Chapter 26：Black Smoke

When the queen's lady-in-waiting entered her chamber to inform her that the Minister of Foreign Affairs sought a private audience with her, Queen Niobe wasn't surprised. He must have heard of the news regarding the prolonged stay of the King of Megaris and had come to ask for her next orders. 

Lord Darus bowed to the Queen, who was sitting regally in her chair. 

"Your Majesty, according to our sources, the Third Princess's servant, Martha, has left the palace," the minister informed in a humble tone. 

His words brightened up the Queen's eyes, and this piece of news improved her already good mood.

"You mean, that witch is alone now?" the Queen asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Why, suddenly, good things are coming. It seems like that witch's fate is against her this time." The Queen smiled in schadenfreude.

"I congratulate Your Majesty in advance. Even the gods are helping you succeed. The only thing that hinders your plans now is the presence of Sir Berolt. His men are strictly guarding that tower," Lord Darus added.

"Create something to keep him busy," the Queen ordered.

"As per your order, Your Majesty, but in the absence of Martha, I doubt the King would let Sir Berolt be away," the minister replied.

The queen agreed to it, "Then you need to invade the tower's security by all means, and this time I won't accept any excuse."

"Yes, Your Majesty." 

Even after the minister left, Queen Niobe had busied herself in making sure that her schemes against that witch would proceed without a problem. 

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At noon, the entire royal palace was busy as usual. With most of the delegates from other kingdoms gone, those working inside the palace had resumed their normal chores. The guards and maids who happened to be nearby the Third Princess's tower heard some disturbing noises. This caught their attention, and soon, they saw thick black smoke coming out of one of the windows in the tower. 

One of the guards immediately left to inform Sir Berolt and the King. As minutes dragged on, the servants in the palace had gathered to see the black smoke, but no one dared to come close and inquire about the situation as fear enveloped them. 

Soon, even the people outside of the palace saw it too. The tower was tall, and it was easy to see the thick black smoke under the clear, bright sky. The entire capital was gripped in horror as tales of the incident spread widely.

"The witch is up to something this time."

"She must be practicing her black magic."

"Stay inside at home and don't come out."

"Don't know who will die tonight."

The news of something unholy happening had spread everywhere, and soon, the streets went empty, and the capital became a deserted land. 

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Drayce and Arlan were riding their horses along the riverbank outside the walls of the royal palace. Drayce was scouting the area, wanting to take a look at the places around the Third Princess's tower so he could plan his entry without anyone noticing.

Just as they reached the backside of the palace, Drayce heard a disturbance and then saw thick black smoke behind the tall palace walls. Arlan followed his sight and was startled.

"What's going on there?" Arlan exclaimed as he continued looking at the black smoke moving towards the sky. It didn't stop coming out from the window of the tower. "Did the tower catch fire? No… it seems something is burning?"

Drayce didn't seem to hear him and was focused on something as he eyed a particular window of the tower. A light smile was painted on his lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Arlan asked. 

"I was wondering if what people say about the witch is true. They say when she does black magic, something like this tends to happen."

Drayce gave him a questioning look. "Something like this?"

"This black smoke and…."

"Who knows? Might be a witch who is hungry and trying to cook on her own," Drayce commented as he signaled his friend by raising his hand to keep quiet.

It seemed like Drayce heard something again, and this time couldn't stop laughing a little.

"What?" Arlan asked, feeling all puzzled. "Did you hear something?"

Drayce nodded. "Quite unexpected."

"Tell me."

"Use your own ears."

"I am not gifted like you with a high sense of hearing."

"Then that's your fault," Drayce countered, not willing to tell him anything.

Arlan made a face at him, which he ignored. They continued to ride along the riverbank around the palace, and when they returned to the palace, as expected, everyone was whispering among themselves. Of course, Drayce could hear what they were talking about.

"Don't know what this witch is planning this time."

"Should we leave the palace?"

"She must be practicing some black magic."

"Look at that smoke. It's not stopping even after a long time. It looks like she is planning something dangerous."

Drayce could only smirk at them. "Idiots!"

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Not only the common people but also the royals within the palace were worried about what the witch was doing. News had traveled everywhere like a wildfire. 

King Armen was aware his people were in a panic, but he knew the truth wasn't as scary as everyone thought. He called Sir Berolt, who had just returned after checking on Seren. 

"Is she fine?" King Armen asked.

"Apologies, Your Majesty. We can't enter inside the tower because of Martha's magic," Sir Berolt informed him after bowing.

This worried the king. "Try to find a way to know about her condition. If you can't, I will have to enter the tower personally."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sir Berold bowed again. 

Sensing the worry of the king, Lord Eudes suggested, "Your Majesty, this happens every time Martha leaves the palace. There must be nothing to worry about."

This worried the King even more. "Keep the security tight, and don't let any of the Queen's people close to the tower."

"We have already taken full measures, Your Majesty," Sir Berolt informed.

King Armen looked at Lord Eudes. "Minister Darus Count?"

Lord Eudes understood what King Armen meant and replied to his unspoken question, "He went to see Her Majesty, Queen Niobe. The visits are frequent these days…."

"They must be up to something again," Sir Berolt said coldly, his eyes showing how he was annoyed with this politics and how he wished to use his sword and finish everything at once.

"That's why you need to be more alert this time," Lord Eudes said as he looked at Sir Berolt.

"This time, I won't go easy on them," Sir Berolt hinted at his intentions. As a knight, it irked him every time he had to let them go because the schemes concerned the Queen and to keep the peace between the nobles; the King could never openly punish the Queen for her small dirty tricks. 

After all, because of her identity, even if not the Queen, there were other people who would create troubles for her. All King Armen could do was to protect his daughter.