. Why hasn't the queen come to greet me?""The queen is clumsy with words. It would only upset you, Grandmother. I sent her back," George replied without a change in expression.Teressa didn't press further for now. However, after the king and Richard had left, she instructed Alice
Helena woke up at dawn the next day.There was no sign of George in the chamber, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.Clara drew back the bed curtains, her face beaming with joy."Congratulations for earning the king's continued favor, Your Highness! This morning, before the king left, he instructed me to prepare herbal soup to nourish you. Your Highness, if I may ask boldly, did you...serve the king last night?"The king's affection was certainly a good thing, but Clara was worried since Helena's injuries were still severe. She shouldn't be engaging in such activities.Helena didn't answer the question. "Water."As Helena washed up, Clara spoke again."Teressa has only been back in the palace for two days, yet she's already preparing to leave for Mount Yalen again. Your Highness, will you be going to see her off?"Helena let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with resentment."See her off? More like see her to her grave! I thought she would deal with Wendy, but in
Security was tight in the palace. Gloria waited an entire day before finally gaining entrance to see the queen.Jane listened calmly to Gloria while the latter recounted Caleb's troubles, her expression remaining impassive."Destruction precedes renewal," Jane said simply.Though she had been investigating Caleb's predicament, she was well aware of one truth. As the eldest son of the Foster family, Caleb could not remain mired in despair indefinitely.Gloria, however, saw Jane's response as indifference. "He's your brother! If his future is truly ruined, what will become of the Foster family? Just because you lack childhood bonds with him doesn't mean—"Jane's sharp gaze cut her mother off mid-sentence."Where he fell, there he must climb back up. Why is he at the mercy of others? Because he settled for the position of assistant captain and lost his ambition. His downfall is his own doing. When Wendy was in danger, did he, as her elder brother, protect her? What future, what resp
Inside Zen Palace, George sat with a somber face, his brows and eyes carrying a cold sharpness as he questioned Jane."If I hadn't come across this today, I wouldn't have known you've been secretly taking such medicine."Jane remained calm, her expression unwavering as she replied without hesitation, "This medicine was sent by my mother. She is unaware of the situation regarding the consummation. I was about to have Lily dispose of it."Her denial was so swift and seamless that it betrayed no hint of falsehood.George scrutinized her, his gaze icy and piercing."You'd better not be harboring any ulterior motives."Then, his tone turned businesslike as he issued an order."The Romenian envoys will arrive soon. A welcome banquet will be held in their honor. In the past, Helena managed such events, but she is gravely injured now. I am entrusting this to you. Remember, this concerns the relations between two nations—there must not be any mistakes!"Jane furrowed her brows lightly.
At Foster Mansion, Gloria was heartbroken upon seeing her son return in a disheveled state."Caleb, what happened to you?"Caleb ignored his mother's concern and walked straight to the inner courtyard. His gaze was empty, haunted by the memories of that night—blood-soaked corpses littering the ground, rain washing away the crimson stains, soaking the farmland.It was because of his incompetence that he let everyone down."Caleb!" His younger brother, Mike, blocked his way, eyeing him from head to toe with a smug grin. "Really, Caleb? You're so awful at your job that you can't even keep your uniform?"Caleb didn't respond.Mike pulled out an appointment letter, waving it proudly with a triumphant grin. "See this? I've been appointed as a foreign affairs officer! That's one rank higher than your assistant captain position!""Congratulations," Caleb replied flatly, walking away.Mike cursed in Caleb's direction, "Pathetic!"Once hailed as the top candidate in the military exam,
The first episode of poisoning occurred after ten days. Yet, there was still no news from Luke.Jane silently channeled her inner energy to suppress the poison's effects, though it could only ease the symptoms temporarily, not fully restrain them. It seemed she had no choice but to seek the antidote from George.As night fell, Jane disguised herself and ventured alone to Faith Palace to retrieve the antidote. This time, she exercised even greater caution.To her relief, Faith Palace was devoid of ambushes. Only Karlsen, a royal guard, was present inside."The king said the poison alone is enough to control you, so there's no need to capture you anymore. You don't have to be so on edge," Karlsen remarked.Jane remained skeptical. That tyrant king had already broken his promises several times.She took the antidote and swiftly left the palace. Karlsen made no move to pursue her, opting instead to return to Tyrian Palace to report back.George was seated at his desk, a nine-section
