Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

When Seren woke up the next day, Drayce was already gone. She stared at the empty place in her bed, and this time, there was no one in the room standing next to the window.

'Did he leave already?' She immediately sat up in bed, only to be greeted by her servants.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Where is His Majesty?" she asked though he had told her he would be gone by the time she woke up. Still, what if he was having his morning meal and maybe she could join him before he left?

"His Majesty King Drayce left the palace early in the morning," Marie informed her.

'He said he will be back in two days. It's fine. I will wait for him,' Seren consoled herself. She had no idea why, but she felt empty inside thinking about the fact she could not see that red-eyed man in the next two days.

When she later entered the dining hall, despite the wide array of delicious dishes laid on the table, Seren was barely able to take a bite. She didn't feel like she had an appetite as thoughts of Drayce kept coming to her mind. She realized this was the first time the two of them were separated after their marriage.

'I wonder if he had his morning meal?'

Somehow, she managed to eat without tasting the food. Thinking about the workload waiting for her for the day, she knew she needed to conserve as much energy as she could. Once she stepped out of her residence towards the carriage, she saw a familiar man in armour standing beside it.

'Slayer?'

It surprised her as being the guardian knight of the King of Megaris, Slayer should have accompanied the King when he left the palace.

'Why is he here? Then who went with Dray?' she wondered, reigniting the worry she's feeling for her husband although she knew Drayce was more than strong enough to protect himself.

Seeing the young queen approach the carriage, Slayer gave her a knight's salute. "Calhoun Sanders, Commander of the Royal Knights, greets Her Majesty, Queen Seren Ivanov."

Seren accepted his greetings, "You may rise."

Seren wanted to ask why he was there instead of going with Drayce, but before she could open her mouth again, Lady Tyra who was just behind her spoke, "Your Majesty, Sir Sanders will be escorting you for the next two days, as per the decree issued by King Drayce."

Seren understood Drayce was the one who appointed Slayer to stay by her side, but she still didn't agree with this idea. She was inside the palace and she was safe under the protection of the royal guards, while Drayce had gone outside. He should have been accompanied by his most trusted knight.

'Did he take other knights with him?' she wondered. 'Yes, that must be the case. The people here would have stopped him from wandering about on his own, right?'

Seren forced herself to smile, though no one could see that behind her veil. "I will be in your care today, Sir Sanders."

"It is my honour to be at your service, Your Majesty," the young commander replied as he courteously gestured for her hand.  After helping Seren climb inside her carriage, Slayer then climbed onto his own horse which walked in front of the carriage.

Because Drayce was away, Seren did not attend the day's session of the royal court and headed straight towards the Vermillion Palace. Slayer stayed outside the gate of the palace as men were not allowed to enter the dwelling of the royal harem.

Seren did not spend a long time inside either. She merely did a cursory check on the situation inside the harem, spending some time to chat with the ladies regarding their complaints and needs to check the authenticity of the documents provided by Lady Clarisa. Maybe it was luck, or perhaps the woman avoided her, but Seren also did not see even a shadow of the First Concubine during her brief visit.

Lady Tyra, who was sitting with her inside the carriage, informed her of her schedule.

"His Majesty asked me to clear your schedule of meetings with the nobles until he returns. For now, I have sent some of the more important documents you must review in the Crystal Palace ahead of time, so you can read them at leisure during your stay," the old woman explained.

Seren blinked. "Will that be all right? I thought that now I am officially crowned the Queen, I will be working day in and day out."

Lady Tyra smiled at her. "It is because you are the Queen, you can do whatever you want, Your Majesty. Megaris is not so weak that the kingdom will be affected by you taking a day or two off."

Seren could only nod. In fact, she was a little happy when Lady Tyra said those words. She might have read many books in her life, but the duties of a Queen required dealing with the palace people with awareness and experience, which she was both lacking. In her next schedule, she only had to go to the Crystal Palace and stay there with the Great Lady till Drayce returned to the palace.

Great Lady Theodora was a sweet and wise woman, and Seren enjoyed the old woman's presence. Drayce trusted his grandmother as well, and he knew in his absence that Seren wouldn't feel lonely with his grandmother around her to look after her.

The Queen's carriage silently drove towards the lake, as Seren had to ride a boat to go towards the Crystal Palace.

When they reached the gazebo at the lake, Lady Tyra bowed and informed the young queen. "Your Majesty, other than Sir Calhoun, Marie will accompany you to the Crystal Palace. I and your ladies-in-waiting will stay behind to prepare for your return."

The noble ladies and the servants behind Lady Tyra all gave Seren a bow as they saw her off.