Rowena sat behind her large desk, her bewitching gothic beauty undiminished even in the midst of her pensiveness.
Her crimson eyes stared blankly at the report in front of her, but it was evident her thoughts were far from the matter at hand.
Her mind was a maely of concerns, her fingers idly drumming against the edge of the desk as she replayed the way Asher had left earlier. Nothing about the moment sat right with her, the abruptness of his departure leaving a lingering feeling of unease.
Across the desk sat Ceti, the Battlemaster, and Rowena's right hand.
Clad in her revealing armor set, Ceti's elegant, hourglass figure was on full display, her abs clearly visible beneath her tight-fitting breastplate that covered her well-endowed breasts.
Her long red hair cascaded over her shoulders, contrasting against the black cape she wore. Her eyes, a striking blue, watched the queen with hints of confusion upon seeing her being so lost in thought from reading a report.
The muscles in her toned figure tensed beneath her revealing armor set, wondering if she made a mistake in the report. There couldn't possibly be a way where she could unknowingly make one.
She surely verified it multiple times.
Breaking the silence that hung in the air, Ceti finally asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any doubts about the report I submitted today?" Her voice, as stern and dedicated as she was, echoed in the vastness of the study.
Rowena's crimson eyes flitted from the report to Ceti, pulled from her thoughts by the question. With a slight shake of her head, she responded, "No, Ceti. Your report was clear as always." Her voice was calm and composed, the command in it clear.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I also had another thing to rep—....Your Majesty?" Ceti stopped her sentence in the middle upon seeing the queen drowned in her thoughts.
There was a momentary silence before Rowena began, her gaze steady, "I do have a question, unrelated to your report."
Ceti blinked in surprise, her stoic expression giving way to one of genuine surprise.
"Your Majesty can ask me anything," she said earnestly, leaning forward in her chair and folding her hands on top of the report she'd been working on.
Rowena bit her lip slightly, clearly hesitant, "What does it mean...when a man suddenly says he has to leave...after being in each other's embrace?" she asked, her crimson eyes holding a hint of confusion.
Ceti's surprise was palpable as she looked at the queen, her brows knitting together. The question was obviously personal, and Ceti immediately connected the dots.
That cocky pervert, Asher.
She knew he somehow managed to make the queen fall in love with him over time, though she also didn't expect a pervert like him to suddenly walk away when most of the time, they were quite lovey-dovey every chance they got.
As the Battlemaster, even if the royal couple, especially the queen, was trying her best to be discreet, her love for him was tangible enough to not notice.
Choosing her words carefully, Ceti asked in a low voice, "Did something unpleasant happen during that time, Your Majesty?"
Rowena frowned thoughtfully, her gaze falling to her hands, "No... it was actually one of the best moments we've shared in a while," she confessed.
Rowena had grown up and trained together with Ceti, who was also her first bodyguard. So she considered her as someone she could confide in casual things like these.
Ceti was genuinely stumped as she said with an awkward look, "It's probably nothing, Your Majesty. He must have had something to attend to."
Rowena softly nodded with a vacant gaze as Asher did say that he had a meeting to attend. But the strange thing was he would never visit her whenever he had a meeting around the corner so as to spend as much time together as possible.
She replayed what happened in her mind again and again and couldn't shake off the cold, distant and piercing stare he gave her when he suddenly pushed her away. At that moment, he seemed like a different person.
Or was it all just her imagination?
During the entire time they had been married together, this was the first time Rowena was feeling uneasy about their relationship.
She then offered an apologetic smile, feeling a bit helpless, "But I…I must admit, that I do not have much experience in matters like these," she confessed.
She wanted to throw Asher in a pit, to tell the queen that he was up to no good. But she knew better than to stir the pot, especially when it came to the queen's personal life. She also had to grudgingly accept that he sometimes lived up to his cockiness.
As for her grudges with him, it shouldn't involve anybody else. She should be the one to deal with it.
Rowena let out a sigh, the sound echoing throughout the room.
She swept her black hair off her shoulder, her crimson eyes regaining their usual sharpness.
