Feeling the urgency in Emily's voice, the queen sensed her fear, perplexed by the fact that Emily was known to be an honest and upright woman. Corruption was not the source of her fear. Could it be related to the baby? That seemed unlikely, as only the divine fortune divinity in Deva knew about the child. The only logical conclusion was that Emily had deduced Kelly's true intentions—she had come to steal her baby. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kelly knew she couldn't waste any more time.

"This baby is so cute," the queen remarked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Emily, for your military achievements, I would like to propose a marriage between your child and the crown princess," the queen announced. The words struck Emily with despair. She knew the crown princess incapable of magical abilities, and based on her knowledge, she understood the implications when the succession of the throne approached. The weak link to the crown, in this case, was crown princess herself. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized she had to prevent this from happening at any cost, before she could even respond to the queen.

"What? Thank you, Majesty," Emily's husband, Knave, replied, misunderstanding the proposal.

"Your Majesty, please consider the circumstances. It is too early, and the baby has just been born. I fear that this child may not be suitable for the crown princess," Emily stated, her voice trembling.

Not willing to waste any more time, queen decided to accelerate the process. Based on her earlier hunch, she walked closer to Emily's bed and whispered into her ear, ensuring their conversation remained private.

"Decide between the boy and the girl," Kelly urged.

"Your Majesty!" Emily responded, startled.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Can you give me the answer now?" Kelly demanded, her impatience evident.

"Thank you, my Majesty, for this marriage proposal," Emily replied, her face stained with tears. The desperation in her voice was palpable.

"Thank you, Queen," Knave energetically chimed in, unaware of the turmoil that had engulfed Emily.

As Emily processed the queen's marriage proposal for her newborn child, a sense of despair settled upon her. The only solution she could think of was to leave the kingdom and stay out of the queen's sight. As a healer, she could begin a fresh journey for the sake of her family's safety. It wouldn't be easy, but it was better than living in fear.

The queen interrupted her thoughts, "Where are my manners? Before we discuss the marriage proposal any further, I would like to give a gift to the baby. This amruth pill is meant to be consumed by newborns." Emily knew about the amruth pill; it was a significant innovation of the Highbery school. It was said that only five of these pills existed in the world today, and wars had been waged over them in the past.

As the queen inserted the pill into the baby's mouth, Knave expressed his gratitude. However, Emily knew that the pill had another purpose besides increasing magical gathering power in the early stages of life. It was designed to locate the person who had consumed it. The grandmaster who had created the pill had intended for it to be exclusively used by the Highbery school. People who had eaten the pill could be tracked anywhere in the world until they reached the level of an 8th circle magician.

The realization hit Emily like a ton of bricks. Wherever she went, the queen could track her. Despair washed over her as she understood the gravity of the situation. She couldn't escape the queen's watchful eyes.

"I don't want to disturb you any longer. I shall take my leave then," the queen announced, her voice carrying a sense of finality. Without waiting for a response from anyone, she began making her way toward the exit. However, Maruna, who had been accompanying the queen, spoke up before she could leave entirely.

"My queen, if you don't mind, Neha and I would like to stay here a little longer," Maruna stated, a touch of hesitation in her voice.

The queen paused, considering Maruna's request. After a brief moment, she replied, "Very well. It is up to you." With those words, the queen turned and left, her departure leaving an air of uncertainty in the room. Maruna and Tanisha remained behind, their reasons for staying unknown.