"Your Majesty, Please, let me go to Sereath." Mey pleaded but suddenly her expression and tone changed markedly." No. You must let me go to Sereath,"
A palpable finality resonated in her tone. Her eyes blazed with indignation, revealing a defiant spirit that none had dared to display before the king. She understood the potential consequences of her words but was astute enough to discern the paternal affection he held for her. Unfazed, she wielded that love as leverage, confident that the debts he bore and the principles he upheld would prevent him from harming one who just dared to challenge his authority.
"Your Majesty, you are the architect of these rules. Each protest, provided it remains within the parameters you have delineated, warrants your response. I awaited your presence at the gate, yet you never graced me with your arrival."
"Child, you are well aware that your demands shall not be met. What is the purpose of this discourse then? You know my answer."
"Are you not a king? Supreme and magnificent? Uphold the laws you have forged disregarding your useless biases; otherwise, you risk becoming a hypocrite."
"Doctor!" John exclaimed, astonished by her audacity. He marveled at her courage—was it bravery or mere folly? He spoke sharply, hoping to restore her composure. She was standing before nobody but the King. Yet, as he looked at her, she turned to him, challenging him with her own unwavering gaze. Had she always been so unyielding? Still, he pressed on.
"You are here to present your case, not to challenge His Majesty." Their eyes locked in a fierce standoff, as though a silent war raged between them.
"Permit her to express her thoughts; after all, you summoned her here, did you not?" the king interjected, his authority reverberating throughout the chamber.
At his words, Mey stepped back momentarily, her gaze fixed on John before turning to the king.
"I implore you, I must go to Sereath. I stand as the sole individual capable of extinguishing this epidemic. The treatment I have meticulously devised is complete and shall soon be ready for implementation. I have rendered you this service; therefore, I ask you to grant me what is rightfully mine. A choice to live my own life. Allow me to journey to Sereath and confront the epidemic at its source."
The king's voice rumbled with warning. "Child, I have pronounced my refusal, yet you persist. You, too, have forgotten the decorum befitting one before a king. Though I harbor a fondness for you, do not overstep your bounds. I possess the power to punish you severely, should I so desire."
"Yet here I stand, unscathed. Despite the countless times I have questioned you, I remain unconfined." Mey stated in a rebellious manner.
"That is solely due to…"
"Due to your affection for me. You cherish me as the daughter you lost," Mey shouted, her voice rising in annoyance. "Your Majesty, I ask you to look closely and see. I am not your daughter."
"You insolent girl…" The king seethed, fury evident in his expression, yet Mey pressed on. She was weary of being restrained by emotions from those she had never welcomed.
"You profess to love me, yet you have never truly perceived me for who I am. You have loved your deceased daughter through my guise. Do you and Duchess Elizabeth deem me a fool? Who is Maya? You never made an effort to discover the truth. Do not belittle me as a person. Cease imprisoning me in the vestiges of your lost love."
Silence enveloped the chamber. The king fell silent, his expression inscrutable. Mey stood resolute, her gaze locked with his, embodying unyielding determination. John, rendered speechless, remained an observer, witnessing the emotional tumult before him. Mey's strength was palpable, yet he could perceive the disappointment and sorrow she fought to conceal.