Marked

07

Chapter Seven

Finding someone already dead is much harder. 

Third Person’s Point of View

“Rush, darling.”

Her eyes snapped up, offering a look to her mother. It took a lot from Rush to hide the scorn that she wanted to express from her face from the second that she saw Rollia. Having to be in the presence of the Queen Mother, it seemed like Rollia had seen this as a way to trample all over her. That would never happen, of course. 

Since Beatrice Revun-Hawthrone is not a biased person.  

“I want you to train Rollia,” Beatrice announced, a smile printed on her soft face. 

Train a woman that had been a member of the knights? It was fairly obvious that even her Mother is not interested enough to know more about this woman. Even if all are in denial because of Blayze, she could very much see that none of her family feel any pull from the supposed Queen. Even her father did not even bother stopping any of his duties to meet Rollia.

It almost feels like they just gained a guest, nothing more. She was more welcomed than this woman. Remembering the day that Rush was taken into this palace, everyone had stopped their duties and took time to be familiar with Rush. 

Rollia was just pushed into a corner.

Then again, Rush could not even blame everyone. She was the one who announced that the woman inside that home was her brother’s mate. Everyone could be confused with the whole idea of a King having a destined mate and wondering why a woman who had served the palace for years would serve as a Queen.

Rush agreed, closing her book. “Should I start with a sword, or should I go with guns?”

Rollia trembled to the words.

She had overlooked that even if this Princess is enclosed in this palace, Rush had always been protective of the King. It was not at an alarming rate, but it was reckoned normal for everyone. Having to be the person who had given her salvation, Rush is adamant about keeping her brother safe. Despite Blayze knowing how to protect himself, there is still some time when the man needed some push from her. 

Her attitude towards her brother does seem adorable to all werewolves. 

Rollia, on the other side, is livid. She had always been the target of the protective nature of Rush. For years, it seemed like this Princess was aware of her affection for the King. She had done everything to push Blayze away from Rollia, and it had worked. The anger and fear inside of Rush were clashing with each other.

Beatrice replied with a chuckle. Her hands were careful in patting her daughter. “Not anything combat. I reckon that she would need some lessons on proper etiquette.” 

“I’m sure she does.” Rush whispered, looking at the woman.

“So please be a dear and help this child,” Beatrice requested.

Something feels weird.

As the Queen Mother, her mother should have the one preparing everything. The proper approach would be to look for tutors all around the empire, but Beatrice is not even pressing any effort for Rollia. Looking at her mother’s soft brown eyes, Rush knew that Beatrice knew that something was wrong. 

“Is it possible to do that, Rush?” Bea urged.

Rush was finding it hard to control her emotions to the words that escaped from her mother. It was a complex idea, and it seemed off. Aside from that, there is no need for Rollia to learn any proper etiquette. She would never have used it to good use anyway. She’s not even the real Queen.

But Rush is the only one who knew of this fact. 

For now.

Sooner or later, she needed to drag Tate into this so they could save the real Queen. Rush is getting quite worried that she could not see the visions as easily as she did before. Even when she would willingly enter the same field from before, nothing was coming to her mind. It is like everything vanished and turned into dust. 

Is she dead?

Did Rollia kill her?

Was that the reason why Rollia is in that place and not the real Queen? 

Frankly, Rush was scared of that idea. 

How could she prove that she had seen another person when Rollia was in the place she had told her brother? According to this snake of a werewolf, the two humans torched to death were her parents. It was leaving her no other reason to deny that Rollia is the supposed mate of her brother. 

If she was to say these words to her brother, Rush feels scared. While Blayze had never reacted harshly to her visions, she did not want him to question her words when it comes to the talk of his mate. The last thing she needed would be the disappointed look of Blayze. 

“I think that the Princess already has a lot of matters in her hands. I would hate to impose on her time, Your Majesty,” Rollia muttered, not wanting to keep her time alone with the woman.

Rush automatically smiled upon hearing that, now knowing that she was slowly getting on Rollia’s skin. “Of course not! I will be more than willing to teach a,” her voice hushed so Rollia would only have a chance in hearing it, “rabid dog like you.” 

“W-what?” 

“I mean, you are my brother’s mate, aren’t you?” 

Rollia stilled at the words. Looking at the woman before her, Rollia was having a hard time controlling her wolf. If that mage had not taken some of her strength, Rollia would have already caused a rampage in this room. Why is this woman addressing Rollia as the mate of the King when Rush had been adamant about dismissing her power?

