"Child, do not refuse me," the King said in a voice that would not allow refusal. His voice was gruff and loud, like a general giving command to an army, yet his eyes held warmth as he held the hand of his wife on the table. "You have done a great service not only to the kingdom, but also to our family. We, Ivanovs, do not normally let ourselves be indebted to another, but we value sincerity and friendship, what more a life-saving grace. Speak, what do you want? In the name of? the King of Megaris, I will grant you anything you desire as long as it is not about asking for the throne or bringing harm to this kingdom."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I desire nothing. When I saved the Queen, I didn't do it for any reward and neither did I save her because she is royalty. It wasn't much effort, and I would have done it for anyone. I need no reward," Esther replied politely with her head lowered in front of the King and the Queen.

For the first time since she arrived, a hint of a smile could be seen on the face of the expressionless king. "Fine. You desire nothing—at least, not now, but if in future you need anything, come to me and I will unconditionally grant your desire."

Esther knew that this was the King making a compromise so she just accepted it. "I will surely do so. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Slowly, Esther got accustomed to the palace life and continued her responsibility as Queen's servant. It wasn't easy as there would always be some unexpected mishap happening, but Esther found it kind of fun to be surrounded by people. Queen Theodora also made good use of her promise to her back when they were in the Holles Family. During her spare time, the Queen did not forget to bring Esther along to try different kinds of hobbies and entertainment that one could not enjoy if one were living on their own in the forest.

From time to time, Prince Theron and Esther came across each other. Sometimes, it would be in the hallways when he came to visit his mother, and there were also times where they chance upon each other during her break when she's loitering in the gardens to relax.? Esther always tried to act as if she didn't exist, but Prince Theron would not have that and would make sure to approach her. She would then have no choice but to greet him, only for him to just nod at her and then leave. Most of the time though, she would find him staring at her.

Those dark eyes…It made her kind of worried if he was truly just being cautious of her, or if somehow, there was another reason behind those stares.

Prince Theron called for his knights who were assigned to investigate Esther, but they returned empty-handed.

"It's been a month now, but still there is no information about her?"

"Apologies, Your Highness. We had tried all means we could think of. We tried contacting not only the noble families which had reported to have missing daughters, we also tried checking the merchants to purchase information about any person in this kingdom who shared the same appearance as Miss Esther, but there is still nothing about her," one of the knights answered, trying to hide the disappointment from his voice over their failure.

Another knight added, "The diplomats from other kingdoms are also helping us discover if Miss Esther is perhaps a spy, but we have received no feedback from them yet. It will probably take another month for any significant information to be unearthed."

Prince Theron sighed, but it was not like he was totally disappointed. He had been observing that Esther girl for a month now, but so far, there was nothing suspicious about her aside from her background. She was working normally like other servants and was taking care of his mother well. She also did not make contact with anyone outside of the Queen's residence—in fact, it was as if she was content with her current lifestyle. If only he had information about her past, or even just her family, and made sure she was not a criminal, he would have been completely relieved to leave his mother in her capable hands.

Several months flew by, and soon, the entire Kingdom of Megaris was in a festive mood. The year would be ending, and for the people of Blackhelm, it meant one thing—the annual festival where the entire city would celebrate the end of the year with three days' worth of food and music. On the first day, the palace would normally open its doors to host a royal ball to invite all the nobles of the kingdom, and on the last day, there would be a lantern-viewing parade from the central plaza towards the port of the capital, where passengers from all walks of life could ride decorated ships while lanterns and fireworks were put on display.

"Esther, starting tomorrow, enjoy your break. You haven't gone much around the city, have you? You've been here in Blackhelm for a few months already, but you rarely leave my residence." The Queen smiled as she gestured for Esther to let her finish talking. "Go out with everyone and celebrate the year-end festival. Most of the servants leave the palace and go to the city to celebrate it. It's your first time celebrating it, so you must make happy memories. I want you to go out and celebrate it with your friends."

"Your Majesty, but I have to be with you—"

"Don't worry about me. I always host the royal ball, and it is enough to have Tyra here with me," the Queen said and looked at Tyra, "Send her out with other servants. Do not let her persuade you to make her stay."

Lady Tyra almost laughed at the Queen's reproving voice. "Yes, Your Majesty.. I will make sure Esther will enjoy the festival."

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