I am Reborn through Revenge

First lie

I was left alone at the table. Except for the two guards standing inbetween and few other people still enjoying their drinks in the dinner hall, everyone had already left. I stood up and quickly went to Brady. I wanted to see him. It was important. I needed to ask him where the girl was or why I didn't see him with her.

I approached him. “Brady, what are you doing?” I asked. He was relaxing on a chair drinking. l guess the drink he was sipping from was a leftover by someone who had already left. I was so sure that the tables were reserved for very important guests and not for commoners or servants.

Hearing my voice, he poured away the drink he had in his mouth impulsively. He looked at me with wide eyes. I guess he was shocked to see me.

“N…Nothing your Highness” he stuttered. He wiped his mouth with a hankie.

“I can see you are enjoying yourself.”

“Not really your Highness. Not really. What can I do for you?!” he asked.

“Where is the girl?” I asked him.

“The girl? Oh! Do you mean the girl you asked me to find a dress for??”

“Yes. Where is she?”

“She had gone with others,” He said and scratched his hair.

“Gone with others to where exactly? and who are others?” I asked.

“The other maids. They should be in the waiting room by now. I just showed her the way up to where she needed to be. But for now, I don’t know where she is your Highness” he said.

I looked at him. I wish he knew I wanted more information from him. But Brady wasn't the type you would seek that from because immediately he finds out that I was concerned about this unknown girl, he would certainly make fun of me, I thought.

“Were you able to get the clothes for her?”

“Yes Sir. I got a gown for her. It was a gorgeous dress.” He blinked his brows repeatedly, smiling. I don’t know why but I became instantly nervous.

Gorgeous? How gorgeous? Where would Brady get a gorgeous dress from? I was curious to see how gorgeous the dress would be because when Brady says something is gorgeous, I mean for him to indicate that a girl's dress is gorgeous, it even made me more curious to see it.

“Hmm! Okay, Brad. That would be all for now” I said. I turned around and flickered my brows. It was a good thing he didn't see it, he would have asked unnecessary questions. I tried to imagine the shape of the dress. I also struggled to remember the girl’s face. I made a few walks and stopped. Turned to Brady again “Don’t get drunk big head.”

He smiled.

I refused to smile back at him. I was sure he understood that to be that I didn't approve of him taking it. But to be honest, I was happy for Brady. He hardly finds time to enjoy himself. So he needed all the drinks he could get for now even though he works in a brewery.

I wanted to see what would happen in the waiting room so I decided to go there.

***Marie's POV***

Marie was standing with four other young girls in a room. They were lined up and asked to wait for the Queen to come. Marie was already nervous. She found her body trembling when it was announced by the maid that brought them that the Queen would soon be there. She questioned herself. She wasn’t really sure if she was ready to meet the Queen face to face. Everything was happening too fast. She clasped both hands trying to get hold of herself. She looked at other girls who stood in the big waiting room with her. Their faces looked so mean. They appeared to Marie like people who had been preparing for the event their whole life. She felt like she was the only person that wasn’t prepared enough.

Looking at the maids, she felt like she was the only girl that dressed differently too. They were putting on simple plain dresses while she was wearing a long sapphire purple gown with white beads embedded on the chest. She felt different and to her, it was awkward. She felt like removing it but she had no choice at the moment. Where would she do that anyway? She was already feeling bored. She couldn’t stand the boredom, especially when she looked at the serious faces of the other girls in the room.

She looked at the girl closest to her, she looked like she was the same age as her. Her short black hair was packed simply. She wore a brown plain gown that reached her knee.

“Hi! My name is Marie.”

“Valerie!” she said simply. She was unfazed. She didn’t even look at Marie.

Marie even felt more nervous. How could she be so cold? Marie wasn’t sure if she should continue the conversation. But she was still bored so she needed to say something.

“Ah! That’s a beautiful name.”

She hesitated for a while. “Thank you!” she answered. She didn’t didn’t still look at Marie.

“Do you think we are qualified?”

She finally looked at Marie. Nothing was fascinating about her face. Her eyes were like a burning lake of fire. Marie swallowed her spit when she looked at her eyeballs. “How am I supposed to know that?” she asked and looked away. “Until the Queen arrives, no one can tell” she added.

How rude? Marie was fed up. She couldn’t maintain the conversation anymore.

The palace maid that brought them in earlier came in. It seemed like she had come to say something to them.

“Her Royal Majesty is here,” the maid said while still at the door. She stood at the side of the door and bowed her head.

Suddenly, a woman in imperial attire walked inelegantly into the room, accompanied by a handsome young man. Marie couldn’t tell who they were exactly but she assumed she would be the Queen. But who was the young man anyway?

“Long live the Queen!” everyone said together and bowed. Marie struggled to follow up. She didn’t know how to address the Queen. There was a long silence in the room, it was as quiet as a graveyard. Marie was curious. She wanted to see the Queen. She wanted to see what she was made of.

She wanted to have a proper look at her but she was scared. Everyone kept their head down. Would she be able to stare at the Queen’s eyes?

She lifted her head anyway. The Queen's pink lips and makeup kept Marie wondering if a woman of her age can still be that cute. She glided her gaze quickly to the amazing gown she was putting on, it sure looked expensive and majestic. The Queen was royally beautiful, she thought.

Her eyes? She remembered and shifted her gaze to it. She had angelic eyes that were so bright. While she was sunk on admiring the Queen discreetly, she lost focus. She had forgotten that every one except her bowed their heads, even the maids.

The Queen turned and caught Marie's gaze. Marie gasped, her brows raised and her mouth opened widely. She was looking at the Queen eye ball to eye ball. The Queen’s eyes blazed, Marie couldn’t explain what it looked like. Both of them just fixed their gazes at each other. She wanted to put it away but she couldn’t help it.

