An ear-splitting sound of thunder followed after a flash of lightning, drawing different lines in the night sky. The rain poured, and I can only look at it from my room’s window. Not even a hint of shock occurred to me because, for the past two weeks, all I felt was sadness and self-pity that swallows up my heart, crushing my soul each second of my life stuck in my room. Will it always be like this? I didn’t raise my son to be a tyrant.

Or so I thought.

“Ma’am, are you awake?” a familiar voice asked, coming from the door. I walked towards it and opened the door silently without any word. The servant looked at me with pity, as if she was feeling bad seeing the dethroned queen in low spirits.

“I brought your meal … and I have some things to tell you that might be of help,” she said in a low voice after closing the door of my room.

“A wedding will happen in four days. His Majesty will be marrying the daughter of the duke of House Vassezac, Lady Zenobia. I overheard that the young prince Marius will be allowed to be here in your room soon. He noticed that the young prince has been distressed, so he’s been thinking if he should lock the two of you here. He’s finding it hard to decide because he doesn’t want to give you any chance of being happy. He wants the young prince to attend the wedding because nobles will sure look for him. Since the news of your death is now known by locals, some people still doubt the king’s words. The palace servants are loyal to His Majesty, so nobody shares any rumor that you are locked in your room.” The servant explained, and the details satisfied me. At least there’s something I know about what’s happening outside this prison-like room.

“Won’t you get in trouble saying those things to me? As far as I know, my son never allowed any servant to talk to me at all aside from leaving my food." Tears poured from the eyes of the servant and hid her face from me.

“I-I know, and it scares me about what can happen to me. I took the chance because there are no guards outside your room at the moment. You may not know it, but I’ve been looking up to you from afar, Queen Corianne, long before I was tasked to bring you your meals. I saw you as a respectable queen who’s very confident with your own skin, someone who’s good at negotiations, considering that a lot of nobles are on your side instead of the deceased king. Though a lot of servants fear you, I believe that you’ve been like that for a reason. That’s why it saddens me a lot that the queen I used to see is now left with nothing. If this is the last day of my life, I would say that I’m more than happy that I managed to talk to you like this.” The servant cried harder after saying those words. I felt her words down into my heart, that for once someone showed that she cares about me.

My world had been completely upended, and the person I once was felt like a distant memory. In the past, I would yell at my servants and banish them for the smallest mistakes, but hearing someone say this now was a surprise. Reflecting on my past actions, I couldn't find anything positive about the person I used to be before the tragic events unfolded.

Being at the height of power, I was brought down to my knees by suffering. A part of me believes that I deserved all of it. If I could turn back time and become a better mother to Evrart and treat Thyra with kindness, would things have turned out differently? It's a question that lingers in my mind, filled with hope and regret.

But things can't be changed anymore, because the past is past. I have to focus on the future, but how can I have a future if I’ll stay in this room? Will Evrart even consider letting me out? My heart aches too much that I can’t come up with any plan at all. It’s been weeks since I talked to someone, and I can’t find words to reply, as if my tongue because dysfunctional just like my life.

I hung my head in frustration, clueless about what I should feel.

“I hope you won’t be in trouble since you talked to me. I want to talk more, but you wouldn’t want to be caught like this. Evrart might punish you like the rest of my servants.” I advised, and she nodded quickly as she stepped out of the room.

I lifted my head and looked at the mirror from afar – the only thing I own that still exists in this room. My eyes appeared lifeless, devoid of any trace of hope or contentment, despite no longer being confined to the wretched prison where Evrart once held me captive.

It seemed likely that he had deliberately left the mirror behind, perhaps as a cruel reminder of my current misery, intending to evoke even greater self-pity within me.

The food didn’t look appetizing, even if I can feel the hunger within me. If I can only have anything sharp like a knife, I’d probably kill myself now. I walked to the mirror and placed my hand on it, and I pictured myself punching the mirror that will create a web of cracks on its surface and I see the crimson blood flowing down my reflection.

Temptation arises in my chest and I heard a voice from my head, encouraging me to break the mirror. But deep down, I know that won't change anything.

If I can only recall some of my memories, I might get ideas on where I was from and how I can go back, assuming I’ll have a chance to escape. This is déjà vu. Thyra escaped the palace because she foresaw that I’ll harm her, and she’s not wrong about that. Now that I’m the one being harmed, I have to make an escape plan once I get Marius with me.

The question is … where do I even start? I’m not even mentally stable to come up with a plan.

