𝚂𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 ✔

Chapter Nineteen

"Where, Your Highness, will the prince's birthday celebration be held?" Castellana broke up all the small conversations being held amongst several of the courtiers and suitresses, many turning to either watch on in curiosity or veiled displeasure.

"At the summer palace of course." The queen eyed her, "You all will be making the trip there a week before the event. Well, what remains of you that is."

The summer Palace was located further south in the kingdom, nestled in between where the plains of Myrce meet that of the downs and surrounded by the bustling, and rather large, city of Sandeshire. We all currently resided in the spring Palace, the second largest of the four.

Castellana suppressed a grin at the confirmation of her suspicions. For Sandeshire was her hometown and that meant her family would have been able to throw a welcoming ball for the King and Queen. Something the rest of us suitresses wouldn't have been able to do since, out of those who remained in the courting, only her family held the title of dukedom.

"Mother and father will be delighted to know, thank you, my queen." She curtsied and turned from her highness, making eye contact with me.

A wicked grin crept onto her face for only but a moment before she broke the connection and took her seat. After my disrespect towards her earlier, and that look she had just given me, I knew I had made a new enemy. One who could have proved to have been worse than Georgiana herself.

The queen watched Castellana, eyes almost betraying her thoughts before she averted her gaze. I wondered what it had meant but decided not to look too deep into it.

"Any other questions?" The queen finished off the last sip of wine she had been swirling around in her goblet for the past ten minutes. "Then I will see you all at the same time three days from now. You are dismissed."

Only the suitresses stood up after the dismissal, leaving me to wonder if court had not yet come to an end and that there was more to have been said which had not involve us. We all curtsied and thanked the queen before we slowly made our way out of the room with an uncomfortable silence nipping at our heels.

By the stiff bodies ahead of me, I could tell everyone, including myself, was anxious of what the courtiers were going to say once those large doors closed behind us. Many of the others spoke up after I took the plunge and made my thoughts known first. However, there were a few who never said a thing.

The queen might have been lenient since this was our first time at court, but from that point on it was to be expected that she would not hold back.

Instead of following in the footsteps of the others and returning to my room, I decided to go elsewhere. I took my time as I made my way outside, after parting ways with Rheda and Sheera. Leaving them to their own devices so that I could roam the gardens alone as I absorbed everything that we had learned.

The moment I had opened the doors, the smell of flowers rushed through my nostrils and soothed the ache in my head. I slowly walked through the eastern gardens, admiring the flowers and scenery, until a found the large ornate fountain that was rather hidden in the back left of the large outdoor area. I decided that this place was as best as any and took a seat on the lip of the fountain, closing my eyes to listen to the splashing of water and the buzzing of nearby bees.

A delicate breeze passed over me, sending a delightful shiver down my spine as I relished in the freeness of no longer being locked inside with all of those other women. The tension in that room, coupled with the anxiety of the other suitresses and that of my own, had been rather suffocating after a while.

I wondered how the queen expected sincerity and honest thoughts from girls who had been so terrified of accidentally breathing the wrong way and getting sent home because of it. Well, at least some of them had been scared, others, though, had started to seem rather full of themselves and flaunted their pedigrees and successes.