“What are you looking at?” the head maid asked, her voice was loud.

Marie quickly looked away. The Queen leaned closer to her. She lifted Marie's face.

“Look at me” she said. “What’s your name?” she asked.

Marie couldn’t believe it. The Queen didn’t only come very close to her but she was standing right opposite her. She swallowed her saliva. Her body shivered at the Queen’s touch. She struggled to raise her head but immediately she looked at the Queen’s face, she felt something she had never felt before.

Her pendant?

Yes! She felt the pendant she was putting gave her a burning sensation—a sudden sharp pain.

This was strange.

This had never happened to her before. She tried not to make anyone notice what just happened so she managed to keep her face calm and unfazed.

“The Queen asked you a question?” the head maid reminded.

“My name is Marie”s he simply said.

“Marie? I see.”

She scanned through the dress Marie was putting on. The Queen was surprised that someone of her class was wearing such dress. She didn’t utter a word. She leaned back to where she was standing previously. “May you all introduce yourselves.” The Queen ordered.

They all introduced themselves including Marie. They did as they were instructed. Marie claimed that she was a citizen of Zahrin.

Princess Diane walked in and Prince Anon stepped in too few moment later. Marie was surprised to see the Prince. She wasn’t expecting him. Princess Diane gave Marie a questioning look. She steadied her gaze to Marie. Marie noticed that the girl that just entered was staring at her. She didn’t know who Princess Diane could be or neither did she know that she was the Princess. So she wondered if the staring the Princess was giving her was part of the test. Maybe to test if she could speak or stand in the midst of the Queen, she thought.

“You are all welcome to the Palace. Soon, you all will live the dream you desire. I promise you, life will be very simple for you all if you play by the rules. Things would never be difficult for you or anyone else” the Queen said looking at Marie. She then shifted her gaze to the other four girls one by one.

“Mother, excuse me!” Princess Diane said and leaned very close to Marie.

“What is it Princess?” the Queen asked.

Princess? Marie was surprised. She bowed her head as she saw Diane approaching her.

“I need to check out something please.” She said.

She leaned very close to Marie and placed her hand on her dress. It was as if she was scanning the fabric.

“Who gave you this gown?” she asked.

Marie raised her head. Diane's eyes were just like her mothers'—very scary and fearless.

Who gave her this dress? Marie was surprised at the question. She didn’t know what to say. She wasn't the owner after all so how can she answer that question?

“I asked you a question. Where did you bring this gown from?” the Princess asked again.

But Marie still didn’t know what to say to her. Since she wasn’t the owner, what could she possibly say?

“What is it Princess?” the Queen asked.

“I think this dress is mine.” Her voice was cold.

Marie could see the sudden frown on Prince Anon's face.

“Are you sure about that Princess?” Prince Nightwinder asked.

“Yes. Are you sure about that Princess?” The Queen asked.

“Let her answer my question first!” Diane said. She avoided the question the Queen asked her.

Marie still looked stupefied. She was so scared. What a bad day it had been? She imagined. She couldn’t stand the Princess's penetrating stare. She found herself looking at the Princess without even uttering a word. She felt like she wanted to pee in her pants.

“I gave it to her!” Prince Anon said from behind.

Everyone turned their gaze to the Prince, surprised. Marie took a deep breath as everyone’s attention was shifted to the Prince. But she wondered, why would the Prince say he was the one that gave her the dress? Does he want to help her again?

“What? How did you know her?” the Princess asked.

“I have seen her before!” he replied.

What an Angel? Marie thought. She looked at the Prince, she couldn’t help it but to cherish him for taking the blame. She was in a position where she couldn’t even utter a word to the Princess few moments ago.

“If you claim to know her then what is her name?” The Queen asked, looking at him.

Marie saw the Prince staring at her. His dreamy eyes reassured her that everything was going to be alright. Looking at him, she felt more confident. She felt more relaxed. But she wasn’t sure if the Prince would be able to remember her name. After all, she was just a commoner. She became worried. She didn’t know what the Queen might do if Prince Anon weren’t able to say her name correctly or who the Queen might punish?

‘How can I be so foolish to even imagine that the Queen would punish a Prince instead of a commoner?” she laughed at the thought.

Of course, if the dress she was putting on happens to belong to the Princess, she could lose her hand, she imagined.

“Her name is Marie!” he answered.

Marie sighed. She felt like there was a pound of rock pulled away from her heart which made it heavy. But she seemed not to understand something. Why would the Prince take the blame for her? Why would he say he gave her the dress even when she wasn’t the one that gave it to her? She would have told the Princess earlier that it was Brady that gave her the dress but she didn’t want to put him into trouble. She knew that if she hadn't bumped into the Prince in the first place, then there would be no need for Brady to get her someone's clothes to put on. She chose to remain quiet and take all the blame than involve anyone else.

“Then where did you get the dress from?” Prince Nightwinder asked. He had been quiet for a while observing.

Prince Anon looked at him but refused not to utter a word. His face turned rigid. It seemed like he didn’t know what to say at the moment or that his mood changed. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Marie again but this time, not with the same eyes. Marie wasn’t too comfortable with the cold answers from Prince Anon. It was beginning to make her feel nervous. What if it angers the Queen?

“Anon?” the Queen called him. She was losing patience.

“I gave it to him,” said a smooth female voice.

Who could that be? Marie wondered. Everyone turned around looked at the door. There stood a beautiful elegant lady. To Marie, the lady was the most beautiful woman in the room if not the most beautiful she had seen since she came into the palace.