Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

The Queen's carriage stopped in front of her residence, and all the servants and knights, both new and old, had lined up to welcome Queen Theodora back. When Esther stepped out of the Queen's carriage first, her appearance surprised others as they didn't know who this young woman was. 

Esther helped Queen Theodora step down the carriage while the servants who returned with the Queen joined the other servants and told them about the identity of this young woman. 

The one in charge of the royal servants, whose eyes didn't leave the body of Esther the moment she appeared, stepped forward to greet the Queen. 

"Your Majesty, I am pleased to see you back in good health. Everyone has been worried about your safety."

"Good to see you, Tyra," Queen said as she gestured for the woman to straighten herself. She then turned to Esther and gestured.  "This smart and reliable woman here is Tyra Ivanov, and she is the head of all the royal servants in this palace. This is Esther. From now on, she will serve me. I will leave her under your care."

"You praise me too much. Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will look after Miss Esther well," Lady Tyra said. She exchanged gazes with the young woman as if the two had recognised something about each other. 

"Mother, I will excuse myself now. I have to visit Father in his study to report about the incident. Please rest well, and I will come to visit you again tonight after I am done with work."

"I know you are busy as well, Theron. You don't need to come…"

"I am your son. Please allow me to worry about you, Mother."

The Crown Prince pointedly looked at Esther before leaving. His cold gaze was seemingly warning her, "Don't you dare pull anything funny, or else." 

Esther quietly lowered her gaze until the Crown Prince left. The Queen went to her chamber since the King sent word that he would be coming over as soon as he was done with his meetings, while Esther was guided towards the servant's quarters at the ground floor of the Queen's residence. 

Lady Tyra personally went with Esther as the Queen had specifically asked her to assist the young lady settle in the new place. 

"Miss, please follow me," Lady Tyra said and Esther quietly followed her. 

Esther found herself admiring the Queen's palace. They walked along the hallways filled with paintings of beautiful landscapes, and after passing by several rooms, they stopped at a certain door. The servants walking along the same hallway were eyeing the newcomer as by then they got to know she was the one who saved the Queen and were curious about her. 

"Most of the servants shared rooms, but as you are Queen Theodora's person, I am allocating you a separate room. I hope you will find it to your comfort and soon mix well with the other servants," Lady Tyra explained as she opened the door of the room. 

Esther nodded lightly and followed Lady Tyra inside the room. 

Lady Tyra closed the door and turned to look at the young lady. This time, there was a change in the way she looked at Esther.  The next moment, Tyra kneeled in front of her with her head lowered and both hands touching the ground.

"Your Eminence—"

Her actions surprised Esther, but she understood this woman…she had recognised her real identity. 

"Get up," Esther instructed her in an ordering tone while interrupting her from saying her name. 

Lady Tyra didn't dare look up. The contrast in her actions and words from how she treated Queen Theodora and Esther was jarring. While she treated Queen Theodora with respect as well, it was still grounded on the fact the Queen had a superior status than her—on the contrary, the feelings she had for Esther was more reverence for existence much higher and powerful than herself.

"I dare not be impudent, Your Eminence!"

Seeing the stubborn woman, Esther no longer insisted. "How did you recognize me? I do not remember ever meeting you."

"Your Eminence, the strong aura of energy surrounding you gave away the fact that you are not an ordinary human, but when we were walking, I noticed the mark on the back of your neck that only our kind can see—-a three-cornered knot with no beginning and no end, interwoven around a circle, symbolizing eternal spiritual life. It is an ancient symbol that belongs to only you and you alone, Your Eminence," Lady Tyra replied with her head still lowered. "I...This lowly one is a descendant of Leeora. When I was about to finish my apprenticeship, my grandmother once showed me a portrait of yours and that image is still engraved in my mind up to this day."

Her hurried words seemingly echoed inside the silent room. However, Lady Tyra dared not say another word in the presence of Esther, and she continued to wait for the young lady to speak without moving from her kneeling position.

"Though you have recognized me,  I am no longer the same person that you knew about. I am a commoner of this kingdom, and you have to treat me like one," Esther instructed. The way she talked was opposite to how polite she was with Queen Theodora. In front of this woman who seemed to be twice her age, her voice emitted power and authority.

"I-I will be a sinner of our kind, Your Eminence!" Lady Tyra said. 

"Not obeying my order is also a sin," Esther countered and instructed. "Get up."

Lady Tyra, a proud servant of the Ivanov family of Megaris, stood up with trembling knees, but chose to keep her head lowered. 

"Look at me," Esther instructed again. 

Lady Tyra obeyed her order and seemingly felt all the power in her body be drained the moment she saw those caramel-coloured eyes. She heard Esther say, "I won't stay here for long. Till then, just treat me like any other of the Queen's servants."

Lady Tyra swallowed and nodded reluctantly. "I…I will obey your orders, Your Eminence. If you need anything, you can trust me that I will fulfil it even if you ask for my life."

Esther nodded and heard Lady Tyra sigh, as if trying to compose herself. "I will arrange the things you will be needing then, Your Eminence. I shall excuse myself now." 

After giving her a low curtsy, Lady Tyra left. 

Esther looked around the room. There was a bed, a dresser, a desk and a table with two chairs. It was smaller compared to the guest room provided by the count's family, but it was still incomparably large and lavish for a commoner, befitting the good treatment royal servants receive under the care of the Queen. 

She went towards the window and pushed it open. In front of her room was a nice view of the water fountain and one of the flower gardens of the Queen. She observed the greenery outside and then closed her eyes to do something. With her fingers swirling, they soon emitted energy and a flower with a clay pot appeared on the window sill. It was a beautiful red flower that seemed to be shining on its own—an Ashrin flower. 

With delicate fingers, she touched the leaves of the plant and mumbled, "I wish to find someone who will need you more than me. But when you help that person, make sure they end up together so that they may never be apart."

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After the King of Megaris dismissed his day's affairs to visit the injured Queen Theodora, Prince Theron went straight to his own study together with his knights. Though he had just travelled towards the western territory and back, he had to continue the work he left behind in the palace. Despite being busy, he didn't appear to be feeling tired. 

Prince Theron sat at his desk and perused the documents that needed to be read. After a while, a certain knight entered his study. 

The first thing the Crown Prince asked was about the mysterious young lady, instead of asking about the rebels. 

"When you went with her to her home in the forest, what did you observe?" Prince Theron asked.

"Your Highness, it was nothing special. It was a small and simple cottage made of wood surrounded by a fence to keep out wild animals. She has a small vegetable plot in the backyard, and there's a stream nearby as a source of water. Seems like the girl has little contact with the world outside the forest as she claimed. Aside from containers of salt and other spices which she must have traded several months back, as well as sturdy clothes that seemed a few years old, everything she used and needed can be found in her home. She seemed like she's truly living in seclusion."

"Hmm…" Prince Theron  leaned back in his high back chair as he straightened the thoughts in his mind. "Try to investigate more about her. Not like she has fallen from the sky. There must be someone related to her who will tell us about her. Talk to the merchants in the city where she bought salt and spices. Look for missing daughters of the nobles in the kingdom that match her appearance and age. Try looking from other kingdoms as well, especially those fallen kingdoms that my father conquered." He glanced at his knights. "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world.. If it appears to be so, it only means we lack information."