Conjecture

"Who is he?"

"Mr. Gordon, he was the one who saved a loser kid like me. Thanks to him, I have courage that I never had before." Keith smiled gently as he talked about his childhood experiences and how his life changed, said someone.

Disha was stunned, she didn't know if she knew someone who would change her life and it would never be the same as before. Leonidas' face immediately appeared in her mind, she missed that figure even more.

"I also know someone who changed my life."

"Is it true?"

"Yes,"

"He must be someone who makes you rise from adversity, right?"

"No! On the contrary, he is the one who made my life so bad." She said. She didn't know why sshe could say something like this which would only raise big question marks. Her heart was always filled with pain every time that longing appeared. It felt like thousands of needles were stabbing into her heart at the same time.

Keith looked at her looking sad. That made Keith feel guilty because he should have come to comfort and break the tension. However, he actually made Disha even more gloomy.

"I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have said something unnecessary."

"No, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong, Keith! I just suddenly thought back to that person. But even though I feel very disappointed every time I remember what he did to me, thanks to him I got the courage I've never had that before."

"Is that so? Then, thank God, I'm happy because you seem to be in good spirits again."

"Where's Levi? I haven't seen him since earlier!"

"Levi is attending a meeting with several royal ministers and also the king's advisors to discuss the tasks we will carry out. Because you have come and joined us, that means we are ready to carry out the task."

"A-are we going to meet the king soon?" She asked doubtfully. To be honest, she still wasn't ready to really get too involved in the charade she had created. She didn't expect to stay here until she actually had to meet the king.

"Yes, we will face the king in the near future, at least until the King's health is really in good condition."

"Is the king sick?" Disha asked with an innocent expression on her face that seemed to show that she didn't know anything about the king at all.

Keith couldn't really remember if they had discussed this with him before or not. However, he wasn't sure whether he could tell about the king's condition, because honestly he didn't feel comfortable discussing it.

"You must have known the rumors about His Majesty King Ellios' illness, right?" Keith asked in a low voice as if he was whispering. Disha's eyes widened, she wasn't sure whether she had gotten important information about the King of Paradise from the villagers.

"I-I've heard, but you know what? I'm not the type of person who hears gossip, hahaha..." She laughed clumsily to cover her anxiety.

Keith smiled, Disha's words made him feel like a gossip who knew every rumor there was. Because as far as he knew, almost all the knights knew about the king's condition, not just the knights, most of the people of Paradise seemed to already know.

"Sapphire, are you really sure that you don't know about His Majesty's illness?" Once again, Keith tried to convince Disha, did she really not know or was she just pretending not to know?

Disha swallowed hard, feeling bad. Keith seemed to be starting to doubt it and that made her even more afraid to stay in this palace any longer.

"I-I know that the King is sick, but I'm not sure that I know about his illness. I've never met him before, so-" he stopped as he thought, was it true that the real Sapphire had never met the king before? He didn't want to make up a story that would only cause him trouble in the future.

"Oh, how is this? What should I tell him? Do I just pretend to know or continue acting like a fool?" She thought. Cold sweat began to pour down her body. She hoped that this conversation would end soon.

Keith stared at her for a moment before finally smiling at her cute attitude. It is natural that not everyone knows the true condition of the king even though news about the king's illness has been spreading for several years. But there are definitely some people who don't really know that.

"I see, when we meet him, you'll probably find out."

"Are there any signs?"

"Hmm...what is it? I have never met the king in person, but I heard from the palace guards that His Majesty King Ellios always wears an iron mask when meeting other people."

"I-iron mask?"

"Yes, an iron mask that covers his entire face except for the eyes and nostrils."

Disha was shocked to hear Keith's statement which made her immediately think of the figure of the man wearing the silver mask who took her child away. She didn't know whether the king was the same person as the man in the silver mask. However, seeing the silk blanket left in the cave that was exactly the same as the blanket in the baby's room made her instincts immediately focus on the king.

"No, this is absolutely impossible. If it is true that the king is the man in the silver mask, that means Prince Eden is my son." She thought.

"Sapphire? Sapphire?" Keith tried to call her when he realized that Disha seemed to be lost in thought about something.

"Y-yes? What's wrong?"

"It's okay! You seem to be thinking about something. Is there a problem?"

"N-no, I just-"

Suddenly, Levi appeared and made Disha immediately stop what she was saying. Levi's eyes always looked sharp and his cold expression made Disha too afraid to speak.

"Levi? When are you coming back?" Keith asked.

"I just came back!" He answered briefly while pouring water from the teapot into a glass.

"What were the results of the meeting with the king's ministers and advisors? Have our tasks been determined?"

"Tomorrow afternoon the four of us are asked to appear before the king in his room!"

"Really? Tomorrow? Why so sudden?"

"I don't know, but this is a direct order from His Majesty King Ellios. Therefore prepare yourselves and make sure you don't make a mistake!"

***