The rebel gulped as he recalled the scene that day.

"First, she was fighting with two short swords, but later on, when we were about to win and kill the Queen, that woman did something…something not human! Believe me, I am not lying! I also doubted my eyes! But I cannot doubt the pain my body felt after what she made us fly into the air…? All of us were pushed back without anyone touching us and we were injured after we hit the rocks and the trees nearby—"

The knight growled, "Do you think we are here to listen to nonsense from you?!"

"Sir Knight! Believe me! It's not nonsense. I am telling the truth. I am really telling the truth," the rebel cried as his body shook. "I-It didn't happen only once! She did the same again with our leader. First, I was thinking that perhaps I was seeing things after I was thrown by the remaining knights, but later, I was sure it was her doing. She…she is not an ordinary woman. S-She's probably not human! Believe me, Sir Knight! Crown Prince, believe me! I can even describe what I saw in detail—like how I even saw her eyes shining differently…like yellowish, no, gold! Yes, they flashed gold! When she did that, she looked scary…Crown Prince, sir, you can ask the others if you don't believe me… She is not one of us…She truly is not one of us! If she was, then we would not have ended up here like this..."

Prince Theron stayed quiet as he watched the rebel break down in tears.? The knights and the prison guards merely looked at their prince, awaiting his next instructions.

The rebel thought the Prince still didn't believe him so he continued, "Crown Prince, sir, you can also ask the Queen! Yes, if you still don't believe me, you can verify my words from the Queen herself. She is a witness too."

However, even after hearing that last part, Prince Theron didn't react to him as if his words didn't hold any value. The young prince merely stood up and left the large torture chamber. His knights followed him, while the prison guards dragged that rebel back to another cell. The man struggled from their grip as he shouted, "I am telling the truth, Crown Prince of Megaris! She is not an ordinary human! You promised to kill me swiftly if I tell you the truth! Don't go back on your words and kill me now! I don't want to be tortured anymore. Please, just kill me now…please…"

It was as if his shouts fell on deaf ears as the Crown Prince gestured for the prison guard to unlock the iron door leading towards the upper floor.

"Crown Prince! I really am telling the truth—"

After the heavy iron door slammed behind him, he could no longer hear the pleas of the rebel. With quiet yet steady steps, he ascended the stairs and left the dungeon. Though Prince Theron didn't react to what the rebel said, in his mind, he had already decided to verify the truth? with his mother.

As one of the direct descendants of the royal family of Megaris, he had been educated from young about the history of the kingdom. According to the books, the original territory of the Kingdom of Megaris used to be small, barely the size of a duchal territory in the northern parts near the Barren Regions. As resources were scarce, the kingdom started expanding its territory until it was able to swallow a huge part of the eastern coast of the continent, and then it officially built its capital city, Blackhelm, as its center of power. It was thriving due to its access to the sea, mainly trading with the kingdoms from the central and southern part of the continent.

In the legends of old, Prince Theron had learned that the original land of Megaris used to have extraordinary beings, and when it expanded, the other creatures living in the nearby forests and the waters blended among the human villages and cities. That was the reason why the Royal Family of Megaris had a religion which worships mythical creatures—the King was seen as a dragon, and the Queen a phoenix, as it was said that the royal bloodline was blessed and protected by these mythical beasts.? It was hard to believe whether they were true stories or myths.

'Could it be true?' His thoughts wandered as he eyed the distant snow-capped mountain peaks visible from where he's standing. 'Could it be that she's not human?'

If that was the truth, if Esther was really an existence beyond his understanding, then that meant she was innocent—that she had truly helped save his mother out of pure kindness, that she was a benefactor with a life-saving grace, and that he owed her an apology for his rudeness.

'A precious friend of the Ivanov Family.'

Without him realizing it, the Crown Prince of Megaris let out a sigh of relief.

------

Since it was Esther's first day in the royal palace, she was asked to rest and make herself familiar with the other servants. The next day, she was called by the Queen and Lady Tyra personally fetched? her in her room to lead her way towards the Queen's chamber.

"Your Eminence, please follow me," Lady Tyra said after she entered her room.

"Wait!" Esther stopped her.

With her head lowered, Lady Tyra asked, "Yes, Your Eminence?? Do you have any instructions for me?"

Esther inwardly sighed. "As I have told you before, I am a commoner here so you should help me keep my identity secret. You should not address me as 'Your Eminence'."

"My sincerest apologies—"

"And you also need to talk casually while looking into my eyes," Esther instructed in an authoritative voice.

"I dare not commit such blasphemy—"

"Do you dare disobey me?" Esther said a little coldly as this was the only way to make Lady Tyra understand.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.