The old granny approached Holly, walking with her humpback. The wooden stick in her hand trembled because of her frail body. Holly was supposed to help her but her instinct told her to stay away.
"It's nice to see you, My Queen."
Holly frowned. She couldn't tell if this old woman was a human. But, it was almost impossible for any other human being to live here except Holly. So, Holly could guess if this woman was also a werewolf.
"Can you tell me your name, Mam?"
Holly tried to remain polite even though she was still aware of her presence.
"You look prettier than others say."
The old woman didn't answer Holly. Her thin hands grabbed Holly's hair and stroked it. The pungent smell of spices wafted from her hands. Holly had to hold her breath so she wouldn't get sick from the smell.
"Your hair is so beautiful, it sparkles like gold." The old woman stroked Holly's hair and looked at her in admiration.
Holly didn't lower her defence. She was still anticipating carefully what the old woman will do. Holly knew an old lady like her could turn into a wild wolf whenever she wanted.
"The King must really treasure you," she said half-whispered with a scary smile.
Holly pulled her hair back from the woman's hand. "What do you want?" asked Holly politely.
The woman flinched in surprise at Holly's assertiveness. She held the basket filled with fruit.
"I just want to help you. I know what you need."
Holly looked at the fruit basket. For a moment she wondered if this woman had come to sell fruit. But she remember they didn't use money here. She heard from Gilbert, that people here live by herding and hunting. They didn't need money because the forest was sufficient for all their needs.
"You remind me of her," said the old woman, turning her face away as if she was watching Holly closely.
Holly immediately understood who she meant. It must be the last Queen. People tend to compare them. Well, Holly just heard about it from the maids she used to meet. But it would be understandable if they compare her to the previous Queen.
"People said I was different from her," Holly refused firmly. It was okay if she was being compared, but she didn't want to be seen as the previous Queen.
"Your bravery reminds me of her. She wasn't an easy woman, like you." The old woman's smile grew wider and her skin wrinkled.
"Did you come here looking for fruit?" Holly tried to change the subject.
The old woman nodded.
"Do you often eat fruit around this castle? That's why you came here?"
She nodded again. "There are many delicious fruits around this castle."
Holly tried to keep the expression on her face. "There's a vegetable garden nearby. You can get some vegetables if you want. They grow a lot of carrots there. Do you like carrots?"
The woman chuckled. "Of course I do, My Queen."
Holly held her breath. She purposely provoked the woman through questions, and that woman got the bait.
Werewolves didn't like vegetables, they just eat meat. But this woman said she eat carrots, which was very unreasonable. The vegetable garden that Holly was referring to had only been planted after Holly had lived there. It was also Holly who asked because she wanted to eat some vegetables.
Holly came to two conclusions. One, this woman lied and has malicious intent on her. Second, this woman was a human.
But even though she was a human, Holly still had to be careful.
"The flower. Do you know how to destroy it?"
Holly was wide-eyed. This woman knew about the cursed flower.
"How did you..."
"I told you, I come to help you. I know how to destroy the flower."
Holly could not immediately believe it right away. She frowned at the sly smile of the old woman.
"Don't you want to be free from this curse?"
Holly snorted. "Of course, I would. But what does a human like you know about this curse?" Holly said a little harshly.
The old woman laughed. She looked like she just got caught lying but wasn't ashamed at all. "You're really smart," she said.
"I may be only human, but I know everything. I know about the King, I know about the curse, I know about the late Queen..." The woman deliberately paused so Holly pay attention to her. "I know why your father killed him."
Holly couldn't argue anymore. Did this woman really know everything? But how could a human like her know?
The woman's smile widened when she saw Holly in shock. She held Holly's hand. Her palms were extremely rough and uncomfortable to be touched.
"Your brother wants to see you."
Holly grew tense. This woman also knew about Arthur's whereabouts. Not many knew if Arthur was still alive.
"Meet me tomorrow night at the lake. Your brother will tell you how to destroy the flower."
"Can I meet Arthur?" Holly raised her voice.
"Of course. He misses you very much."
Arthur was her weakness. Every time that name was mentioned, her defences would begin to waver.
"Don't tell the King if you want him to stay alive." It sounded like a threat to Holly.
The woman turned around and started to leave Holly, but Holly stopped her.
"Give me your fruits."
The woman turned to Holly in confusion. "What?"
"I will come tomorrow, but give me your fruits. I want to eat fruits but I can't leave this castle."
The woman laughed in a terrible voice. "As you please, My Queen."
She gives her the basket. There were many varieties of fruit there, from apples to cherries. Holly didn't care if the fruit was poisonous because she wouldn't eat it.
After giving it, the old woman left. Holly was still standing in the garden watching her fruit basket.
Holly decided to come tomorrow. However, she will not just come without a plan.