The Ruler of Westeria

Kabanata 27

Xiomara

"Oh my, why isn't it the Glacial Archon?" She acted surprised when she saw me in the throne hall. She stood up and walk towards me almost running. She held both of my arms and look at me worriedly. 

"You shouldn't have travelled this far knowing you just regained consciousness two days ago," She then guided me to sit on the chair on the right side of the hall below her golden throne which belongs to the royal ministers. 

"You must take a rest. Clarita, please bring the herbal tea—the one gifted by the Terra Archon." She instructed her maid as she turn back her gaze towards me, still holding my left hand firmly. 

"Are you feeling any better?" She was so concerned that I almost rolled my eyes, but I hid the sarcastic expression in my face by smiling at her. 

"You don't need to worry yourself, your majesty." I attempted to stood up and offer a bow but she held my shoulder—stopping me. 

"No, I insist." I scoffed in my mind. 

How long is she gonna act nice? 

"I have come to express my gratitude towards your majesty's kindness." I was amazed how my voice sounded so sincere even though I felt the exact opposite. 

"I have received the lip plumps you gifted from your knight," She look at me modestly, "You don't have to personally come here risking your health." she added. 

Lip plumps is what I have gifted her. It was a lip color made of wax and oil with a special mixture of scents inside a small hexagon jar. I had Alec delivered it to her in return for the herbal tonics she had given me. 

"I hope you fancy them, your majesty. It was concocted from the pearlfish that I harvested from our private villa. It could improve her majesty's complexion and I can guarantee that no man in Westeria could even turn their gazes away from her majesty's lips." She looks so delighted and flattered by my words that she even acted shy. 

"Oh my, the pearlfish you spoke of—is it the magical fish with the eggs made of valuable pearls?" Tumango naman ako bilang sagot. 

"Very well then, I will treasure the gift you have given acknowledging the efforts you have exerted in coming here." I just smiled. 

Clarita then arrived and served me the tea, and after putting up with the queen's fake interested conversation—I finally left. 

After that day, while Alec was picking almond fruits in Mediterranean Forest he was caught by the royal knights accusing him of attempting to murder the queen. The royal physician announced that the queen fell ill after eating her breakfast but the food wasn't poisoned at all because they were checked by her maid.

Investigations found out that the poison came from the lip plump the queen used in her lips. It turns out the lip plumps have large amount of cinnabar that resulted on poisoning when the lip plump dissolved from her lips when she ate. The intake of the cinnabar had caused her to be gravely ill.

It was announced  after Alec's interrogation that almost tortured him to death, he confessed that the Glacial Archon was the one who ordered him to murder the queen. Now every region of Westeria are gossiping about how ungrateful the Glacial Archon is after the kindness the queen showed her. 

People perceived her as a two-faced bitch. Her personality and demeanor of being timid and innocent was just a cover up to hide her true self—a malicious woman who was filled of envy and jealousy of the queen.