The Amorous Mate

Chapter 31: Bad Karma

“Your Majesty.” Far the crowd that flocked the havoc happening in the ball, a servant went towards the queen and bowed as recognition for respect. “I have already done what you requested.”

Watching the panicking crowd, the Queen sternly nodded. “Very well. Is she the one the crowd was flocking at?” she asked.

“Indeed, your highness. She is the servant I have given the potion you ordered me to mix at anyone’s drink, long as it was not a member of elite society.”

“Then let us see what they will do,” the Queen said after receiving the confirmation from the servant. “Would they act as fit to the role, or would they not? It depends on them.”

“Forgive me, your Majesty, for being such a curious cat, but what must you be planning that you, uhm, have to do that to a maid?” The head servant was a bit hesitating to question the acts and decisions of the queen, for she knew her life might be at risk once the queen would be offended from her words. However, a curious cat was always willing to risk her life for the sake of answers.

It was a good thing that the queen wasn’t offended, instead, she even took her question as an opportunity to explain her side.

“I know that you are doubting my acts right now, but, it was what I needed to do to test my daughters’ decision-makings,” the Queen answered while looking at her own daughters down the dance floor, joining the flock of curious and panicking crowd.

“To test your daughters?” the head servant asked, creasing her forehead. When she realized what was the queen was telling, her eyes widened in shock. “Do you perhaps mean, the Queen Trials, your Majesty?” she asked.

The queen again nodded. This time, a smirk curved on her lips. “This is where the Queen trials would start. Who among them was fit to be the crowned princess, the next queen? It is their natural personalities, their decision processes, and their acts that would make them shine and be known as fit to the throne.”

“Then the trials would be made discreetly, your Majesty?”

“There will be secret trials and there will be announced. I have it all planned, head servant.” The Queen looked at her with a mischievous smile.

“How exciting that must be, your highness.”

The Queen sighed. “It must be exciting for everyone who knew, but for a mother who always wants the best to every daughters she has, it is making me terrified. I have already lost my only son, and I hope, this trials would not make me lose anyone from my daughters. They were my only remaining valuable possession.”

*****

Chelsea was somehow shocked after she heard a loud screaming from a woman near the table of foods. It was not only she that was flustered from the scream, but also the rest of the crowd.

Curious as they were, they took their presences to find out what was the reason of someone’s screaming. Chelsea however could see from where she stood, the reason of that disturbance. It was because of a woman lying unconscious on the ground.

She ran towards it together with the crowd. She does not even realized she had left Lord Matthew in the middle of the dancefloor. As the crowd stared at the unconscious woman, they were doing nothing but murmur and talk, betting each other’s money to guess what was the reason why the woman, a servant, was left helpless on the floor.

Chelsea could not believe what was the elite group of men and women were doing. They were just staring, not even having any thought to give help to the helpless servant. She shook her head in disbelief.

‘Was this really how low they view servants?’ she asked herself.

“My Lord! My ladies! Help my friend! I didn’t know what happened, but she had just collapsed!” the woman who made the scream earlier pleaded to the crowd. She was beside the unconscious woman, crying. She was holding her hand, and trying her best to tap the woman’s cheeks in hope that the servant would be awaken. “She was the only one who can work and help her sick family! Have mercy, please!”

“Poor woman. She would die knowing that she wouldn’t be able to help her family anymore,” Chelsea heard from one of the elite lady in the crowd.

“Her parents were sick, and she was the only one who can work, I heard. Perhaps she have doubled her workloads causing her fatigue—and, that, collapsing.”

“Or perhaps, she has acquired the same sickness her parents had.”

“That must be true! Then we should stay away from her, or else we might acquire the same sickness she had. It might even start a plague!”

“Goodness gracious! Why would a servant would decide to work in this very day if she knew she had been carrying illness! She was clearly attempting to cause health chaos to the group of high elites!”

The crowd started to blabber things about the recent conclusion they made—about the servant carrying a sickness that could start a plague.

How humoring that was for Chelsea. They haven’t even found out what kind of ill the servant’s parents has, yet they have already made a devastating conclusion. Yet, in the middle of their funny conversation, Chelsea also felt mad, because clearly, the elites’ conclusion about the servant was just a sole excuse not to be responsible on her death—and she would surely die if none of them would help the poor servant.

She was also mad by the fact that these group of elites that were enjoying the lavishes of wealth were all egocentric and only cares about their selves. They do not even care to the poor people.

The V-maids were right. The servants and their families were being treated as poor and filthy and as unimportant as rats. They were nothing but mere pests in the society.

“N-No, my lord, my ladies. Her family was not carrying any ill that could affect anyone. They were victims of an accident and they were left helpless. Their sickness was not caused by any . . . viral infection, as you may have thought!” the woman beside the unconscious servant defended.

“And how do you expect us believing your make-up stories, if you are just nothing but a poor servant?!” One old lord angrily asked.

“M-My Lord, I may be a poor servant, but I was thought not to make sins. I was thought not to lie.”

“You may be just fooling us only for the sake of helping that mere rat!” exclaimed one of the elite lady.

“Mere rat?! My lady, we are not mere nor a filthy rat! We’re humans too just the same as you!” the woman exclaimed. Her tears were falling from her eyes unstoppably.

