The memory ended there. Eugene can’t seem to shake the void feeling that took over her body, feeling her energy deplete seeing such gruesome memories.

Eugene had been standing still, no words coming out of her mouth for a long while. Worried about the Queen’s motionless stance, the General spoke. “Your Majesty. Should I try to find out what happened to her after she left the castle?”

“It’s alright. Thank you for your efforts. You may go now.” Eugene said.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The General nodded and left.

Eugene sent the other maids away as well, leaving her alone in the waiting room as she collapsed straight into the sofa. “Jin.. how can a person be so cruel?”

Poppy was the first Tanya. After Poppy’s death, Ellie must have been the second Tanya to work inside the castle. Eugene knew why Jin had to resort to such drastic measures, she wanted to make sure the servant sent by Rodrigo was reliable, and took it upon herself to test Poppy’s loyalty, to see the lengths she would go to obey her orders.

Eugene understood why she had done it, since she thought about the same thing when she saw Molly earlier. She wondered if Molly would go back to Rodrigo to report on what she has seen and heard, or maybe Molly was brought in to act as an obedient servant, when in reality she is nothing but a spy. Even if Eugene thought of checking where her loyalties lie, she does not intend to find out by using the same method Jin did.

“She probably meant it as a warning to Rodrigo.” Eugene said as she wrapped her arms around herself, still feeling goose bumps come up at her arms. “Molly, what should I do with her?” She thought hard, but she was not able to come up with any solutions. A maid knocked on her door and she beckoned her to come in.

“Your Majesty. The chancellor is requesting to see you. He says that should you allow it, he would like to come and see you this afternoon.”

Verus arrived at the queen’s office in the afternoon, slightly earlier than the call time they agreed on. He was waiting for the maid to return, killing time by taking in his surroundings as his eyes drifted towards the closed door in front of him, mixed emotions bubbling inside him.

It had been about ten days since his last visit, and a lot of things had happened since then. During these active seasons, everyone always directed their attention towards the King, with nothing but reverence spewing out of their mouths as they praise him repeatedly.

But now, the people’s attention had their eyes set on the queen, amazed by the fact that she had transformed a Lark into a tree. People who haven’t seen the tree in person were mocked, saying that they were missing out greatly and that is why Verus had come to see it, curiosity getting the better of him.

Verus was not the type to easily believe what other people would have to say, since it is likely to be filled with nothing but exaggerations. Even though there were countless stories about it already all from different people, Verus still wanted to see it for himself, trusting his judgment more than anyone else’s.

He called Sven, who had been present when it happened. Apart from himself, he could also rely on Sven to tell him the truth. “You were there, right? Did you actually see the Lark transforming into a tree?”

“Did you really call me to ask me that?” Sven replied, irritation evident in his voice. His tone was kind of accusatory, as if he’s saying, ‘how dare you doubt the queen’s powers?’

“Why else would I call you here? I just want to hear it from a first-hand witness.” Verus responded calmly. He was surprised to see Sven acting defensive, though. Sven seemed to have pledged his complete loyalty towards the queen, which confused Verus since Sven was not someone who could easily be bought with wealth or power.

Before requesting for a meeting with the queen, Verus had many conflicting thoughts. The information that he had acquired was significant enough, and he was torn between reporting it to the queen since she was the one who asked him to investigate, and bringing the news immediately to the king.

If this happened ten days ago, Verus would have gone directly to the King without any second thoughts. But the lark situation changed Verus’ perspective completely. Why would the queen, who had that kind of power, need to interact with the servants of Mara?

The queen had given the order, and the king gave him his permission to lead the investigation, so he guessed that reporting it to the queen first would be the ideal choice.

The door opened and the maid came out, bowing to him slightly. “Come on in.”