She, noticing his presence, slowly turned her head from the window until her green eyes met Mark’s. And seeing him, her expression changed immediately.

The sadness disappeared, replaced by a soft, warm smile.

"I’m so glad you decided to come and help me. Please, come in and take a seat beside me," she said, gesturing toward the chair in front of hers. "We have a lot to talk about."

Mark walked calmly to the chair the queen had indicated and sat down.

The chair was comfortable, with a soft fabric cushion and a backrest high enough to support one’s head. It was positioned directly across from hers, with a small table between them on which sat a crystal pitcher of water and two empty glasses.

Mark settled into the seat and looked at the queen.

She was looking at him with that same warm smile she had since he entered through the door.

"For someone you don’t know absolutely anything about, you sure look happy to see me," said Mark, resting his elbows on the armrests.

The queen, upon hearing him, let out a soft laugh that made her close her eyes for a second.

"If I’m being honest with you... I didn’t think you would come," she admitted in a slightly surprised tone.

"No?"

"No," she confirmed, gently shaking her head. "When I ordered my subordinates to go ask you for help, I thought there was quite a high possibility that you would simply ignore them and go on your own."

"Well, let’s say your little message was convincing enough to make me come all the way here," responded Mark in an amused tone.

"I’m glad it was."

Mark stared at her for a couple of seconds with a half-smile on his face.

She returned his gaze without looking away, with that unusual smile that didn’t leave her face and those green eyes that observed him with an attention that went beyond simple courtesy.

Until suddenly Mark stopped smiling. And his expression changed to a completely serious one with his brow furrowed.

"So tell me, Your Majesty," asked Mark in a tone that had dropped several degrees, "what exactly am I?"

What Mark said wasn’t a question. It was a demand stated calmly, but leaving no room for evasion.

The queen looked at him surprised and while her smile reduced slightly, it didn’t disappear completely.

"You’re a reincarnate," she responded with total confidence. "Obviously."

After that, silence settled between them for a moment, until it was cut by Yuki’s voice.

"Master, this woman knows too much... please allow me to finish her as we had planned," said Yuki through her mental link with Mark.

"Not yet," he responded quickly. "First I want to hear what she has to say."

"...Understood, Master."

After his short conversation with Yuki, Mark returned his attention to the queen.

"That’s quite an interesting theory, Your Majesty," he said while bringing a hand to his chin in a thoughtful gesture that was extremely exaggerated. "But what makes you think that statement is truthful?"

"Well, there are two reasons why I’m sure," she responded without being swayed by Mark’s theatrics.

"Go ahead, I’m listening."

"The first is the abnormally powerful magical signature you exposed to the entire continent a few days ago," she said, raising a finger.

"That’s a good point," conceded Mark. "But a powerful magical signature by itself means nothing. It could have been anything."

"That’s true, it could have been," she said. "But combined with the second reason, the possibilities are reduced to just one."

"And what is the second reason?" asked Mark, settling back against the chair.

The queen fell silent.

Her smile disappeared completely.

And for a couple of seconds, her expression became the same one she had when looking at the ocean before Mark entered.

"The second reason why I’m completely certain of what I’m saying," she said in a voice that had become lower, "...is because my father was also a reincarnate."

Upon hearing her, Mark froze. His playful expression immediately changed to one of surprise and his eyes remained fixed on hers without blinking.

Mark thought about what the queen had just revealed to him for several seconds, until he finally spoke.

"If that’s true," he said slowly, his brow furrowing, "why don’t you ask him for help instead of me?"

Upon hearing Mark’s words, the queen turned her head toward the window, and her green eyes landed on the ocean that stretched to the horizon under the fading light of dusk.

"Unfortunately that’s no longer possible..." she said, her gaze fixed on the ocean. "Because he’s already dead."

The silence that fell over the room was heavy.

Mark said nothing.

The queen said nothing.

There were only the two of them sitting across from each other with the distant sound of the ocean filtering through the window.

"...How did he die?" asked Mark after a good while.

The queen kept staring at the ocean.

"The same way as the rest of the heroes," she responded in a voice that was barely audible. "Fighting against the Demon Lord, three hundred years ago."

Mark fell into complete silence and, after a long minute, let out a heavy sigh.

"The truth is I already suspected as much..." he admitted, lowering his gaze slightly. "But deep down I would have liked it if you had answered that he died of old age."

The queen finally looked away from the ocean and turned to face him.

And to Mark’s surprise, she smiled.

But this time it wasn’t the warm smile from before.

It was a sad smile.

"I wish that had been the case..."

Mark, feeling the atmosphere had become extremely heavy, decided to change the subject.

"Getting back to the main topic," he said, straightening in his chair. "Your subordinates only mentioned that you needed my help, so tell me, why did you want to meet with me?"

He paused.

"Because I seriously doubt it was just to tell me that you knew I was a reincarnate," continued Mark. "You could have told me that in a letter."

The queen didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she remained looking at him for a few seconds, with those green eyes that seemed to be evaluating something within him.

Then she straightened against the back of her chair. Her hands rested on her knees. And her expression changed to something Mark hadn’t seen from her until that moment.

Determination.

"I want you to help me retake control of my kingdom."