“You called, Your Majesty?” The servant bowed before the King in a hurry.

“Inform the Regent and officials that the King has rested enough and will resume charge of the royal court starting tomorrow.”

His personal servant was visibly moved. For the past few days, as the only caretaker of the King’s needs, he was the sole witness of how miserable the King was, to the point that the young man refused to even take a bite of food. Now, King Theron might still not yet be back to his original self, but at least he’s recovering his usual regalness.

“I-I will immediately relay your orders, Your Majesty!” The servant nodded with a big grin, relieved that his master seemed to be finally fine.

The next morning, King Theron looked visibly better than the day before, his appearance neat as his servant clad him in dark regal clothes that emphasized his outstanding physique and innate charisma, though those familiar with him would notice that his handsome face was somewhat thinner. From a stranger’s point of view, however, nothing seemed to have changed with the King of Megaris they have in their memories.

Handsome, dignified and strong.

When King Theron left in his carriage to attend the royal court, no emotion could be seen on his face as his aide accompanied him, giving him a brief summary of the situation of the kingdom and everything else he missed for the past few days. However, for some unknown reason, the aide felt that the inside of the carriage felt icy cold, and he could not help but feel nervous and restless.

According to the report, as the curse was lifted, the plague disappeared together with the strange natural phenomena that tormented the people of the kingdom. However, just because the root cause was removed, it didn’t mean all the problems disappeared. It would take time for the refugees to return to their hometowns, which meant that security and order within the cities were quite poor at the moment, and it would take days for the trade of food to arrive at the various affected territories. Thankfully, the King’s mother made sure everything was fine even though the King was temporarily not around. Thus, people started praising the previous Queen as ‘Great Lady Theodora’.

The royal carriage arrived at the Grand Palace.

“Your loyal subjects greet the Dragon of Megaris!”

Seeing the King enter the throne hall, the entire royal court became lively. Though the Regent took hold of the King’s duties for the past several days, the reigning king himself remained to be the true spiritual pillar of the kingdom. The court officials and the high-ranking nobles would remain anxious as long as he wasn’t the one governing the lands.

Now that King Theron was back, it was as if everyone’s shoulders lightened, regardless of which faction they belonged in. Especially now that the strange occurrences within the kingdom stopped, the trust and belief they held towards the Ivanov Family became stronger.

Regardless if they believe it’s due to the blessing of the dragon that protects the Ivanovs, the fact that a miracle occurred could not be denied.

As they weren’t aware of what exactly went down inside the temple, the officials openly praised the King and the Queen for their efforts of saving the Kingdom of Megaris. Of course, as far as they were concerned, the main merit was earned by King Theron, but since everyone knew how much the King treasured the Queen, they also mentioned how the Queen also put the effort into supporting the kingdom.

No one noticed how his gaze grew incomparably cold at the mention of his wife.

While the officials continued to talk about his and Esther’s care for the people of the kingdom, King Theron felt a twinge of guilt. Among the attendees of the court session, only he knew the truth—that Esther was the sole reason for this curse to disappear, sacrificing her body in order to protect Megaris, and in fact, he played no role in it. However, no one knew the heavy price she paid, and it wasn’t something he would publicize as well. How much she sacrificed for this kingdom, only his family and the High Priest knew. Though King Theron was upset, it didn’t change the fact that what his wife did deserve the gratitude of the people.

The flow of the conversation soon turned towards the Queen’s health. “Your Majesty, may we inquire as to the state of the Queen’s health? Your subjects are worried since we heard from the Regent that the Queen had retired to the Moonlight Manor because she collapsed after the worship ritual.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty,” another official echoed. “We are worried about the Queen. Should we send over the royal physicians to her manor?”

The King could not let his subjects know the reality and simply answered, “Her body is weak because of the sleepless nights she spent worrying about the people. Because she refused to take proper rest and insisted on working, I have ordered her to rest for a few days. There is nothing to worry about. She only left the palace to recover. “

The court session then officially started, and King Theron efficiently dealt with the reported issues of the kingdom with his typical calm. However, some of the more sensitive officials felt that something felt off with the King, but they could only keep their speculations deep inside their hearts.

——

Ever since she left the Temple of the Divine, Esther never returned to the royal palace, choosing to remain in her residence on the outskirts of the city. With King Theron finally taking charge of the royal court, Great Lady Theodora was free from her royal duties as Regent and felt relieved to leave the palace. She could finally go see and visit her daughter-in-law.

The Great Lady’s carriage rode towards the Queen’s residence outside of the palace, which most people had begun calling the Moonlight Manor due to the mansion’s pristine white colour. She had already sent a message the day before that she’ll be visiting, thus, when the older royal arrived, the Queen’s knight and servants all welcomed her warmly. She was then informed that the Queen was not feeling well enough to leave her bedchamber.

On the way towards the chamber, Great Lady Theodora asked the manor’s butler, who was a former palace servant she was familiar with in the first place. “How is the Queen faring, Well? Has she been eating and sleeping well?”

The old butler, William, didn’t look cheerful while answering her, “Though the maidservants bring her meals, she barely touches them. Her Majesty hasn’t come out of her chamber since she arrived here. Everyone is worried about what has caused her to behave as such.”

The servants of the manor were not aware of what happened in this residence that night. Esther had made sure everyone was put to deep sleep, and that they wouldn’t be able to remember anything strange during the duration of the spell.

“Hmm,” was all that the previous queen could say as her heart ached for her daughter-in-law.

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