Chapter 2
1653 Words
Lord Lhasa was also at the banquet, and of course Shirazad ignored him. True that she had been thinking about how he deserved to be punished, but she often got mad at people and then forgot; because truly she wasn't a vengeful person and even though she had the power to force her wishes onto others, she didn't.
Lord Lhasa was insolent enough to try his luck, and the fruit of his efforts was a short and meaningful conversation,
"Is this the Shirazad who has read her father's whole library though she is still only seventeen?" he said, interrupting Shirazad's conversation with Dunyazad.
"Lord Lhasa?" she said. "Thank you for the compliment."
"Oh, was it a compliment? Do you like reading this much? I thought women are flattered when we mention their beauty or their singing and dancing skills... but reading!"
"Truly, I hate reading," Shirazad replied. "I like the stories I read, but reading itself..."
"Such a short conversation yet I keep learning more and more interesting things about you."
Shirazad smiled. Dunyazad smiled too. It would be too rude to continue talking between themselves in front of him, but at the same time they didn't really have anything else to tell him. He didn't seem to be planning to leave.
"You seem to be a very private and shy person," he told Shirazad, obviously hinting that she should be more talkative with him. "I didn't see you leave the company of your sister not even once." His insincere interest in Shirazad made even Dunyazad feel bored.
"She is such good company that I can't bear to leave her," Shirazad smiled.
"I am sure if you just give them the chance, you will find plenty of gentlemen here who are good company too," he said. And he surely thought himself to be one of them.
"Maybe," Shirazad said.
"I am glad you have the good nature to admit your mistakes," he replied, a suave smile on his face.
Dunyazad almost laughed on hearing this. She knew Shirazad and she could imagine what would follow...
Shirazad frowned, "Mistake? I don't think so. I am sure that I could get along with some of these people, but too many of them are here because they want an advantageous marriage to one of the Grand Vizier's daughters, not because they are interested in me or my personality. I am too lazy and I don't want to bother myself with trying to understand their true motives."
Shirazad was so shockingly direct and inappropriate that he just stared speechlessly at her, unable to reply... and stared... and kept staring.
What arrogance. What insolence. What lack of propriety. She truly had a terrible character. Was she a vizier's daughter? He'd heard that she had a problematic personality but this... She was obviously too spoiled and thought she could offend people whenever she wished. Saying that she simply didn't want to bother herself with the guests?! Moreover, two of his servants were nearby. Even though she had spoken quietly, his servants had heard everything, and he looked like a fool in front of them.
Shirazad didn't truly realize that her words sounded this rude. But a part of her knew this was a faux pas. It was because he had interrupted her conversation with her sister, and she was usually so sincere with Dunyazad... She had accidentally been sincere with him too.
He turned round and left, and didn't even say goodbye to her. His servants lagged behind him. Both of them were young women who would have died to be in Shirazad's place and get the lord's attention. They whispered to each other,
"Who does she think she is?! She accused the lord of trying to make an advantageous marriage. How could she make him look this bad?"
"And after all who doesn't want to make an advantageous marriage in this world?"
"She thinks she is the only one who can make people look bad? Well, we will see about that," one of the servants hissed.
All lords who had come had brought small or big gifts for Shirazad, now ordered in one of the corners of the room. The two servants of Lord Lhasa waited for a convenient moment when Shirazad's wet-nurse, Dinnara, was near the gifts. Then, they broke a vase, which was Lord Lhasa's gift, and both blamed Shirazad's maid. It was a very expensive vase, a masterpiece.
"Do you know that this vase is more precious than you!" Lhasa's servants shouted at Shirazad's maid. "Didn't your mistress teach you any manners?!"
The poor maid of Shirazad didn't know how to react. She hadn't done anything and she couldn't possibly imagine why they'd be falsely accusing her. But she was old enough to know how cruel and cunning the servants of rich families sometimes were.
