Chapter 128

The figure turned, and for a little moment, my heart pounded with a wild hope. It was a woman, her hair the same shade of auburn as my mother's, but her face, etched with the lines of time, held the weariness of a stranger.

"Excuse me?" the woman started, her voice hesitant. "Are you alright?"

Shame washed over me. "I… I thought you were someone else," I stammered.

The woman smiled kindly. "No worries, dear. Happens all the time."

The embarrassment of mistaking a stranger for my mother lingered like a bad taste in my mouth. Shaking it off, I marched towards the designated area for the guards.

As I entered the clearing, they stood lounging around, a stark contrast to the disciplined posture they maintained in the castle.

"What's going on here?" I demanded, my voice laced with authority.

They scrambled to attention, surprise crossing their faces. "Miss," one of them, a man named Gregor, said. "What brings you here?"

"I've come to address the complaints about your behavior," I stated fir