Grim Reaper in the Apocalypse: Reaping Immortals

"So, what happened next?" asked Atlan.

"Well, the Huntsman returned to the castle to deliver the boar's heart to the 'evil' wicked Queen…"

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"Queen, stored in this jewel box is the heart of the White Canzer. I have fulfilled my duty as per our agreement."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The Huntsman gave the jewel box containing the boar's heart to the feet of her throne.

"This ends our agreement."

He looked at the Queen and saw relief on her face when he mentioned that the White Canzer was dead. He, believing the White Canzer's words, thought that she was happy that she was finally the most beautiful maiden in all the lands.

The Queen didn't even turn around to look at the jeweled box on her feet. She simply let her servants take it away.

He turned around and walked away from the royal throne.

She cares not for her stepchild, he thought. This further reinforced the lie in his mind that the Queen assassinated the White Canzer for dubious reasons.

He was disgusted with this and walked out of the royal chamber.

The door closed behind him. And just as he was about to take his first step away, he suddenly heard a single drop echo through the hallways. It was so subtle and quiet that no normal being would have been able to perceive it. But his enhanced hearing as a Huntsman provided him with the necessary insight to know that something echoed behind him.

DRIP

He turned around and realized that it came from the royal chamber itself.

He raised his hand and opened the door. And what he saw confused him.

The Queen, high up on the pedestal of her throne, sobbed quietly with her head down. The sound of her tears falling to the marble tiles was echoing through the chambers, albeit softly.

Why is she crying? he asked himself. Is she doing this for show so that others wouldn't be suspicious of her?

But when he looked around, he realized that her servants and knights were away from the chamber. There was no one there to witness her cry.

They wouldn't leave unless the Queen herself made them leave. So if the Queen was only doing it for show, then she wouldn't sob quietly by herself without an audience.

She hadn't even realized that he was back in her chambers. She rubbed her eyes and only noticed him approach once she was done grieving to herself.

"Why are you crying," he asked her.

"Am I not permitted to cry?"

It was only then that a sliver of doubt finally appeared on the Huntsman's mind. It made him question the very nature of the Queen herself. The White Canzer painted her as the type of narcissist who would not care about anyone other than themselves. If so, then she shouldn't have cried without anyone looking at them.

He also looked around the room and realized that everything was a mess. The White Canzer told him that the Queen was a person who was obsessed with beauty. The very reason why she hired the Huntsman to kill the White Canzer was because she was envious of her beauty.

But if that was true, then wouldn't she have flowers and beautiful arrangements designed around the royal chamber where she spent most of her days?

The Huntsman looked at her and said, "Are you the fairest one of them all?"

The Queen shook her head. "No."

"But surely, now that the White Canzer is gone, you are the next in line to be the most beautiful maiden in all the lands, the royal realm, and even the world! Shouldn't you take her rightful place?"

The Queen finally looked up at him and he saw her disheveled state. It looked like she hadn't been taking care of herself for far too long. She was even in much worse shape than the White Canzer who spent the whole day in the muddy woods!

If she was really obsessed with beauty, then she wouldn't let herself go in such a manner. She would have prepared herself to be undoubtedly the most beautiful maiden in the court.

"I care not for beauty," replied the Queen.

"But why not? Beauty is not only for such shallow purposes. It will allow you to assert dominance over all the men in the kingdom and have the rest of the women want to follow your lead. Surely a Queen such as yourself covets a beauty that cannot be topped by others."

Another tear dropped from her cheeks. "I care not for beauty because it will not bring back my husband and my children."

The Huntsman was stunned in silence.

"I do not understand. Please tell me the truth. For what reason did you have me kill the White Canzer?"

"Because the royal court demanded it."

"They did?"

The Queen nodded. "The judiciary system has deemed the White Canzer guilty of her crimes. She has been tried and sentenced to death for the murder of my husband, the King, and my child, the princess."

"WHAT?! Why have you not told me about this in the first place?"

"I have told you, do you not remember?"

Find your next adventure on empire

The Huntsman took a step back from the shock he received. It was then in that moment that a surge of memories finally flowed through his mind as if a dam had been broken. All things had been let loose.

He remembered entering the kingdom and hearing about the King and the Princess's death. He heard about the murderer's escape and volunteered to hunt her in exchange for a reward.

The Queen already told him the crimes of the White Canzer from the very beginning. It was the very reason why he accepted the mission in the first place.

Back when the White Canzer was talking to him, he wondered to himself why he would accept such a mission if he was hunting an innocent being. He thought that he had made a blunder.

As it turned out, he didn't.