Emery could not make out whose voices she was hearing but as she waited, she did not expect to see the royal concubine with her maidservants. Raising an eyebrow at her, she tried to ponder the reason why she was visiting her. “Your Highness,” Royal Concubine Hazel greeted as she curtsied at the queen. “It may not be much but I brought some warm clothes for you to wear. After saving me in the lake, I came to repay the kindness you have given me. I shall speak to His Majesty and–” However, even before she could finish what she had to say, Emery cut her off. “Do not speak me out of this, Lady Hazel. The reason why I am in this situation is that His Majesty believes I am behind the incident of your almost abduction the other day. I would be more grateful if you stay out of this until he finds out the truth himself.” Emery felt a bit sorry upon seeing the dejected expression of the royal concubine. But her pride just could not let her accept the help she was offering because it seemed l

After a few days since his last visit to the dungeon where Emery was, His Majesty was still annoyed at her words so he never went back. And he was indeed true to his words, no food was given to her with only the exception of the herbal tea and water. But aside from dealing with her, the king was yet to resolve a problem that involved the ministers. Inside the Court Palace, His Majesty and the ministers were once again gathered to discuss the matters that were halted the other day. However, this time, the tension within the hall was doubled compared to the time that the king got mad. To break the silence, Prime Minister Korun stepped up with his head lowered. “Your Majesty, we have heard that you held the queen captive with the accusation that she planned to harm the royal concubine,” he stated with his usual calm voice. Before he could speak for the next second, the king intervened. “What do you have to say, Prime Minister Korun? Do you think that my judgment is simply ridiculous?”

King Lawson did not like the tone of Emery’s voice when she asked that question. He felt like she was telling him that he actually needed her to settle some serious matters. And such a feeling was something he wished to disappear. “It seems like you do not need it at all,” Emery added as if tempting him to say the words she wanted to hear—the words of begging for help coming from his very mouth. Meanwhile, Emery was getting more and more hyped up as she watched him look away from her. It was a sign she thought that showed how the situation was starting to be humiliating for the person whose pride was as high as the mountains. A grin was still plastered on her lips, waiting for the king to actually ask for her help. And as every second passed, she could see his agitation grow. A great sight for her indeed. “You should just show up in front of your people and announce that you are not following your father’s steps. It is easy that way,” she teased. “But then, it would be hard to make

When Emery returned to the West Palace, she was immediately greeted by Lila who apologized countless times for not being able to help her. It was not much big of a deal since she did not want her to get involved too much that others would also target her. To have a private conversation with her, the two of them went into the king’s exclusive bathroom for Emery to be able to wash up. “I really am sorry, Your Highness. I was locked up just until a moment ago so I was not able to visit you or even bring you out of prison,” Lila stated as she knelt on both knees across Emery. “Stand,” she replied. “It is not your fault since that king prevented you from seeing me. But is it really true that he made an investigation regarding the royal seal incident?” Lila nodded. “It seemed like Vasmir did almost all of the work for His Majesty. But the real culprit who sent the assassins to abduct the royal concubine still remains a mystery.” Emery simply nodded. She was thinking that she could proba

The king never replied anymore because if he did, their conversation would drag on until dawn. Thinking that Emery was already back to sleep, he put his arm on her shoulder. However, only a few seconds later, he felt a sharp slap on his arm. Still, he placed his arm around the queen again but this time, he pulled her close to his chest—his arm snaked around her back. “Just so you know, doing this won’t make me forget what you did this morning. I am not so forgiving to pardon you after you instructed Lady Hazel to come and beg for my life without even telling me ahead of time,” Emery mumbled. Hearing those words coming right out of the queen’s mouth made the king open his eyes. Not only her words were striking but the tone of her voice sounded like a mixture of disappointment, anger, and sulkiness. Then, a realization hit him. “Is that the reason why you have been so grumpy lately?” he snickered since it was his first time to actually witness her being like that. It was rather surpr