Rose’s hands glowed with orange light, and she attacked the queen with a spell, levitating the spoon to pierce into the queen’s neck.
She felt a sick joy seeing her attack reaching the queen before anyone could react but what happened next froze her in place, dread consuming her when she realized her actions.
Elora held the spoon in place between her fingers.
A disappointed tsk left her lips.
”Aunty, Aunty.
You really shouldn’t have.
Now I would be forced to kill, which I really don’t.” Elora drawled in a light tone, her face smiling, but her eyes were cold.
Nalia’s heart surged with fury, her sword going straight for Rose’s throat, but she was signalled by Elora to stop.
‘The queen was nearly killed in her presence.’ Nalia thought her heart filled with fear and anger.
If Elora didn’t stop her, Rose would have been diced up into many pieces when she was done with her.
The other guard also frowned, her hands tightened on her sword as she stared at Rose with a murderous gaze.
Rose collapsed to her knees in desperation, the earlier joy turned to fear when her mind cleared up.
She knew she was finished.
Thorn secretly dims the spell he wants to stop the attack with; he doesn’t want her to die so early when he hasn’t gotten enough entertainment, or that’s what he convinced himself with.
Outwardly, his expression was that of shock, which the queen noticed.
‘she hopes this doesn’t traumatize this gentle young man; she still needs a skilled assistant.’ With these thoughts, she got up from the chair and went to the trembling Rose.
Rose’s body shook.
As Elora grew closer to her.
Stopping in front, Elora’s finger held her chin, lifting it for their gaze lock.
”Now tell me, what can buy your life?” Elora uttered lightly, but it scared Rose so much, ”I-I-I” she could only stammer these words out, her tongue seizing up, unable to form words.
‘what should I do?
I’m her aunt.
She can’t murder her aunt.
Why did I have to lose control of my emotions?” Rose was filled with so much regret at her impulses.
”Pah~”
A direct hit landed on her cheeks, bringing her back to the present, ”Exchange something valuable for your life.” Elora’s face was calm as she dropped her chin and walked back to her seat.
She sat, picked up her cup of iced tea, and took a sip.
Rose held her cheeks in shock, she was in disbelief that her niece would have such audacity to lay her hands on her.
But realizing the situation, her raising anger quenched like a blown candlestick.
Then Elora’s words donned in her mind, and she felt relieved she would escape death, though pain shot through her heart at the thought of giving the queen her remaining source of wealth to keep her life.
”I can- give you all the business I own around the kingdom,” Rose said, her tone trembling with emotions.
And she stood up with confidence, feeling she wouldn’t die and there was no need for her earlier fear.
Nalia’s hands trembled on her sword at Rose’s blatant disrespect; she barely held herself from attacking; Thorn watched all these, feeling curious about her next actions.
Elora waved Nalia over, ”what’s the value of her business?” she asked, placing her teacup down.
”Her Highness Rose deals in medical and potion materials; she’s one of the top in her line of business,” Nalia stated truthfully even if she wanted to cut Rose open.
[ How dare she question my business worth.
Does she think I wanted to hand it over on a silver platter to her?
Why did the spoon not stab her straight in the heart?
At least my business wouldn’t have gone for nothing.
This castle is cursed, I don’t want to ever come here again.] Elora heard her thoughts loud and clear, there was no atom of remorse.
Elora felt slight pity for the original body to have such a family member.
”Sign the business and their properties over.” Elora said in a flat tone, turning to Thorn, ”Make sure everything is authentic and no false documents.” She ordered.
Rose closed her eyes from pain as he brought out her shop’s ownership documents, the herb distribution channels from her dimensional ring.
She wondered why she had them in her dimensional bag.
She would have delayed it a bit and planned out her escape, but what made her not trust anybody with her properties only on her person?
She felt it was safe.
After they signed over everything, ”I will take my leave.” Rose said confidently, bowing as she turned to leave.
”Who said you could leave.” Elora’s tone turned cold, freezing Rose in her steps; she quickly turned back and saw Elora’s apathetic gaze on her.
”Perchance, did you think you were free from trying to kill me?
How naïve.” Elora’s words echoed through the room, startling everyone.
Nalia’s eyes brightened at the queen’s words, and she prepared her sword for the queen’s next orders.
”You!
You can’t go against your word!” Rose screamed from fear and inched closer to the door.
Elora’s next words made her fall into an ice cellar.
”Nalia, crush her magic chamber and flog her twenty whips of the barbed whip.
Make sure she keeps her life; a queen can’t go against her word.”
Rose dashed to the door, but she was frozen in place by Nalia’s magic, ”please, no, I am sorry.
No wait!” her pleas were cut short by her painful screams; it felt like her heart was cut into two as Nalia attacked her magic chamber, and blood dripped from the corner of her lips.
”Snap!”
Her eyes grew dim with hopelessness as her chamber snapped.
Nalia didn’t give her time to be prepared mentally before she launched the brutal attack.
Rose fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious; her heart reeked with excruciating pain.
Thorn’s eyes flashed with an indescribable light at Elora’s ruthlessness.
He felt his heart beating faster from excitement.
When Elora remembered he was there, she noticed him holding his face between his hands and felt he was afraid not knowing he was trying hard to hold in his mad glee from showing out in the open.