LYDIA'S POV

　　As the days passed since my father's passing, I found myself clinging more tightly to the remaining fragments of family I had left. I learned the value of family and its importance after meeting and losing the main part of my family.

　　I was still grieving but my mother was also suffering and I wanted to be the daughter that she deserves, I promised my father that I'll be responsible and that duty starts with becoming a responsible daughter.

　　My mother, Kate Carpenter, became my anchor as I became hers, and I spent nearly every waking moment by her side. She is the reason I am able to hold on to my emotions for so long, and now, in the absence of my father, her presence was more comforting than ever. She is truly the most strongest person I have ever seen, I know that she is grieving the loss of her mate but that didn't deter her from her noble duties, she perform them as a queen should while she cry when no one is watching.

　　She is also taking care of me as if I am still that little girl she lost once.

　　One evening, as we sat together in the warmth of our home, my mother's keen eyes caught sight of something amiss on my skin which even I didn't pay attention to.

　　"My dear show my your arms," she asked and I did just that.

　　I noticed certain discoloured patches that indicated traces of a potion, faint but unmistakable, lingering on my body. Without hesitation, she reached for the antidote she kept nearby and administered it to me, her movements quick and precise. I watched her with a mixture of surprise and gratitude, wondering how she always seemed to know exactly what to do, something that even I missed on my own body.

　　I started practising and learning about my noble duties, customs and culture to become like her and I can tell that I have made improvements.

　　During lunch the other day, my senses, sharpened by recent events, detected something ominous in my mother's drink. The scent of the chemical was subtle but hard to ignore, my nose twitched and I looked at my mother not understanding why she was drinking it. I don't think she would miss this detail and why would she drink something like that?

　　What if it was a poison?

　　I stopped her and she looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Mother would you like to switch cups, I find the scent of your soup is more appealing and I want to try it."

　　"I know what you are trying to do my dear, but don't worry I know that you have detected the scent of the poison in my drink so I won't let you drink it." She revealed.

　　"P-poison? B-but…..why are you drinking poison?" I questioned, not understanding the depth of the situation.

　　"It's a slow-acting poison, subtle but deadly, seeped into my cup and I have been drinking it for the past few weeks." She answered.

　　Panic surged within me as I realized the danger she was in, but I couldn't bring myself to form proper words in this situation and why is she so calm about it? As if it's nothing.

　　I tried to hide my anxiety, hoping to find a way to protect her without causing alarm in presence of others.

　　My mother, ever perceptive, noticed my unease despite my efforts to conceal it. She regarded me with a calm demeanour, seemingly unfazed by the presence of poison in her drink.

　　What was she planning or did she even has any plan?

　　I wanted to scream at her, to demand that she stop drinking immediately, but her serene expression held me back. For how long had she known? Was she immune to its effects?

　　As we continued our meal, the weight of unspoken words hung heavy in the air between us. I longed to confide in her, to share my fears and plead for her safety, but I couldn't find the courage to break the silence in front of everyone. So, I watched helplessly as she took another sip from her cup, wondering what secrets lay hidden behind her calm facade.

　　After our meal she took me to her chambers and asked me to take her seat where she usually sits.

　　"Sit Lydia, I have important things that I need to discuss with you, I will give you all your answers." She instructed and I followed.

　　"The chemical you discovered in my soup is a type of slow poison that is manufactured in our kingdom and is used to deal with criminals by nobles and the army. The same nobles poisoned my drink and your father's as well and he knew about it as well. But our hands our tied Lydia, we cannot expose them and their intentions. We are weak in front of them. We need a strong heir for the throne, and when you are still at your learning stage I am not in a position to retaliate. They all are planning something and I don't know how many of them are involved in this so I a, requesting you to just follow along." She narrated.

　　"Follow along? That poison killed my father and it might kill you as well. I don't want to lose you too. Please mother there must be a way to deal with this situation." I pleaded.

　　How could she have kept such a dangerous secret hidden from me, especially when it had already claimed the life of my father? Yet, as she revealed the sinister machinations of the nobles who held our fate in their hands, I began to understand the precarious position we were in.

　　The nobles, with their wealth and influence, wielded power over the royal family, manipulating us like pawns in their game of power and control. My mother and my father had been forced to feign ignorance, trapped in a web of deceit spun by those who sought to maintain their grip on the country's riches. It was absurd, unjust, and utterly infuriating.

　　I wanted to confront the nobles, to expose their treachery and put an end to their schemes once and for all.

　　But before I could act on my impulse, Oleg Stuart intervened, his presence casting a shadow of authority over the room. He revealed to me the root of our family's weakness—the absence of a suitable heir.

　　Without an heir to inherit the throne, the country's power would inevitably fall into the hands of the nobles, leaving us vulnerable to their manipulation. To save my mother and protect our legacy, I needed to prove myself as a capable ruler, worthy of leading our people. But the prospect of such responsibility weighed heavily on my shoulders, and I found myself at a loss for where to begin.

　　Sensing my dilemma I decided to discuss this situation with my father's one of the most trusted and the kingdom's most powerful minister.

　　Everyone in the kingdom trusted and respected Oleg.

　　After a long pause Oleg proposed a solution—the Heir Assessment—a test that would gauge my readiness to assume the throne. I didn't reveal much but only the part where I explained that I wanted to prove everyone that I deserved to rule this kingdom and the people of this kingdom can trust me with their safety. It was a risky gamble, but I saw no other choice. With a sense of determination tinged with uncertainty, I agreed to Oleg's plan.

　　As I glanced at Oleg, his smile concealed behind a veil of secrecy, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his proposal than met the eye. But for now, I pushed aside my doubts, steeling myself for the challenges that awaited me as I embarked on the path to proving my worth as the rightful heir to the throne.