After tearing apart the church along with Edward, Emelyn felt terrible. Outraged. Mad at herself yet at the same time she had that boost inside her that kept he fully alive. She couldn’t believe that she was doing so, following along Edward as if she didn’t have better to do. The young princess could’ve been cleaning around or learning to become a great queen, yet it was part of the test. All around their big old world, men had most power. So Emelyn had to do what Edward would do. 

The soon-to-be-queen couldn’t remove from her head the memories of the LandWar few years ago. Presently, she could not remove the images of the women screaming and begging for help. It was all my fault, she thoughts. Yet the woman searched for some excuses, reasons why it shouldn’t be considered her fault, but she didn’t find some. 

None justified. Slowly and surely, the princess was becoming like the King. Just like Edward. Even if she tried to stop the process, her duty stopped her from showing any signs of compassion. Any love, any regrets? None. It’s like her heart stopped existing, like her good sense mysteriously disappeared. Fortunately, the girl had it deep in her heart and felt it, yet she felt the bad side slowly creeping in. 

She didn’t like that. That despair in her heart, the feeling of being everyone’s worst fear. Which wasn’t the case, obviously, yet she knew the women there were terrified with the idea of seeing those two again. Would they tell the King about it? Probably not, their trauma was getting over their common sense, just like Emelyn. 

Since the prince mentioned that it would be one assault per week before the coronation, the woman had a break from all of this. She nearly got over it, yet she let him lead her through the path of Mayain’s prosperity. Also known as the lost kingdom. Emelyn’s mission was almost impossible, yet that’s why she did it. Because nobody expected her to success, she knew she’d prove anyone wrong and gain her justice. 

And the peace. Well-deserved for the lifeless bodies in Mayain, where the crows cawed and the vultures ate the remains of them. The young princess had a shiver at the idea. Mayain was condemned, in some way. Yet she knew she would be the one to save it, which reassured her. 

Feeling her nervosity and her dramatic mind come over her, Emelyn tried clearing her thoughts. She needed someone to talk to, it was obvious. Yet she didn’t want to speak with Edward, since she didn’t knew whether she could trust him or not, as she hated him- which didn’t help her. The soon-to-be-queen was sure that Jack was loyal, yet he was currently fighting on he battlefield for the honor of his country. Out of the list.  

The only person left that she had in mind was Anastasia, her personal maid. Could she trust her? The woman didn’t have a single idea if she could, yet she felt like if she wouldn’t talk with someone, she would explode with that pressure. So a few seconds later, the princess got up from her bed and walk through the halls. 

Where was she heading? She didn’t know. The only thing she did know was that she had to speak with Anastasia as soon as possible. Impulsively, her foot left her through the library, as she stopped at the doorway. Her maid was sitting on a black sofa, her face buried in her hands. Convinced that Anastasia was reflecting something important, she didn’t hear a single word. It was like the woman didn’t acknowledge her presence-her body didn’t move an inch as she kept her face there. 

“Hey Anastasia, could I talk to you for a second? I don’t want to disturb you yet I wanted your attention for something important concerning me and the kingdom.” 

Her maid startled and jumped from her seat, instinctively lowering a hand to her heart in surprise, her bottom lip quivering. Visibly, she was quite surprised to see her master coming to see her there. Anastasia quickly wiped her eyelid and sniffled, hoping Emelyn wouldn’t see that. Yet since the one concerned saw everything, she noticed this too. 

“Oh.” She simply said. 

The black-haired woman shot her gaze to the floor, sighing softly. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, before looking back at the soon-to-be-queen with a slight frown and a sorry look. 

“I-I’m sorry Your Majesty, I haven’t really been in my right mind since a few days, I apologize for this. I’m listening to you; you can be sure of that and I will be until you stop talking.” The handmaiden whispered quietly her expression growing more solid, like a poker face. 

Emelyn couldn't help but think that her answer was quite odd, as her opinions varied in some ways and some others. The last time she spoke with her, Anastasia was almost mocking her, yet this time she didn’t really seem to care about this. Her mind wasn’t at ease, nor was her mental health, with what she saw. The young princess could see it with her teary eyes, her narrowed brows, and the way she seeked around nervously. 

“No, it’s fine, Anastasia. You don’t have to hide your feelings in front of me, you know. If there’s something wrong, you can tell me, and I promise I won’t judge. I wouldn’t do something like that, as everyone can have their bad days.” 

