Episode 6

Sheila cringed and struggled to find the right words to describe her disbelief.

"Right..." she muttered, trying to process Eigeel's extreme worship of Scarlet. In Sheila's memories, Eigeel had always been a loyal and honest adviser to Scarlet, having pledged his undying loyalty to her 970 years ago. 

Despite his habit of speaking in an exaggerated manner, he was always straightforward and voiced his true thoughts. That was a trait Scarlet valued in him, as he would tell her the hard truths, even if they were uncomfortable to hear. However, now Sheila wasn't sure if he was joking or actually stating a bizarre truth about Scarlet's subordinates. 

To make matters worse, Sheila realized that she couldn't avoid the Scarlet Order forever, despite her plans to hide from them. Sooner or later, she would have to face them.

Suddenly, her subconsciousness suggested, "Then you should meet them..." Sheila grimaced at the thought. She knew she would be killed if she met them.

But her subconsciousness interjected, "Well, you don't know that yet. What if the members of the Order are like Eigeel, blinded by their devotion to you?"

Sheila pondered this information. If she took the risk and succeeded in fooling them, it would make things easier for her in the future. If not, they would kill her for impersonating their queen.

Her subconsciousness added, "You already died anyway. If luck is not on your side, it's not bad to die early, right?"

Sheila sighed at the ridiculous advice. It sounded more like a suicide mission than a helpful advice. Scarlet wasn't a schemer and didn't have a plan of action. She just had a goal: to make the Scarlet Order not suspicious of her. What she would do after that was a question for tomorrow.

Sheila shook her head to clear her mind. She was unsure of how to execute her reckless plan successfully, and the odds were against her. But she decided to try anyway. Summoning the most confident voice she could muster, she said, "I have always trusted in your wisdom and guidance, Eigeel. Assemble all the members of the Scarlet Order for me. I'm going to meet them."

Eigeel nodded and disappeared in a flash, joy written all over his face.

Sheila still couldn't believe she was in a fantasy world. Her memories were limited to everything about Gehenna, since Scarlet seldomly left the realm even after she was crowned Queen. If she survived the meeting, she would study the memories and gather more information about the other realms, since knowledge is power, and time is money.

A short while after Eigeel's departure, a woman in a flowing blue dress burst into the room, nearly smashing the double doors with her strength. Behind her, two rows of uniformed maids followed, each pretty in their own way, but none could compare to the lady in the blue dress. 

The unexpected intrusion startled Scarlet, causing her to flinch. Sheila quickly studied the woman's face, trying to figure out if Scarlet knew her. However, the anger burning in the woman's blue eyes made it difficult for her to concentrate on anything else since she really looked pissed. Suddenly, the woman's gaze landed on Scarlet, and she gasped in shock, her legs shaking uncontrollably.

With tears welling up in her eyes, the woman took hesitant steps towards Scarlet and reached out her hand. "Is this real?" she hiccuped, sobbing. "Y-your majesty... you're awake!" she cried out.

Sheila suddenly realized that she recognized the woman from Scarlet's memories. 

This person was Eireen Drakonov, a member of the Scarlet Order specializing in Earth magic. 

It was then that the realization struck her hard when she remembered that Eireen was Eigeel's twin sister, and the obvious clues were her blonde hair and blue eyes. 

Shit! Sheila couldn't help but scold herself for not noticing the resemblance earlier. Plus, their names almost sound the same. Eigeel. Eireen.

Eireen genuflected before her, and the maids behind her followed suit. "My queen," Eireen said, her face stained with tears. "Welcome back."

Sheila gave Eireen a curt nod of recognition. "Eireen," she said, "It's been a while. Thank you for taking care of the castle while I was... away." She cringed at that word. "I know it must have been a lot of work for you." She said.

Eireen lowered her head. "No, my queen," she said, "It was not tiring for me at all. In fact, it was my greatest pleasure to share your burdens."

Scarlet blushed awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. She looked over at the maids who were still kneeling on the floor. "I have given orders to your elder brother to meet the other members of the Scarlet Order later on," she said suddenly.

Eireen nodded in understanding. "I see," she said, turning to the maids behind her. "Prepare her majesty's bath."

The maids rose from the floor and bowed their heads in unison. "Yes, my lady," they replied before exiting the room, leaving Scarlet and Eireen alone by themselves. 

Scarlet had initially been prepared to decline their offer of assistance, insisting that she could bathe on her own. However, being in an unfamiliar place, she wasn't sure what to expect, and didn't want to offend anyone by not following the correct customs, if there was such a thing as that in this place.

As Scarlet was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed the striking resemblance between Eireen and Eigeel once again, from the hairline to the shape of their lips. Scarlet was grateful to have Eireen by her side, knowing that she could rely on her in the future. Eireen had been managing the inner court while Scarlet was asleep, and seeing that the palace was peaceful, Sheila was relieved that she didn't have to delve into the matters of the inner court for a while.

Eireen cleared her throat, drawing Scarlet's attention back to the present moment. "I am truly happy to see that you are awake and healthy, my queen," she said, bowing deeply.

Scarlet smiled warmly at Eireen's words. "Thank you. I'm feeling much better now," she said, looking ahead with a faraway look on her face. "To be honest, I feel like I experienced a whole different life in a single dream. I might have been gone for a long time to you, but that's not how I feel."

Scarlet cast a sidelong glance at Eireen. "Yes, I was a different person in a different world," she explained, and Eireen listened intently, absorbing everything she said.

Sheila opened her mouth to continue, but stopped herself. She didn't want to deceive them. However, she had made up a story to make them believe that she was still their original master, albeit slightly different, after experiencing a different life in a different realm.

Eireen eagerly waited for Scarlet to continue, but Scarlet remained guiltily silent, and an awkward silence hung in the air.

"My queen?" Eireen spoke up, changing the topic. "I'm quite concerned about the current state of your power..." She noticed that Scarlet seemed uncomfortable talking about the experience she had when she was sleeping, so she quickly moved on to a different topic. "But don't worry, we can device a plan to help you rise to your full power."

My full power...

Scarlet looked at her hands and realized that her small size was making her subordinates uneasy. She understood that if she stayed small, she wouldn't be able to fight and protect herself like before.

Scarlet smiled at Eireen, feeling thankful for her loyalty. "Thanks, Eireen. Your help really means a lot to me."