The King's Queen

Chapter 22

"My memories... were taken?"

Lady Freya's cautious eyes remained glued to my face. "Yes," she murmured. "They were taken by me."

*°*

My breath hitched in my throat as I stared at her in surprise. She had taken my memories away? But how was that even possible? Did she have an ability similar to Demetri's? No... that couldn't be it. Only Alphas and Betas had unique abilities. She was a low ranked noble, so how did she do it?

"What did you do to me?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

She shook her head slowly. Her eyes, still etched on my face, suddenly went wide and a startled gasp escaped her lips. It was only for a moment, but her entire body went rigid and it was like she was seeing right through me. Her eyes were looking at me, but they also seemed to be staring into the distance. Even her breathing had paused.

After a few seconds, she blinked rapidly and tried to catch her breath before quickly moving away from me. An incredulous laugh bubbled up her throat and then she doubled over in laughter. Her eyes found me again and she stared at me in disbelief. "How incredibly small this big world is." She threw her head back, laughing again. "I'm incredibly lucky to be alive right now! Caden almost killed me!"

What was she talking about? Her sudden bout of laughter and now her mysterious words were leaving me feeling even more confused.

"Elizabeth." She nodded. "Ah. I remember you now. You've grown up so much, child."

"What did you mean when you said you took my memories away?" I asked her. "If you remembered something about my past, please tell me. When did I meet you? How and why did you do it?"

"One question at a time," she said, moving closer to me again. "All your questions will be answered in time."

"We don't have much time," I told her, glancing at the pocket watch. "I have less than an hour to be here."

Her eyes clouded over with sadness and she ran her hand forlornly against the material of the sofa. "You will be leaving me so soon. I never get guests," she sighed. "The next person who comes here might be the last one I see."

"Why do you think so?"

"I know so." She offered me a sad smile. "It's only a matter of time. I've been alone for twenty-seven years and in all that time, the only person who's come here with good intentions is Prin Odette. All I have are my children." Her gaze softened as she looked at the furniture. "But they are very quiet children. They rarely speak back to me."

Hearing her say that made my heart clench in sadness. She'd been living in complete isolation for nearly three decades. That would be enough to wreck her mentally. As much as I wanted answers, my questions could wait for a bit. This lady needed someone-an actual person-to talk to. I could at least do that much for her before I left.

"You must miss your family," I murmured.

"My family..." She trailed off. "They don't know that I'm still alive. That wretched Caden lied to them that I died. He visited me a few weeks after he brought me here and told me that my funeral service had ended and my family was leaving Crysauralia. They couldn't bear the sadness of staying here after losing me."

"That's awful!" I stared at her, horrified.

"That's the kind of man he is," she sighed. "If I had known that this would have happened to me I never would have gone on that accursed cruise ship. Never meeting my soulmate would be an easier pain to deal with than this. Oh," she seemed to remember something, "You being here must mean you have some ties with the royal family... I assume Caden found a way to make you agree to marry his son."