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A simple unadorned dress, a casually put up long hair, a face bare from any cosmetics and a lethargic gaze that couldn\'t be covered up with a smile. Seeing the state of Esther, the Great Lady could not help but let out a sigh. Though she at least made an effort to appear presentable, Esther seemed to have spent the past few days treating herself as poorly as her husband treated himself.

"How are you, Esther?" the older woman asked as she walked towards her.

Still forcing herself to keep that smile on her face, Esther answered, " I am fine, Mother."

Great Lady Theodora stared at her, but Esther could no longer bear her gaze and thus she lowered her head. The smile she tried so hard to keep on her face faded.

The older lady held her hands gently. "Why is your head lowered, my dear?" Her voice was gentle and caring.

It took  Esther several seconds to answer. "I-I…I do not have courage to face anyone you or anyone else, Mother."

Her mother-in-law could understand why she was saying this. "Why do you say so, my dear? You shouldn\'t feel shame. Your choice saved people\'s lives. After what you did, not only the royal family, the entire kingdom are indebted to you."

"Mother…even if you say so…"

The Great Lady firmly squeezed Esther\'s hands, as if passing on strength. "Listen to me. The problem we were facing back then had no perfect solution. Something had to be sacrificed, and you simply chose to carry the burden on your own. What you did needed courage, and it is a sacrifice you made despite knowing the consequences."

However, Esther kept her gaze down. "I failed my husband."

"You did not," the Great Lady rebuked. "You sacrificed yourself to save both the kingdom and my son. In fact, I am grateful to you, Esther. Because of you, my son will continue to live. Because of you, the people of this kingdom will continue to live. You are a good wife to my son and the best Queen this kingdom could ever have. We are blessed to have you, so always keep your head high. Never lower it in front of anyone because you did nothing wrong."

With her moist eyes, Esther finally looked up at her mother-in-law. Her pale cracked lips were trembling, and her long eyelashes were wet with unshed tears. Her expression carried the sadness and pain that she was keeping inside her heart.

"But Theron….he must hate me now."

"Oh dear, my son is not a fool. He understands the situation and knows it isn\'t that you are unfaithful—"

"Just because he knows and understands, Mother, it doesn\'t mean that he\'s not hurting. It doesn\'t change the fact I have wronged him," Esther sobbed. "I didn\'t keep my promise to him. I broke his trust. I snatched away his right to make a choice and simply decided everything on my own. I stopped him from fulfilling his duty as a king. He must hate me, right? I…I am someone he must hate now…"

"No, Esther, he cannot hate you. He can be upset with what you did but he can never hate you," the older lady consoled her.

"Mother…" Hot tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

The previous queen gently wiped her tears. "You should return to the palace."

"But…"

"The Queen\'s place is in the palace, sitting right beside the King."

She quickly shook her head. "I can\'t, Mother. I do not dare face him."

"For how long will you continue locking yourself here in self blame? If you feel like you\'ve wronged him, then shouldn\'t you try to communicate with him and seek forgiveness?"

Esther continued to shake her head like a stubborn child. "I commited a sin that shouldn\'t be forgiven. I cannot even forgive myself; how could I make myself shamelessly beg for his forgiveness? No, Mother, I have disappointed him and hurt him. He must not want to see me and I know I deserve this."

"No, Esther. It\'s not what you think…"

Just then there was a knock on the door, and they heard the butler\'s voice, "Your Majesty? Forgive my intrusion, but the commander of the royal knights arrived bearing a message from the King for you."

Esther unconsciously took a step back in panic, her thoughts turning for the worse.

"Have Sir Galien wait in the drawing room," the older woman answered instead of Esther.

Once the butler left, she looked at Esther. "You should go down and hear it."

"Mother, I can\'t…"

"Be strong. I am here with you."

The Great Lady then called for some servants to help Esther look more presentable, and after putting a little effort on her appearance, she stepped out of the bedchamber with the dignity of the Queen.

Sir Galien politely saluted the moment the Queen and the King\'s mother entered the drawing room.

"What brings you here, Galien?" the Great Lady asked.

"His Majesty wishes me to relay a message to Queen Esther that he awaits her return to the palace," he informed.

Neither an order nor a request, but merely informing his wife that he\'s waiting for her. The older lady internally applauded her son\'s choice of words. She looked at Esther to know what her decision was, but a hint of a smile could already be seen on her aged face.

"I have received his message," Esther answered the knight. "Let him know I…I will return within the day."

Once the knight left, the Great Lady first forced Esther to eat her first decent meal for days. After spending some time together, the royal ladies returned together to the Royal Palace of Megaris.

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Dear readers, out 25 readers who were receiving the hard copy of the novel, few are yet to send me their addresses. Do note that these are international deliveries for me and I need to give all the packages to the delivery agency at once. I will wait till the end of this week.