Anastasia seemed surprised for a few seconds, her eyes widening, but then a soft smile crept up her face. Her gaze softened as she tilted her head to the side to look at her queen, nodding vigorously as she saw the wisdom in her words. 

“You’re right, Your Highness, you totally are.” The woman started, before pausing, seemingly hesitating. “Well, if you genuinely want to know, I’m bothered about two things. First, I’ve heard that my father has been starting to build up a team back in Wron, and I’m worried that I’ll have to face him eventually as we’re on different teams. Also, one of our knights that you may know, Jack, left for the battle and I’ve heard that he’s been badly hurt through it. He’s currently at the base camp with some healers, and it’s unsure that he’ll survive.” 

Emelyn’s eyes widened, as she saw the two possibilities. In wron, Damian was building up a team to go against Kordania, as he got inspired by Edward’s iniative. And as she heard the woman screaming earlier, and the explosions of the way, that could’ve been related to how Jack got hurt. The woman wasn’t sure on how he ended up this way, yet she didn’t want to ask Anastasia because she already saw how troubled she was. Wanting to make sure the man was Rutherfurd, the soon-to-be-queen chose questioning her subtly. 

“Excuse me if this is random, Anastasia, but what’s your father’s name?” 

The concerned one glared at her, her jaw clenching. Her gaze was becoming more predatory, as if she was considering her as an enemy, once again. The maid was finding it suspicious that Emelyn asked her that, and she understood it well. 

“His name is Damian, Damian Rutherfurd.” Anastasia spoke after a while. “He had some issues with His Majesty and left Kordania to go live in Wron, studying to become a scientist.” 

Brutally, the spouse knew she had it right. Anastasia was sent by Damian, yet she didn’t have a way back to him, and neither would he. The fact that the handmaiden cried about this made the soon-to-be-queen wonder about the scientist’s innocence. Did he absolutely love her once she came to life? Separated from her parents, it must’ve been a terrible childhood, as she worked as a maid in a castle all her life. 

Emelyn’s heart ached, but she wanted to get to the point. She came to ask for help, support, yet Anastasia’s pain was making her hurt some more. How could the world leave an innocent child live in those conditions. The princess was angry at the world, angry at humanity angry at God knows who...Frederick...Did he leave her the choice...or did she have the obligation to work for His Majesty? 

“Alright, I don’t want to be a burden with my personal life, so I’ll let you speak about what you wanted to speak with me, Your Grace. I’m listening carefully, once again.” 

“I... I don’t know how to tell you this...I’ve made a decision that I regret, yet it makes me feel great at the same time. I don’t mean to say that I feel right doing the wrong thing, the thing is...I’m torn with the feeling of helping others efficiently but more evilly and the feeling of waiting for the help to happen but making myself suffer from the wait.” 

Emelyn didn’t know if she was clear, yet revealing what she did would be a huge mistake. So she decided to remain implicit, as her maid couldn’t associate the facts right away. Soon Anastasia sat there quietly, staring at nothing, her expression growing either thoughtful or confused as she balanced her body weight back and forth.  

After a while of reflection, the woman’s face lightened, showing how satisfied with her response. She grinned slyly and muttered to herself, nodding as she stared right at her queen. 

“If there’s something I learned from the pain and the decisions you make, it’s that whatever you do, you want to stay on the good side. Trust me. I know you don't have to listen to me if you don’t want to, yet this must be my best advice to give. Whatever you do, you do the thing that feels right to you. The one that gives you the benefit of the doubt, that makes you believe you’re a right person.” 

Emelyn remained silent for a second, trying to understand what she meant by it. She stood there and arched her brows, wanting to find the right meaning to it. 

“Anastasia, when you mean this, are you speaking about the right thing as the one that’s greater for everyone or the selfish thought of the terrific way to be or to act?” 

“Both of them, my Queen. Any action that feels right to you, and that doesn’t hurt the others. Another piece of advice, never let your pride take over. It can become your greatest enemies if your goal is to become a wise person in the future. Don’t let the devil on your shoulders tell you the easiest, simply go with what matches your ambitions and your values. Take it easy, and never act impulsively.” 

The soon-to-be-queen couldn’t be more grateful. She sighed softly and grabbed her handmaiden’s hand, shaking it gently to show her how grateful she was. The young princess then released it and walked off, feeling better than ever before- she knew what she had to do. 

For Mayain’s good and the world’s equality, she would let Edward do his things as she’d rule around and make the world a better place to live for people like Anastasia.