When Wina came out in the hallway with Prince Quinus in her arms. She noticed George looking off to the side where there was a Royal Guard standing by the wall. But something was off. He wasn't moving and acted like a statue.

"Sir Sion? What in the hells are you doing standing around?! Didn't you hear us fighting-"

"George!... He's dead," Wina said.

Mathew noticed the stiffened man.

'Shit. Another dead body. Why did so many have to die on my watch...'

George's face turned pale. "S-Sir Sion..."

Wina could see the small dart stuck on the right side of his neck.

"They used Harpy's Serum on him. They were better than I thought," Wina said with a pained look

"What's that?" George asked.

"It's a rare poison that can make its target immobile for hours before the body starts to rot,"

"Damn it. Let's hope they didn't kill any more of our people," Mathew said as he took the lead heading towards the direction of the Royal chambers.

***

They quickly moved down the hallway that seemed quieter than normal until they reached the Queen's wing of the palace. Where she has her own study, office, and bedroom.

"Huh? Sir Mathew? Are you alright?" asked a servant who was walking towards the Queen's bedroom.

"Who's on guard duty for the Queen? We need to speak to them immediately!" Mathew said.

But the servant couldn't help but notice the Wet Nurse holding the sleeping prince.

"Why is Miss Wina carrying the prince?" The servant asked.

"Did you listen to a word, Sir Mathew said? Who's on guard duty," George said in an annoyed tone.

The servant was startled by the squire's anger and finally started to cooperate.

"I-I believe it's Sir Gildas and Lady Nelumbo, Sir."

"Is Sir Gildas posted at the door? Or is he guarding the Queen?"

"H-he should be by the door? Lady Nelumbo is guarding the Queen as usual."

Mathew, Wina, and George quickly walked past the servant.

"W-wait!" The servant exclaimed as the three of them pushed him without giving him an answer about what was going on.

"You didn't see us. Got it?" George said.

"O-of course. What happened?"

"That's privileged information. And if I find out you said anything without our permission. You will be reprimanded," Mathew said as he kept walking.

"A-Alright? But you three look injured... Should I call the Royal Doctor?"

"We will call one when needed. So, go about your business like we were not here." Mathew said.

The servant was confused and watched the three go deeper into the wing.

"What in the Goddess is going on?" whispered the servant.

***

They walked a little further until they spotted the Royal Guard on duty.

"Sir Gildas," Mathew said.

Gildas was a knight of the Queen's home country. He was an older man and was getting too old for knighthood, but he had a lot of experience and was loyal to the Rianna and the Royal Family.

"Mathew? What are you doing-" Gildas halted his speech when he noticed the signs of battle that showed on the three of them. And he also noticed the sleeping prince in the arms of the Royal Wet Nurse.

"We need to speak to the Queen. As well as send word to Sir Douglas. There's been an incident in the Prince's chamber." Mathew said with a quiet tone.

Sir Gildas understood Sir Mathew's code. He quickly knocked on the door to the Queen's room until one of the maids came to the door.

"You better have a good reason to disturb the Queen," The maid said with an annoyed tone.

"We have a Code White," Geldas said with a stern look written on his face.

The maid's posture changed and quickly nodded her head.

"I'll alert the Queen. Wait a moment." the maid said before she quickly closed the door and headed into the Queen's bedroom.

It took only a moment before Lady Nelumbo, another Female Royal Knight came out and greeted them.

Nelumbo was one of the few female knights in the Fiafyr Kingdom. She was a tall and muscular woman with white hair tied in a ponytail. She was decorated for her for all of her hard work over the years. She was from a famous family of knights and was the Queen's most loyal and strongest bodyguard. And she only stood guard in the Queen's quarters when the High Nobles came to visit the capital city of Tairal.

"Sir Mathew?" She asked with a concerned look.

"We need to talk in private Lady Nelumbo. There's been a Code White and we're the only survivors. We were the only ones guarding the Prince." Mathew said.

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the information.

"Lady Wina and Sir Mathew can come in... Sir Gildas, take the squire and summon Sir Douglas and his men immediately. Lady Saya, you will stand guard until Sir Gildas comes back with Sir Douglas," Lady Nelumbo commanded.

