The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 117: Possibilities

Chapter 117: Possibilities

"Your Majesty," Queen Mary waited at the entrance for the king to return. She could not rest easy. After all, the physicians had yet to determine what was wrong with him. Although she hoped for good news she could not help but be worried.

"Why are you here?" King George frowned. He just wanted to return to his study and begin his work.

"I was waiting to hear news from Your Majesty," Queen Mary said. She had been married to the king for so long that she could tell he was in a bad mood. So, she changed the ’good news’ she had intended to say.

"The herb was not effective. It can only suppress the effects of the poison for a few days," King George said. He was indeed in a foul mood.

Hearing this, the Queen felt some relief. Although the king was still unwell, he looked slightly better than when he had left.

"Your Majesty, perhaps the Seer should share his discovery with the royal physicians so that more people can search for a cure," the queen suggested.

"There is no need. The Seer realized the poison has already reached its final stage. It can only be suppressed," King George answered.

Queen Mary felt disappointed, but when she thought about the fact that he would still be alive for a few more days, she found something to be grateful for.

"Any news? Has Anastasia been found?" the king asked. He tried to appear concerned and hide his ruthless thoughts, but the queen found his gaze unsettling.

"Your Majesty, there has been no news," Queen Mary replied. The thought of Anastasia’s sudden disappearance made the queen anxious again. After all, she disappeared with the box.

"How did she disappear?" King George asked. He had not cared about the details before, assuming she was still within his grasp, but now things were different.

"She fell into the water when the men we suspect to be from Gube attacked. She could not be found," the queen said.

The king nodded. "Go and rest. I am not dying yet. We need to find her, especially with the box in her possession. Inform me as soon as you hear anything," he said before instructing the eunuch that he was heading to his study.

The Queen frowned. She wanted to advise the king to rest, but she knew he never listened to others’ advice. Moreover it was not certain that the box was with her.

"I want you to investigate everything thoroughly; from the moment Princess Anastasia left the palace until she fell into the water. Also, set up checkpoints. The princess is missing, and we must find her," the king ordered his trusted subordinate upon reaching his study.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the knight bowed.

"Trace the people who attacked the ship. I suspect she is not lost but in their hands," King George said. The knights bowed again before leaving the study.

King George furrowed his brows. He still felt weak, but at least he was no longer in pain. He began analyzing the situation.

Anastasia had fallen into the water, and those men had likely used the opportunity to kidnap her. But how had someone else ended up in her place at the palace?

As he thought about it, he wondered if the woman who had died was Anastasia’s personal maid, the one who had accompanied her in marriage.

"Eunuch Hill," King George called.

"Your Majesty," Eunuch Hill, who had been waiting outside the door, stepped in.

"I want the list of names of the maids who followed Anastasia into the palace," King George said. Normally, he would not concern himself with such matters, but if he wanted to find Anastasia quickly, he had to understand what had truly happened.

The eunuch bowed and left, returning a quarter of an hour later with the list.

The king read the four names and frowned. None of them matched the name of the woman from earlier. If her maid had not replaced her, then who else would have been willing to sacrifice their life for Anastasia? His frown deepened.

As he continued to ponder, a realization struck him. Anastasia had fallen into the water in front of many witnesses. It had taken more than a day for her to be brought to the palace. This meant that the swap had most likely occurred during that time.

King George calmly analyzed the situation. Either Anastasia had not survived after falling into the water, and those men, wanting to collect their full payment, had deceived him or, as the Seer suggested, Anastasia had once helped Elfrida Ashcombe, and she had been willing to take her place.

Another possibility was that Anastasia and the woman had met after being kidnapped. They could have spoken, and Anastasia might have made a promise that convinced the woman to switch places with her.

As unlikely as the last scenario seemed, the king found it the most plausible. If Elfrida Ashcombe had not also been kidnapped, there would have been no opportunity for a swap. That made the second option less likely. The first option, however, was even less probable. Unless Anastasia was dead, those men would not have dared to deceive him.

His heart skipped a beat. If Anastasia was dead, his family was doomed. The seer said her star was rare, they could not find someone with a similar fate easily. Even if there was one somewhere, the royal family did not have much time. The king frown and wonder what can be done if she was dead But after thinking for a while, he reassured himself that the Seer would have told him if she had died.

Just as he relaxed, the thought crept back into his mind. After all, very few people survived after nearly drowning at sea. He also worried that the kidnappers might have been careless, more focused on hiding their movements than ensuring her safety.

That could have led to her death.

The king quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He remembered that Anastasia had good fortune. She should not easily die.

After a while, he set aside all thoughts of Anastasia. He trusted his men to find useful information and report back within the next two days.