Just as I was about to speak again and tell the Queen Mother everything, the door to her chambers suddenly opened.
A maid rushed inside.
She looked nervous.
Almost frightened.
The Queen Mother immediately frowned.
“What is it?”
The maid bowed quickly.
“Your Majesty, the King of Aluexia has arrived.”
The Queen Mother stood up from her chair.
“The King of Aluexia?”
The maid nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“He wishes to see you immediately.”
I felt my stomach drop.
No.
Not now.
Not when I was finally about to tell her the truth.
I stepped forward.
“Mother, wait.”
The Queen Mother turned toward me.
I quickly grabbed her hand.
“Please, I need to tell you something important.”
Something flashed across her face.
For a brief moment, I thought she would listen.
Instead, she gently removed my hand from hers.
“We will continue this conversation later, Seraphina.”
My eyes widened.
“But Mother—”
She shook her head.
“The King of Aluexia would not travel this far without a reason.”
Her voice became serious.
“If he has come personally, then it must be important.”
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the door.
The maid followed closely behind her.
I stood there for a moment.
Frustrated.
The truth was right there.
So close.
And yet I still couldn’t tell her.
After everything I had seen in the dungeon, I couldn’t just let this go.
Not now.
Not when the kingdom could be in danger.
I hurried after them.
Following the Queen Mother and the maid through the palace corridors.
Because if the King of Aluexia had arrived without warning…
Then something was very, very wrong.
The moment we stepped outside the castle, I froze.
A long red carpet stretched across the palace courtyard.
Rows of guards stood at attention on either side.
Several carriages were parked near the palace gates.
It looked as though an important guest had arrived.
I wanted to ask what was going on.
I wanted answers.
But before I could say anything, the Queen Mother spoke.
“King Alaric of Aluexia.”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“You’re here early.”
I looked between the two of them in confusion.
Early?
What exactly was he early for?
And more importantly…
Why was he here?
King Alaric stepped forward.
He was tall, well-dressed, and carried himself with the confidence of someone who was used to being obeyed.
He looked directly at the Queen Mother.
“Queen Alexia Ravencroft.”
He placed a hand over his chest.
“I must admit, I expected a warmer welcome.”
The Queen Mother raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
King Alaric chuckled.
“Is this truly how you greet your guests?”
Before anyone could react, he gently took her hand and pressed a respectful kiss against it.
Several nobles nearby pretended not to notice.
The Queen Mother simply sighed.
Somehow, she looked used to this behavior.
“You haven’t changed at all, Alaric.”
King Alaric laughed.
“And neither have you.”
He released her hand and straightened his coat.
“You should know the people of Aluexia by now.”
His voice carried a hint of pride.
“We are never late.”
“If anything, we arrive before everyone else.”
The Queen Mother shook her head.
“That much is obvious.”
I stood there silently.
Completely confused.
My eyes moved from King Alaric…
To the Queen Mother…
Then back to King Alaric again.
Questions flooded my mind.
Why was he here?
Why was the Queen Mother expecting him?
And why did he address her as Queen Alexia Ravencroft instead of calling her ‘Your Majesty’?
The more I watched them, the more confused I became.
Something was going on.
Something important.
And I had a feeling I was about to find out what it was.
Without wasting any more time, I turned around and left.
I walked straight back into the castle without stopping.
My mind was overflowing with questions.
Questions about King Alaric.
Questions about the Queen Mother.
Questions about Aluexia.
And most importantly…
Questions that nobody seemed willing to answer.
As I wandered through the palace corridors, I noticed an open door.
Without thinking much about it, I stepped inside.
The moment I did, I froze.
Lucien was standing in the room.
He had clearly been in the middle of getting dressed.
The moment he noticed me, he froze as well.
For several awkward seconds, neither of us said a word.
Then Lucien quickly reached for a shirt lying nearby.
At the exact same time, I took a step backward toward the door.
Unfortunately, we both moved at once.
I stumbled.
My balance disappeared instantly.
Before I could fall, Lucien caught me by the arm.
For a brief moment, both of us stared at each other.
Then I immediately looked away.
My face felt unusually warm.
Lucien helped me regain my balance before stepping back.
A few moments later, he finished getting dressed and walked over to the door, closing it behind him.
I sat down on the edge of the bed while he leaned against a nearby table.
His expression was calm as always.
“What are you doing here?”
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
For some reason, I suddenly forgot everything I wanted to say.
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
“Seraphina?”
I cleared my throat.
“I came looking for answers.”
“Answers?”
His expression became slightly confused.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
Lucien folded his arms.
“Answers about what?”
I took a deep breath.
“About King Alaric.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“And the Queen Mother.”
The room fell silent.
For the first time since I had entered, Lucien looked genuinely serious.
As though he already knew exactly what I was about to ask.
Lucien straightened his posture and looked at me.
“The relationship between the Kingdom of Ravencroft and the Kingdom of Aluexia is that of brother and sister kingdoms.”
I listened carefully.
“For generations, both kingdoms have stood by each other’s side.
If one kingdom is attacked, the other immediately comes to its defense.”
I nodded slowly.
So that explains why the Queen Mother seemed so familiar with him.
Lucien continued.
