She sat up lazily, rising unhurriedly under the worried gazes around her. She went to the table, picked up the silver jug, and poured herself a cup of water.
After drinking it down, she pulled out the chair and sat, facing everyone with her chin propped up by her hands, a silver ring gleaming on her middle finger.
Before she could say anything, the maid crawled to her, tears streaming down her face.
''Your majesty, you can use the ChornoVigil spell! I'm innocent. I know nothing.'' her voice was choking with emotions, but her words were clear.
(Quickly do the spell- my knees are hurting.) The maid was certain her plans had succeeded.
Elora searched her memories for the spell- it was like modern camera footage, but without needing a camera. You could view the image to see only what happened that day. She yawned and covered her mouth as it escaped.
The guard's eyes light up at the suggestion. Why hadn't they thought about that spell? Even the healer relaxed a bit, waiting for the queen's orders.
''Do that,'' Elora's tone was soft, like tinkling bells, soothing those who heard it. Everyone was used to the queen's voice, but Elora herself was surprised by it. Hmm, I like it, she thought. At least it doesn't sound as dry as before.
One of the guards, who had the highest magic ability, pulled out a silver pen. It acted as a wand for intermediate or higher spells.
Elora watched as the guards channelled magic into the pen, making it glow red indicating she was a master-level mage.
She swung it through the air, scribbling glowing red spells that swirled in circles.
The letters merged, and in place appeared a clear image of what happened in the room. The guard moved the image forward and stopped at the moment when the maid left to call the healer. They watched as the scene unfolded, witnessing the other maid's death, swallowing hard from fear.
They would never dare come near her Majesty when waking her up again. This thought floated in their minds simultaneously.
Elora rubbed the tip of her nose, feeling embarrassed. In her dream, she had thought the maid was a fly.
How did I gain so much strength? Then it clicked- Palaverda women were like Amazons, known for their hulk-like strength and war prowess across the kingdoms.
She patted her chest subconsciously- it scared her to think she might be the only one who was abnormal.
She still wanted to marry and raise a child or two before growing old. But hold up, she caught a stray thought, and her face turned ugly.
The others assumed the queen was angry at the assassin's actions, not realizing she had just learned that as magic advances in this world, so does life span.
In her old age dream, she was drinking tea, surrounded by grandchildren, imparting wisdom. Like one of those cool grandmas.
''Your majesty?'' the maid called, waiting for her verdict, confident in her freedom.
Elora, now furious at the interruption of her thoughts, focused her darkened purple eyes on the maid.
The maid's heart swelled with pride, but that pride quickly turned to disbelief at the queen's next words.
''Take her away from my sight and make sure she kneels in the square under a block of ice.'' her darkened purple eyes focused on the guards making them stand erect.
Her voice was cold and commanding. ''Supervise her for four days. She's not to eat or drink anything. If the ice melts, use your magic to make it sturdier.'' she waved them off, forgetting entirely about the healer's presence.
The healer held his breath, not wanting to draw attention from this ruthless queen. As soon he left the room, he exhaled deeply, still trembling at her harsh punishment, even when the maid was found innocent.
The maid, being dragged away, was still in disbelief. She kept screaming internally, ''It wasn't supposed to happen this way! What went wrong?!''
The guards exchanged glances, their respect for the queen was deepening. The previous queen was always gloomy and let her relatives override her decisions.
But, now they could feel the change in their queen- never before had she been this ruthless. They hoped she would stay this way.
The queen they were thinking about, meanwhile was silently cursing her boss. ''You'll work until you drop dead! ahh, I wish I could wrap my hand around your throat and strangle you to death, even if you're already dead- maybe you can die a second time!'' She let out a huff of frustration and slumped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling in resignation.
Her eyes lit up as she recalled the event that happened moments ago and marvelled at her mind-reading ability. It was like a consolation for the error caused by her boss, and she was grateful.
Since I'm here, I'll live my life the way I want and carve out her retirement, even if I have to destroy everything to get it. After patiently waiting billions of years for her rest, this happens.
Her stomach growled, and she stretched her hands to the bell, ringing for her meal to be brought. As she waited, she fully assimilated the memories of this body.
This world was built on magic, and it has seven stages: Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Master, Archmage, Ascended, and Eternal, each broken down into ten sub-stages. From this body's memories, no one had ever reached the Ascended stage, let alone Eternal- if such a being existed, they would rule this world.
Elora sighed in relief, knowing there wasn't a God-like figure in this world.
She rubbed the silver ring on her finger, and a pocket dimension appeared in her mind's eye. She was surprised but not shocked. When she was a Grim Reaper, she had used spells, so this wasn't anything new, only the stages of advancement.
Fiddling with the objects in the space, she brought a Runes stone to check her magic stage. A thought flashed through her mind. ''what if I brought my reaper powers with me?''