The small annex at the northern end of Richard Palace had long been an abandoned palace.

This was because rumors spread that after a queen who had lost her child and lost her mind committed suicide here, she appeared as a ghost.

And in such a place, a man was hiding behind a pillar. It was Baron Delmonsi. Just as he was looking around repeatedly as if waiting for someone.

A person wearing a deeply pulled-down robe appeared silently. After carefully checking for quite some time to see if anyone was following them, and confirming there wasn’t, they approached Delmonsi.

“I think I’ve discovered the queen’s ability.”

Delmonsi’s eyes widened at the news he had been waiting for.

“Is that true? What is it exactly?”

“Though I’m not entirely certain, I believe it might be healing power.”

“Healing power…?”

Healing power? He questioned this unexpected ability. The robed figure nodded in response.

“At the poorhouse, the queen applied something to an injured child. Then a golden light spread from beneath her hand, and the child’s wound healed as if it all washed away. As you know, there’s no medicine that can heal wounds that quickly, is there?”

Delmonsi stroked his beard as if agreeing with these words.

“Healing power… If that’s really true, it could be more useful than expected.”

Lost in thought for a moment at this unexpected ability, Delmonsi continued speaking.

“First, I need to confirm with my own eyes whether the queen really has healing power. I’ll create an opportunity for that soon. Until then, keep watching the queen’s every move. I’ll contact you as soon as I form a plan.”

“Yes, understood.”

With those words, the robed figure disappeared. Left alone in the abandoned palace, Delmonsi twisted his lips.

“Things are about to get interesting.”

His eyes overflowed with ambition as he muttered these words.

* * *

The poorhouse at the southern end of the capital was especially busy every Wednesday. This was because since her first volunteer work with the noble ladies, the queen had been visiting every Wednesday.

Today too, Margaret approached Ines as she was playing with the children in the garden.

“Your Majesty. Aren’t you tired? Coming to the poorhouse like this every week. The road is rough and must be difficult to walk…”

Ines responded with a smile to Margaret’s worried words.

“It is tiring, but coming here makes me feel better. Staying only in the palace is too stifling, isn’t it? Coming here, the children are cute and it’s all bustling – it feels like a place where people actually live. Don’t you enjoy coming here too?”

“That’s true, but Your Majesty isn’t alone right now. You need to be careful.”

There had already been some issues with Carlos about this matter. He was displeased with her going to the poorhouse every week. But nothing would change in the future by just staying quietly in the palace.

She felt that only by making active efforts herself could she show a better world to the child who would be born in the future.

So, following the doctor’s advice to not overdo it, she came to volunteer just once a week.

Above all, the children here were so pure and innocent.

Though they avoided Ines the queen at first, at some point the children began to trust and follow her.

“It’s fine as long as I don’t overdo it. It’s more rewarding than staying in the palace.”

“Please tell me immediately if you feel even slightly strained.”

“I will. Thank you always, Margaret.”

Ines was truly grateful to Margaret. She was the only person in the palace who had taken her side when she had no one to lean on.

And what about back at the temple in Pagos? Even in a situation where she herself could have been in danger, she threw herself in to protect Ines. She truly owed Margaret so much.

“I’ll definitely repay this kindness someday.”

When her position improved, when her child became heir and things got better. Ines planned to repay her maid’s kindness.

As if reading Ines’s thoughts, Margaret shook her head.

“Please don’t say such things. This is simply what I should do as Your Majesty’s maid.”

As the two women smiled at each other, Margaret suddenly checked the time and was startled.

“Oh my, it’s already this late? It’s time for the children’s nap.”

“Time really flies.”

Now only putting the children down for their nap and returning to the palace remained in the schedule.

Ines’s expression fell somewhat wistfully.

“Don’t be sad, you’ll be back next week anyway. I’ll go in first and prepare the room. Take your time coming in with the children.”

“Alright.”

Originally she didn’t need to do such tasks, but as she grew closer to the children at the poorhouse, she naturally took on even these small duties.

“Children, it’s time to go in now.”

“Yes!”

At Ines’s call, the children came running and crowded around her.

“Hey, Your Majesty. Can’t you read us a storybook before sleep?”

“Sleep next to me today!”

She entered the building while caring for the chattering children.

But the moment they arrived at the room where the children would sleep, she felt something was off.

Margaret, who had said she would go ahead and prepare the bedding, was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did she go?”

The bedding had been prepared, so she had definitely been here. Though Ines wondered about it, she soon focused on the children at their urging, momentarily forgetting about Margaret.

Some time passed like this.

When all the children had fallen asleep with gentle breathing sounds, Ines quietly left the room.

During this time, even the guards waited outside the building. In fact, she had wondered from the start why so many guards were needed at the poorhouse.

‘More importantly, where on earth is Margaret?’

Margaret hadn’t shown herself even until the children fell asleep.

As Ines was walking around the building looking for Margaret, that’s when it happened.

A thump sound came from inside a room.

‘I heard this was a storage room.’

Could she be looking for something in there? Ines opened the storage room door.

There she found Margaret lying on the floor, groaning.

“Margaret!”

Startled, Ines threw down her cane and rushed to her.

“Ugh, Your Majesty…”

“This won’t do. I’ll call someone from outside!”

It seemed she needed to show Margaret’s condition to a doctor quickly. Just as Ines urgently tried to get up.

The old wooden door closed with a chilling sound.

Startled, Ines looked back. How could the door close by itself when there wasn’t even a window?

As Ines was looking around the dark room feeling something was wrong, that’s when it happened. A strange voice was heard from inside the storage room that she thought was empty.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

It was a man’s voice. But strangely, it seemed familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

“Who are you?”

When Ines called out as if demanding they reveal themselves, a light was lit in the dark storage room and the owner of the voice appeared. He was a face Ines knew well.

“Why are you…”

Baron Delmonsi.

He had been her father’s right-hand man who had betrayed Duke Claudia before the rebellion. Ines had occasionally seen Delmonsi’s face when he visited the mansion during her time as a duke’s daughter.

But why on earth was he here? An inexplicable ominous feeling crept up her ankles.

“Was it you who did this to Margaret?”

To Ines’s question, Delmonsi answered as if it had been an unavoidable choice.

“I wanted to have a long conversation with Your Majesty, but security at the Lily Palace is so tight these days. So I had no choice but to use such an aggressive method. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Now she noticed there was another man beside Delmonsi who appeared to be his subordinate.

Ines tried to maintain her composure and continued speaking calmly.

“I’m glad you know it’s rude. However, I have no intention of letting this incident pass. When I return to the palace, I will tell His Majesty about what happened tod…”

But suddenly, the man standing beside Delmonsi grabbed Margaret who had been lying on the floor.

“Margaret!”

Ines cried out as Margaret was snatched away in an instant.

“Ugh…”

Margaret went limp helplessly in the man’s grasp. The tip of the knife the man was holding touched Margaret’s neck.

“What are you doing? Put that knife down right now!”

“That would be difficult.”

“Do you know how many guards would come running if I shouted right now?”

No sooner had her words ended than the man’s knife dug into Margaret’s neck. Red drops of blood seeped from the wound on her neck.

“You should think carefully. Whether Your Majesty calling the guards would be faster, or this knife piercing this woman’s neck would be faster.”