Chapter 218-The new queen

Chapter 218: 218-The new queen

The journey from the royal gardens to the palace felt longer than it should have. No one said a word to the other.

The discovery of the blood cocoon had left them with too many questions, and the revelation that an entire week had disappeared from their memories was unsettling enough.

Yet the possibility that they had somehow brought a child into the world and lost it without remembering anything was far worse.

Maisa walked between her friends, one hand occasionally drifting toward her stomach. The strange emptiness hadn’t disappeared. If anything, it had become more noticeable now that she knew what might have caused it. She wanted answers.

She wanted to know where the child was, what had happened during those seven days, and whether the Mother had finally come to collect the debt she had promised to repay.

Most importantly, she wanted to understand why none of them could remember anything.

"We should speak to my mothers immediately," Varitreya said, breaking the silence. Her voice was firm, but there was an unusual tightness beneath it. "If anyone knows what happened during the past week, it will be my mothers."

Addessa nodded. "Agreed. They might also know where the child is."

Lumi glanced at Maisa. "And we need to find out whether the blood cocoon really produced a child or whether something else happened."

"Whatever happened, we need the truth," Zolani added.

Maisa remained quiet. She was beginning to dread whatever answers awaited them.

The palace gates came into view, and the guards stationed outside immediately straightened. Their eyes moved toward the approaching group before settling on Maisa. Then, to everyone’s surprise, they bowed.

"Your Majesty!" They greeted.

Maisa stopped walking. She looked behind herself, wondering whether someone else had approached but the guards remained bowed before her.

"Your Majesty," one repeated. "Welcome back to the palace."

Maisa blinked. "Who?"

The guard lifted his head slightly. "Your Majesty?"

She stared at him. "Are you talking to me?"

A brief silence followed before the guard responded. "Of course, Your Majesty."

Maisa turned toward the others. Nobody looked any less confused that she was.

Addessa’s eyebrows had drawn together, while Lumi stared at the guard as though she suspected he was playing some elaborate joke. Zolani glanced between Maisa and the palace entrance, apparently waiting for someone to explain what was happening.

Varitreya, however, had gone completely still. "Why are you calling her that?" she asked.

The guard looked surprised by the question. "Because Her Majesty is the queen of the nation."

The revelation felt like a joke. More like they hadnt just slept through the week of love but all the way to April fools day.

Addessa let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Queen? Her?" She laughed. "You guys are hilarious."

The guard bowed again. "Yes, Your royal consort. Her Majesty Queen Maisa."

"Her majesty... What now?" Maisa’s mouth fell open. "That’s impossible."

The guard lowered his gaze respectfully. "The coronation took place three days ago, Your Majesty."

Three days? Maisa felt as though someone had struck her. "What coronation?"

The guard seemed confused by her question, but he didn’t dare challenge her. "Your coronation, Your Majesty."

Maisa looked at the others. She wanted, no, needed someone to explain what was going on because she was losing her mind.

Varitreya’s face had lost its color. Lumi seemed unable to process what she had just heard, and Zolani had stopped smiling altogether.

Addessa finally found her voice. "Wait. Are you telling us that Maisa is the queen now?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And what happened to Queen Velanora?" She asked, not picking on how the guard addressed her.

The guard hesitated for a moment before answering. "Her former Majesty and Queen Consort Kheamossa voluntarily relinquished the throne. They retired from royal duties after the coronation."

The words landed heavily on the vampires. Varitreya stared at him. Her mothers had retired? And they had handed over the crown to Maisa?

She couldn’t understand it. "Move aside," Varitreya said abruptly.

The guards immediately stepped back, allowing the women to pass.

Maisa entered the palace in a daze. The familiar halls seemed different somehow. The royal banners had been changed, and the decorations bearing Velanora’s crest had been replaced with new ones.

Servants hurried through the corridors, carrying out their duties with the same efficiency as always.

But whenever they noticed Maisa, they stopped and bowed. "Your Majesty."

"Welcome back, Your Majesty."

"May your reign be prosperous."

The greetings followed them everywhere. Maisa barely managed to respond. She had never asked to be queen and had no idea how she even became one but everyone believed she was.

She hadn’t even known there was going to be a coronation. How could an entire nation have accepted her as their ruler while she had been asleep in a gazebo? And why had nobody thought to tell her?

