Jolene knew that she would soon be approached by someone from the palace. But she didn't expect that it would happen too soon.
"Baroness, someone from the palace is here to see you!" One of her maids gasped for air as she ran into her master's study in a panic.
Jolene couldn't blame her servant. The first time they were visited by the King's guards, it didn't go well for them, especially for her husband.
"Let them in. Prepare some refreshments. I'll go down in a bit." She said in a calm voice.
The maid nodded and quickly went to the kitchen. She took a deep breath to lessen her anxiousness. She was unsure who visited this time, so she was surprised to see that it was the soon-to-be Beta of the Blood Moon Pack.
"Baroness Page, I apologize for the intrusion. Is this a good day to talk?" Triton asked.
She met Triton a year ago when she was looking for her daughter. He was a good man, that was her first impression. He helped her to look in an area where she wasn't allowed to go, and protected her from werewolves who dislike half-breeds.
"It is. But why are you here, sir?" She ignorantly asked.
"It's about your adopted daughter, Helena." He said.
She nodded and acted surprised. "Did something happen to her? I sent her to the palace as leverage to our beloved King."
"Nothing bad happened. Don't worry about her."
"I see. Then let's chat in the garden so you can have some tea." She smiled.
Triton didn't hesitate and immediately agreed. He didn't notice anything suspicious with Jolene. Yet.
Jolene guided her guest to the garden. It had a luxurious bed of grass enclosed by uniform hedges and flower bushes. A greenhouse stood near the back of the garden, offering a step into a room full of different flowers. What made the garden breathtaking were the tulips in all colors, growing strong and proud. Marble slabs were lined meticulously, leading visitors to the gazebo where a table with a marble top and chairs were waiting. On the table, different kinds of sweets and pastries and jasmine tea were served.
"So what do you want to know about Helena?" Jolene asked after serving Triton his tea.
"I just found out that she's your adopted daughter, but there was no information about her before that. I want to know where she came from." Triton took a sip and looked at Jolene.
She smiled. "But may I know why you are asking about her past?"
"I think you still have no idea, but the Crown Prince took her as one of the Luna and Queen candidates." Triton frowned, noticing Jolene's unsurprised face. "You didn't seem surprised."
"Well, I think you have already seen her face and you're also charmed by her beauty. Am I right?" Triton didn't answer so she continued. "I met Helena five months ago in Moongrove. She was covering her face with a red scarf. I was curious because she was alone and never spoke to anyone. She would go to a tavern to eat and just leave after. She was also wearing the same clothes everyday. Just from observing her actions and the way she dressed, I already knew that she's a rogue and a fugitive."
"A rogue!? Then why did you adopt her? Why didn't you inform the guards about her?" Triton asked, confused.
Jolene drank the tea and gently put the cup on the table. "I couldn't. She already suffered so much and it wasn't her fault she became a fugitive. She was an orphan and was sold to a brothel at a young age. She killed the man who tried to abuse her. You know about my daughter. When I found out about her story, I remembered my daughter. What if she was also suffering like her? Would someone save her? I was hoping for that. With that thought, I couldn't let that girl suffer anymore so I decided to adopt her."
Triton deeply sighed. "I understand, but what if someone finds out? She's at the palace, and now a candidate as the Queen and Luna."
Jolene looked at Triton's eyes. "Is your criteria for a Luna someone from a powerful clan? How about the Queen? Are you looking for someone from a noble birth? What if I tell you that she's a Cytherian? The last of her kind."
Triton was shocked. "A Cytherian? She couldn't be. They were extinct."
"She is a Cytherian. And you know exactly that she has more rights to be the Queen and your Luna than any other girls out there."
"How sure are you about that information?" Triton frowned.
Jolene handed him a piece of paper. It was a ripped page of a book.
"It was one of the papers I collected looking for my daughter. It had no connection with her, but I still took it. The story about the Cytherians being annihilated was real, but no one knew about that part of the story because that page was missing."
"Where did you get this?" Triton asked.
Jolene shook her head. "I honestly couldn't remember. But it clearly says that when the Cytherians were killed, a girl from the ashes was born. The Gods tried to burn her but she couldn't be killed."
"And how did you know that it was her?"
"A burnt mark was put on her."
Triton looked at the paper again and murmured. "The phoenix."
"Helena had a mark on her lower back, but she had no idea about it. She thought it was just a scar because she got a lot."
Triton took another sip of his tea and ate one of the cookies. He wasn't sure why he suddenly felt hungry. 'A Cytherian? Impossible!' Those words echoed in his mind.
He looked at Jolene and smiled. "I'm still not convinced of what you said. I came here to know her past and I won't blame you if that's what you know about her. For now, I will keep this to myself and observe. If she meant no harm to the Crown Prince, then that's fine. But if she puts him in danger, I have no choice but to kill her."