"How is that possible?" Asher mumbled, the surprise coloring his features.
The idea of Rebecca surviving a quest that claimed her mother's life... it was enough to stir a storm of suspicion in his mind.
Rowena's lips thinned into a rigid line, her gaze hardening, "Rebecca claimed she narrowly escaped death," she admitted reluctantly, her voice as cold as the stone floor beneath them, "She said my mother had sacrificed herself to keep the rest safe, though no one else managed to survive."
A red flag immediately raised in his mind. The story didn't add up; it clashed with everything he had come to know about Rowena's mother.
"I find it hard to believe," Asher muttered, running his hand through his hair in consternation. "Your mother had a dragon by her side. She was one of the strongest. And she would give her life for someone like Rebecca, who she didn't even like? That doesn't sound like the woman you described."
Rowena's expression mirrored his skepticism, her eyes hard with shared disbelief, "Exactly," she agreed, her voice filled with quiet conviction, "But everyone, including my father, bought into Rebecca's version. Except me. I loved my father, but sometimes the way he acts and behaves, it just…disappointed me," Rowena said as her gaze lowered.
Rowena's cold voice tremored subtly, her eyes reflecting a tumultuous mix of grief and anger as she added, "There wasn't even a body. I didn't get to bury her. All I could do was pay respects to an empty tomb," she managed to choke out, a mournful symphony of words that echoed hollowly against the stone walls.
Her gaze lost itself in the flickering embers of the fireplace, perhaps seeing a scene play out from a past that seemed too cruel to bear, "That day, Rebecca showed a side of hers I had never seen before. Apologizing by saying she let my mother and everyone down and then mourning, creating a drama as if she was the most aggrieved. She would be the last person to mourn for my mother."
Asher's fist tightened, a rush of seething frustration surging within him like a raging river.
He clicked his tongue, a sharp, impatient sound that cut through the quiet stillness, "Can't you do anything about her?" he questioned, his voice low but the intensity of his emotions palpable.
It seemed as if Rebecca was definitely dangerous to get rid of the previous queen and manipulative enough to even cause such a drama to convince others. Again, she must have had some help to get rid of the late queen.
Rowena's gaze turned back to him, resignation painted starkly in her eyes.
"Unfortunately, no," she admitted, shaking her head, "That incident happened years ago. I was only a princess then, and it was all settled. Even now, Rebecca has considerable power in the central and northern lands, and despite everything, she's valuable to House Drake or that's how the elders in our House feel."
She paused, as if the words were hard to swallow, "As far as they know, Rebecca brings a lot of wealth and power to our house. If I challenge her now, in these trying times, it could plunge our kingdom into chaos. We're still trying to heal. The last thing we need is more instability."
A sharp inhale from Asher sliced through the silence, the frustration bristling in his chest mirrored in the stern set of his jaw. He'd always been an individual who never had to care for hundreds of people, let alone millions of them.
Dealing with the political machinations of a kingdom was a new realm of exasperation for him.
As he watched Rowena, he understood her predicament. As the queen, she couldn't afford to let her personal feelings guide her decisions. The safety and welfare of her kingdom, her people, were paramount.
He knew the weight of obligation hung heavy on her shoulders, the burden of her dead parents' legacy, of protecting and caring for the kingdom they had ruled, clearly visible in her somber gaze.
Even if Rowena somehow manages to make Rebecca go down, it would weaken House Drake and the kingdom as a whole, at least on the outside which could invite new unseen or familiar troubles which Rowena was trying to avoid.
Asher's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, a realization breaking through the surface of his mind, "Is that why," he began, his gaze meeting Rowena's, "you have been so neutral towards Rebecca and Oberon? As if you harbor no animosity against them?"
Rowena nodded, her expression calm but her eyes displaying a shrewdness he hadn't seen before, "Father always said to keep your enemies closer while ensuring they remain oblivious to your thoughts," she confessed, her voice carrying a hint of her father's wisdom, "That's why I let them be. It's much easier to manage them if they believe I'm not onto them."
At her words, a chuckle of bemused admiration rumbled deep in Asher's chest.
His perception of Rowena shifted, making room for this newfound understanding of her character. She was more complex than he initially thought. He clearly underestimated her.
In fact, she'd been playing her cards so close to her chest that even he, who'd spent so much time with her, hadn't picked up on her act.
