Mael stared at the ethereal woman on the throne, his eyes shining with admiration for the beautiful female. He had seen a fair share of gorgeous women in his life, being the prince he was. Even his mother was one among them.

However, no one was as divine as the woman on the throne. The Queen of Vatham overpowered all of them in terms of beauty and charisma. Her black raven hair was let loose and a thin silver headband with aquamarine stones that matched her eye color adorning it was clasped around her forehead, adding more to her charm. A white, silk shawl covered her upper body and even though she was seated on the throne, Mael had no doubt that the woman was quite tall, maybe even taller than him.

"Greetings, Queen Amara." He greeted her politely and bowed his head and Lukariah followed suit.

Although Mael was the Prince of Zalana, he had lost everything. Other than the title of the Prince, he had nothing with him to show to the world. So, he did not put on any airs and stood in front of the Queen of Vatham as humbly as possible.

Amara observed the young man from her throne, his eyes flashing with interest. This was the first time she was seeing any man from Zalana on her land and she could not help but be curious about him. The young prince had exquisite features and his face reminded her of her good friend she had not spoken to in years.

Mael's behavior impressed her greatly. Despite being a prince, he was polite and gentle and this alone was enough for her to go ahead with the plan she had in mind. Amara's eyes drifted towards the man standing a few feet behind Mael and she raised her brows immediately.

However, her expression only lasted for a moment and no one noticed it.

"Prince Mael." She leaned forward slightly and her lips arched up when she saw the young prince stiffen in his place. "I was waiting for you."

At once, Mael lifted his head and his eyes darted to her, bewildered by her words. His lips parted and he exhaled through his mouth, not knowing how amusing he looked at that moment in the eyes of the Queen.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty. I...I..." Mael stumbled over his words and Amara let out a laugh on seeing his awkward actions. She stood up from her throne and walked down the steps, not once taking her eyes off the young prince and completely ignoring the mighty knight's baffled gaze on her.

"I understand your reaction, Prince Mael. But it is the truth. I was waiting for your arrival all this time. I knew you would come to me." Amara's enigmatic reply only served to perplex Mael and Lukariah all the more, especially Lukariah.

All along the way, he had expected to be stopped at the borders of Vatham. Contrary to his expectations, the moment his prince introduced himself to the female warriors guarding the kingdom of Vatham, he was led inside without any obstacles. To Lukariah, it was beyond bewildering and his thoughts ran wild immediately.

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But even after entering the castle, he could not think of any possible reason for the bizarre change in the rule, especially for them. After listening to Queen Amara's words, his suspicions only heightened and he stared at her with interest, completely forgetting how rude it was to do so.

Amara waved her hand when the maidens behind her stepped forward to handle the man, who was leering at their Queen. She apprehended the two men's reactions. They were addled and why would they not be when her words were unforeseen and incredulous?

Amara did not stop until she was standing in front of Mael. "You look just like Rosalind." She uttered and tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. She looked at the boy, who stood still silently. Although his eyes held traces of fear in them, she still did not miss the confidence and intrepidity in them and her impression of him improved all the more.

"Welcome to Vatham, Prince Mael, Sir Lukariah." Amara glanced at the knight for a brief moment before she returned her gaze to the young man and her expression changed all of a sudden. "I am deeply saddened by your loss and I understand that no words of mine are capable of comforting you."

Mael smiled at her faintly, his eyes losing their spark at the mention of all that he had lost in just a few days. Yet, he did not lose hope and kept looking at her.

"I will help you fight the men who brought you to this state." Amara declared and the two men could not conceal their stupefaction anymore.

"You heard it right, Young Prince. I will help you but not right now. Not yet. You still...." Amara stopped all of a sudden and she looked behind Mael, even though there was no one in sight. She waited for a few moments before she let out a laugh and shook her head in amusement.

'Fool.' She thought and focused on Mael again, who had a stupefied expression on his face.

"What was I saying? Ahh.. yes." She exclaimed, confusing Mael all the more. "I will help you only if I deem you to be worthy of my help." Amara completed what she had previously had in mind.

"I am immensely grateful, Your Majesty and I am willing to do anything to gain your trust." Mael was quick to respond and Amara's smile widened in satisfaction.

"What do I have to do, Your Majesty?"

"Not so soon, Prince Mael. Not so soon. You must be exhausted. Rest for the day. I will tell you everything you need to know tomorrow evening."

Mael did not probe further into it and glanced at Lukariah, who nodded at him immediately.

"I am grateful for everything, Your Majesty. Thank you very much." Mael bowed deeply in front of the woman and Lukariah followed suit again.

"Before you are escorted to your chambers, I have one order you and your guard must follow at all times." Amara glimpsed at Lukariah and let out a mysterious smile.

"Irrespective of what happens. I repeat, irrespective of what happens, you or your guard are not allowed to leave the castle." Her expression turned solemn and she took a step away from Mael. Otherwise, you will be escorted out of Vatham right away."

"May I know the reason, Your Majesty?" Mael had no objections to her command. Yet, he could not control his curiosity and the words escaped his lips even before he could stop himself.

"Let us just say it is for your safety." Amara gave him a vague reply. "You are my good friend's son. So, I will not be killing you if do not follow this one order of mine. But do not expect me to help you after this. You may now go to your chambers, Prince Mael, Sir Lukariah."

Not waiting for them to reply, she passed her orders and two maidens appeared before them right away to escort them to their chambers. Having no other choice, Mael and Lukariah departed with them, leaving a fascinated Queen to stare at their backs.

"Mael...." She mumbled and smirked in delight. "You will help me achieve what I wanted all these years. Finally, the day has arrived."