Pain in time

Chapter 4

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "From the queen, countess Reina," the servant said after entering the room. She turned around and snatched the envelope from her hand, gesturing to her to leave. She opened the envelope, observing the beautiful invitation. A snow-white paper decorated with a golden hem with carefully written title and name of the countess. She tossed it on the vanity, looking out of the window yet again.

She firmly gripped the windowsill, shaking a little bit, breathing heavily. She closed her eyes and remembered that memory yet again. "Mother, papa!" she yelled at her parents, running to the parlor. "What is it, love?" her father asked. "We got a letter from the queen!" she shouted in excitement. "What does she say?" Mother asked with worry in her voice. "You are looking at your daughter, who will be engaged in a month!" she shouted with joy.

Two days after receiving this letter, things got into motion and they were called for an audience with the queen. After they came back home, their faces were full of sadness and an invisible burden was weighing down their once-so-confident manners. They had dinner together - them, Reina, and her younger siblings - Edmund and Brianna. Once so cheerful evenings turned into an hour of silent suffering. She asked them, again and again, to tell what the queen had said, but they kept refusing to reveal the dark news.

One afternoon when Reina was playing with her siblings in the flower garden, she spotted two big carriages with the queen's emblem on the doors. They were perfect, shining in the sun, carrying with them the promise of a great, carefree future for her and the whole family. She couldn't believe how lucky she was when the queen chose her.

Two soldiers came out of each carriage, walking towards her parents. They bowed their heads and handed to them a small box with a ring. Reina ran to them and grabbed the red velvet box from her mother. She opened it and let the sun pet the silver engagement ring decorated with a shining red ruby. She still couldn't believe this was happening... One of the soldiers opened the door to the second carriage and stood next to the small stairs leading to them, waiting for her.

The other soldier put three suitcases behind the carriage, securing them with leather belts. She kept looking at the carriage with bated breath, hesitating while shifting her eyes from it to her family back and forth. She straightened her hat with a thick blue ribbon and stepped toward her family. She hugged each one of them and listened to their goodbyes.

As she turned to the carriage to hop into, her mother pulled her aside, whispering in her ear the dreadful news - the whole family was expected to move into exile right after she sat down inside. So that's why two carriages were waiting! She felt a heartfelt sob escape her throat as she buried her face in her father's embrace. He was quiet the whole time, after pulling away he told her: "You mustn't lose hope that we will meet again." She nodded with tears running down her cheeks.

She hugged her siblings and kissed them on their heads. Oh, they were still so young at that time! They didn't understand the dreadful fate that was fulfilled quickly. She turned away from them, taking a decisive step towards the unknown fate the queen had prepared for the young, nearly 21-year-old woman. When she sat down, finding a comfortable spot for the long journey, she peeked out of the small window once more. The door closed. One soldier handcuffed her parents, spitting on the ground. The other one grabbed her siblings, forcing them inside the carriage as they were protesting, screaming, and pleading with their scared eyes for help. But she couldn't do anything. She only wiped away her tears and decided that the cruel heartless queen Yolanda will one day pay the same if not even greater cost for making her lose her loved ones. With that promise as if carved in gold in her mind, the carriages started to move.

"Oh, Reina, I am so pleased to finally speak with you!" called out the queen when she saw the young woman, dressed in an expensive dark blue silk dress. She bowed with elegance, not letting her shaking and unsure thoughts get the best of her. "The pleasure is all mine." The queen wholeheartedly laughed as she told her proposal. "I have a proposal for you."

"I've been told. What exactly is my role in your scheming?" she asked, annoyed. "I want to arrange a masquerade ball in the name of Sir Levi of Weles. You need to charm him, so he'll keep only your picture in his mind." Reina didn't understand why she was the perfect person for this plan. "Why me?" The queen looked at her from head to toe. "You have all it takes to do it with successful results. I need to make sure he forgets about a certain guest he brought to the castle sometime ago by marrying you instead." She looked at Reina with a soon-to-be real threat. "If you fail... you won't see your family again. Mark my words. And I believe you will be happy by his side." She added, smiling mysteriously.

Reina took a deep breath and answered with the phrase learned before: "Deep honor is mine towards your actions." The queen nodded, handing her a quill with ink. "Will you accept my most sincere invite and come?" Reina grabbed it and without any second thoughts wrote her name on the end of the scroll. The queen smiled. Reina bowed, turned around, and exited the queen's chamber. As she closed the door, she whispered to herself: "You will know your revenge soon enough."

I spent the whole afternoon in the glass gazebo where the gardeners grew the most mesmerizing flowers and plants. The air filled their mesmerizing fragrance as I was sitting on the bench and reading - or trying to solve - the mysterious language of my book. I looked up and noticed how sir-weirdo, now dressed in his armor, was dashing towards the castle gate which lead to the queen's wing with her chamber, dining room, and the awful library.

After the incident of his apologizing and me repaying him for the impolite treatment, we didn't talk at all. I mean, what did you expect? Did you think I will run around the castle and chase him to be in his presence? Oh hell no, I was already fed up with his rude behavior as it was. I preferred silence while I was trying to figure out my way back home. I didn't see the sly witch either. It seemed to me she tried very hard to walk on the opposite of the castle to avoid me. I kept thanking her in my thoughts.

I also had with me the queen's invitation to the masquerade ball. At the back of the beautiful invitation was a note. On the day of the masquerade, you will also be provided with a suitable costume to your liking. I kept wondering who could've written the note on the invitation. 'I doubt it was the queen, she is too frugal to spend money on me, an unknown guest. Maybe it was the girl from earlier? What was her name? Deianira...'

As I was looking over the invitation, rereading it, and turning it around in my palm, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I glazed around the gazebo, checking if I am alone. My heart began to beat fast as I kept turning and looking around. Then I pushed the worry to the back of my mind and told myself that my mind is playing tricks on me because I am tired. "She also received an invitation?" a voice softly murmured, so I didn't hear it. And then, the person shut the gazebo door without me noticing it.

The door to the throne room opened with loud creaking as Levi stepped inside. The queen was already waiting for him, sitting on her throne as always. He bowed with respect as he approached her. "You requested my presence, Your Majesty." Not used to beating around the bush, the queen went straight to the reason why she wanted Levi to come to see her. "How did you find her?" Levi straightened, making a military sign with his one hand. He answered in a loud voice. "You wished to be enlightened in the case of finding Violet. On the 24th of June, we were having a patrol." She didn't let him finish, instead, she interrupted him. "Who?" "I, Sir Levi, along with Lieutenant Carter and Timothy, Your Majesty." She nodded, allowing him to continue his explanation. "As I was returning from the patrol, I spotted her on the street of Saint Martin near the Main Gate. I misjudged her as a beggar because of her dirty garments." He paused, looking at the floor. "I remembered your order about what to do with vagrants on the streets. Vagrants caught begging will be branded with a V on their forehead and enslaved for two years. Repeat offenders would be executed." The queen nodded, but a frown appeared on her face. "When you were aware of my order, why did you insist she's your guest?" Levi kept looking at the ground. "I haven't seen her here before. When she looked at me with fear in her eyes, I didn't want to tell her that she would have to spend two years stuck in the castle doing god knows what."

The queen took a deep breath and said: "I see. You are dismissed. Because you didn't obey my order, I must give you a double shift of taking taxes in the kingdom. I've been informed it's your turn now. You may leave." Levi bowed and exited the throne room, feeling distressed. Did he do the right thing?