Chapter 38: A Premonition of Parting

The next evening.

Queen Isola lay in bed, her mind far from sleep.

From beside her, the soft rhythm of even breathing reached her ears. Queen Isola turned her head slightly, her gaze falling upon Alice’s sleeping profile.

Having been roommates for nearly half a month, their interactions had grown considerably more natural. Each night, after exchanging goodnights, they would peacefully occupy their respective halves of the bed, never crossing the unspoken boundary.

‘They’re parting ways tomorrow, yet she can still sleep so soundly…’ This thought suddenly surfaced in Queen Isola’s mind, stirring an inexplicable irritation within her.

Yet, almost immediately, she found herself surprised by this very sentiment.

‘Why should I care about her leaving? Everything has already been arranged.’

Just today, all the arrangements had been finalized.

Tomorrow morning, Duchess Patra would escort Alice to Maplewood City to enroll her in the Southwestern Sacred Academy. A month later, Alice would sit for the entrance exam to the Capital’s Sacred Hall Academy.

As Queen Isola was currently wanted by the Empire, she naturally couldn’t accompany them. For now, she could only continue to recuperate, her face veiled, within the Duke’s territory. Her priority was to remove the lingering Holy Mark as soon as possible, providing support for Alice’s endeavors from the shadows.

‘Don’t dwell on unnecessary things, Queen Isola. You have a far more important mission at hand. As for Alice, she has someone she wishes to see…’

At the mere thought of this, Queen Isola felt her heart sink irrevocably, as if filled with lead.

‘What exactly is her relationship with that girl at the Sacred Hall Academy?’ Queen Isola pondered the question once more.

‘No, whatever their relationship, it has nothing to do with me. Stop thinking about it!’

Queen Isola reminded herself again and again. She used the intense focus she’d cultivated from studying divination to force her mind to clear, compelling herself to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

Several minutes later, she finally drifted into slumber.

A dream descended.

In this dream, she found her perspective had shifted to Alice’s.

Alice lay on a bed, her limbs inexplicably weak and immobile.

At the foot of the bed stood a young woman Queen Isola had never seen before, clad in knight’s armor.

The young woman’s face was flushed, her eyes distant and hazy.

She stared at Alice, unfastening her armor piece by piece.

Alice seemed to sense that the young woman was in an unusual state and asked, “Jeanne? Are you… drunk?”

The young woman didn’t respond. She simply continued to shed all her armor until only her cotton undershirt remained. Silently, she climbed onto the bed, inching closer to Alice.

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“Heh!” A knowing smile spread across the face of the young woman named Jeanne.

“Hey, stop messing around! Can you sober up first?! Remember yourself, Jeanne! Remember your grand aspirations! Remember your great love! Remember that a Paladin never falls!!”

“Is this truly how a Paladin acts, preying on someone unable to resist?!”

“Don’t come any closer! Ahhhhhhh!”

****

Amidst Alice’s screams, Jeanne’s face drew closer and closer.

Then, Queen Isola woke with a start.

It was early morning, the sunlight illuminating the curtains brightly. The faint, crisp chirping of birds could be heard.

Queen Isola replayed the dream she’d just had, suddenly overcome by an intensely strong premonition.

This premonition told her that this dream would, sooner or later, become reality.

Indeed, it was… a genuine premonitory dream.

‘What in the world did I just witness?’

She looked, startled and uncertain, at Alice sleeping beside her. Alice, utterly oblivious, was still in a deep slumber.

****

In the morning, the carriage for the long journey was parked outside the Duke’s estate. Alice and Duchess Patra stood in the courtyard, watching the servants load the luggage onto the carriage.

“Alice.” Duchess Patra leaned closer to Alice, whispering.

“Yes, Duchess Liddell?” Alice responded.

“Did something happen between you and Her Majesty yesterday?”

“No, nothing.” Alice replied, looking bewildered.

“Then why did Her Majesty seem so…” Duchess Patra paused, glancing towards the small storeroom in the courtyard, “…unwell during breakfast today?”

“That, I’d like to know myself,” Alice answered.

They could both tell that Queen Isola was somewhat peculiar today.

Her face was gloomy, and she spoke little. Duchess Patra had cautiously tried to engage her in conversation, but it took two attempts for Queen Isola to respond. When the Duchess asked if she was tired, Queen Isola merely replied, “I’m fine, I’m very well.”

Yet, any perceptive person could see that she was far from fine.

Now, as they prepared to depart, Queen Isola was supposed to see them off. Instead, she had declared she had something to give them and went into the small storeroom in the courtyard, from which she had yet to emerge.

That small storeroom had now been cleared out to serve as Queen Isola’s workshop for concocting potions and crafting magical items.

Just then, the door to the small storeroom suddenly opened, startling both of them.

“Alright, come over here,” Queen Isola beckoned to them.

Alice and Duchess Patra exchanged a glance, eventually complying and walking towards her.

However, as they walked, they deliberately dragged their feet, each hoping the other would go first.

“What are you doing? Hurry up; aren’t you about to leave?” Queen Isola frowned, seeing them dawdle.

They immediately quickened their pace.

Upon entering the workshop with Queen Isola, the first thing they saw was a black dress hanging up.

“This is the witch’s gown I promised to make for Alice. It was just completed yesterday,” Queen Isola introduced calmly.

“Oh, the base style is excellent! Would you like to try it on?” Duchess Patra immediately clapped her hands, flattering her, hoping to lighten the mood.

However, Queen Isola instantly shot down the suggestion: “There’s no need to try it on. As long as it’s within the range of transformation, a witch’s gown will never be ill-fitting.”

“That’s… true.” Duchess Patra distinctly felt the atmosphere stiffen.

“And then, the Magic Mirror. Take it.” Queen Isola retrieved a handheld mirror from a shelf, handing it to Alice expressionlessly. “You can have Patra teach you how to use it.”

“Th-thank you.”

As Alice took it, she thought, ‘Isn’t this explanation a bit too brief?’

Finally, Queen Isola placed a box on the table. Upon opening it, several small potion bottles were revealed.

“These potions are beyond your current rank to brew. I thought they might come in handy, so I prepared some for you,” Queen Isola explained indifferently. “The red bottle contains a Beast Transformation Potion, which can partially beastify your body, temporarily greatly enhancing your strength and senses, but your rationality will be reduced. The blue bottle contains a Transformation Potion; take a strand of the target’s hair, put it in, and drink it, and you can temporarily transform into that person’s appearance. One bottle’s effect lasts approximately six hours. And finally, the white bottle…” Queen Isola paused here for a moment before continuing softly, “…is a Gender Transformation Potion.”

“Thank you…” Alice reached out to take the box Queen Isola offered, but found she couldn’t pull it away. “Uh, Queen Isola, I can’t take it if you don’t let go.”

Only then did Queen Isola reluctantly release her grip.

Duchess Patra watched Queen Isola for a long moment, finally unable to resist asking directly, “Your Majesty, you seem to be in low spirits. Has something happened?”

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