“Ugh…”
The unfamiliar sensation at her fingertips made Her Majesty the Queen’s entire body tremble violently, her eyes instantly losing focus.
A pleasure even more forbidden and thrilling than voyeurism drowned all her senses in an instant.
So this…
So this is what it feels like…
So this is the thing my sister and that man are enjoying…
In the corridor, silence reigned.
Only the ragged breathing of the young Queen, made harsh by shame and excitement, remained.
And…
That seductive sound leaking endlessly from the gap in the door—enough to drag any living being into depravity.
Yekaterina slid down against the wall like a puppet with its strings cut, boneless.
She didn’t even dare look at the door crack anymore, only lowered her head, staring at her right hand, still trembling, still encased in a white glove.
On it, traces remained—stains that should never belong to a Queen.
Shameful.
Lewd.
Corrupted.
Yet deep within her body, that unprecedented tremor and afterglow screamed madly for more.
She didn’t know how long had passed before the sounds within the door finally faded.
Only then did Yekaterina awaken from her trance, fleeing this place of temptation on hands and knees, scrambling back to her own bedchamber and collapsing heavily onto her luxurious Queen’s Bed.
She thought that as long as she escaped the scene, everything would return to normal.
But she was wrong.
***
Prime Minister Allison Visseran waited the entire night.
Until dawn, when sunlight streamed through the Stained Glass and cast mottled light across the hall, the young Queen who’d declared she was ‘going to take a look’ still hadn’t returned.
When the exhausted Allison finally saw General Sera again, the loyal woman was cradling a thick stack of files, her face marked with question after question.
They stared at each other across the empty hall, the awkwardness nearly suffocating.
“Prime Minister, where is Her Majesty the Queen?”
General Sera was the first to break the silence.
Allison rubbed her throbbing temples, about to send a servant to make inquiries, when a Chief Maid hurriedly ran in from the rear hall.
“Prime Minister, General.”
The Chief Maid bowed, a hint of strangeness in her voice.
“Her Majesty the Queen has issued an order. She is unwell today and will not receive visitors. General Sera’s report is postponed, and Prime Minister, you are requested to continue resting in the guest chambers.”
At these words, General Sera frowned deeply, a trace of displeasure crossing her face.
But the duty of a soldier forced her to only shake her head helplessly and leave with a bow.
Allison Visseran’s usually gentle smile twisted uncontrollably.
Unwell?
A Queen, pampered in the deep palace of the capital, untouched even by the wind—what illness could she possibly have?
But she asked nothing more, merely nodded, deciding to return in the afternoon.
Yet when afternoon came, she received the same answer: ‘Her Majesty is unwell.’
The foreboding in Allison’s heart grew stronger.
She strode down the corridor, and under the pretext of concern for illness, forcibly arrived at the door of the Queen’s Bedchamber.
“Your Majesty, it’s me, Allison.”
“Is your body all right? There are several urgent matters regarding the follow-up with the Veid Family that require your immediate decision.”
Inside, there was silence for a long time.
Then Yekaterina’s wavering, hoarse voice finally sounded.
“…Just do as you think best…”
The Prime Minister was stunned.
What kind of answer was that?
To say something so irresponsible as the ruler of a nation?
She tried to persuade further, but a burst of impatient shouting came from within.
“Leave! I said, I’m not feeling well!”
Allison Visseran stood frozen, disbelief etched across her face.
Inside the bedchamber, Yekaterina was sprawled against the door, listening.
Hearing the Prime Minister’s departing footsteps, not only did she feel no guilt, but let out a long sigh of relief.
So annoying.
Why come and bother me?
Her gaze drifted uncontrollably toward the window, toward the bathhouse in the rear hall.
Even though she couldn’t see or hear anything.
Just imagining that her sister and Prince Wendy might be inside at this very moment…
Her body began to heat up again, uncontrollably.
No.
She had to take another look.
Just one glance.
***
Day three.
Deep shadows marked the eyes of Cardinal Allison Visseran.
She had barely slept.
The Queen’s abnormal behavior reeked of a danger that could shake the foundations of the nation.
And the Crown Princess also remained hidden. Could that business still not be finished?
Or…was there another reason?
When she entered the Council Hall once more, the Throne was as empty as before.
This time, even the Chief Maid had vanished.
The entire Royal Palace seemed to have fallen into a strange, stagnant silence.
An unprecedented sense of helplessness and fear gripped the Prime Minister’s heart.
Suddenly, she thought of someone.
Laxana Klein!
Yes! That girl might dislike her, but as an ally of Her Highness the Crown Princess, she had to know something!
Allison immediately dispatched a messenger to the Klein Manor, summoning Laxana to the palace at once.
Half an hour later, however, the returning guard delivered a report that chilled her to the bone.
“Reporting…reporting to the Cardinal, the Klein Family replied that…”
“Lady Laxana…was suddenly struck by a violent illness three days ago, convulsing all over, foaming at the mouth, and has been bedridden in a state of dehydration and unconsciousness ever since…”
Allison Visseran’s body wavered uncontrollably.
It’s over.
Is this country doomed?
Just as despair swallowed her heart, the sound of light footsteps echoed from beyond the hall.
Allison looked up sharply.
She saw the Crown Princess Astreia leading Prince Wendy inside at a leisurely pace.
Three days had passed.
Astreia’s hair, once turned white, had returned to its dazzling golden color, now even more smooth and lustrous.
Her emerald eyes shimmered with moist radiance, free of violence, her whole demeanor suffused with a languid, satisfied beauty.
Beside her, Prince Wendy was even more striking.
He had changed into a brand-new Cavalier Kingdom ceremonial uniform, the pale green fabric making his skin appear whiter than snow.
His handsome face was tinged with a perfectly measured weariness and weakness, yet his gaze and smile overflowed with contentment.
In summary, both looked radiant and spirited.
In stark, blinding contrast to the exhausted Prime Minister who had waited for three days.
Astreia noticed Allison and, seeming a bit embarrassed, took the initiative to apologize.
“Sorry, Allison Visseran, you were kept waiting because of…personal matters.”
Personal matters?
Allison looked at the two of them and nearly coughed up blood from rage.
You call this personal matters?! This is the sign of national collapse!
She opened her mouth, ready to unleash the harshest reprimands on this pair of fools.
But Wendy spoke first.
“By the way, Visseran, where were we?”
The Prince seemed completely unaware of the suffocating tension in the hall, smiling at the Prime Minister with the casualness of someone discussing the weather.
“I remember…”
“You were about to tell me what this so-called ‘Origin of the Witch’ actually is?”
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