Chapter 45
n
n
nRosemary was born a snobby aristocrat and had a privileged upbringing. She was so snobbish that even if thousands of people were dying, she was someone who would call them dirty without giving a second thought to their fate. Elena despised her, but her elegance was something she couldn’t deny. Whether it was a good or a bad thing, Rosemary’s class was something she was born with, and no one could do anything about that.
nCompared to that Rosemary, the Rosemary in front of her was a completely different person because she seemed to genuinely care about every person she encountered. Elena watched as her eyes kept glancing at Wendy’s elbows, even though she pretended not to notice, and one could tell that she was concerned that the lady could get injured.
nRosemary’s old habits had disappeared, and new ones had formed, which Elena found to be unusual and peculiar. She couldn’t understand Rosemary’s newfound ability to empathize with another person’s pain, and she kept going back to the toxins in the Haran’s river as the cause of this.
nBut how did the beautiful yet empty-headed Queen know how to determine it wasn’t the plague that had infected the baby? And to then advise the woman to seek help from the tower? None of this made any sense, and Elena’s curiosity grew by the hour.
nIt was also odd that the great wizard, Elaine, had said nothing about his most treasured Iris Elaine when she’d died. Elena vividly recalled the day that she’d broken into the tower when she’d been ranting about her criticism of the whole situation, and Elaine had only smiled. All he’d said was, “The tower is never wrong. The tower suffered a huge loss, and we will never forget her.” But his words had no longer sounded angry, and she couldn’t fathom why his anger had dissipated so quickly.
nThe sudden change in the King’s attitude towards Rosemary was also unexplainable, and he now doted on her as if Rosemary had become a different person. He acted like he loved her so much and gave the impression that he’d do anything for her. Being the wealthiest man on the continent, Sidrain could go to great lengths to please her by doing extreme things to show her his affections. He genuinely seemed to be head over heels in love, which Elena thought was absurd.
nSince the freak carriage accident had occurred, everything seemed to be upside down. Iris Elaine had died, and Rosemary had lost her mind after she’d swallowed too much of the toxic river water. But Elena couldn’t pinpoint exactly how and why these changes had occurred.
n
n
n“Oh!” The Queen shouted as she jumped up. Wendy had ducked the first swing of the knight’s sword, but after he made a second swing at her, Rosemary had stood up in surprise. From the Queen’s seat, it looked like Wendy had been struck by the sword. But she’d ducked again in time to miss his swing. “I-I-I’m sorry,” The Queen stuttered as she apologized once again.
nWendy coolly shook her head and smiled, “I am your servant. And I am confident when I fall.”
nElena In Sethang looked at her suspiciously as she wondered what the heck was going on with her; Rosemary wasn’t the kind of person who would apologize to anyone.
n
n
n“How on earth are you doing your job!” Sidrain had returned from the meeting with the tower and was furious with what he saw. His anger was towards Elena, and he glared at her as she was the Queen’s official representative and secretary.
nA royal attendant had received information from the handmaiden, reporting that Elena had overworked the Queen after she’d said that she would complete her duties, which had led to this situation. And poor Iris didn’t even know how to do anything!
nElena was unaware that Sidrain had also investigated Iris Elaine from the tower, the girl who knew nothing but magic, the individual who had magical powers surging through her, and the innate ability to control it, but yet avoided all people.
nBecause of Iris’s reluctance to engage with others there hadn’t been many people who had seen her inside the tower. She was so elusive when it came to people that her teacher, Elaine, had kicked her out so that she had no choice but to meet more people.
nAnd now, Iris’s new role as the Queen required dealing with many people. It was a position that required many masks; one of kindness and affection for the people and one of strictness for the aristocrats. She needed to take care of the palace and regulate the aristocrats. And she also needed to know the home situations of her servants to adjust their jobs accordingly while serving the royal family.
nHowever, if the Queen decided not to fulfill her duties, that was entirely her choice. That was why Rosemary had been able to play around and do nothing. She enjoyed gambling and attending balls but had no interest in the responsibilities that came with being a queen. But Iris was different, and she was genuinely interested in what she needed to do as a queen.
nElena had placed someone like that in danger and Sidrain was about to go through the roof as he shouted, “What if the Queen got hurt? To put her in front of such an undisciplined crowd, and she hasn’t even recovered her health yet! How long has it been since she almost drowned?”
n