Ellena cried so pitifully and she acted like she was wronged by the king. Some people were obviously wondering if that was true.

However, the majority thought she really did it. Why would their king accuse someone of a crime when he was not sure about it? Especially now that the queen was here and she called out on Ellena for the attack.

But... if Ellena really did it, the question that came to everyone's mind was... why?

And wasn't she friends with the king? She was also quite close to Queen Elara, having spent her time growing up around the palace. How could someone do this to the people who were close to them?

This didn't make sense.

"No... Your Majesty... I didn't do anything. You know I care about you and your family.  How could you accuse me of this crime?" Ellena's tears streamed down hard on her cheeks. She looked devastated and disappointed.

"I would NEVER hurt you," She continued her words, "We grew up together... I care about you. In fact, I love you. You know I would do anything for you. I even sacrificed years of my life to beg the evil witch to have mercy on you and lift her curse... And now that you no longer want me, you try to get rid of me by accusing me of doing such an evil deed..? How could you...?!"

Everyone in the ballroom exchanged glances in confusion.

Evil witch's curse?

Ellena was in love with the king and made sacrifices to help him?

Most people in the ballroom looked at each other in confusion. They didn't understand what Ellena was saying.

Jared Strongmoor strictly kept the curse a secret for so long and forced people around the royal family who knew about Thessalis and the Bellevars to keep their mouths shut, otherwise, he would punish them with death.

So, for more than two decades, the secret was safe. The royal family would rather spread rumors that their son was a woman-hater than letting people know that he was a  monster who couldn't touch women because they would die.

However, tonight Ellena exposed everything. Fortunately for Mars, he was no longer cursed and he could refute her words easily.

"You did nothing to break the curse," Mars spoke flatly. "Don't think too highly of yourself."

"No, we both know I did it. I broke the curse for you last year... Yet, you are so ungrateful and mean to me..." Ellena pointed her fingers at Mars and she started accusing him back. "Many people here don't know that your family was cursed by the evil witch because your father caused his fiancee to kill herself by cheating on her to marry your mother."

She cried again and added, "I went through so much to find the witch when all your father's men failed, and I worked for years to soften the witch's heart and sacrificed so much so she would lift the curse from you."

People gasped again and they started whispering with each other to discuss the curse. One or two people, who had heard about the curse from rumors, started recollecting what they had heard in the past but could never verify.

"I actually heard rumors about King Mars couldn't touch any woman from when he was young," someone whispered to the people on her table. "They said, the woman he touched would die the next day. It was horrible. The curse started when he was still a baby and it had taken so many lives."

"Wait.. is that why he couldn't court women openly and have children? Many people talked about this in the past."

"I actually heard the same thing, but the rumors couldn't be verified. Many people thought it was baseless and only spread by the people who didn't like the king. But maybe... it  was actually the truth?"

"Now that makes more sense. We never heard of him being in any relationship with a woman, until last year when Lady Ellena claimed the curse was broken."

"If that was the case, then it's so horrible..."

"I know right? If he was still cursed and couldn't marry, the royal family would not have an heir to continue their lineage... There might be a power struggle after he took the throne."

"No wonder they kept it a secret."

"Come to think of it, King Mars didn't allow women to be around him, right? Don't you remember how he was always surrounded by guards who would chase away any women who dared to come near him? We all thought it was because he hates women..."

"Gosh... it seems like Lady Ellena was telling the truth. So, our king was cursed because his father cheated on his late fiancee?"

"Yeah... it was a really long time ago. Our old queen was not royalty. She was from the village and caught the attention of old King Jared when he was young. He even left his fiancee to marry Elara and that caused his fiancee to feel heartbroken and finally took her own life."

"That's horrible! How could he do that to his fiancee..."

"Yes, it was horrible. So, I understand the Bellevars' anger when they lost their daughter to suicide and their daughter's former fiance just marry another woman without an ounce of regret."

"So, do you think they asked the witch to curse the royal family to avenge their daughter's death?"

"I am not sure. I only heard bits and pieces from old people who were around from back in the day..." The first person who started the gossip could only shake her head. "We don't know the truth because the royal family was keeping it a secret."

They turned their attention back to Ellena and the royal family. Lady Preston and her husband had got up from their seats and now came to Ellena's defense.

"Your Majesty... please... what's with all this?" Lady Preston asked in a choked voice."Why are you accusing my niece of this crime?"

She looked at Elara Strongmoor with a shocked expression, trying to see if the woman standing before her was truly the old queen.

Gosh... physically, she did look exactly like the old queen.  But she can't be the queen, Lady Preston concluded.

Queen Elara was dead.

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