Chapter 238 – Strange Potion (2) Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan Lady Mirael’s disappearance wasn’t the only strange thing. Cerdina was too quiet. Normally, she lived noisily and publicly, with tea parties and falcon hunting with noblewomen during the day, and invitations for men to join her at her palace at night. But lately, it was as quiet as if she were dead. She stayed locked in her room and refused all visitors, even Blain. Blain was just as strange. He knew Leah had lost her engagement ring, but said nothing about it. In the past, he would have been furious, but there was no yelling at all, much less any slapping. Much had changed since the day the peach orchard burned to ashes. “......” Pausing mid-step, Leah turned to look up at the sky. It was cloudy again. It had been cloudy for days. Only in the capital. Ishakan had told her about spells the other day, and at the time she had paid no attention because it seemed so silly. But could the weather be affected by spells? Logically, the ones responsible were most likely to be the ones that benefited. She didn’t even have to think deeply about it. All the strange things that had happened had raised up Cerdina and Blain. The new king was enjoying absolute power, thanks to the nobles who had become as obedient as dolls. He was still trying to command Leah’s heart the same way. There was a high probability that something inside the palace could cast powerful spells. Whatever it was, it would be linked to both Cerdina and Blain. Then there was the recent increase in Tomaris in the capital, and the fact that Cerdina had allowed them to enter the palace as servants. The chain of events clicked through her mind. Thoughtfully, Lea looked at her head lady-in-waiting. Countess Melissa had been an important part of her life. But suddenly Baroness Cinael’s face was superimposed over the countess’s, along with that emotionless, vacant smile. The sincere way the baroness had cried... Even though Countess Melissa was now a stranger, she could be saved. Returning back to her palace, Leah went to change her clothes. “I’m going out today,” she said. “Just with the knights. I need fresh air.” She planned to visit Baroness Cinael, and didn’t want to report her destination beforehand, in case she was being watched. She knew the location of that small farm. She would go there, and if the baroness was away, she would leave a letter for her. Leah climbed into her carriage. Her knights would follow at some distance, dressed in civilian clothes. She had told them she did not want to attract attention. But as they drove through the busy streets of the capital, the carriage came to a sudden halt. “Get out of the way!” The coachman shouted angrily. Sliding the curtains outside, Leah looked out the window. There was a woman outside the carriage with many colorful bracelets on her wrists, carrying a small wicker basket filled with roses. Leah pushed open the window between herself and the coachman. “Let her approach,” she told him. “I want to buy roses.” “But...!” “Why worry if the knights are nearby?” The coachman frowned, but had to obey. But he couldn’t resist threatening the Toma woman. “Consider yourself lucky! You may approach the carriage, but don’t act recklessly.” The old woman nodded slowly. “I’d like to buy some roses,” Leah said, pushing open the other window. The Toma woman looked at her through narrowed eyes, frowning. It gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. “Come closer,” Leah commanded. She wanted to see that woman’s face in detail. Even as she was searching through her memories, a voice interrupted her. “I want to apologize,” the old woman whispered. “I sold a potion the other day...I didn’t know the Princess would drink it. As I get older, my eyes can read the sky.” A vision flashed through Leah’s mind of dark streets and the shape of a large back before her, hiding her as she spied on a group of Tomaris. Pain stabbed through her head and Leah bit her tongue to keep back a cry, struggling to conceal it. She could not appear weak before a stranger. “Not all Tomaris follow their will. Just like in the beginning.” The Toma woman held out her basket filled with roses, offering it to Leah. “I have seen the future. I would like to ask you for something.” Leah stared at the basket of roses without touching it. “When the day of judgment comes, have mercy on the innocent.” The old woman’s eyes were filled with fear, and those wrinkled hands trembled as they offered the basket like an apology. “We won’t be allowed to live.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leah said coldly. The Toma woman smiled, sad and gentle. “I am begging the Queen of Kurkan for our lives.”