Balogun

OLUMUREWA

"His eyes were like venom, pulsing through me veins and making me weak. I hurt for his love, his touch might be my only antidote."
    —adetayo_first

According to Mrs. Jamila, a general meeting was held twice a week in the Great Throne Room. Every dignified and titled member of the Ore cabinet would be in attendance and these people required utmost indulgence, so the servants had to keep refreshments rolling in and should always be on call in case any member wanted something that wasn't on the menu.

It was still about two hours to the start of the meeting so Mrs. Jamila decided to take the officiating servants to the Great Throne Room to get them accustomed to the space, and in turn, work faster.

The Great Throne Room was indeed great, Abike realized as they followed Mrs. Jamila into the room.

The vaulted ceilings had great bulbs of light hanging down and to the left —unable to miss, was a giant clock that took up the whole wall.

The Great Throne itself was built on a raised platform that would put the King above everyone else. It wasn't just a chair made from iron or steel like anyone would have imagined. Instead, it was made from broken pieces of colored glass, resulting in a breathtaking and majestic burst of colors. It was so beautiful.

Everyone else had normal-looking, wooden chairs, padded with leather. These chairs were arranged in two horizontal rows facing each other with a large table in between.

"I want to have a servant standing behind every member of the cabinet. That way, it is easier to answer to their every whim," Mrs. Jamila said.

Abike noticed the emphasis she placed on 'every' but decided to ignore it.

"That means..." Mrs. Jamila continued. "I need a total of nine servants."

The woman sent them a condescending look.

"You are only allowed to enter this room whenever you are called. I repeat you are only allowed to enter this room whenever you are called. This is where matters of the dynasty are discussed and anyone who is not a member of the cabinet caught inside or within the vicinity of this room when a meeting is ongoing would be punished."

Abike bit back her anger as the other girls gasped in fear at Mrs. Jamila's words. Since they arrived at the Ore Palace yesterday, this woman and her thug, Iroko had been doing all they could to instill fear in them.

They were doing well because the girls couldn't eat —not that they were given much, to begin with; they also couldn't sleep, because, throughout the night, their whimpers and sobs kept her up.

This morning, the wicked witch had woken them as early as four a.m and they had been working until now; without food, nor rest.

She wished she could see Teju right now. She needed his comfort and knew he needed hers too. After all, he had lost both parents yesterday.

"Are you deaf, mad, or both?" She heard Mrs. Jamilah growl and snapped back to the present.

To her mortification, everyone in the room was staring at her.

"I am sorry, I didn't..."

"Come here," Mrs. Jamila said again, motioning for her to come closer.

Abike noticed the woman had placed servants behind each of the empty chairs and there was only one chair left. "Stand there." The witch pointed and Abike obeyed.

"When the bell for refreshments is rung, I want you all lined up like this. Remember your positions. Food and drinks would be served and your job is to make sure your Master is comfortable. Do not speak until you are being spoken to and when you are asked a question, be direct and audible. These people don't mingle with servants like you, so make the conversation short. Hm?"