Helena wore the red that only the first wife could, a clear sign of her ambition.She was already beautiful, and with makeup enhancing her features, she garnered all attention, easily overshadowing the other concubines.However, when the queen appeared, all eyes that had been on her turned elsewhere.Helena's pupils suddenly dilated as she followed the crowd's gaze…Jane, dressed in a yellow court gown and adorned with a crown, looked radiant and noble, exuding grace and grandeur.If Helena was the beauty that could overthrow a city, the queen was a woman beyond comparison.The former was like a flower in a pond, stunning the world with her beauty, arousing a sense of possessiveness and wild thoughts.The latter was like the moon in the sky, one that made people hesitant to even approach, knowing they were unworthy, and daring not harbor any improper thoughts, only to reverently worship her. This was a beauty that commanded submission.Dina sat in her seat, watching the queen,
Jane never told George that Darren had died for her. The Thiberium poisoning had been meant for her. Darren had taken it in her place.She also never told George that Darren had already given her the Miracle Needles manual. At the time, she had been too busy waging war and had only learned half of it. So when he was poisoned, even though she hastily studied the rest, she still couldn't save him in time.Because of this, she could never forgive herself.That night, many struggled to sleep.George and the royal guards practiced combat through the night. The guards were miserable.Rachel lay awake until dawn, unable to calm her excitement about leaving the palace with the king the next day.The next morning, by the break of dawn, Rachel was already dressed and had prepared the offerings.The guards assigned to escort her had the carriage ready. When a concubine left the palace, she had to use the side gate.Rachel, however, didn't get into the carriage right away. Instead, she ask
In the evening, at Tyrian Palace, George was about to settle down for the night when he noticed that Jane was still reading.He walked over. "Is that book really so fascinating?"Jane didn't even look up."I've sent people to investigate the purchase records of floral brocade in recent years. While waiting, I thought I'd search for clues about that nine-tailed serpent motif."George snatched the book from her hands, forcing her to raise her head and look at him. "It could just be an ordinary design.""Perhaps." Jane reached for the book, but he spoke again."There's a military physician in the Northern Battalion with the last name Durand. Was he the one who taught you Miracle Needles?"Jane's gaze subtly shifted.Growing impatient, George pressed further. "I want the truth. Was it him?"Jane's expression was cold and detached. "Yes."A storm brewed within George.The Durand family never passed down the Miracle Needles technique to outsiders—only their own bloodline. That mea
There were screams from within the palace."You scoundrel! Who's sick? Who are you calling delirious? I'm perfectly fine! Ahh! What are you doing!"Since Mary was struggling so violently, Dina had no choice but to order her to be restrained. A moment later, Mary was tied to the bed, thrashing wildly as she shouted toward the door where Dina stood."Mother! Save me!"Dina couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. "Mary, I'm only helping you."Mary was utterly baffled. She had just been quietly embroidering a fragrant pouch, yet her mother suddenly thought she was ill."The queen. Get the queen!" Mary barked at Irene.Wilhelmina, who stood right beside Dina, felt a chill run down her spine.Why call for the queen? Could Mary really have lost her mind?–At Zen Palace, Jane was flipping through ancient texts, searching for any records of the nine-tailed serpent motif.Suddenly, Maya rushed into the inner chamber. She seemed out of breath."Your Majesty! Something terrible ha
"I only heard that Commander Morris was quite close to a military physician, and there were even rumors of an intimate relationship." At this point, Richard hesitated before adding, "But I believe those were baseless rumors. It was most likely just camaraderie between comrades."George's expression turned unusually serious."What is the physician's name, and where is he now?""I only recall that his surname was Durand."'Durand?'George immediately thought of the Miracle Needles. That physician was likely a descendant of the Durand family.Richard had no idea why the king was asking about this, so he returned to the main topic."Your Majesty, since Jocelyn is not the true Commander Morris, why have you not made this public?"George's gaze turned dark."I have my own plans."Right now, all he could think about was that military physician with the surname Durand.–Outside the royal study, Karlsen saw Richard step out and greeted him respectfully.Karlsen's face was expressi
At Grace Palace, Rachel sat in front of the mirror. Her gaze was slightly empty. Aurelia couldn't bear to see her like this."Your Highness, it's getting late."The king not coming didn't mean she should refuse to sleep.Rachel murmured softly, "Yes, it's late."Was the queen accompanying the king at this hour?She used to console herself with the thought that perhaps the queen, like her, was nothing more than a facade to deceive others and had never truly shared the king's bed.But if that were true, why would the king summon her to Tyrian Palace? Even Rosalie had rarely set foot there in the past. This proved that the king truly favored the queen.Then what was she?She had exhausted every means at her disposal, yet she couldn't make the king spare her even a glance.Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.-The next day, during the court session, ministers were still debating over Jocelyn's death."Your Majesty, Commander Morris held great prestige among the people.
