Oriana tried to open her eyes, but she felt her temples throb, causing the corners of her eyes to prickle with lingering tears. Moving her hand gently to her forehead, she opened her eyes slowly, looking around to see that she was now inside her room and she wasn’t alone.

"She’s awake," Freya whispered. "Can you hear me?" The young girl leaned closer, looking at Oriana.

Sitting up gently on her bed, Oriana touched her head and nodded. She noticed that the only people in the room were a physician, who was standing in the corner with his head bowed, and Freya.

"Your Majesty," the physician started, "You need to rest a little more while taking these tonics. It seems there’s—"

Oriana waved the man off with a small shake of her head. "I’m fine," she muttered. Pushing her legs down from the bed, her dress, which now looked crumpled at the hem, ruffled when she tried to stand.

"Take me to the soldier," Oriana’s words were directed to Freya, as the young queen turned towards the door. But her knees gave way, causing her to lose balance for a brief moment.

Freya was quick to catch her. "The physician has asked that you rest a little more. Maybe when you’re strong enough, I will send for the soldier."

"Rest," Oriana muttered. At this moment, Adric was not enjoying such a luxury called rest. Though she didn’t want to believe that he was dead, she had a feeling that he wasn’t safe. "I’ve been resting enough; now is the time to be a Queen."

Before she turned to leave, the physician raised his hand and called, "Your Majesty."

Turning impatiently to look at the man, Oriana asked, "You can leave the tonics there; I’ll take them." But she noticed that the man was hesitant with his words. She inhaled deeply.

"Anything else?"

The royal physician squeezed his hands tightly, his expression showing that he was confused about something. "N-no, I just think you need more rest so I can—"

Oriana closed her eyes. She knew that these people only worried about her, but being told to rest when she had no idea where Adric was and what condition he was in made her annoyed every time she heard the word ’rest.’

"You can leave. I’ll take care of myself." Without saying anything else, Oriana walked out of her room in search of the soldier who had returned without her husband.

Back inside the room, the physician exhaled tiredly as he gathered the tools he had used in nursing the queen back to health. He quietly left the room, making his way towards the infirmary when a maid stopped in front of him.

"Are you coming from the queen’s chamber?" Bessie asked, with her hands crossed over her chest.

The royal physician furrowed his brows. "Who is asking?" was his response, knowing by the girl’s uniform that she was just an ordinary maid and had no business with matters concerning the queen.

"Princess Adelaide wants to have a word with you," the maid replied, gesturing for the man to follow her as she led him to the princess’s quarters.

Adelaide was sipping tea casually with one leg crossed over the other when the door to her room opened, revealing Bessie and, behind her, the physician who had taken care of Oriana.

"Princess Adelaide," Bessie bowed, "the physician is here," the maid announced.

On seeing the royal blood, the physician bowed deeply, showing his respect. "Greetings, Princess Adelaide."

Slowly, the princess placed the tiny teacup on the wooden coffer in front of her, bringing down her leg. With a beautiful smile on her lips, she said, "Please feel free and be at ease. You’re the physician who saved my beloved sister-in-law. Come, sit."

The royal physician raised his face, turning to look at the princess, then looked at the maid beside him. It was not normal for someone of his status to sit in the same place with any member of the royal family.

"I am only but a mere physician; I wouldn’t dare forget my place," thinking it was a test, the physician said, bowing his head again.

Adelaide chuckled. "Bessie, did you hear him?" She covered her mouth with her hand. "It’s refreshing to see that some people still know their place." She continued to laugh, and Bessie joined her.

The royal physician, not fully understanding her words and the reason the two women were laughing as if possessed, squeezed his hands tightly and kept his head down.

Adelaide stopped laughing, wiping off the invisible sweat from her head. She raised the teacup in front of her and blew on it slowly. "How is Oriana?"

When she said this, the physician quickly raised his face. He knew very well who the princess was talking about, but without the title, he didn’t dare reply.

Making a slurping sound as she sipped her tea, Adelaide smiled. "Are you surprised? Oriana is her name. Do I need to add a title for you to answer me?" she asked, placing the cup back on the table, her back now reclined on the couch she was sitting on.

"N-no, Princess... just that," the man stammered. He didn’t know what to say. Any response he made would definitely offend either the queen or the princess in front of him. Not knowing what else to say, he stopped talking.

Adelaide sighed. "These dirty, spineless commoners, always acting like their bloodline." She spat angrily. "How is the queen? Is she better now?"

"Y-yes, yes, Princess. Her Majesty is better now, even though she needs more rest to regain her strength," the physician replied quickly, afraid of making the princess angry.

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "Who needs her to regain her strength? She should just join her husband," she muttered under her breath.

"W-what?" the physician asked with a trembling voice.

Ignoring the man’s words, Adelaide blew off the dust on her fingertips. "I’m going to assign you a very important task. It’s very simple. While taking care of the queen, report to me every single thing you notice about her, especially if she shows signs of being pregnant."

The physician widened his eyes, taking a step back as his legs quivered with fear. His actions didn’t go unnoticed by the sharp eyes of Adelaide.

"Why, it seems you know something already. Do tell," she encouraged the man, but seeing his hesitation to speak, Adelaide scoffed.

"Making you disappear without a trace is like brewing tea. And trust me, the latter takes me less time." Her voice was low, and to make her threat even more serious, she pushed the teacup to the side.

The man gulped down the invisible lump in his throat. "I-I suspected earlier that the queen was pregnant because her pulse was irregular, but then I gave her something to eat. She didn’t throw it up, so I confirmed she wasn’t."

"I see," Adelaide chuckled. "See yourself out, and don’t forget to report to me every time you visit her quarters."

The royal physician nodded as he quickly rushed out of the room without sparing a second.

Adelaide inhaled, a pleasant smile gracing her lips. Earlier, after she heard Oriana passed out with the news of Adric’s demise, a strange thought came to her mind: what if the girl was carrying Adric’s child? Then it would be difficult to remove Oriana from the throne as she would be carrying an heir. Now that she had confirmed there was nothing for her to be afraid of, she felt her heart bubble with joy.

"You have nothing to worry about; the throne will soon be yours," Bessie smiled. "I should call you Queen Adelaide now."

Adelaide snapped her fingers. "I love the ring of that. Queen Adelaide Galgani of Avon," she clapped her hands excitedly. "I should get ready to console my dear sister-in-law since I’ll be taking her position soon." The princess’s voice trailed off with a sinister smile on her lips.