“If King Alaric is here, then he’s most likely here for the Annual Royal Games.”
I blinked.
“The Royal Games?”
Lucien nodded.
“Yes.”
I tilted my head.
“What exactly are the Royal Games?”
“The Royal Games are a competition held once every four years.”
His voice remained calm and steady.
“They involve the four neighboring kingdoms.”
I stared at him.
“Four kingdoms?”
Lucien nodded.
“The Kingdom of Ravencroft.”
“The Kingdom of Aluexia.”
“The Kingdom of Eldoria.”
“And the Kingdom of Veyndor.”
I tried memorizing the names.
Then I asked the next question that came to mind.
“What’s the competition about?”
Lucien folded his arms.
“Members of each royal family compete against one another.”
“The rulers themselves aren’t allowed to participate.”
“Only their children, siblings, relatives, and other members of the royal bloodline may enter.”
I leaned forward slightly.
“Why?”
“Because the games aren’t just a competition.”
His expression became serious.
“They are also a way for kingdoms to display their strength.”
I remained silent.
Lucien continued.
“There are four rounds in total.”
“Each round tests something different.”
“Strength.”
“Intelligence.”
“Strategy.”
“And teamwork.”
My eyes widened slightly.
That sounded far more serious than an ordinary competition.
“And after that?”
Lucien answered immediately.
“The kingdom with the highest score is declared the winner.”
I nodded.
“And then?”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Then comes the banquet.”
“The winning kingdom is celebrated before nobles, royals, and guests from all four kingdoms.”
I stared at him for a moment.
Trying to process everything he had just told me.
Four kingdoms.
Four rounds.
A competition held every four years.
And somehow…
I had absolutely no memory of writing any of this into my novel.
That realization made me uneasy.
Because if the Royal Games weren’t part of my story…
Then where did they come from?
Just as Lucien and I were talking, a maid entered the room.
She looked relieved the moment she saw me.
“There you are, Your Highness.”
I blinked.
“What’s wrong?”
The maid bowed.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“Why?”
“The Queen Mother has summoned you.”
My eyes widened.
Summoned me?
Immediately, I jumped to my feet.
This was it.
My chance.
My chance to finally tell her everything.
Without wasting another second, I left the room and followed the maid through the palace corridors.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the throne room.
The Queen Mother was seated upon her throne.
The moment I saw her, I hurried forward.
She looked at me and smiled faintly.
“Seraphina.”
I stopped in front of her.
“You wanted to tell me something earlier.”
She folded her hands together.
“What was it?”
I nodded eagerly.
“Yes, Mother.”
Finally.
After all the interruptions.
After all the delays.
I was finally going to tell her the truth.
I opened my mouth.
But before I could speak—”Alexia.”
A familiar voice echoed through the throne room.
Both of us turned.
King Alaric.
He was walking toward us.
The moment the Queen Mother saw him, a smile appeared on her face.
Alaric’s gaze shifted toward me.
Then he smiled.
“This must be one of your daughters.”
The Queen Mother nodded.
“Yes.”
She gestured toward me.
“This is my eldest daughter, Seraphina Ravencroft.”
King Alaric stepped closer.
He gently took my hand and bowed his head.
“You are every bit as beautiful as your mother.”
I immediately felt awkward.
The Queen Mother laughed softly.
Alaric released my hand.
“I have a son and a daughter around your age.”
He smiled.
“They should be arriving tomorrow.”
I returned the smile politely.
Then I noticed something strange.
King Alaric kept looking around.
As though he was searching for someone.
The Queen Mother noticed it too.
“Is something wrong?”
Alaric looked back at her.
“You mentioned having two daughters.”
His eyes moved around the room once more.
“I’m only seeing one.”
He paused.
“What about the other?”
For a brief moment, the Queen Mother’s smile faded.
Then she answered calmly.
“Unfortunately, she won’t be participating in the Royal Games this year.”
I froze.
That wasn’t exactly a lie.
But it wasn’t the truth either.
Aurora was still here.
She was just locked in the dungeon.
Alaric nodded slowly.
“I see.”
A few moments later, he excused himself and left.
The moment he disappeared, I turned back toward the Queen Mother.
I needed to tell her.
Now.
Before something else interrupted us.
But when I looked toward the throne—
She was gone.
I blinked.
Confused.
At some point, she had already left.
I sighed.
Once again, my chance had slipped away.
Reluctantly, I turned and headed toward the exit.
But then something caught my attention.
King Alaric.
He wasn’t heading toward the guest chambers.
He wasn’t heading toward the palace gardens.
He was heading toward the dungeon.
I stopped walking.
My heart skipped a beat.
The dungeon?
What was he doing there?
Curiosity got the better of me.
Without thinking, I quietly followed him.
Down the hallways.
Past the guards.
Down the stone staircase leading underground.
The deeper we went, the colder the air became.
Eventually, I reached the bottom.
I carefully peeked around the corner.
Then froze.
My eyes widened.
King Alaric was standing in front of Aurora’s cell, talking to her.”
My eyes widened.
No.
That couldn’t be possible.
Then Aurora’s words echoed inside my mind.
‘Just give me one week, Seraphina.’
A chill ran down my spine.
I wonder if he’s connected to Aurora’s one-week plan.
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