ᴡᴍᴍᴀᴘ: ℌ𝔢𝔯 𝔊𝔬𝔩𝔡𝔢𝔫 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔰

Garden of Eden, the world: II

Well. They thought nothing, apparently.

Her mouth open, eyes practically glittering as along the way to the dining room, she passed by many maids and butlers, knights and mages. they weren't the focus however, she zoomed in on the glittering gold decorations that the Alpheus mansion didn't have. 

Vases of roses in the halls, light fixtures that hung high on the ceiling, the chattering of maids as they went over corners with their cloths and feather dusters. 

She's out of sight when the people she passed by stop what they're doing to glare after her. Past the simple dislike of a rare visitor, it was reaching new levels of hatred.

Jennette strolled, uninvited, into the grand dining room of the main palace where she had heard Mr. Alpheus speak of, the one that Athanasia and her father dined in the morning and night. She was right, but it was empty. 

Wha- empty? 

That couldn't be right... she had passed a clock on the way and it was 9 am on the dot. If they weren't having breakfast, where were they? She crumpled her dress in her hands, flouncing over to a seat and sitting down in a huff. 

The minutes ticked by, and the table wasn't set, no food arriving by skilled butlers and staff. It was eerily quiet, the sound of her breathing and the tick of the clock were the only sounds in the room.

A duo of maids enter the room, and Jennette springs up, dashing over to them and they seem to be carrying something in their hands. A serving platter of fresh fruit, a bowl of oatmeal, and some bread. It was simple. Too simple. 

Even in the Alpheus household she had been treated with respect and dignity, foster or not, they treated her as a lady of the house. 

The maids set the table, not saying a word, and when they poured out a glass of water, they backed away and sped towards the door.

"Wait!" Jennette raised her voice, stomping over to them just as they were about to leave. "Where is Athy today? And.. and father?" She had minutely hesitated on using the word so outwardly, but it didn't seem to make a difference. 

The maids resolutely stared her in the eyes, and responded. "We do not know where their majesties are at the moment, Miss Margarita."

She's shocked by their usage of "Miss" and "Margarita". She was no longer only Mr. Alpheus's foster, and Ijekiel's cousin by name. 

She fumed, cheeks red as she shouted petulantly. "My name is Jennette de Alger Obelia! I'm the eldest daughter of my father, who is the emperor of this empire you work in! How dare you!" 

They bow low to her, backs at a perfect 90 degree angle, and they speak in a monotone. "Again, Miss Margarita, we do not know of where his majesty and her highness are. Please enjoy your meal."

They leave, not bothering to apologize to her, and Jennette goes to the table, wanting to smash a few items, but stops. Something brown was floating on top of the oatmeal... she poked at it with a spoon.. the thought coming unbidden to her. 

What if it was mold? Or.. or poison even? 

She didn't understand how dimwitted she was, and she felt the texture of it between her fingers. It was coarse brown sugar. She sniveled, eating ravenously, and she left the empty plates behind.

She passed by a gold framed painting, and she stood frozen, looking upon Athanasia and her father in the frame. 

Their eyes, gems even through paint, their hair, similarly blonde, dressed in formal clothing, and both standing; Athanasia with her hand on father's shoulder, both faintly smiling. Jennette could feel her face burst into flames at the blatant disregard of her feelings.