No wonder the bodyguards and maids were nowhere to be seen—they had been dismissed to facilitate their affair! But what kind of logic is this? How could Elder Henry and Heather be having an affair? A widowed elder and a queen living in solitude, enduring centuries, even millennia, of loneliness—it's no small feat. As an open-minded eavesdropper, I hold a sympathetic attitude and might as well consider them a match made in heaven. But then again, isn't Henry on Lionel's side? And his daughter Monica is so fond of Lionel. Is this old man double-dealing?
If this rose ring truly belonged to Lionel's mother, why would Barnett give it to me? What's even stranger is that, given Heather's usual sharp hearing and Elder Henry's vigilance, they should have heard my nervous, rapid breathing and frantic heartbeat from where I stood. Why didn't they notice at all?