Sir Gildas nodded and started to hurry down the hallway with George chasing after him. While Lady Saya stood outside the door to the Queen's bedroom.

"Come on. Follow me," Lady Nelumbo said.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Mathew and Wina followed Lady Nelumbo as they entered the Queen's room.

Inside the Queen's chamber was a beautiful room with a large bed and a lit candle next to it. The room was dark as the night sky was visible through the window. There was a dressing room with the doors open and a bath with a mirror on the wall and candles next to it. Queen Rianna was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing her robe.

"What happened?" Rianna asked.

But once she saw Wina carrying her son she quickly ran over to Wina and grabbed her baby boy.

"He's alright your Majesty," Wina said as she gave the Queen a bow.

"We need to speak with you alone. Your Majesty," Mathew said as he grimaced in pain.

Rianna nodded to Nelumbo who then clapped her hands.

"Alright ladies, we need some time with the Queen. Go and check on the other maids to see if they need help cleaning the other rooms."

The maids all bowed and exited the Queen's chambers.

"And you too Miss Wina," Lady Nelumbo ordered.

Wina was about to object.

"She has vital information about the attempt on the Prince's life Lady Nelumbo. Wina needs to be here," Mathew objected.

"She may be your girlfriend but she can't be-"

"Enough, Nelumbo! She can stay," Queen Rianna interjected as she held her son.

"My Queen. Is that wise?" Nelumbo questioned.

"Wise or not. This is a matter of His Highness's safety. Miss Wina must stay and tell her Majesty what happened," Mathew said.

Nelumbo wanted to argue but the Queen spoke first.

"It's fine. She stays. Now tell me what happened?"

"We had a breach in our security and three assassins attempted to kill the prince and everyone else in the room... We lost the squire named Robert, Sir Sion, and—"

"Ingrid..." Wina said with tears in her eyes.

Mathew felt the tension in the room rise.

The Queen's face became hard.

"I see... Who was behind it?" asked The Queen.

"We don't know yet, My Queen. But what we do know is that the assassins were vampires and they had a gold coin with the seal of the Kingdom of Marn," Mathew said as the pain from using his family's ability was killing him.

"And we found what seems to be a forged letter with Dark Elven scripture on it... But most of the signs point to someone in the Kingdom of Marn as the client. But we don't know who." Wina added.

Queen Rianna's eyes narrowed.

"I see. So, the Kingdom of Marn has made their move..."

"That's just a theory, My Queen. And why is the Wet Nurse acting like an expert on the subject of assassins?" Lady Nelumbo questioned.

"I know what I'm talking about," Wina said with venom in her voice.

Lady Nelumbo glared at the young girl.

"Wina... Tell her Majesty the truth..." Mathew said in a caring voice.

Wina's heart raced.

'He's right! I can't hide this from my Queen!'

Wina's eyes darted around the room.

'Fuck! Just say it' Wina thought as she went down on one knee while bowing her head.

"I-I know a lot about the Assassin's Society because... I am an assassin, your Majesty," Wina said.

Rianna looked at Wina and then her son.

Nelumbo put her hand on her sword and was about to unsheathed it, but Mathew held her arm and shook his head.

"Is this true?" The Queen asked Mathew.

Mathew looked the Queen in the eye.

"Yes, your majesty... But if it wasn't for her we all would have died tonight. And she could have easily killed the prince. She never attempted it. We can trust her."

Wina couldn't help but blush. And then she unbuckled her assassin's belt and placed it on the floor in front of the Queen.

"This Kingdom is the only place that has treated me as a human being... I never knew what it was like to be loved and have true friends who cared for me... Even though I have done horrible things... I will never betray the prince or my Queen, your Majesty... I only fear that the Assassin's Society will send someone to kill me. Once they get word that I have broken my contract," Wina pledged.

'I can't believe I'm saying this.'

Rianna's eyes softened when hearing her.

"You can't be buying the words of this assassin, your Majesty? For all, we know she probably planned this?" Lady Nelumbo argued.

"NELUMBO! Do you not trust your Queen's judgment?" Rianna demanded.

