The Queen went to the King's bedroom. She didn't allow anyone else to enter with her. The room was dark and smelled of strong smelling herbs.
The Queen sat on a chair beside the bed. The King's eyes were closed. His skin had red and black patches. His bed sheet had splatters of blood. He must have vomited blood again.
"My Raegan," Celestinia said softly. Her expression looked sorrowful.
The King's eyes slowly opened. "Sylvia, it it you?" The King extended his red hand to touch her face.
Celestinia flinched.
"Sylvia, I knew you would visit me," The King said, his eyes distant, unseeing, but his voice was happy.
Celestinia had enough. "No, it's me your wife, Celes."
The King was silent.
"My King, who is Sylvia?" Celestinia asked. She must have asked him for thousands of times already but he never answered her. It didn't hurt to try. She was already hurting anyway.
The King averted his gaze and looked towards the ceiling instead. He had drawn back his hand away from her.
"You're always looking for her. Who is she? Maybe I can help you. I can command our soldiers to look for her!" Celestinia forced enthusiasm in her voice.
The King continued his silence and closed his eyes. Celestinia sighed. It was no use. He was soon going to die but he still would not open up to her. She was not the one he was waiting to visit.
She got up and was about to leave when the King spoke so softly she almost didn't hear him.
"She is my one true love."
Celestinia was enraged. She saw his expression. His eyes were closed but his lips were smiling as if he was reminiscing that woman. How dare he?
"After all these years, Raegan? Why not me? We've been married for so long! Why can't it be me?" Celestinia screamed.
The King opened his eyes and looked at her. "You are not her."
Celestinia's nails dug on the palms of her hands. They were going to bleed again but she couldn't feel the pain in her rage.
"That woman will never set foot here. If she ever comes near you, I will have her executed. I will hang her head in front of you," Celestinia said.
The King laughed. Celestinia was startled. She was not used to his laughter. Then he looked at her with such intensity, his golden eyes seemed to be aflame and spoke the words that made his cold Queen shiver.
"You cannot kill her."
*
*
*
Meanwhile, in the Duke's residence, Euphemia opened her eyes. She felt exhausted. She could not remember why.
"Lady Euphee!"
Euphemia looked to her left. It was Lucien. He was sitting by her bedside. His face looked distraught.
"What's the matter? Why are you here?" Euphemia asked.
Lucien frowned. "Don't you remember? You fainted in the throne room. I was called inside to carry you out."
Euphemia started to remember. The Queen, the knight, and the extreme pain that she experienced after healing the knight.
"What happened? What did she do to you?" Lucien asked.
"She . . . made me heal someone," Euphemia said slowly. She was also trying to understand what had just happened.
"Who?" Lucien asked.
"It was someone in armor. A knight maybe. She told him to let me practice on him then he . . ."
The gushing blood. There was so much blood.
"I'm sorry. Perhaps you should rest first. I'll tell the chef to make soup for you." Lucien said.
Euphemia shook her head. She had to tell him. "Please stay."
Lucien waited for her to speak again.
"He stabbed himself with his sword. He was bleeding . . . a lot. Then the Queen told me to heal him or else he's going to die and she'll order the other knights to do the same," Euphemia said.
"Did you faint at the sight of the blood? It must have been terrifying," Lucien said. He was furious at the Queen but his priority was Euphemia's mental state.
"No. I . . . healed him," Euphemia said. "I fully healed him. I tried really hard to make it work even though I didn't know how but it did. Light came out of my hands and his wound closed. But then . . . so much pain came to me afterwards. It felt like I was stabbed in the stomach too. Then I fainted."
Lucien was disturbed. It was the only explanation.
"I may be wrong but I think the pain transferred to you after healing him," Lucien said. "Did he stab himself in the stomach?"
Euphemia nodded. She had the feeling that was the case. It meant that whatever she healed, the pain would transfer to her.
Euphemia looked at Lucien sadly. "Your scars. I'm not sure if I can . . ."
Lucien held her shoulders. "I'm fine. You don't need to heal my scars. I don't want you to be in pain again."
He couldn't bear the thought of her receiving the pain he had felt from his scars. He remembered the pain he had felt when he was being whipped. His mind almost broke during those days. No, those years. He would absolutely not let Lady Euphee heal his body.
"I'm sorry," Euphemia said.
She felt lost and useless. What's the use of a Saintess who's scared to heal?
"You have nothing to be sorry about. Just rest for now. I'll have food sent to you," Lucien said and caressed her head.
Lucien left the room. His blood boiled at what the Queen did to her. Since before, he had a feeling that the Queen was not as warm and friendly as she was said to be.
When Lucien was living in the Imperial Palace, the King had been kind to him. He was treated like a son instead of a nephew. The Queen was not hostile to Lucien but he hand a niggling feeling that she hated him.
Her mouth was smiling but her eyes were not. She encouraged him to join the army. She must have wanted him out of the palace or . . . dead.
"Your command, Your Grace?"
It was Hansel. He must have been listening in to their conversation. He didn't mind. It was Hansel's job to know everything. He was his shadow and sometimes his sword.
"Find out if our sources have new information about the slaves. I have a feeling that knight Lady Euphee mentioned is a slave. A normal person would not stab himself upon command. He could have been under a slave contract," Lucien said.
Slavery was illegal in Aderlan but there have been rumors of a black market selling slaves in the kingdom. If the rumors were right, perhaps the Queen's knight's were actually slaves. It would ruin the Imperial Family.
"Understood, Your Grace," Hansel bowed.
"Also . . . see if you can find out how the King is doing," Lucien said.
He was worried. Was the King still alive? He had not appeared in public for almost a year already. The King was more of a father to him than his own.
Lucien closed his eyes. Sylvia. What would Sylvia say in this kind of situation? He remembered her words while she was teaching him how to hunt.
"Sneak to your prey. Let it not suspect your movements. When it's already in your trap, kill it swiftly," Sylvia whispered as they waited for the deer to step on the trap.
"But what if it fights back?" He whispered back.
Sylvia looked at him in amusement. "Then you fight back too. Remember, don't be the prey."