120 The exchange to the rose

Music Recommendation: Mission Control- Hans Zimmer

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Anastasia's sympathy swiftly gave way to a stunned expression. She hadn't expected this from the Mother Queen, but on second thought, it shouldn't have been surprising, considering the woman's track record of callously severing people's tongues without thinking twice. 

"Did I catch you just slightly by surprise?" the Mother Queen asked with a slight chuckle escaping her thin lips. 

'Slightly' was an understatement, Anastasia thought to herself. With a nervous smile, she replied, "Yes." 

"This is something unknown to the people of Versailles, not even my family. Wait, Aziel knows about it because I had to seek a little help from him," the Mother Queen calmly revealed as if she were discussing what kind of alcohol she would have in her tea, which was surprising. "You must be wondering about my motives for doing what I did."