I am Reborn through Revenge

Unsatisfied

***Marie's POV***

Marie had arrived at her home, a little house downtown outside the fort. If she had trekked it, she would have spent two to three hours walking but would spend one hour less if she used the slowest horse in Zahrin.

She knocked at the door but there was no response. She continued with the knock until a broken voice responded from the inside— a female voice. “Hold on, I am coming,” a muffled voice responded. Then there was a screeching noise— it was like something heavy or something that could not be lifted was pulled on the floor; something like a piece of furniture. Then the door opened, she saw Madam Alice standing, surprised. She carried a brown basket on the right side of her waist that matched the colour of the brown saggy gown she wore over her body.

“Marie!” Alice shouted. She dropped the basket on the ground carelessly and embraced Marie in a tight hug.

“I have missed you so much,” Marie said breathlessly.

“I have missed you more, my daughter.”

Marie handed her over what she had brought for her from the palace and they went inside the house to continue with the conversation. She had already told her about her first day in the palace and the hell she saw and also told her how Prince Anon had saved her life the day she was almost killed. Marie didn’t leave out any of all those “good” details either.

Then it was already midnight. The sitting room was lit with candles scattered over the four edges of the room, leaving out small places only. Places like under the table where they had kept their dinner food but it didn't matter.

“It’s good news that you were promoted to the post of the royal messenger of Zahrin. You should cheer up girl. This calls for a celebration,” Alice said. They were sitting opposite each other and a dining table was standing in between them. She served Marie with her best food and fruits. She gracefully kept them on the table for her to devour on.

“It should,” Marie said, “but there are things that I heard about the post of the royal messenger that didn’t go down well with me.”

“What is it?” Alice asked. She crunched out a portion of an apple she held in her hand into her mouth and chewed it.

“I heard that ever since the existence of the office in Zahrin, it had never been given to a woman to handle let alone a young girl like me. The reason why the Queen made me assume the post is really confusing I must say.”

"Really?"

"Yes."

“Wow! Then it means what you heard” Alice said, trying to swallow down apples she had crushed with her teeth, “might all be rumours.”

Marie sighed and took a glance at the floor. “I didn’t hear it from someone who would peddle such a thoughtless rumour around. I believe this is real. It's no fake news.”

“Then don’t bother about them. You shouldn’t be worried about anything,” Madam Alice told her.

Marie closed her eyes. Maybe she was expecting that madam Alice would be able to provide her with some real answers. But it seemed like Alice was filled with excitement as she heard the news. Maybe she had expected her to be critical of the story and reason along the angle she was coming from.

“I feel unease about this sometimes. Everything is happening so fast.”

“That had been my prayers for you, Marie.”

Oh, hell!

Marie's neck sagged, looking seemingly disappointed. Alice was not telling her what she needed to hear. But what exactly was she expecting her to say?

“I lied to the Queen. I lied to her that I couldn’t read.”

“You did what?” Alice asked, raising a brow. She shifted her blonde hair to her back, maybe to get a proper view of Marie.

“I said, I told the Queen that I couldn’t read. She believes that I am illiterate.”

Marie liked the expression she saw on Alice's face this time around. Her eyes were dimmed, lips were sucked in her mouth making her nose look more pointed. She was happy that she had gotten her attention. “How were you able to do that? Are you crazy or something Marie?” Alice asked.

Marie's eyes sparkled in complete confusion. “No, I am not,” she responded. “You have told me before that if I must survive in the palace, then I need to be what I am not.”

Alice kept her hands on the table. “Y—es,” she stuttered, “but I never told you to lie to—to the Queen.”

Marie dragged her chair closer and placed her hands on Alice' palm. “That is why I said, everything is happening so fast. Please, what do you think? What do you think is the Queen’s reason for handing over such post to me even when she knew or believed that I was uneducated?” she asked.

There was a solemn silence in the room, maybe for half a minute. Madam Alice closed her eyes for a while, took in a deep breath, then opened them.

“There are two probable reasons why the Queen would have given you this position,” Alice said. Marie concentrated all her gaze on her. Finally, she was going to say something. “She must have given you the post because you are the only one she could trust. But I don't think you should have earned it yet because you haven't stayed there for a long time to deserve her trust. Or maybe because you are an illiterate like you said. I would probably go with the latter.”

“Okay, what does that mean?”

“If the Queen had given you this because she thinks that you are uneducated then it means that there is something about the office of the messenger that is very shady.”

Interesting.

Marie nodded at her. She beckoned her to continue. “I think the Queen is looking for someone who would not easily leak out secrets about some important information. Especially information that is very vital for Zahrin's survival. Maybe some kind of political information. Have you ever delivered a letter for her?” Alice asked.

“Yes, of course.”

“Have you been reading them?”

“No. Except on the first day I met her.”

“How did that happen?”

Marie told her about the first day when they met the Queen and also told her about the book they were given to read and what she did afterwards. “Good. Good. I think it will be in your best interest not to read any of those letters, Marie. There might be some things or some knowledge they may not wish to let you know or reveal to anyone. From the way I see it, the Queen purposely chose you to be the royal messenger because you are uneducated. This is the only reason that I see.”

