Rebirth Of The Evil Queen

Chapter four

After traveling for a long time they stopped for the night and set up camp. Selene, her adoptive father, and Elias went into the woods to collect firewood. She insisted on making the fire herself, much to the astonishment of the maids and guards. They watched her, whispering among themselves, unable to comprehend this transformation. The queen they knew wouldn’t lift a finger, not even to pour herself a cup of tea, and here she was, fetching firewood.

As Selene gathered sticks and twigs, she looked like any other villager—a mother and daughter working together to provide for their family. The Duke watched her with a mixture of astonishment and worry, aware of the whispers and puzzled looks from the servants. He knew this was not the Selene they remembered. The Selene they knew would have been yelling and punishing servants, not making fires and cooking meals.

The Duke, sitting by the fire with Aldric, his son, could not take his eyes off his daughter. This was not the queen he remembered, the one who commanded respect and fear. This Selene was different, transformed by her experiences. Rhys, too, was troubled. He stared into the flickering flames, the weight of unspoken words heavy on his mind.

Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, Rhys spoke. "It's all your fault, Father," he said, his voice tight with suppressed anger.

The Duke looked up, surprise and a hint of sadness in his eyes. "What do you mean, Rhys?"

"You should have stopped her crown from being taken," Rhys continued, his voice rising with each word. "You were the Duke, her father! You had the power to intervene, to protect her. Instead, you let them strip her of everything."

The Duke sighed, the lines on his face deepening as he gazed into the fire. "Rhys, you don't understand. There were forces at play that were beyond my control. The king had already made up his mind. My influence could only go so far."

"That's a convenient excuse," Rhys snapped. "You were more concerned with preserving your own position than with saving her. You could have done more, but you didn't. And now look at her. She's been reduced to this."

The Duke's eyes flashed with a rare display of anger. "You think I don't blame myself? Every day, I lived with the guilt of what happened. I did everything I could to save her life, to prevent her execution. But she made her own choices, Rhys. Choices that had consequences."

Rhys clenched his fists, his knuckles white. "She wouldn't have had to make those choices if you had protected her. If you had stood up to the king and not let him marry Estrella."

“Enough! Rhys, it's easy to blame me because you chose not to serve in the king's court, with power comes great responsibility and also enemies our family is second in might go the royal family, we all walk around with a noose around our necks. She harmed royal blood and the king’s court asked for her life. Stripping her of her position was the only way to save her. And when I saw her lifeless body that was brought back I thought I was better off giving up my title in exchange for her crown. I too was hurt Rhys, after all in her father” " the duke said and stood up to walk to his tent.

As the night grew darker, the fire crackled and popped, casting a warm glow over the camp. Selene served the simple meal she had prepared, her movements graceful and deliberate. She handed a bowl to her father, then to Elias, and finally to herself. They ate in silence, away from the Duke’s camp the night filled with the sounds of the forest and the quiet murmurs of the servants.