She felt there was no point in brooding about it, and instead, she should just talk to Asher when he returned.
Turning her gaze back to Ceti, she casually asked, "Forget I asked anything. But…since we are on the topic, are you seeing any man?"
The question seemed to catch Ceti off guard. Her dark blue eyes widened a fraction as she looked at the queen. She had been fully prepared to continue discussing the previous topic, but this sudden shift to her personal life was unexpected.
"No, Your Majesty," Ceti replied, shaking her head slightly, "I have been focused solely on my duties. I have had little to no time for...personal matters."
Rowena fixed her gaze on Ceti, her crimson eyes glowing with a hint of concern, "I am aware of you and Silvan," she started, her voice echoing around the room in a low, thoughtful hum, "I won't dictate your choices, but be careful considering your origins."
Ceti wasn't surprised but simply nodded with a light smile, knowing she meant it for her good, "Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty. Things between us aren't serious. But I will be careful."
Rowena nodded with a slight nod before saying, "You can now tell me whatever you wanted to report earlier?"
Just as Ceti was about to rise, she paused, as she suddenly remembered it, "Oh, yes... I just wanted to report that the Princess Consort sent one of our intelligence units today to follow the traces of finding something or someone she believes is responsible for Prince Oberon's condition."
Rowena's brows furrowed instantly at the news, her demeanor growing stern, "Order them to return immediately, Ceti," she commanded, her voice turning sharp and icy, "And ensure they know it's my directive and to report to me what they were ordered to exactly follow or find."
"But, Your Majesty, if the Princess Consort insists it's for Prince Oberon's investigation...?" Ceti queried, uncertainty flickering in her blue eyes.
With a shake of her head, Rowena clarified, "Our royal physician has investigated. Oberon's coma is due to his injuries worsening, not any nefarious act. Rebecca cannot continue to waste our resources on this fruitless pursuit. Especially not when a year has already passed," However, a hint of worry reflected in Rowena's eyes as she said this.
Ceti was momentarily taken aback by the certainty in Rowena's voice.
She had a confused look since, in her opinion, it was quite strange that Oberon, who had suffered injuries during a Reaping quest, would have his condition become worse under the care of so many expert physicians.
These injuries weren't physical, and the mind constantly heals, which makes it even more strange his condition worsened all of a sudden.
However, she held her tongue just like last year when the queen herself concluded the investigation quickly within a week.
She couldn't care less about that vulgar bastard.
"Understood, Your Majesty," she finally responded, bowing her head in acknowledgment before taking her leave, the echo of their conversation ringing in her ears as she exited the study.
A few hours passed after Ceti left, and Rowena was still in her study when an official of the court was standing before her.
"Your majesty, the report from the intelligence unit that was recalled back to their station as per your order has arrived," he said with a bow, a bundle of papers in his hands.
Rowena's eyes immediately shifted toward the bundle of papers as she gestured him to leave it on the desk.
He nodded, barely looking up from the parchment she was reading as he carefully placed the report on her table.
He then bowed and made his exit, leaving her to her thoughts.
She sat back in her chair and immediately picked up the report, her eyes scanning over the words written in neat handwriting. As she turned each page, her brows gradually furrowed, deep in thought over the information she was absorbing.
Suddenly, she rose to her feet, walking over to the window that overlooked the castle grounds.
She closed her eyes briefly, a magical glow surrounding her as she used the senses of the castle, searching for a particular presence. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she opened her eyes, disappointment flashing in their depths.
"You aren't still here..." she muttered to herself, her voice barely a whisper in the quiet room.
Her gaze moved back to the report, but she couldn't focus, her mind preoccupied with Asher's absence.
As if on cue, her eyes caught sight of a tall figure entering the castle grounds.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she recognized the figure to be Asher.
However, her smile slowly faded when she saw another figure following close behind him. Her brows furrowed as she saw Isola accompanying Asher, the two keenly discussing something.
A hint of surprise glinted in her eyes as if this wasn't a sight she had ever seen before.
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