Chapter 96: The Dream

Olivia’s POV

I sat on my bed, wondering what would happen to me now that Lucas and Lucian knew the truth. I was no longer Princess Annabel, and with both brothers claiming me, I had no idea what my future would look like.

"Olivia?"

I gasped and jumped to my feet when Queen Rebecca suddenly appeared in the middle of my bedroom. "Your Majesty!" I exclaimed, placing a hand against my chest.

"Please, don’t be frightened," she said gently. "I didn’t mean to scare you. I only came to speak with you."

I swallowed hard and nodded. Ma’am Rebecca walked toward the couch and sat down before gesturing for me to join her. "Come, Olivia. We need to talk."

I hesitated before sitting opposite her. She looked troubled, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

"The truth is finally out," she said quietly. "Lucas knows everything now, and so does Lucian."

I stared at her, remembering all the times she had warned me about my marriage. "Your Majesty, is that why you kept telling me not to sleep with Lucian? Is that why you wanted me to end our marriage?"

Ma’am Rebecca lowered her gaze. "Yes, Olivia. I recognized you the moment Lucian brought you home. I knew you were the woman Lucas had spent four years searching for, but I was afraid of what would happen if I told the truth."

"Why?" I asked, struggling to control my frustration. "Why didn’t you tell me anything?"

"Because I didn’t want my sons fighting over the same woman. I thought that if you ended your marriage to Lucian before things became serious between you, I could find a way to explain everything to Lucas."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Well, they’re fighting now, aren’t they?"

Ma’am Rebecca sighed. "I know. And I blame myself for that."

I looked away, shaking my head. Goodness! All this time, I had wondered why she was so determined to make me leave Lucian. Now I finally understood.

"Well, it’s too late now, Your Majesty."

She looked at me. "What do you mean?"

I hesitated, feeling my cheeks grow warm. "Lucian and I have already slept together."

Ma’am Rebecca went completely still. For several seconds, she stared at me without speaking. Then she slowly raised a hand to her forehead. "Oh, Olivia," she whispered. "I was afraid of this."

"I know you warned me," I replied. "But you never explained why. I didn’t know Lucas was the man from four years ago. I didn’t even know about the claiming mark he left on me."

Ma’am Rebecca closed her eyes briefly before lowering her hand. "I should have told you everything from the beginning."

"Yes, you should have," I answered quietly. "Because now Lucas says I’m his because of his claiming mark, and Lucian says I’m his wife. But I’m not even Princess Annabel! The marriage treaty was supposed to be between Lucian and the real princess. Does that mean our marriage isn’t valid? And what will happen to me if the Council finds out the truth?"

"Olivia, I understand why you’re frightened."

"Then please tell me what I’m supposed to do," I pleaded. "Because I honestly don’t know anymore."

Ma’am Rebecca looked at me sadly. "I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. Lucas is furious with me, Lucian has fallen in love with you, and neither of them is willing to give you up. I don’t know how to resolve this without hurting one of my sons."

I lowered my head, rubbing my forehead. Goodness! Even the Queen didn’t know what to do.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, this is your fault," I said after a moment. "You knew everything from the beginning. You could have told Lucas you had found me. You could have explained everything to Lucian before he developed feelings for me. Instead, you kept telling me to leave him without giving me a reason."

Ma’am Rebecca’s eyes filled with tears. "I’m sorry. I thought I was protecting my family, but I only made things worse."

I looked away. I didn’t want to make her cry, but I couldn’t pretend her decisions hadn’t affected my life.

Then I remembered something else I desperately needed answers about.

"Your Majesty, there’s something else I need to ask you."

Ma’am Rebecca wiped her cheeks. "What is it, Olivia?"

"Your personal maid. The woman you brought here with you. The one who usually attends to you."

Ma’am Rebecca frowned slightly. "What about her?"

I swallowed hard. "She’s my mother."

Ma’am Rebecca stared at me in confusion. "Your mother?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The woman working for you is my mother."

Ma’am Rebecca slowly shook her head. "Olivia, I think you must be mistaken."

"I’m not mistaken!" I replied immediately. "I know my own mother. I would recognize her anywhere."

"But that woman has been my personal maid for more than eight years."

I froze. "Eight years?"

"Yes. She’s served me for over eight years, and I know her very well."

My heart began pounding. "No, Your Majesty. That can’t be right. I was still living with my mother four years ago! We were separated four years ago, and I’ve been searching for her ever since."

Ma’am Rebecca stared at me in disbelief. "Four years ago? Olivia, that doesn’t make sense. My maid was already working for me long before then. She hasn’t been away from my service for anything close to four years."

"But I’m certain she’s my mother!" I insisted. "I spoke to her, and even though she looked me straight in the eye and claimed she didn’t know me, I know her face!"

Ma’am Rebecca leaned back, looking deeply troubled. "This is very strange. Tell me something, Olivia. How exactly did you lose your mother four years ago? Did she disappear?"

"We were separated," I answered quietly. "And I’ve been searching for her ever since."

Ma’am Rebecca studied me for a moment. "I’ve known that woman for years, but I also don’t believe you would make up something like this. I’ll speak with her myself and see what I can find out."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I whispered.

Ma’am Rebecca gave me a small smile before rising. "I should leave now, Olivia. I’ll come back once I have some information."

She closed her eyes and teleported away.

I slowly sat back on my bed, trying to make sense of everything she had told me. Her personal maid had supposedly been working for her for eight years, but I had last seen my mother only four years ago. And worse, the woman had looked me straight in the eyes and pretended she didn’t know me.

Why? Was she hiding something from me? Or was there something about my mother’s disappearance that I didn’t know?

I lay down on my bed, feeling completely exhausted. My mind kept returning to the same questions, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find an explanation. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the last time I had been with my mother. So much had happened four years ago, and there were things I still struggled to understand. I tried to remember more, but my head began to ache.

Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep.

I was walking through a forest. It was morning, and sunlight shone through the tall trees. Birds were singing somewhere above me, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves. I looked around in confusion, wondering what I was doing there. The forest looked strangely familiar, but I couldn’t remember how I had gotten there.

Then I heard something.

"Ahh..."

I stopped walking and listened carefully. Someone was groaning in pain. I turned toward the sound and noticed a figure lying on the ground a short distance away.

"Hello?" I called nervously.

The person moved slightly and let out another painful groan. "Help... me..."

My heart began pounding. I took a few steps closer, trying to see who it was, but the person’s face was blurred. I could make out their body, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t see their face clearly.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Please..." the person whispered weakly. "Help me..."

I hurried toward the figure. "Hold on! I’m coming!"

But just as I was about to reach the person, everything around me suddenly disappeared.

My eyes flew open, and I gasped as I sat upright in bed, breathing heavily. I looked around my bedroom, trying to calm myself. It was only a dream, but why did it feel so real?

I frowned as I thought about the forest. There was something familiar about those trees, the narrow path, and even the place where the injured person had been lying. Then it suddenly occurred to me.

That was the forest from four years ago!

My eyes widened as I tried to understand what I had just seen. The only person I remembered meeting in that forest was Lucas, and it had been nighttime when I met him. Yet in my dream, it was morning, and the place where I had seen that injured person looked different from where I remembered finding Lucas.

I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to remember who the person could have been. Had I encountered someone else in the forest that day? I searched my memory, but nothing came to mind.

No. That couldn’t be right. I didn’t remember walking through the forest in the morning. I didn’t remember hearing anyone begging for help, and I certainly didn’t remember finding another injured person.

So why had I dreamed about it?