The Tyrant's Queen

8: plans for the pirate

One, two- no, three. Three distinct voices and laughter of women came through Lucien's door.

Freshly bathed and changed into a new dress Matia had picked out, Thalia stood before the oblong beige doors, waiting for them to open in response to Matia's knock.

The stoic composure Matia had maintained for the past few years- even in the face of Thalia's utter lack of knowledge in upper class manners- seemed to break.

With her ajar jaw locked in shock, she leaned in, listening to the growing volume of giggles, now accompanied by Lucien's voice.

Could men be any less predictable? Drinking, smoking and women- all in a single package.

Perhaps not gambling for this man. What was there to gamble, when he had the country at his fingertips?

Thalia, though, was in no mood to listen. With her fist, she banged on the door, three times.

This time, Matia didn't protest at the un-ladylike knock.

The doors were thrown open- and unsurprisingly- by a woman, who didn't wither under Matia's stony gaze.

"Oh! Madame Matia and this is-?"

The woman seemed to be in her early twenties- as were the other two in the chambers, giggling as they ran around the room.

In the midst of the chaos was Lucien, laughing like a boy, sitting in bed with two other women.

Rendered speechless, Matia only watched, blood visibly flowing to her face.

Thalia wondered how to reply the woman, with lively brown curls, a livelier smile and demeanor, clad in a purple silk gown.

'I'm his wife'?

'I'm the queen'?

Both answers sounded nothing short of hilarious in Thalia's head.

"If you're here to see him, do you want to join us?"

She was an undeniably pretty and lovely woman, one who showed not a trace of hostility or guardedness against Thalia as she playfully looped her arm around Thalia's.

"We have cupcakes and fruits too!"

It wasn't a rarity to see women in the village barging into bars, looking for their husbands and their mistresses.

Those occasions, a childishly archetypal image of those mistresses had come to Thalia's head.

Tall, voluminous, well-dressed, seductive and perhaps with a hint of condescension toward the wives.

The three women in this room didn't look like they were doing any seduction, despite their scanty clothing.

They simply seemed to be having fun.

Matia, her eyes the widest Thalia had ever seen them, stared at the woman and Thalia arm in arm.

Then seeming to wake up from the shock, Matia clapped, loudly.

"Your Majesty!" It was a shout, and an indignant one.

Matia was indignant- and surprised, Thalia mused, calmly watching the three women be chased out of the room by Matia.

From scraps of information gathered from some of the palace maids, Thalia had gathered the idea that Matia had been in the palace even before Lucien was born.

That meant the woman knew Lucien well.

Her astonishment taking in the women, the empty bottles of wine scattering the floor and the filled ashtray lying under the coffee table-  only hinted that Lucien before he left for Shahark was a starkly different young man.