ROYAL DARKNESS (MASKED)(18+)

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

"May I kindly request a detailed description of her appearance?" I asked, addressing the queen who remained visibly disturbed by the revelation that Veronica might not have been a human at all, or at least that was the illusion she wanted everyone to believe. Given Sapphire's higher status as a vedan, creating a spell capable of erasing her presence from everyone's memory hardly posed a strong challenge; it seemed illogical that the queen would make up something so heavy.

"She is tall and slender, with black hair adorned by a striking streak of white," she explained, and I simply listened, captivated by her certainty about her appearance. My thoughts drifted back to the encounter I had witnessed between her and another person, which perfectly matched that description. It was that mysterious woman who had left me with an unsettling feeling, prompting me to order Cedrick's to conduct some research about her background. This realization of mine confirmed that the queen had been right all along; there indeed was a Veronica. She had used a spell to erase the memories of anyone who had seen her, except for me. I am an expert at Vedan mind magic which meant that it would take more than a mere spell like that to wipe my memories clean."

"You see," the queen said to Lyra, "I am absolutely sure about what I witnessed, and even the Grand General can confirm that she indeed existed."

"That can't be possible," The woman called Lyra countered, her doubts evident. "I'm not aware of any Veronica here, so how can the Grand General claim to have seen her?"

"Lyra is right," the instructor added, voicing agreement. "As far as I know, there's no one by the name of Veronica among our ranks, and all the students can vouch for that fact."

"Don't worry about that," I assured the instructor before turning to leave with the soldiers. My thoughts were consumed by Sapphire's current plans and her sinister efforts to hide them. She truly had the cunning and conniving reputation attributed to her throughout history. It was only normal for us to be as careful as possible in her presence.

Now that she had returned, I wondered what the possibility of her striking a deal with the Dragon King might be. It is important they have an agreement because one between them could potentially lead to the much-needed assistance for the queen's mission to regain her powers, free Zarathus and confront the Demon King.

Back inside the palace, I ran into Cedrick, who had been patiently waiting in a corner. As soon as he spotted me, he approached and asked, "Any signs of her?"

"Cedrick, do you remember that woman who stood alone with the queen? I mentioned there was something strange about her, and I even suggested you should look into it," I asked casually as we strolled down the corridor.

A puzzled expression crossed Cedrick's face as he scratched his head, "Which woman are you talking about Grand general?"

I took a deep breath and continued, "Nevermind about that Cedrick . It's just strange. No one else seems to remember seeing Sapphire, but Her Majesty was very sure she had. I am very certain that I saw her too, so the queen can't be lying about that and she is not a figment of her imagination either."

"Things are getting stranger each passing seconds," Cedrick said as we entered the king's courtroom. The only one left in the room was the king himself, the warlords had apparently made themselves scarce. Without a word from the king, I launched into full details of the events that had transpired on the field. The room fell silent as I spoke, and after a brief pause, I added, "A spell strong enough to wipe everyone's memory of her? That's child's play for someone of Sapphire's caliber. I remember her because I have advanced mind magic. It's going to take more than a very simple spell like that to fully erase my memories."