When Nancy returned, she saw that the spell doll was still on the table. Nancy was a little worried. "Your Majesty, we need to be careful with this spell doll. We don't know where it came from but it's obviously a voodoo doll. It could get us in big trouble if someone else finds us with it. You know how His Majesty detests the use of voodoo curses."

The empress nodded and put the spell doll away quickly. "Take care of all the other people who saw the spell doll. I can't afford the risk of being accused of practicing voodoo curses."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Nancy knew exactly what the empress meant. Anyone who knew about the spell doll must be silenced. And nobody kept a secret better than the dead. There were so many people in the palace, and if any of them leaked the information, the empress would be imperiled. Felix was still held in confinement and the emperor was

been able to take a walk since my illness began at the age of five."

"Do you want me to accompany you as you walk around the Imperial Palace?" Owen asked thoughtfully.

Francis shook his head. Come to think of it, he didn't care about the Imperial Palace now. Its views didn't interest him anymore. The places he truly wanted to visit were the temples, the shops, the streets. He wanted to be accompanied and to feel that he was not alone in this world. He remembered how she took him out and bought him snacks. Those memories seemed like a luxury for him now, and he feared that he would never have such experiences again.

"Let's get out of here. Felix's confinement will end in just a few days," Francis said with his eternally gentle voice and his characteristically sunny smile. But the light in his eyes was as sharp as a cold sword waiting to strike at any moment.