The further they walked into the palace, the more unsettling the situation became.

The royal guards addressed Maisa as their queen. The servants treated her with the reverence reserved for the highest authority in the kingdom and even the officials they passed lowered their heads and offered their congratulations.

It was as though the entire vampire nation had already moved on.

Queen Velanora’s reign had become history and Maisa had somehow taken her place. When they reached the main hall, a group of attendants immediately approached.

"Your Majesty, welcome back."

Maisa looked at them helplessly. One of the women bowed before turning toward Varitreya, Addessa, Lumi, and Zolani.

"Your Majesty’s queen consorts, the royal chambers have been prepared for your return."

The four women froze. "Queen consorts?" Lumi repeated.

The attendant smiled politely. "Yes, Your Highness. The royal household has already been informed of your positions."

Zolani looked at Maisa and then she looked at the attendant and then back at Maisa.

"Does that mean we’re married?"

Nobody answered her. Addessa rubbed her forehead feeling a headache coming on. "I can’t make head or tail of any of this."

Lumi looked equally bewildered. "Neither can I."

Varitreya, however, wasn’t listening anymore. She was staring at the attendants, but her thoughts had gone elsewhere.

Her inheritance, the crown that had been hers since birth. The position she had been raised to occupy, the responsibility she had prepared herself to shoulder, and the future she had always believed would eventually be hers.

Her mothers had handed it away and they had given it to Maisa. Instead of being queen, she was now a queen consort?

She swallowed, trying to keep her expression composed. "Where are my mothers?"

The attendant immediately bowed. "Former Queen Velanora and Queen Consort Kheamossa are in the eastern residence, Your Highness."

Former Queen, former Queen Consort. The titles sounded wrong. Painfully wrong.

Varitreya turned toward the others. "Come. We’re going to see them," She said. She didn’t wait for a response before she started moving.

---

The eastern residence had always been one of the most beautiful parts of the palace.

Unlike the main royal chambers, which were designed to receive officials and foreign dignitaries, the eastern residence had been furnished for comfort. It was where Velanora and Kheamossa spent their private time away from royal obligations.

Varitreya had grown up visiting the place. She knew every corridor, every balcony, and even the servants who maintained the residence yet when she entered, she felt like a stranger.

Two attendants bowed deeply. "Your Majesty’s queen consorts."

Maisa nearly stumbled. "Please don’t call them that."

The attendants exchanged a brief glance. "Forgive us, Your Majesty," They apologized immediately. "How would you have us address your wives?"

"Wives?" Maisa nearly fainted. "We are students. We can’t get married."

"But..." One of the servants hesitated. "At your coronation, you abolished the law of age being considered during weddings... You claimee that vampires live forever, why put weight on an age in time that will be a span in a thousand or sp years to come."

"..." Maisa was speechless.

"???" The others were equally stunned.

Addessa sighed. "At this point, I think we’ll have to get used to hearing it."

"Don’t say that," Lumi muttered.

Zolani looked thoughtful. "I don’t mind being a queen consort. It sounds important."

"Zolani!"

"What? I’m just saying."

Varitreya ignored them and continued down the corridor. She finally reached the sitting room, where her mothers were having tea.

Velanora sat comfortably on a cushioned sofa, looking far more relaxed than Varitreya had ever seen her. Kheamossa was beside her, holding a delicate porcelain cup as they discussed something that appeared to amuse them both.

The moment the doors opened, they looked up. "Ah, there you are," Velanora greeted them warmly.

Kheamossa smiled. "We were wondering when you would wake up from last night’s celebration."

Maisa stared at them. Varitreya stopped at the entrance. "You..." her voice failed her.

Velanora set down her cup. "What’s wrong, sweetheart?"

Varitreya looked at her mother, then at Kheamossa. "What’s going on?"

The two women exchanged a glance. "What do you mean?" Kheamossa asked.

"Why is everyone calling Maisa queen?"

Velanora’s expression softened. "Because she is the queen now. All hail!"

Varitreya felt something twist painfully inside her chest. "Why?"

"Your mothers decided it was time to retire," Kheamossa answered calmly. "Maisa was the most suitable person to inherit the throne."

"The most suitable?" Varitreya’s voice rose. "What about me?"