Marie nodded. She liked what Madam Alice had just told her. This was the answer she had been looking for. She now realized that she was like an object to the Queen.

An object?

Yes! She just realized she was an object that could be used while it was still new but the question is, what happens to the object when it is no longer valuable or when it gets old? What would happen to her when she is no longer valuable to the Queen? She suddenly remembered what Angie had told her: all golds may glitter but not all things that sparkle are gold.

Were there things she wasn’t seeing? Yet? Or does it mean the Queen had made her leave temporarily in a fool's paradise? She became instantly sad. She cursed through her breadth. It was as if the things she just heard madam Alice said had changed her mood from a once happy Marie to a disappointed one. But she had endured too much and she can’t back down anymore. She can’t go back now, she thought.

“Hello! eat your food,” Alice said, waving her hands.

Marie shrugged. “Thank you, I am not hungry anymore.”

Alice smiled. “Okay,” she said, “how’s your pendant? Hope you haven’t lost it?”

Oh! The pendant? Marie forgot to tell Alice what had happened to her pendant when she met the Queen. “Uh!” she exclaimed.

“What?”

“I just remembered something.”

“What’s that?” Alice asked inquiringly.

“When I first saw the Queen, my pendant gleamed on my chest when she was asking me some questions. It kind of. . . pained me. It had never happened to me before.”

“It pained you?”

“Yes. It pained me.”

“Are you sure about this?” Alice asked calmly.

“Yes,” Marie replied, her voice wasn’t too smooth.

Alice looked over her shoulders. It was as though that she was trying to make sure that there was no other person in the room listening to their conversation. “Do you know anything about this?” Marie asked.

She nodded.

“Let me hear it then.”

“Marie,” Alice said calmly. “You need to be very careful of the Queen. I think she might have some kind of unnatural powers or something like that.”

“What? what does that mean?”

"She may have some supernatural powers and you may never know."

"Hmm!"

“You heard me right,” Alice said calmly.

“How did you know about this?”

“You just told me.”

“I told you? I don't think you got me. I mean how did you know about this? You don’t seem surprised.” Marie eyed her.

“The bracelet you had," Alice said, “Is not just an ordinary bracelet. The insignia on the bracelet was meant to keep away supernatural powers from attacking anyone wearing it. That was why I had always wanted you to wear it. It should always protect you from harm's way. And it was given to me by your. . .”

Marie squinted her eyes. “Given to you by whom?” she asked impatiently.

“It's not important Marie.”

“Oh no, no! Don’t tell me what’s important or not. I get to chose what’s important here because it is my life that is at stake so, please. I mean please, can you kindly stop hiding relevant information from me. From now on, can you please stop it? I am sick and I am getting tired of it.”

Alice sighed deeply and closed her eyes again. “It was given to me by your mother when you were still a youngster. She said that I should give it to you when you grow up and she also said that the powers of the bracelet could keep one away from supernatural danger. I have never seen the bracelet in action. If you didn't tell me this, I wouldn’t have known.”

Marie looked at Alice with an opened jaw and arched brows. She couldn’t believe what her ears just heard. She had never seen madam Alice talked about her mother or her father. She had always taken the bracelet for granted but now she had realized that the bracelet was one of the most important gifts she had gotten from not just anyone, but her mother.

Marie fixated her eyes on Alice, imagining other things she might be hiding away from her. “You have not told me anything about this before. It’s my right to know.”

“What difference would it have made even I had told you earlier?”

“Leave that to me.”

Alice kept quiet for few seconds. “I’m sorry, Marie,” she said and let her head dropped. “I know that there are things I should have told you sooner but it wasn’t just the right time.”

“What?” Marie snarled. “Did you say it’s not the right time?” she asked, her voice as loud as thunder.

“Yes. I did all these to protect you, Marie. Some things are better not said. There is some knowledge that is better hidden. There are some stuff that if you had known when the time is not right, you will probably end up making a wrong decision that would put an end to your life.”

Marie sighed, trying to control herself. “My mother, where is she from?” she asked calmly.

“She is from Livinas.”

“And father?”

“From Livinas too.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

“This is as far as I go, Marie. Believe me, I will tell you all you need to know very soon. But for now, you need to focus on your work,” Madam Alice said, “okay?” she added, with her eyes sparkling. There was honesty in the way she spoke.

“Good night Madam Alice.” Marie stood up, pulled her chair back.

“Good night!” Alice replied.

Marie grabbed a candle from one of the stands and paced her steps slowly into her small room. She hung the candle in one of the stands beside the door, throwing in a shade of light that would be enough for her to see around for the night. She then laid on her bed thinking. She had been missing madam Alice and she had wanted to see her ever since the first day she set her foot in the palace and today that she had seen her, it seemed as if she wasn’t happy after all.

Why was she not happy? Why was she not satisfied with her visit? When will Madam Alice ever going to change? Marie decided that she would be going back to the palace the following morning, at first light.