Chapter Thirty-Five: Input Creative Chapter Title Here
1535 Words
Central Church.
24 Hours Earlier
“Cardinal, will you really publish the prince’s words as prophecy?”
Priest Levi, one who had been by his side for the past fifteen years, asked in haste as soon as he rushed through his office doors.
“Are they not that? The goddess speaks to us in purity that her message is never distorted. The child’s eyes bear truth…is what I wish to say, but….”
The cardinal drawled to try and capture the ideas forming in his mind.
“But, with the happenings in the royal family,” he continued, “It would be akin to dooming one’s life.”
“Indeed, these are bitter times.” The priest agreed with the words of his elder. “So, what will you do? What has the Pope directed?”
“As with most revelations, the most I can do is delay the announcement by four years, when, to the best of my knowledge, the dust will have settled in the imperial household. By that, I mean the factions campaigning for the seat will be distinct. Hopefully, before then, the goddess will enlighten us on the correct path.”
“Oh-,” Levi sighed in relief, “Thank goodness.”
“By the way, what did you infer from his dream other than he is the chosen ruler?”
“Surely, Levi, we listened to his highness' tale together, and that is all you gathered?”
“Well, yes, he was the Emperor in his dream, was he not?”
The cardinal shook his head, then stood from his cluttered desk.
“Come, let us go to mass.”
“Are you asking me to figure this one out on my own?”
“Heavens, no.”
A laugh escaped the cardinal’s lips.
“Even I missed the point entirely. The Pope is the one who gave me clarity. I shall share with you the pieces gathered.”
The cardinal walked to the door, showed the priest out, and locked the door to his office. He reached into his red robe for a glowing orb, which floated to guide them down the dark hallway as soon as it was lit.
“I thought the same as you, but the pope saw differently.” He began, “But before then, the matter I share with you should be strictly confidential, do you understand?”
“Yes, your eminence.”
“Now then, His Holiness, the Pope had similar visions to the prince. Only the prince’s visions or dreams are centred on the adoptive daughter of the marquis.”
“The Oakwood hero?”
“Yes, she.”
“Hmm…” the priest furrowed his brows.
“His holiness’s visions are centred wholly on the daughter of the Central Marquis.”
“The central marquis has a natural* daughter?”
“According to rumours and the pope, but all will be revealed soon.” The cardinal said, then proceeded with his point, “at first, I was certain that his highness's dreams meant that he was the chosen emperor, but according to the pope, both his and the prince’s divination had only one central and common theme.”
“Th- the marquis?”
“Close, but not quite. The marquis’s daughters. The Pope believes that one of them is the key to the throne.”
“Wait…what? This is huge! Are you certain about delaying the prophecy?”
“We have to. The implications of the prophecy were fine with a definite crown prince, but now, this news could lead to all manner of unnecessary bloodshed. The divination must be delayed!”
*
*
*
Arusei E. Alpensa
“I am telling you, the lady cannot accept visitors at the moment. I can pass on the message if you would like, but-.”
Constance’s, the butler, voice rang through the empty halls.
“Young sir, this is imperial mail. I cannot and will not pass it to anyone but Lady Arusei Evergreen Alpensa, the one whose name is scribbled on top.”
The imperial messenger made a show of pointing the name to the house butler.
Imperial mail? This must be the land decree!!
“I am Arusei!” I chirped as I wheeled myself to view.
The messenger held out his hand then tapped at something that brought a picture of me into holographic view.
“Indeed you are.” The messenger said, then pushed himself further into the house.
He took his hat off then tucked it under his arm.
“I, with this, grant you your imperial parcel.”
He said boisterously, perhaps for audience purposes.
“If you will kindly place your thumb on this crystal.”
I did as he instructed.
He handed me a medium-sized, perfectly thick rectangular parcel dressed in red, white and gold, the imperial colours.
“At your comfort, recite your name and age, the parcel is imbued in magic, so it shall instruct you further. Have a wonderful evening.”
The messenger wore his hat once more, then turned to leave.
“The parcel, my lady.”
Constance spoke with a frown as he closed the door.
“What about it?”
“You are under strict house arrest orders; receiving outside mail invalidates your punishment.”
“Yes. Would you like to inform the Emperor?”
Constance frowned, then cleared his throat.
“The Marquis-,”
“Are you saying the Marquis wants to challenge the Emperor?”
His open mouth closed, then opened once more.
“My apologies, I do not understand what came over me.”
“No harm done.” I smiled, then turned my wheel to his right, where the lift was. “Also, my feet are bleeding; organise for the house physician to change my bandages.”
*
*
*
“There, all done.”
The light green-haired physician with big round glasses said.
“You are healing at a remarkable rate.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Try not to strain yourself.”
“As the doctor wishes.”
She scoffed at my words, then bowed and left.
Immediately, a maid I had never seen walked in.
“The Lord will be late for dinner, so this will be all.”
She said passively as she dropped a tray with only two small loaves, poorly smeared butter and a silver goblet.
“What, no protein?”
The maid did not respond.
Still, it's hard to imagine Regina eating the same meal.
I scooched over to the tray placed on the bed.
The water in the goblet was murky, and the bread sparkled.
“Rag water and ground glass,” I murmured.
The maid said nothing, merely turned to the door.
It took less than a second for me to throw the goblet at the maid, who turned furiously at me as though she wished to slap me.
“Do it!”
I said clearly, but she hesitated.
“Do it, slap me.”
Her face contorted into fury.
“Do it. I swear to you, they will not find your body afterwards.”
Her hesitating hand lowered itself; she knelt dramatically to the ground in a huff.
“My lady! I am so sorry! It was not my intention!!”
I grabbed her hair, forced her face to meet mine, and shoved the dry glassy piece of loaf into her mouth.
“What is going on in here!?” A sweet voice asked from the door, “Sister, by gods, what are you doing?”
Regina walked in and immediately took the maid's hand.
However, being too well versed in this, the maid snatched her hand out of Regina’s sweet hold, spat the bread to the floor, and fell back to her knees.
“My lady! My lady, do not intervene. You will only make this worse.”
The scene before me wasn’t unbelievable, merely fascinating.
No doubt an act made to showcase my ‘true’ nature to Regina.
“Regina,” I called calmly.
“Sister! What is the meaning of this!!”
“Regina”
‘Yes?”
“Get the hell out of my room.”
Regina blinked twice, then turned to the maid on the floor, who, despite my addressing Regina, held the fullness of my gaze.
“M-me?”
“Get out.”
“W-wait, no! not until you tell me what is going on here!”
“Regina.”
At the sound of the eerie calmness of my tone, Regina’s sense of justice wavered.
“Yes?”
“Get out of my room and never, ever enter without my prior consent.”
“Y-,” she puffed her chest, “You have no authority over me.”
“Is that right?”
“You are not even a genuine noble! How dare you mistreat my workers!!”
“So you wished to be punished on her behalf?”
“Wh-, what? No! I am clarifying that you have no right to punish the workers of this estate.”
“Okay.” I nodded my head, “so what you mean is, I only need to get someone of authority to punish this maid, right?”
- Writer
