Roshan explained in a stammer, how he was approached by someone to meet an important member of the Preston's household staff. And then, they told him to do things according to their instruction with the payment of 100 gold coins.
Emmelyn listened to his story attentively. Everything that she had heard come out of Roshan's mouth only confirmed her suspicions that Ellena and her family were behind all this.
She gritted her teeth in anger when she thought about how her sweet mother-in-law was killed. solely just to frame her.
Wait.. maybe not just to frame Emmelyn. As she thought more about it, Emmelyn was reminded of Mars's words when he explained to her how Ellena broke the curse that befell him.
Ellena told him she was made to kill someone by the evil witch.
Now that she thought of it, Ellena always avoided the question when Mars or Gewen asked her to share more about who she killed and how.
Maybe…
What if Ellena was made to promise that she would kill Queen Elara? She only said that she was made to kill someone, without specifying the person and the time.
Mars and Gewen just carelessly assumed Ellena had done it. What if she had not killed the person before she returned to Draec?
Now, things started to make sense. Emmelyn sighed when she realized how Ellena was sent back by the witch with the mission to kill the queen, in exchange for lifting the curse from the man she loved.
This only showed that Ellena was truly a selfish person. She only cared about how she could marry Mars. She didn't care that his mother's death would break his heart and drown him in sorrow.
Truly selfish… and heartless.
Emmelyn remembered her husband's appearance today. The man looked aggrieved and devastated.
Oh, how Emmelyn wished she could come to him and hug him, share his pain and grief together.
She bit her lip so hard that it was bleeding. "So, Ellena is behind all this."
Roshan nodded haltingly. "I believe so, Your Highness…"
Of course, he would throw Ellena under the bus to save his behind. Once Emmelyn let him go, he would disappear that even the king's best spies wouldn't be able to find him.
He would be like the Bellevars who managed to hide for almost three decades and avoid the king's wrath.
"Can you testify against her before the crown prince then?" Emmelyn asked Roshan.
The butler suddenly became stiff when he heard her question. No way in hell he would go back to the castle and tell the prince that he was involved in the queen's assassination plot.
He could immediately imagine the punishment that awaited him if the king got wind of this information.
No… no, he couldn't let it happen.
He was this close to freedom and living a good life. He must not ruin his chance.
"Answer me."
Roshan felt the tip of the sword pressed deeper into his flesh. Blood seeped out and trickled down to the ground. Now, he felt the pain.
"No.. please, Your Highness… You said you will let me go if I gave you good information," the man pleaded with Emmelyn, looking very pitiful. "Don't send me back there. The king will kill me."
"No, he won't," said Emmelyn with a smirk.
She knew the king would not kill the traitor. Instead, he would torture Roshan until the man forgot his own name. Then, the king would send his soldiers to find Roshan's family and kill them before his eyes.
At least, that's what she heard from other people regarding the king's ruthlessness.
It looked like Roshan knew this too. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees. His strength was gone and he couldn't even think about his gold coins. The thought of being punished by the king was too much for him to bear.
"Please, no…." He cried like a child. "I cannot see his majesty. Don't take me there…."
"Hm… I thought so too," said Emmelyn coldly as she pulled her sword and then swung it toward Roshan's neck.
WOOSH!
In one clean swoop, the butler's head was separated from his body.
When killing people, the first time was always the hardest. It got easier with each kill.
Now Emmelyn was not as affected as she was before, when she killed the thug who kidnapped her. What she did back then was self-defense. It was done out of necessity to survive.
This time, she killed Roshan out of hatred and it felt so much easier. Especially when she thought about Roshan's involvement in the queen's murder and how she dreamed of the butler trying to smother Harlow to death.
She didn't even flinch when she swung her sword to kill that treacherous bastard. It actually surprised her. She was not even shaken by the experience, unlike the first time.
All she thought about was how she had saved Harlow from being killed by this snake.
Emmelyn actually felt good. Her heart felt so much lighter now, knowing that Roshan was now dead. Gosh.. if she could kill Roshan ten times, she would.
She bent down and picked up the bag that fell down next to Roshan's body. It was splattered with his blood. When Emmelyn touched the bag and felt the blood on her fingers, she winced in disgust.
She took the bag to her wagon and tried to get an old rag to clean it but she couldn't find any. Finally, Emmelyn just tossed the bag of gold into the back and drove toward the hut where she left Mrs. Adler.
Emmelyn knew Roshan wouldn't want to testify against Ellena and expose his own involvement in the crime. He was such a coward.
Besides, even if she could bring him to see the prince or the king to testify, Ellena could always argue that Emmelyn forced Roshan to tell lies.
Or worse… when they arrived before the king, Roshan would accuse Emmelyn of threatening him to make a false confession. As the main murder suspect, Emmelyn's words are worth nothing.
Wouldn't it be better if Emmelyn found another way to prove her innocence?
One of her options was to find Thessalis the witch or Duke Bellevar, which she endearingly called 'Grandpa Elroy' to testify that Ellena was sent home to kill Queen Elara.
Or.. what about her dream? That mysterious woman she saw in her dream said that Emmeyn would find all the answers she was looking for in Myreen. She just had to find that girl.
Mrs. Adler said, based on her recurring dreams, this must be an invitation. They all must be connected, the curse that befell Emmelyn, and also the queen's death.
So, would she find the answer to prove her innocence in Myreen? She had no way to find out, unless she went, right?
She had to cross the sea, go to Atlantea and find Myreen. Once she arrived in Myreen, she must find the girl in her dream.
Too bad she didn't see her face. Emmelyn only saw the girl from behind. She had this long hair and an elegant appearance. Other than those, Emmelyn didn't have any other clues.
"Grandma… I am back," said Emmelyn in a tired voice after she arrived in their hut. She came to find Mrs. Adler cooking soup for dinner.
