Queen Lucida had sat beside her son since the previous night, weeping and pleading for him to wake, vowing she would never again separate him from his wife. She held his hands, gently caressing them.

She had fallen asleep after a long cry. When she woke up, it was dawn. Queen Lucida asked Julius whether the physician had found any antidote or if Hazel had returned, but Julius informed her that nothing had changed.

"Only half a day is left," she muttered, looking at her son bashfully. "What will I do now, Robert? What have I done to myself?"

While Lucida kept muttering dejectedly, she felt Robert's fingers twitch in her hands.

"Robert!" Lucida shouted, shaking him gently; "Robert!"

"Robert's face contorted, his eyes squeezed shut, his muscles tensing as if in pain.

"Call Mason! Call me Mason!"

Julius quickly went to send for Mason; shortly, Julius returned to the room with Mason.

Mason examined Robert and promptly called for the nurses. They administered some herbs to Robert, but he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Mason sighed heavily and turned to Queen Lucida.

"What happened to my son? What have you done to him?"

"I don’t know what’s happening, Your Majesty. The poison is still coursing through his body; we must find the antidote quickly, as the king's life is at stake. But rest assured your Majesty, I'll tell my men to search harder for the antidote."

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"When? When will you find it? I don't want to lose my son; he's my only son, the only king of Mazi kingdom."

"I'll make sure he's fine, Your Highness; please don't worry," Mason tried to coax the Queen Lucida.

Queen Lucida shook her head, crying loudly, "No, you need to save him now! Now, Mason."

"Your Highness," Mason sighed.

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The men led Hazel into a deep, narrow cavern. As they ventured deeper into the cavern, Hazel encountered people in wine-coloured cloaks, their stunned expressions fixed on her as she passed.

The people wore identical pendants like the one around her neck—heart-shaped and a deep blood red. All of them had blonde hair, with some sporting blue eyes while others had purple; their skin was pale and fair.

Hazel stared at these people with curiosity and confusion.

Why did they have the pendant she wore around her neck? She had never seen anyone with blonde hair like hers, why them? These thoughts raced through Hazel's mind.

The man behind her shoved her into a spacious room. Hazel noticed a woman in a flowing white cloak surrounded by little girls in wine-coloured cloaks, all sharing the same fair skin and blonde hair. The girls giggled as the woman leaned down to whisper secrets in their ears.

When the woman noticed Hazel and the men, she turned her gaze toward them. As her gaze shifted to Hazel, she looked startled and sprang up. Not tearing her gaze from Hazel's pendant, she approached her.

The woman cupped Hazel's bloody face, and tears dropped down her face.

"Ha...Hazel," the woman's voice shook, her eyes searching Hazel's green eyes.

Hazel was shocked and met the woman's gaze bewilderly.

"Who are you? How do you...do you know me?"

The woman smiled bitterly, "I'm Liza, Hazel; I'm Liza, your mother," she cried.

Hazel pushed down the woman's hands on her face, shrank back and scoffed,

"My mother? I don't have one; she's died!"

"No, I'm here!" Liza cried and held Hazel's hands. "I named you 'Hazel'. I know you can't recognize me, but I do. This…" she touched Hazel's pendant. "This pendant is mine."

Hazel glanced at her pendant and then at Liza's neck, noticing the absence of a pendant there.