On that same night; in Mizuki's bedroom
Mizuki set foot into her bedroom, with her personal servant Mio following behind. The last-mentioned closed the door when they had both entered the room.The golden-haired princess perched on the mattress of her bed, her face visibly disconcerted. Her servant grabbed a brush and approached the princess. "Y-Your Royal Highness, permission to brush your hair," Mio hesitantly stuttered, the timid servant she was. "Yeah, go ahead." Mizuki permitted with a nod, a hint of irritation noticeable in her voice. Then, the maidservant proceeded to slowly and mindfully brush her hair. "You witnessed that scene, didn't you, dolt?" the princess asked, and the servant nodded. "They're not following the laws!" she ranted, clenching her fists."Your Royal Highness, if you will allow me to speak- err, Miss Leighton is the que-" "No!" Mizuki yelled and crossed her arms, discontinuing Mio's speech. This staggered Mio and made her jolt, silencing her. "Even though she's the queen now, the ones who made those laws were queens before her. If they followed the laws - even she followed it, then we should follow it too!" she continued to complain.Mio remained quiet, keeping inside a desire to express her opinions to her beloved princess, though she was afraid she would be titled as disrespectful. Mizuki on the other hand, continued to rant on about how she should be the queen. "Would you be so kind to use your last few brain cells to imagine Zemira in my hands, cretin? Imagine the praise I get, the tasks and jobs I could do, and imagine me on that special throne. One day, you'll be hearing this; 'The Queen of Zemira; Mizuki Leighton'! Wouldn't it feel rewarding? To be serving who once was a princess and now is a queen?"The brown-haired maidservant simply nodded in confirmation, then put away the brush. She somehow kept up listening to the mean princess. Though, her next few words were unexpected. "Y'know, my father, King Lysander, he only wanted me to exist. Me. He wanted me to have the crown." Mio was dumbstruck to the sudden mention of the king, yet continued to listen. Mizuki sounded serious. "He wanted only one child, but dear Mother made the decision to have another child a year after making me. Utterly ridiculous." Mizuki sneered.
It was silent for a while, until the golden-haired princess's hair was all untangled. "Ma'am, permission to keep aside your jewelry before you sleep?" Mio asked, and yet again Mizuki permitted, then the former proceeded to take off the latter's crown, necklaces, and any other jewelry she donned on. The servant kept the crown on a mannequin, and everything else inside an endearing little box. "I'll leave you be, so you may dress into your sleepwear. Goodnight, your royal highness." Mio performed a curtsy then left Mizuki to do her nightly routine.
Meanwhile, in Valeriya's bedroom
Valeriya entered her simple bedroom and sat on a chair, which was situated in front of a drawer and a polished mirror. She saw her dainty face, and later she also discerned her private servant Lucien behind her. "Hello, your Royal Highness," he'd smile softly."For the one hundredth time," the princess rolled her eyes. "Just call me Val. It's much better that way." she said, now gazing at herself in the mirror again. "If you insist, Val." Lucien said, reluctant to a certain extent. He took off Valeriya's crown and placed it on the top of the brown wooden drawer, then begun to undo the princess's long braid sedulously."It seems your sister really wants that position of queen. Are you going to give it to her?" the servant tilted his head slightly in curiosity, still undoing the braid. He wasn't hesitant to start the conversation, as they pretty much chatted for a while every evening. "I'm not going to simply bequeath it to Mizuki, no no. She's too arrogant to deserve it." the princess responded. "I feel as though I am being biased when I say this, but I agree with you. Her arrogance and selfishness absolutely skyrocketed when the Queen had announced the competition." the retainer frowned."Indeed.." Valeriya leaned back, sighing and closing her eyes in disappointment. Lucien let go of her wavy hair once the braid was undone, and took off her necklace, placing it right beside her crown. "You're ready to go to bed. Shall I go now?" Lucien questioned as he clasped his hands together. "I actually would first like to commend you for your hard work and for being my best friend ever since Mizuki's ego got the best of her." Valeriya smiled, and this sudden commendation made Lucien so confused yet so astounded. "Thank you, Val!" Lucien smiled back. Valeriya's smile faltered then she stood up and turned around to face the servant. He smirked awkwardly staring at the princess. "Did you know that me and Mizuki used to sneak to the kitchen to get a midnight snack?" the princess asked, and the servant nodded. "Yes, you did get in trouble for it about three times." The two gave a light-hearted chuckle. "Well," Valeriya pulled open one of the drawer's compartments and revealed a cookie box she had kept hidden. "As a celebration for doing a good job, I'd like you to take a few of these with you before you head to your bedroom."
"Really? For me? These are quality and expensive cookies.. Thank you, princess." Lucien opened the box and grabbed five cookies. "I'll be sure to continue to serve you well." He bowed, then walked to the exit of the room. He greeted the princess a good night and left, biting one of the cookies while heading to one of the castle's attics.
YOU ARE READING
The Next Sovereign
FantasíaMizuki and Valeriya Leighton were two princess sisters who loved each other so much and had an unbreakable bond until the day that their mother, Queen Caieta, announced an upcoming competition for her position as queen. In this story we find out: wh...
