Xaren turned to confront Gaius, but he had vanished into thin air. She spun around, searching for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Who was that man?" she wondered. "And what did he mean by saying I would become the next queen?"
She quickly finished her training and returned home, her mind racing with questions. For three days, she couldn't shake off the feeling that her life was about to change forever.
On the fourth day, Xaren set out to recover debts from those who had bought silk from her family's business on credit. As she walked through the market, she suddenly heard a familiar voice beside her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, turning to face Gaius.
"I'm here to play the role of an escort," he replied, his eyes glinting with amusement. "What do you need help with? Or should I ask directly? How many debts do you need to recover?"
Xaren's eyes narrowed. "How do you know where I am going? What is your true identity?"
Gaius chuckled. "I'll wait for you at your training spot on the mountain," he said, before vanishing into the crowd.
Xaren looked around, but strangely, no one seemed to have noticed Gaius' sudden appearance and disappearance. She shrugged and continued her task, collecting debts from her father's customers.
As she entered the stores, Xaren's physical strength and cleverness served her well. She was the only child of her father, a third-generation member of the Burroughs family, and he trusted her to handle the family business.
Meanwhile, the state exam had begun, and the new minister's appointment was announced. Xaren's father, Xander Burroughs, was appointed as the new Minister of Commerce, a position he had worked hard to achieve.
The ceremony took place in the grand hall of the palace, with King Erian presiding over the event. Xaren attended, proud to see her father sworn in as a new minister.
As the ceremony ended, Xaren couldn't help but wonder if Gaius' words had anything to do with her father's new appointment. She pushed the thought aside, focusing on the celebrations ahead. But the memory of Gaius' enigmatic smile lingered, leaving her with a sense of unease.
Queen Lili continued her secret worship of the moon goddess, sneaking away to the ancient ruins under the light of the full moon. She felt a deep connection to the goddess, and her prayers became more fervent with each passing day.
But, as the weeks went by, her secret was destined to be uncovered. One day, a maid named Sarah entered the queen's bed chamber to change the linens. As she approached the bed, she noticed something strange - an image of a goddess she had never seen before. The goddess had a crescent moon on her forehead, and her eyes seemed to gleam in the dim light.
Sarah's curiosity got the better of her, and she pushed open the slightly ajar door to investigate further. Inside, she found a room filled with candles of different colors, and the same image of the moon goddess. She couldn't believe her eyes - what was the queen involved in?
Sarah quickly changed the linens and took the dirty ones for laundry, trying to process what she had just seen. She knew she had stumbled upon something important, but she didn't know what to do with the information.
Meanwhile, the queen was enjoying a walk with the king at the Crystal Cove, surrounded by the bodyguards and her loyal maids, Susan and Emma. The king was laughing and chatting with his wife, oblivious to the secret she kept hidden.
As they strolled along the beach, Susan and Emma walked a few feet behind, keeping a watchful eye on the queen, same as the bodyguards guarding the king.
"Your Majesty, the sun is setting," one of the bodyguards said, interrupting the king's conversation. "Perhaps we should head back to the palace?"
The queen nodded, her mind still reeling from her secret worship. She knew she had to be careful - one misstep could mean disaster.
The maid, Sarah, couldn't keep the secret to herself. She started spreading the news to her fellow maids who worked in the laundry room, but most of them doubted her.
"The queen would never do such a thing, you must be mistaken," they said.
However, the news spread like wildfire and soon to the ears of the ministers, who were always attuned to whispers.
King Erian knows nothing about this rumour, but everyone in the palace does, while many doubted it to be true, most of them believed it.
During one of the usual court meetings, this rumour came to the ears of king Erian.
Minister Stormwind broached the subject of the king taking a second queen to secure an heir. The king resisted the suggestion as he always does, but this time, another minister persisted, his voice firm. "We cannot ignore the rumours of treason, your majesty. The queen must be summoned to court to address these allegations."
King Erian's face darkened with concern. "What do you mean by treason, Minister Ravenswood?" he asked, his voice firm.
Minister Ravenswood hesitated before speaking. "I have heard rumors, Your Majesty, that the queen has been worshiping a strange goddess in secret. A goddess that is not recognized by our kingdom's laws."
The king's eyes narrowed. "Go on," he said.
Minister Ravenswood took a deep breath. "It is said that the queen has been performing rituals and sacrifices to this goddess, seeking her favor and power. This is a clear act of treason, Your Majesty. The queen is putting the interests of a foreign deity above those of our kingdom."
King Erian's face turned red with anger. "I will not have such accusations thrown around without proof," he thundered. "I want the queen brought before me now. I will get to the bottom of this."
He turned to one of his royal guards. "Escort the queen to the palace court immediately. I want to hear her side of the story."
The guard bowed and hurried off to fetch the queen.
"Who has been spreading these rumors?" the king asked Minister Ravenswood.
Minister Ravenswood hesitated before answering. "I have heard it from several sources, Your Majesty. But the most credible source is one of the palace maids. She came to me in tears, saying that she could no longer keep the queen's secret."
The king's eyes widened in shock. "I want to speak to this maid," he said. "Bring her before me now."