The Truth Unfolds
In a forest east of the Moon Vile Kingdom stood a small cottage.
It was built from wood, with a roof woven from thick leaves.
A tiny flower garden bloomed in front of the house, while a stone well stood to the left.
The sound of galloping hooves broke the peaceful silence.
A horse rode into the compound, and a young man quickly dismounted before entering the cottage.
Inside, a middle-aged man sat beside a crackling fire, warming himself.
The moment he saw the young man, a warm smile spread across his face, as though he had been expecting him.
“You did extraordinarily well, my boy,” the older man praised.
“It was just a piece of cake,” the young man replied confidently as he took a seat beside him.
The older man chuckled.
“The full moon will arrive soon. When it does, the king will no longer be in his right state of mind. His demon will consume the moonlight and grow stronger. Everyone will be busy trying to restrain him before he goes wild.”
A sinister smile appeared on his face.
“That will be our opportunity. We will steal the Dark Gem from his father’s chamber. Once we obtain it, we can open the final Spirit Gate and release the imprisoned spirits. They will destroy him and his precious kingdom.”
The old man burst into laughter.
The young man snorted.
“You’re always talking about these brilliant plans. If you’re so smart, why don’t you steal it yourself?”
The old man’s laughter faded.
“Do you think the Dark Gem would be left unprotected? The chamber will certainly be sealed.”
“Exactly,” the young man said.
“It won’t be easy.”
The old man sighed.
“You’re right.”
“But I can still give it a try during the full moon, can’t I?”
“Yes, my dear boy—”
Before he could finish speaking, the young man had already rushed out of the cottage.
Moments later, the sound of galloping hooves echoed through the forest.
The old man shook his head.
“Silly boy. I’m the master, yet he always leaves before I finish talking.”
Leo entered the king’s study and bowed respectfully.
His Majesty sat behind his desk, handling official documents.
“Your Majesty, I completed the investigation as you requested,” Leo reported.
The king did not look up.
“Speak.”
“Lady Ella was indeed present during the ritual, but she only had a brief argument with Lady Selena. She never interfered with the ceremony. In fact, witnesses claimed she suggested helping the goddess when she was close to death.”
The king continued reading.
“And the maid?”
“I brought her as ordered.”
Leo gestured toward the door.
The maid who had accused Ella entered trembling.
Fear gripped her heart as she knelt before the king.
She had no idea why she had been summoned.
The room fell silent.
The king finally set aside his documents and looked at her.
“I repaired the arch myself,” he said calmly.
“Afterward, I returned it to its place and sealed it with my blood.”
The maid’s face paled.
“That leaves me with one question.”
His crimson eyes narrowed.
“When you claimed Lady Ella stole the arch, how exactly did she break my seal?”
The maid froze.
“Well… I…”
“Answer His Majesty,” Leo said coldly.
“She… she has magic!” the maid stammered.
“She must have hidden her powers.”
The king smiled.
A dangerous smile.
“So she broke a blood seal that even most nobles cannot touch?”
The room seemed to grow colder.
“Does that mean she is stronger than me?”
The maid’s body shook violently.
“Or perhaps my blood runs through her veins?”
“Your Majesty!” she cried, falling flat on the floor.
“Please spare me! I didn’t know who broke the seal! My friend was in the library that day. She said Lady Ella only admired the arch from a distance and left. She never touched it!”
The king’s expression darkened.
“So you accused her without knowing the truth?”
The maid burst into tears.
“I thought she came back later! I thought she wanted to steal it!”
“Or perhaps,” Leo said, “you were protecting the real culprit.”
“No! I swear I don’t know!”
Before another word could be spoken, the king vanished.
A flash of silver appeared.
The maid’s eyes widened.
The next second, she collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
Silence filled the room.
The king calmly tossed his sword aside.
Leo immediately handed him a cloth.
After wiping the blood from his hands, the king spoke.
“Feed her remains to the dogs.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The guards dragged the body away.
“What about Lady Ella?” Leo asked.
“Release her.”
The king walked toward the window.
“Move her to the Rose Room beneath my chambers. Then summon the Head Maid.”
“At once, Your Majesty.”
Leo bowed and departed.
The moment Leo left, Collins appeared from thin air.
The king stood by the window overlooking the gardens.
“That was impressive,” Collins said with a grin.
“Not now, Collins.”
“You really know how to use a sword. I taught you well.”
The king ignored him.
“Did you find what I asked for?”
Collins nodded.
“I found information about her father, but nothing concerning her mother.”
The king remained silent.
“Her father had an affair with a maid. Ella was born from that relationship, but he denied being her father after she was born. Her mother died two days later.”
“And her powers?”
“They exist, but they’re weak. No one considered them worth awakening.”
The king frowned.
“A woman with no history and no family records.”
“Exactly.”
The king turned.
“Dig deeper. I want everything concerning her mother.”
“As you command.”
Collins smirked.
“But why the sudden interest? Have you finally accepted her as your bride?”
The king’s eyes narrowed.
“It seems you want to die.”
Collins immediately raised both hands.
“Fine, fine. I’m leaving.”
With that, he disappeared.
The Rose Room had once belonged to the king.
Before his powers became unstable and he was confined to the isolated courtyard, he had lived there as a child.
His mother had carefully preserved the room after he left, refusing to let anyone enter.
She always hoped he would one day regain control of his powers and return.
Behind the room stretched a beautiful rose garden.
Above it were the king’s current chambers, whose windows overlooked the same garden.
Now, the room belonged to Ella.
After her release from prison, she was escorted there by the servants.
Although she was delighted by the beautiful room, she couldn’t understand why she had been moved.
“Greetings, my lady.”
The familiar voice made Ella spin around.
Her eyes widened.
“Tyla?!”
Standing before her was her personal maid from her father’s estate.
Unable to contain her happiness, Ella rushed forward and hugged her.
“How did you get here?”
The maid laughed.
“The moment I heard you were being bullied, I rushed over.”
“Tyla…”
“The king personally summoned me. He said you needed assistance and might struggle to adjust here.”
Ella blinked in disbelief.
“The king?”
“Yes. I was shocked too. A strange-looking man brought me here.”
“That would be Collins,” Ella said.
“One of the king’s knights.”
Tyla nodded.
Then she looked around the room.
“Don’t you love it? It’s much prettier than the cottage back home.”
Ella smiled.
“How is everyone? Has Mira married yet?”
“She has.”
Tyla beamed.
“She married Prince Desmond. The wedding was magnificent.”
She moved closer and lowered her voice.
“And what about you? Has the king treated you well? Have you married?”
Ella’s smile faded slightly.
She had no intention of mentioning the prison.
“I’m still trying to be married off,” she said softly.
“I don’t want him.”
Tyla gasped.
“What?! Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Ella looked toward the roses outside the window.
“Something keeps telling me to stay away from him. Perhaps it’s because he already has a mistress.”
“Is she cruel?” Tyla whispered.
“Does she bully you?”
Ella laughed.
“No one can bully me.”
Tyla burst out laughing.
“That’s true. I almost forgot how sharp your tongue is.”
The two women laughed together.
Just then, a maid entered the room.
She bowed respectfully.
“My lady, His Majesty requests your presence.”
The laughter vanished.
Ella and Tyla exchanged glances.
Neither knew what the king wanted.
But both knew it couldn’t be something ordinary.