It struck him then that being a good actor, putting up a convincing facade, was probably one of the vital skills needed as a ruler. Of course, it wasn't a skill he was worried about being bad at.
Keeping everyone in the shadows and acting like a valiant, generous, and loving royal consort for more than a year made him realize he was a natural at this.
But he did realize he had yet to fully understand the woman standing before him.
However, his brows drew together in a thoughtful frown.,His eyes probing her own, he asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me about all this. After everything we've been through, everything that happened..." He sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
He thought she would confide in him with everything now that she was in love with him. That was why he had been risking his life and putting in so much effort to gain her confidence.
Even if it wouldn't change anything, he would have felt better knowing she also held such suspicions and anger against Oberon and Rebecca.
Rowena responded by placing her hand tenderly on his chest, her touch soft as a feather.
She swallowed softly, her eyes shimmering with worry, "Don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to keep it from you, Ash," she confessed, her voice barely audible, laden with deep regret. "I did it to protect you since you were waking up for the first time, and I never thought your Immortal Bloodline would help you quickly catch up with our world. And Rebecca... she's dangerous. If she was really behind my mother's death... I didn't want to take any chances, even if I am the queen now."
As she spoke, her voice wavered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, the reality of her fears laid bare between them. She added, "That's why I've been acting neutral on the surface, biding my time for a moment of her vulnerability, while taking silent measures to protect you, though you never really needed them," Rowena said with warmth and pride glimmering in her eyes.
Asher realized the reason was simple.
He now could see why she appointed Eradicator as his protector from the get go and why nobody tortured him after he got married.
At least, that was what he felt since he had no memories of anyone torturing him after getting married. Not even a memory of Oberon or anyone else coming to toy with him.
He realized once she became the queen, she must have personally kept an eye on him, which must have deterred anyone else from trying to hurt him again, while previously, her father was letting it happen on his watch.
He understood her fear, her need to protect him. Was it that she fell in love with him too much to become overprotective?
Drawing in a deep breath, he held her shoulders, his gaze meeting hers with determination, "You don't have to bear this burden alone, Rona. Please don't keep things from me again," he insisted, "I might not be strong enough right now, but that doesn't mean I'm a fool. I won't act recklessly or harm our kingdom."
Rowena gave him a soft, appreciative smile as she held his hands, her heart swelling with relief. "I understand that now," she murmured, her voice finally steadying, "That's why I'm telling you all this now."
For the first time in a long while, Rowena felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She was finally able to share one of her deepest concerns and fears with Asher, and his understanding, his promise, brought her an unexpected sense of solace.
Asher's gaze flickered with a new resolve. Breaking the momentary silence, he asked, "Still, should we still do nothing about Rebecca now? I understand that we don't have any evidence against her, but... after everything that's happened, after the war... doing nothing just doesn't sit right with me."
Rowena drew in a long breath, the exhale trembling on her lips, "Ash," she began, her voice bearing the weight of their shared burdens, "it's a hard truth we must confront. We can't make a move against Rebecca right now. You know why."
The echoes of her admission rang heavily in the room, a silence ensnaring the pair as she gathered her thoughts.
Asher let out a sigh, knowing Rowena would never risk her kingdom appearing weak or unstable to the enemies outside or inside, especially when the kingdom was far from its peak strength.
Her gaze softened as she looked at him, her tone shifting, warmth seeping into her words, "But there's one thing I've learned from our war with the Umbralfiends," she continued, her voice steady, "It's that I can depend on you, Ash. You've proven yourself, not just as an individual but as a capable guardian of this kingdom... even if you aren't yet a peak expert of the kingdom."
Drawing a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, her gaze firm on his, "So, I want you to conduct secret investigations on Rebecca," she instructed, her voice ringing with determination.
"As queen, there are places and methods I can't use, but you... you have a talent for this. I trust you to get the information we need, information I can't. This is something I can only entrust to you."
As she spoke, her mind wandered to his ventures at the Honeyed Pearls, which he had told her about in the past, his skill in subtly extracting useful information from casual conversations. Even if she wasn't fond of him visiting such a place, she chose to not stop him from doing something that could help the kingdom.
She had faith in his ability to handle people, to unearth the secrets people desperately clung to.