“Do you want to have that question answered?” Startled by the dignified yet unfamiliar voice that seemed to come from nowhere, I flinched and scanned the room, searching for the source of the voice. Despite the feminine tone, there was no one to be found.

Confusion filled me until a few moments later when a swirling vortex of light illuminated the surface of the mirror. To my astonishment, a figure materialized on the other side, a reflection of a woman adorned in a burgundy cloak with a hood.

Although her entire face remained hidden, I caught a glimpse of her lips, which curled into a mischievous smirk.

I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. It felt surreal, as if I were hallucinating. I blinked repeatedly, hoping that the woman's reflection would vanish, but she remained, stepping out of the mirror and rendering me speechless.

“Let’s get rid of the common questions, shall we? I know you’ll ask who I am, so I’ll tell you that. Moreover, I can help you recover your memories,” she lifted her hood that revealed her ocean-blue eyes and red hair that brushed her shoulders. She looked at me intently. I don’t know what's special about her, but the more I look at her eyes, the more intrigued and bemused I become.

“You are such an observer, aren’t you, Queen Corianne? You’ve been wondering what’s special about me, especially my eyes that you find bemusing,” she chuckled. “I should’ve met you sooner.”

My eyes widened upon hearing her read all my thoughts at once.

"Are you reading my mind?" I shot her a glare, giving her a warning that I'm not amused as she is. Part of me feels like I have to know her, but I'm torn between the thought of her being a threat or not.

“No, but I’m hearing your thoughts. Interesting, don’t you think? Just now you’re thinking if I’m a threat or not. I don’t care about how you see me, but I’ll say in advance that I’m not your enemy. I meant it when I said that I can help you bring your memories back.”

“First, let me know who you are. What’s your name, and … what are you?”

“What are you? That's quite direct. I find it funny," she lifted her left hand and showed a red diamond ring. "Does this ring look familiar to you?”

She can’t be an Izavene. Izavenes have gray eyes and mahogany hair in appearance with destructive powers. She can hear my thoughts and appear out of nowhere. Are those considered destructive, or I'm simply too ignorant?

"You're not ignorant. It's just that you forgot about everything, including your race. We're not different, you know?" she walked closer to me, and I took a few steps back involuntarily.

“You were the reason why the war between Eurhyia and Marrossi stopped, 25 years ago. It was an agreement between the princes of both nations, but I cannot disclose the details just yet. You claim that you have no past, correct? You’ll find out more once you come with me.”

I closed my eyes as she explained, and I tried to visualize the events that she mentioned, but no bells rang in my head. Whatever else I’m missing, I’d say that this woman, though a stranger, knows something. The question now is if I should believe everything and just agree to do what she wants.

“Why should I trust you?” the corners of her lips turned down into a frown.

"I see that you are contemplating whether to remain or not in this isolated confinement Evrart has locked you in. It is truly a pity," she remarked, her gaze fixed on her fingers, deliberately avoiding eye contact. "If only you still possessed your former powers, you would have effortlessly escaped from this place in a matter of seconds."

The more words she says, the more confused I get. She can’t be talking about supernatural powers that Izavenes have, but a power of a queen, isn’t it?

“I’m not talking about your former power as a queen, but your power as an Izavene. Because you once were.” My heart throbbed after hearing her words.

The idea of me being an Izavene seemed utterly absurd and impossible. A lot of things aren’t adding up, leaving me perplexed. But despite the inconsistencies, I find it difficult to believe that this person would bother fabricating such stories.

But now that I think about it, when an Izavene removes their ring, they’ll turn into ashes and the existence of that person will literally be forgotten, as if they never existed.

If I was an Izavene, I would’ve turned to ashes the moment my ring was removed. Why then am I still alive? If this woman can help me get out of here, then it’s a good option than to stay here.

“What I’m asking you is simple. Come with me, and we’ll fill in all the blanks you have in mind.” An awkward silence followed, because the conversation is going in circles.

"I will return in seven days' time. By then, I expect you to have made your decision regarding whether you’ll come with me or not. It is necessary that we refrain from further discussions in this location, as we must avoid arousing suspicion from your son." With those final words, she concluded our conversation, leaving me with a whirlwind of thoughts and a weighty decision to make.

“… and what if I won’t come with you?” shivers ran into my spine as a smile played around her lips as if she knew thousands of secrets that no one could ever guess.

“You can refuse, but your feet will bring you there. We both know that you want to get out of here anyway. So, accept your fate,” her blue eyes changed to green as she said the words. She turned back and walked away, paused, and spoke. "Ah. You can call me Eviona." With a smirk, she disappeared from thin air, leaving me alone.