Emmelyn woke up with beads of sweat falling down on her face. The old witch, who sat not far from her bed, quickly came to her and offered water.
"Your Highness, are you okay?" she asked Emmelyn with concern. The younger woman shook her head and cupped her face with both hands.
She cried despondently. She was missing Harlow so much. Her breasts no longer produced milk because she had not breastfed for more than three weeks.
Her wounds were already healed after she took a long time resting, and now she was feeling better, physically. However, mentally, she felt like a wreck.
All day, every day, all she wanted to do was cry. She also had nightmares every time she slept. In the beginning, the dreams were not clear and she would forget about them when she woke up.
But lately, they became more and more vivid.
Usually, Emmelyn would see herself standing in front of a blue door and knocked. However, the door wouldn't open. And she would hear a shrill scream that sent shivers down her spine. And she would wake up.
However, today, her dream finally was longer and clearer. When she was knocking, suddenly the blue door was opened and she saw Queen Elara standing behind it. She looked aggrieved and didn't say anything.
Emmelyn wanted to hug her, but the queen moved aside and dodged her hug. This gesture made Emmelyn understand that Queen Elara was angry at her. That's why she didn't want to hug Emmelyn.
This deeply pained Emmelyn's heart.
When Queen Elara was still alive, her mother-in-law was always sweet and affectionate to Emmelyn. The queen would never treat her this way.. unless... unless she was disappointed or angry at Emmelyn.
Was the queen mad because Emmelyn brought bad luck to her family?
Even though Ellena was the one who used Emmelyn's knife to stab Queen Elara, Emmelyn knew Ellena would never get the opportunity, if it wasn't for Emmelyn's curse. Emmelyn was the reason the queen got killed.
Damn Leoraleis! Emmelyn hated them so much.
The wizard family was so wicked that they easily cast curses on innocent people. Emmelyn had lost count of how many people died because of the curse that befell her.
Now, she thought the number must be even higher than what her husband's curse caused.
Her entire family, her close relatives, her teacher's son and maybe even her teacher too and Maxim, her mother-in-law... they all died. Who's next?
"I am so, sorry, Queen Mother," said Emmelyn between her sobbing. "I didn't know about the curse. I don't even know what I did to deserve it. Had I known, I would have left Draec as soon as possible, so I wouldn't hurt anyone I love here. I was the reason you die... I am so, sorry..."
The queen finally smiled. She motioned Emmelyn with her hand to enter the room she was in. It was a beautiful chamber that was quite spacious and decorated with the finest furniture and fabric.
It was so luxurious that it could easily be a room in a palace or castle.
However, Emmelyn didn't recognize the room at all. This might be a special room in the royal palace that she had never entered before.
She walked following the queen who stood by the window and looked outside. Emmelyn tried to see what was so interesting that the late queen focused all her attention in a certain direction.
Emmelyn gasped when she looked through the big windows. Apparently, the chamber she was in was located in a really high tower. The view from the windows was so impressive. She could see the whole city from this height.
There were several castles among the houses in the city. They had small and big towers. There was also a market not far from the clock tower over there.
This city was beautiful, Emmelyn thought to herself.
There were small parks around the city that made it look fresh and enchanting. However, upon closer look, she realized she didn't recognize any of the buildings.
This must not be Wintermere, her homeland, nor Draec's capital, because she would recognize them immediately.
So, where was she now? And how could she dream of a place she had never been to?
"Do you see the girl over there?"
Suddenly Queen Elara spoke and her voice startled Emmelyn. She didn't expect the late queen to talk to her, especially after denying her a hug just now. Emmelyn's tears dripped down to her cheeks uncontrollably.
Gosh... how much she missed Queen Elara. She missed listening to the queen's soothing voice when they talked. Now, she could hear her again.
This must be the product of the hallucination her brain produced. The queen was dead. She couldn't possibly stand here and speak with Emmelyn.
"Which girl, Queen Mother?" Emmelyn asked. She tilted her head, trying to see the girl Queen Elara mentioned. Her eyes caught sight at a young woman in the garden below them.
Was it the girl the queen meant?
When Emmelyn looked around them to see her location better, she realized that the tower she was in might be located in a palace.
Which palace was this?
Wait! Which country was she in now?
She couldn't recognize the city, the buildings, and even the writings on the wall.
"This is Myreen," said the late Queen Elara suddenly. She pointed at the garden under them. "That's the girl you need to find, to get your curse lifted."
Emmelyn held her breath when she heard the queen mentioned her curse. Did the queen know?
Wait... this might not even be the queen!
Emmelyn was dreaming. Her consciousness brought her to this dream and used Queen Elara's image to lead her.
She looked at the queen with narrowed eyes and slowly, Queen Elara transformed into another woman before her eyes.
Emmelyn could hardly breathe when she witnessed the transformation. It was a beautiful woman in her late twenties. She had pretty creme hair flowing down her back all the way to the floor.
Her face was no less beautiful than Queen Elara's. Her eyes were liked two diamonds, gleaming with tears. Emmelyn didn't know why the woman cried.
Did they know each other?
"Who are you?" Emmelyn asked her haltingly. "Do you know who cursed me? Why are you crying?"
The woman looked away, avoiding Emmelyn's question. Her voice was gentle but sad when she spoke. "Find the girl. She is the key to your misfortune. I will be waiting for you."
After she said those words, the woman suddenly disappeared.
Emmelyn quickly looked out the window and her eyes searched for the girl the woman was talking about. She couldn't see well from such height, but it seemed she found the girl.
The girl was walking through the roses in the garden under the tower. Her steps were light and she looked like she was dancing. Who was this girl?
Emmelyn couldn't see her face, but she had similar hair to the woman who just disappeared. Her hair was just shorter. It went down to her waist. Were the two women related? Were they sisters?
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If you read "The Cursed King", I am sure you can already guess who the woman is.