Lady Nelumbo's jaw clenched.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty... It's not my place to question you... But how can we trust a trained assassin?" Lady Nelumbo said with her head down.

"There's ways for me to know if she's truly loyal to me and my family... Now Wina. Who is the one who hired you?" The Queen asked.

Wina looked up into the Queen's eyes and said, "Arch-Duke Alaric Revelia."

Nelumbo's eyes widen.

While the Queen's narrowed.

"The Arch Duke was behind this?!" Nelumbo exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm one of the best assassins on the Agon Continent. And he wanted the Prince's death to look like a natural cause," Wina explained.

"That traitor... That slimy piece of shit!" Lady Nelumbo said.

"Nelumbo! I need you to calm yourself," Rianna said.

"Yes, my Queen. But we have to deal with that bastard," Nelumbo said.

Rianna nodded.

"We will... But first. Let's see if Miss Wina is telling the truth. Now Wina... Do you think Alaric could have been the one to hire these other assassins?" Rianna asked.

Wina looked at the Queen without blinking once as she said, "He is a cunning and shrewd man. And wants his son to be the next heir to the throne. And the assassins that tried to jump my claim would have been too sloppy to not have this get traced back to House Revelia. And that would jeopardize his son's chances of taking the throne... He is most likely unaware of these assassins' failure. He might panic if he thinks it is I who failed to kill the prince."

The Queen smiled.

"What else can you do to prove your loyalty to me?"

"I can write a list of all the moles servants that are in the palace, who are loyal to the Duke. I also know where his safe house is and a few of his secret hideouts," Wina offered.

Queen Rianna then looked over to Lady Nelumbo who was standing next to Mathew.

"Lady Nelumbo? May I borrow your sword please?"

"O-of course, my Queen," Lady Nelumbo complied and handed the Queen her longsword.

Wina was confused and slightly frightened.

The Queen held the sword in her right hand while holding the sleeping Quinus in the other. And as she stood in front of the kneeling Wina. She brought the flat end of the sword down to Wina's left shoulder.

"Miss Wina do you pledge yourself to House Meredydd and Fiafyr forever?" Rianna said as she channeled her mana through the sword and into Wina's body.

"I-I do your Majesty," Wina pledged.

She moved the sword and tapped it on Wina's right shoulder causing a white sigil to form on her right hand. It looked like a lion with a crown.

"I dub thee Lady Wina Daz. You will act as the prince's personal Royal Guard. As a sign of my faith in your loyalty."

Wina's mouth opened in shock while Mathew was smiling.

"My Queen. How can an assassin get your royal sigil?" Nelumbo asked with confusion.

The Queen smiled while handing the sword back to Lady Nelumbo.

"That sigil only appears when someone is truly loyal to me. And Lady Wina's heart has shown us that she speaks the truth."

"But her sigil is brighter than mine? That can be!" Lady Nelumbo asked with a bit of disgust in her voice.

"Yes, that goes to show you not to judge one so quickly. Now Lady Wina... I must ask you one more favor?" Rianna asked.

"Yes, anything my Queen?" Wina said.

"I wish for you to continue being the Royal Wet Nurse until my son can eat solids and after that... I wish for you to find someone who wants to love you. And live the rest of your life happily... I can't promise that the Kingdom will give you a peaceful life. But I can make sure that you are happy. I would like for you to start a family at some point... my mother always told me that good women create good people... And you are a good woman. A little rough around the edges. But good."

Wina couldn't help but shed a tear.

'Why does this kingdom have to be so good to me? What have I done to deserve this?' Wina thought as she nodded and picked up her assassin's belt and strapped it back on her leg.

"Yes, my Queen," Wina said.

'But if I could start a family with anyone... It would be Mathew. He's the first person to understand how to please me... and he loves me. Gods! Why is love such a cruel thing?!'

"Good. Now, Lady Nelumbo I need you to send—"

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

"I'll get that, your Majesty," Nelumbo said.

She quickly made her way over to the door and opened it.

"I arrived here as quickly as I could. May I come in?"

It was Sir Douglas and five of his men.