Chapter 85: Unveiling the Veil of Secrets

**Thelma Zane’s Perspective** It was a seemingly ordinary Saturday, with the palace bustling as usual. The southern Duke sat in the grand living room, sharing nostalgic moments with my father. Meanwhile, Carolyn, or rather the witch masquerading as her, was sent off with my mother under the pretense of selecting her graduation dress. Carolyn had hesitated, reluctant to leave her father’s side, but even she must have understood that the Queen’s private chambers were no place for her to linger uninvited. “See you later, Dad,” she said, kissing the southern Duke’s cheek with an almost exaggerated sweetness. “I’ll miss you.” The Duke returned her kiss with a warm smile, watching her departure as if they were the perfect picture of a loving father and devoted daughter. To an outsider, the scene might have seemed idyllic, but I couldn’t shake the unease her words stirred. “I’ll miss you,” she had said, but it felt more like a veiled warning—a reminder that her eyes were always on u