Regent Witch

Chapter Nine

"Did you sleep well?" the regent smirked, as she sipped some wine.

Sasha stared from across the table. Sunlight beamed through the windows, shining into a spacious dining room. A bowl of untouched porridge sizzled in front of the princess. The scent drifted into her nostrils, tickling her sense of taste and triggering her stomach to growl.

Despite having an empty stomach, Sasha found several questions scrambled in her head – pushing aside any sense of hunger. It was still early morning. Sasha had only woken up a few minutes ago and she already had problems that needed to be addressed. Collecting herself, Sasha cleared her throat and then spoke.

"What happened last night?"

Uriel broke some bread and replied. "Whatever do you mean, princess?" Her tone was sarcastic and filled with feigned ignorance.

Sasha tapped her finger on the table and leaned slightly towards the regent. "I don't remember everything," she replied. "All I do remember is that you opened the door and I was brought somewhere else."

"You needed some help sleeping, so I helped," Uriel replied, popping the bread in her mouth. "I gave you a potion that triggered you to relive one of your fondest memories."

The princess sat up straight with raised brows. She didn't remember what exactly happened last night, but she recalled her dream quite vividly. It was about her first time visiting the villa in Dumont, when she was only a child. Back then, she was exposed to the life of the low class and interacted outside of the social circle of nobility. It was one of the most unique experiences that she – a high-classed princess – ever had.

As great of a dream as it was, Sasha still had a few other questions. Shaking her head, she looked back at the regent who primly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"When was I given this potion?" Sasha asked. "I don't remember anything at all."

"Of course you don't," the regent said. "No one truly knows when they fell asleep. Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it does!" Sasha said, slamming her hand on the table. A few of the dishes and the flower vase shook under the cloth. Rosemary and a few present servants jolted from the princess's sudden reaction. "I need to know whether or not what I saw was a dream!"

Uriel gave a sharp glare. "My, aren't we a little touchy this morning?" she said. "You seem quite worked up about this. Is there anything that happened last night that I need to be aware about?"

Sasha's eyelids flickered, as she held her breath. She may have revealed a bit much. The princess recalled the two guards and the regent's supposed, escaped experiment. Did that actually happen, or was it just some misplaced illusion in her sleep, caused by Uriel's potion? Sasha's eyes darted to the side as she tried thinking of a decent excuse. However, it was much harder with regent meticulously scanning her every gesture and movement.

Sasha needed to answer quickly. Every paused second created further suspicion. It was worse when adding the fact that the regent knew how to read people like open books. Resisting the usual gestures and mannerisms brought about by tension, Sasha looked straight into the regent's eyes. It was like staring right into the eyes of her executioner.

It would have been fine if it were merely a dream. However, if last night's event were true, then the regent may suddenly do something drastic. The latter option was too great to risk.

"There were a number of things that demanded my attention," she eventually said. She controlled her speech's tone and speed. "I want to make sure they were actually done and not a mere figment of my imagination."