“How dare you compare yourselves to us!” another elite angrily exclaimed.

Hearing that, and knowing that none of the lords and ladies would want to help her, the woman bawled even louder. Yet, she did not want to lose her remaining hope.

Her gazes roamed the surrounding, finding a specific someone. When she found it, she yelled, “your Grace! Please help us, your Grace! You are the only one who could help us here, amid these people who have nothing in their minds but their selves and their power! Help us!” She cried even louder.

However, when the maid saw how the Duchess of Wetherby sorrowfully turned her back to them, the servant who was desperate for help has lost all of her remaining hope. She could not do anything but shook from mix of anger and fear. She was mad at the society’s rule of living, and she was frightened by finding the fact that people could be a terrifyingly ruthless creatures, such as these elites who are surrounding her. She was hopeless. She even felt as if she was indeed, that same rat the society has been comparing to them—a small, filthy, and helpless creature.

That was the time when Chelsea stepped forward, and weaved off the crowd in her front. She reached the center of the flock, and saw the crying woman and her unconscious friend who was starting to become pale.

“Your Highness, you must not come near the bearer of a possible plague. You must stay away from them!” warned by one of the lords.

“Your Highness, you must not risk your life just because you are curious of her!” the other said.

Chelsea looked at the woman who have thought she was only but curious. “I am not curious of her,” she said, “I am here to help.”

Hearing the Princess’ words, the weeping servant had another glimpse of hope in her eyes. “Y-Your Highness, please help us. Please help my dearest friend,” she pleaded.

“Your highness, stop this madness!” said another elite.

“Your highness, stop that foolishness!”

Despite those demeaning words, Chelsea sat down and checked the unconscious servant's body to confirm if her guess was right.

“Demeter, what are you doing? Aren’t you listening to them? She is nothing but a mere servant. Do not waste your time at her!” It was then when she heard Andromeda’s voice from the crowd.

With burning glare on her eyes, she looked at her sister. “Shut up, sister,” she said, causing surprise not just to Andromeda but to everyone who were watching. “If you are one of those hypocrite, ego-centered people who doesn’t care about this woman’s life, better not talk to me, because I was never like you. If you too are viewing servants as low as rats, I am more than ready to break off my relation to you.”

Andromeda was stunned—both from Princess Demeter’s surprising words, and from her deadly glares. She could not believe her sister was able to inflict that kind of fear to her.

Chelsea continued checking up the unconscious servant. She noticed the profusely sweating of her body, causing Chelsea to look at her friend.

“Did she tell you anything she was feeling before she collapsed here?” Chelsea asked to the crying servant. Without any hesitation, she placed both of her hands on the unconscious servant’s chest, then started pumping it.

“Sh-She told me she was . . . was having a chest pain. Right at the middle of her chest. She was . . . she was having a hard time working too, because she was feeling dizzy. I also saw her massaging her jaw and neck, as if it was painful too, your Highness,” the weeping servant said.

“s**t,” Chelsea muttered. She started pumping the servant’s chest with more pressure. “What if it was f*****g late?” she cursed.

“Wh-What is happening, your Highness?” the friend of the unconscious servant asked, her hands were shaking.

“Your Highness, she must be bearing a dire sick—”

“Shut the f**k up!” Chelsea could not control her rages anymore. “It wasn’t whatever you are thinking. Just because they are less fortunate than you doesn’t mean they were filthy as how you think. Collect your thoughts because you were all starting to become stupid!” The whole crowd was pierced by the princess’ unexpected raging. They could not speak, because they were afraid to talk back to her.

Chelsea looked at the Duchess of Wetherby. “This is the first time I am using my position, Duchess of Wetherby. I command you to summon the nearest doctor in the area.”

“There is a known doctor for the poor in the community, I can—I can summon him to—”

“I said, the nearest doctor,” Chelsea said, still pumping the chest of the unconscious woman. “You have your own in-house doctor, I know. The Saxton Hall has one. The palace have more than five. Being the second richest ruler of a province, I know you also have a doctor. Bring him here. Disobey me and I will do whatever length to strip off of your current position as the duchess.”

The Duchess of the Wetherby paled. She shivered by the threat of the princess, and she instantly recognized that she was not joking. Quickly, she grabbed one of her servant and asked her to summon the doctor.

“Y-Your Highness, what . . . what is happening to my friend?” asked the servant.

“I am certain that this is a heart attack. A sudden one. Symptoms shows that she had an attack. What we need is a doctor who can help her survive,” she said. Then, she looked at the crowd of elites who were watching them. “It was dire and serious, but it wasn’t as anyone foolishly thought a sickness that could start a health plague.” Whenever where her glares would land, none of the elites could stare back. They were all afraid; ashamed from the fact that they were letting a human die. “Pray to the heavenly God that this woman would not die. Because if it would happen, who knows what I might do to the filthy mouths and thoughts running from this egoistic society I belong?”

Everyone was threatened by Princess Demeter. Everyone shivered in fear, for they know, they have done something wrong, and the Princess has the political power to bring bad karma to their wrongdoing. A karma that could pull all of the lavish elite-lifestyle they enjoy.