When Shirazad came from the other side of the room to see what was going on, everyone else had already gathered there, including Lord Lhasa.
"This vase was truly very precious. It was one of a kind, the only one in the world. It was a family treasure of the Lhasa family. It is only fair that the culprit pays with her life," Lhasa's maids continued.
"Do you mean to say that a vase is more important than a person's life?" Shirazad said.
Lord Lhasa turned to his servants,
"Silence." And then to Shirazad, "Miss Shirazad, my servants definitely have no right to tell you how to punish your maid. Still, their words are fair. The vase was a very precious gift for you, and your servant's carelessness is unacceptable. In your place, I would think very well about how to punish her because unfair judgment on your part could seriously offend us."
"Lord Lhasa, didn't you already gift me the vase? Isn't it therefore mine? If it has truly been a gift, then I should be allowed to do as I wish with it."
"And you wanted to break it? Very well," he retorted.
"Lord Lhasa, this is not what I meant. This was just an accident. The vase is already broken. Why must a maid lose her life over it?"
"I will be as sincere as you. Since my precious family treasure was destroyed, I want you to gift your maid to me as compensation."
All of the lords around them were silent. Shirazad replied,
"Lord Lhasa, this maid won't be given to you as a gift nor will she be killed today. I am truly sorry that you lost your family treasure. Her mistake is grave and I will make sure that she learns her lesson. I will also discuss it with her, since she seems rather shocked now, and we have to know what exactly happened."
"What is the meaning of that? My servants were already pretty clear about what happened," he hissed.
"Well, I've known my maid for years and she isn't sloppy or careless, so I'd like to hear her point of view," Shirazad said.
Seeing that it wouldn't be appropriate to argue, Lord Lhasa simply left.
"Shirazad, you were so brave. Surrounded by so many unfamiliar noblemen, but you expressed your opinion so clearly without batting an eyelid!" Dunyazad whispered with genuine admiration. "And father wasn't even here."
"You think so? I don't feel brave at all. I offended him. I didn't know how to react. But I couldn't let someone die just because of a vase, especially my dear Dina."
In such moments, Shirazad felt somehow helpless. Why was it so hard to simply express her point of view and be on good terms with everyone?
There were still arguments in the room when suddenly Shirazad's father appeared.
"Grand Vizier," all of the gentlemen bowed.
"Gentlemen, would you please excuse me and my daughter for a while?" He took Shirazad away.
They quietly went into another room. His severe look spoke better than any words he could have used.
"What is going on?" he said.
"Father..." What could she say about that? "You must have heard there was an argument..."
"How could you allow such an argument to arise at a banquet where people are supposed to have a nice time? And not only that, but you actually added fuel to the fire."
"Father, what was I supposed to do? Did you understand what the argument was all about? He wanted to kill Dina... Dina! How am I to react? And I bet she is innocent. I had no other way to react... truly, I never meant to..."
"You've behaved inappropriately all evening. Don't think if I'm not in the room, I don't know what is going on. This situation was thoroughly your fault. You've been avoiding the guests all evening, you've offended Lhasa personally, things have escalated and this is the result!" He was angry. He remained silent for a minute in order to calm down, "I want you to return there and apologize to all guests. After that, I want you to choose a husband."
"What?" she gaped.
"You've had enough time. If you haven't used it wisely, that's your problem. You know what this banquet is about."
"One night is not enough time, even if I used it wisely..."
"Sure, one night is not enough," her father replied. "But I figured if you're going to behave like that, whether there would be one banquet or one hundred banquets, it would be all the same. So there is no point in postponing the decision." He turned his back to her. "Go."
She stomped her foot on the ground. And how did he know she had offended Lhasa personally? She thought only her sister, Lhasa himself and his two servants had been close enough to hear her. Did her father have spies everywhere?
When she entered back into the hall, everyone was silent as if they had expected her to come. She apologized and that was the end of the evening.
- Writer