What is this orphan up to? 

Rush tilted her head to the side, seeing the conflict in the woman’s eyes. “Is there something wrong? For the whole time that you had shown interest to my brother, you should be proud now that you have him for eternity.”

Beatrice had a second to think about the words of her daughter. “She was close with your brother?”

“Dame Rollia Cord. She’s one of the knights. This was the she-wolf, the one who had always followed brother like a fly.” There was a small grin that escaped from Rush as she continued. “You would have some memory of her, mother. Her hair used to be short.” 

It was always unsightly for a woman to cut her hair in the empire. Most women would not dare to cut their hair, but all females who plan to be a dame needed to shorten their hair. There was a pause from Beatrice, confused at how she could hardly remember this woman. Her scent does indicate that she was part of the pack for quite a while now. Offering a look to Rollia, she frowned. 

Had she seen this child before?

Then an image of a small child who had always hover around her son. “That’s right. I remember you know. Blayze was always close to you when he started to rule the Kingdom. It was weird that he had never sensed you as his mate.”

It was extremely peculiar since Beatrice had felt the bond with her husband back when she was young. Jace also admitted that he had felt some pull towards Beatrice when they were kids. To hear that someone like Blayze had trouble feeling something when Rollia was close to him seems off. 

“That is weird, mother.” Rush nodded, her hands slowly lifted to touch her chin. “I remember you telling me stories that you and father had felt the bond when you were young.”

Beatrice nodded, frowning. “It was an automatic feeling since our wolves were already aware.”

Rollia had finally understood what Rush was doing. When the lady-in-waiting called Beatrice, Rollia had no other chance to say anything to the Queen Mother. Now, the idea that everything feels off would be in the thoughts of Beatrice, and Rollia could not do anything to stop it.  

“I will leave everything to you, darling.” Beatrice smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her daughter's temple. “If you become a Queen, you will realize how often this will happen to you.”

Rush let out a chuckle. The word "if" perfectly fits the situation. For this woman would never sit on that throne unless Rush does something about it. 

Bea looked back at her daughter, confused by the sudden source of her laughter. she had been getting worried about how Rush seemed distant lately. “Were you saying something, dear?”

“I apologize. I was reading something, mother.” Rush beamed.

As she had bid goodbye, Rollia fears the inevitable. As the person she was against was her mate's family, she did not know what she could do to make this woman disappear. Killing her is not an option, for that is something that they would soon found out.

So how could she eliminate this enemy?

“Are you thinking of ways to end me?” Rush challenged, leaning towards her. As a werewolf, she could feel a part of her quiver towards someone of power. As if she was instructed to do so, Rollia shook her head. She was about to dismiss her thoughts when Rush was quick to enter her words into the air. “I am telling you that you should be very careful if you decided to ever planned on doing something. I have done many things, but my brother had never implicated me.”

Rollia gulped, knowing the truth in her words. “I apologize if I have let you misunderstood my actions.”

“Are you apologizing for killing the actual Queen?”

There was some soft pause in her reaction, a little later before Rollia had caught it. “I did not do such a thing, Your Highness.”

“So she’s still alive?” Rush beamed, her eyes lighting up from the way that she had caught this woman. Rollia looked like a fish that had was grabbed out of water. “That is good news. Someone alive is much easier to find than someone dead.”

Fuck.

She messed that one up.

But... how did this woman know?

Rollia bites her tongue as Rush stands from her seat. Looking into the window, she had seen the sight of the woods where the woman was. There was some brewing weather coming up. Blayze forbids her from going way out for this time. Her supplies are not going to last long, and she needed fresh ones. 

Rush looked at the woman in annoyance, only to pause. This woman has her eyes looming over one particular spot in the forest, and it seemed to sparked something in her mind. Could the real Queen possibly be hidden in the Enchanted Forest?

“Are you coming?” She called, making the woman jump. Rush took a second to walk a step closer, only to notice that Rollia had looked into that same spot before following her.

There is a lot of risk from what she needed to do, especially when a huge storm is about to hit the empire. 

But if the Queen is in the place that this woman was looking for, maybe she could still mend her mistakes.

Maybe.

But there is a huge part of her that hopes that it would. The last thing she wanted is for her brother to marry this obsessed woman.