Vera saved her.
1514 Words
“And who are you?” Princess Diane asked. Her voice was unfriendly.
“My name is Vera. I’m from the Kiran kingdom your Highness.” She bowed as she replied.
Diane looked at her inquiringly. “Oh! I see. Who the hell permitted you to be here?” Diane asked. Her voice was becoming angrier.
“Wait. Are you not the daughter of the King of Kiran? Hakuna?" The Queen asked. "I guess I am correct. Right?" She took a cursory look at her.
She bowed. “Yes. I am a Princess of Kiran. And I am the person who gave the Prince the dress he gave to her.”
Marie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She was surprised at how Vera didn't even blink or let her voice shudder when she lied to the Queen. Marie wondered why this strange woman out of nowhere would appear from the dark and lie to the Queen for her sake. It didn't make any sense. Everything was becoming like a drama.
“Why did you give it to her if I may ask?” the Queen asked. She looked at Vera conspicuously.
“When I was taking a walk outside the dinner hall, I happened to run into this girl accidentally. I ruined her clothes with the alcohol inside the cup I was carrying. I felt bad for her. I insisted she will have her clothes changed. I told her to wait for me while I bring a new dress for her. So I got busy but I luckily saw the Prince and handed him over the gown to give to her.”
What a beautiful lie, Marie thought.
Queen Veronica shifted her gaze to Prince Anon. “Is that true?” she asked.
He hesitated for a while as if he wasn’t going to respond. “Yes! That’s true. What she said is correct.” He confirmed.
Marie could sense a sigh of relief from Vera when Anon confirmed the question
Everything was just happening too fast. Marie was struggling to keep up with the pace of the confusion. She was striving to understand the relationship between Vera and Anon. She was aware that none of what they said were true but how come both of them agreed on one thing? She asked herself hundreds of questions yet she couldn’t provide answers to them.
“Then where did you bring the dress from if I may ask?” Diane asked. She wasn’t planning to quit.
Vera smiled. She looked at the Princess and giggled.
“What's funny?” Diane asked, arching her brows in anger.
“Nothing your Highness. But I think you should know this. You are not the only one who might have that type of gown. So I would suggest before you lay claims to what you think belongs to you, you should at least make sure that you are very certain about your assertions,”
Vera said, smiling again.
A smirk manifested from Diane's face.
“You are correct Vera," The Queen said. She then turned to her daughter. "Can you tell me how many gowns you own?” She asked, looking at Princess Diane interestingly.
“Hmm. Why is that important here mother?”
“You have not answered my question.” The Queen barked.
“It should be up to a hundred pieces of gown.”
“Hundred pieces? So how will you be able to know that one of your gowns is missing? How will you be able to say which of them is missing?”
“Mother…They…they are my…”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear any more words from you.”
Diane's countenance changed. Her chin turned pink. It was obvious she was angry and embarrassed. She turned around quickly and jogged off from the room.
She Queen gestured at Nightwinder with a finger. She nodded her head when he looked at her. It seemed she told him something which nobody in the room understood except both of them. The Prince nodded too. He walked close to a well-furnished wooden table by the side. He carried a jug from the table and poured in what seemed to be an alcoholic drink into five cups placed on a ceramic tray. He carried it and started sharing them with Marie and the other four girls. Whoever he gives the drink, he gives a letter and asks you non to open it until he says so.
When he finished, he went back and stood very close to the Queen. “You may now drink it” he ordered.
Marie opened the white envelope letter wrapped with a red ribbon. She was shocked when she saw what was written inside.
Marie read the content of the latter to herself. It said:
“Drink this wine at your own risk. Two out of the five cups were poisoned.”
Marie shivered. Why would they poison the wine and also tell them that the wine was poisoned? She felt her finger trembling. Are they going to die? She asked herself. She wanted to think. She reckoned that it might be a test. And if it was a test, she needed to pass it. She can’t afford to lose out now after all she had struggled to get there. She was holding the cup in her right hand while the letter was at the left. She closed her eyes and she remembered Madam Alice. She tried to imagine what Madam Alice would have done in that type of situation or what she would say. She closed her eyes tight. She didn’t bother to know that the Queen or anybody else was in there. She finally remembered something. She remembered that Madan Alice had told her that the easiest way to survive in the palace was to pretend to be who she was not. She remembered perfectly. She opened her eyes and was that most of the girls had thrown away their cups to the floor. Valerie was still holdings hers but refused to drink it.
Marie smiled. She already had her answers. She drank the wine in one gulp. Nightwinder gave her a surprised look. He looked like a cornered cat. Marie queried herself. If only two cups were poisoned, then there was no way the other three cups would be left out. The drink was poured out from the same jug after all. It just didn’t make sense.
Marie noticed that the Queen was looking at her nervously. She walked closer to her. Marie avoided her gaze.
“Why didn’t you drink yours?” she asked.
Marie didn’t still look at her. She steadied her face looking at the ground.
“Nothing!” she replied.
The Queen touched her jaw again and drew up her face. She looked at the Queen’s eyes, but they were scary. She tried to look away again but the Queen’s grip on her jaw was firm. She looked at her and she felt a burning sensation on her pendant. This was the second time this had ever happened to her. She couldn’t explain it. Why was it that each time the Queen asked her question while looking directly into her eyes, her pendant would give her a light burning sensation?
Was it because the Queen’s eyes didn’t look normal when she asked questions? Or was there some kind of hidden energy or Aura in the Queen’s body that excites the pendant? She was reminiscing over the issue.
Each time she looked at the Queen, it was as if something was forcing her to say what she didn’t want to say. It was inexplicable though but she was sure that there was nothing ordinary with the Queen’s flaming eyes. Her gaze was like something that penetrates through your deepest desires. It makes you crave to confess yourself to her.
“Nothing? Didn’t you read the letter?”
“I…I opened the letter.” Marie was now looking at her while she was looking at Marie too.
“And?”
“I… I don’t know what the content of the letter says!”
She frowned. “Wait. Does it mean you didn’t understand it?” she asked.
“No. I couldn’t read it y… your Majesty ” she stuttered. She stopped breathing that instant. What has she done? She just lied to the Imperial Majesty. She hoped that what she did was right. If not…
“You are uneducated?” the Queen asked simply.
She just nodded. Marie didn’t utter a word. She hoped her answers were convincing enough.
The Queen didn’t say a word either. She disengaged her grip on Marie's jaw.
“That would be all for now. Congratulations to whoever will make it through. I will be leaving the next thing to her.” She looked at the maid. “You know what to do Angie” the Queen gestured at her.
She just nodded.
“Night! Let’s go!” she ordered. Prince Nightwinder followed her immediately and they walked out of the room.
“Alright listen up. I will take you to your rooms while you wait for the final results tomorrow. Her Majesty will send you a message if you are qualified but if you are not, you will be asked to leave the palace with immediate effect. Understood?” Angie asked.
They all nodded. She instructed them to come with her so she could show them where they will pass the night.
- Writer