Jane proposed making the truth public to prevent the people from continuing to misunderstand. However, George's gaze was extremely cold."There's no need."Now, it was her turn to be confused. Between two difficult choices, one should choose the lesser evil. As a king, did he not understand this?George was very serious."If we expose that Jocelyn is an impostor, the Morris family won't escape punishment. Neither will the tens of thousands of Northern Battalion soldiers."Even if those soldiers were unaware of the truth, people could always find an excuse to accuse them. If that happened and someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation, the entire Northern Battalion would be thrown into chaos.By keeping this secret, he could still protect the Morris family and those soldiers.If the truth was revealed, he would have to handle the matter impartially. Otherwise, his authority would be compromised.Jane said nothing.In her heart, she naturally leaned toward her
George saw a light in her eyes that he had never seen before.The surroundings were silent. It was as if, as long as she looked at him like this, he could agree to anything.But he was not so easily swayed.After only a brief moment of distraction, he quickly regained his usual cold and imposing demeanor and spoke in a steady tone."In the second year of my reign, the allied forces of four nations attacked Nidora. I led the army into battle. After the war ended, I returned to the capital, passing through a misty forest on the way. There was an ambush in that forest."While fighting off the assassins, one masked individual released a creature that resembled a salamander. I was bitten by it and poisoned. Only later did I learn that it was Thiberium poisoning."Jane was well aware that Thiberium poisoning involved raising salamanders and feeding them a specially prepared poison daily. Over time, the creatures would absorb the toxins and become what was known as Thiberium, naturally
Mary was feeling guilty. Jocelyn had managed to escape from prison thanks to the Falcon Command Token she had secretly delivered to her. She had known the truth would come to light sooner or later, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon.Even more surprising was that after questioning her for a while, George suddenly stopped. Instead, he changed the subject and solemnly warned her."Mary, I can choose not to punish you for this matter, but from now on, stay away from Zen Palace."Mary's fists clenched involuntarily. She met George's gaze, refusing to back down, and smiled."Your Majesty, you've been on the throne for seven years now, yet you still have no heirs. That's quite unusual, isn't it? I heard from Grandmother that you've decided not to favor the harem unless the queen bears an heir?"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but over the years, you've shown favor to Lady Rosalie and Lady Helena, and even spent nights with Rachel. Yet none of them have conceived. So why do
Mary stared blankly at the person before her.The queen was actually Commander Morris who had saved her all those years ago.Good heavens! What had she been doing all this time?She had actually believed Jocelyn and gone against the queen at every turn. She had even exposed the queen's marriage substitution.For the sake of Jocelyn, an impostor, she had nearly caused the death of her true savior.At this moment, Mary was filled with regret and remorse.Jane lowered her gaze to the bracelet on her wrist and sensed something was off.Their eyes met suddenly. Mary's gaze was emotional, her voice trembling. "You–"She had countless things to say, but she didn't know where to start."Commander, I personally measured your wrist for this bracelet. Now, do you still wish to deny it?" Mary gazed at her intently.Jane's brows furrowed slightly. "Princess–"Mary interrupted her. "I was a fool. I conspired with Jocelyn and went against you at every turn. It's only natural that you bla