Johanna's and Michelle's outfits ^^
Chapter 11 (Edited)
After a while, Elisa and I had to leave for the afternoon walk. We said goodbye to Thomas and Gaby and made our way to the garden, where around thirty girls and ladies were waiting and talking.
The fact that I arrived with Elisa attracted a lot of stares and whispers. "Just ignore them," Elisa said to me.
She walked graciously, with head held up high, and feeling a bit awkward, I did the same. When we arrived, a few girls came to talk to Elisa, and I stayed mostly quiet, only answering questions. I could still feel the curious stares on my back, and it made me feel a bit uneasy.
Soon, the queen arrived and everyone curtsied, so I did as well. She smiled a little at me, greeted everyone a good afternoon, and started walking in front of everyone, with Elisa on her side and me behind her, into the parc.
Elisa had explained to me that the domain consisted of three parts. The garden, which was rather small (only a yard), had a few basins and fountains, along with series of well-trimmed bushes. Then, around the garden was a much larger parc. It was smaller than the forest, and with a lot of different paths and maintained trees. And it had a fence on the borders, so animals couldn't come in. And last, was the forest, on the other side of the gates, and where I found Lily and Chris. It was wild and not maintained, with a lot of animals and an access to everyone.
The ladies did not often leave the garden and the parc, because the forest was deemed too 'dangerous' for them. So, we walked slowly, like a procession, into the parc. Everyone was chatting and laughing.
Suddenly, I heard an annoying high pitch voice. "Oh, look who is here all alone!", Johanna said, trying to make fun of me. I glanced at her but didn't respond, and held my head high. Ignore and do not respond, or you will be associated on the same level, the etiquette lesson I had learned so long ago reminded me. Johanna went over to a girl near her. "She was so rude to me at lunch! You wouldn't believe it!"
"Really?", the other girl asked sarcastically.
But she didn't catch on. "Yes! And then she flirted with my brother during the whole lunch! I don't want her as my sister-in-law! Look at how ugly her dress is!", she complained.
"Well Johanna, first, you call any interaction with a male that isn't in your family, flirting. So, don't judge her about that. And second, her dress may be a little old, but it's certainly not ugly. Look around you, you're the one dressed extravagantly," the girl said with a bored tone.
"Michelle! You're taking her side?!", she shrieked. "And I don't care if I attract attention with my dress. That's what I want after all. I'll attract the attention of my prince," she said rather dreamily. I could literally feel Michelle roll her eyes. I had to hide my laughter.
After that, Johanna went away, to annoy someone else. Michelle approached me. She had dark, straight hair, a straight nose, her lips set into a straight line and a rather straight dress. The only thing that wasn't straight about her were her big amber eyes. "Sorry about her. No one likes her here. She just loves to give new people a hard time and letting them think that she's more important than you," she said, looking at her nails.
I laughed. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. I sat in front of her at lunch, and she decided to be rude to me, so her brother Fabian defended me and we just talked a bit after that. Thank you for defending me, by the way."
"You're welcome. I'm Michelle."
"I'm Anna. Pleasure to meet you," I smiled at her.
She smiled back. "You as well," she replied. "So, you know the princess Elizabeth? You came with her before," she asked.
"Yes, I'm friends with her. She, Gaby and the twins convinced the queen to hire me, I guess."
"The prince Gabriel and the little prince Christophe and princess Lillianne too?", she gasped, looking shocked.
"...Yes?", I asked hesitantly.
"Oh my! You're a first! No one was ever friends with four of the royal children at the same time."
"Oh..."
"And, wait. Let me guess. You talked to prince Thomas too?", she enquired.
"Uh, yes..."
She let out a hysterical laugh. "A friend of the royal children! I'm talking to a friend of the five royal children!", she exclaimed. Elisa turned her head and giggled, obviously having heard her.
"Shh, keep your voice down, it's not that incredible!", I hushed her.
"Oh, but it is! Now tell me what did the queen hire you for?", she asked in a quieter tone.
"I'm a musician," I answered with a smile.
"Ooh, what do you play? When will you play?"
"The pianoforte and the harp. And I'm playing the pianoforte tonight at dinner."
"Great! I can't wait to hear you play!", she said excitedly.
I chuckled. "And since I started working here today, I will be presented tonight."
"That's great to hear. So, when did you start music?"
"When I was five for the pianoforte and seven for the harp. My father hired a teacher for me."
"That's really young!"
"I was a young child interested in music," I smiled.
"So, where are you from?"
"Well, a slightly rich family, but my father died not long ago, and we went bankrupt, so I sold the house and started working here when the queen offered me," I said. That was my explanation every time someone asked me about my family. Naturally, I adapted the story on the person I talked to and where I worked at.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! It must have been hard for you!"
"It's fine. And I like working as a musician," I said, feeling guilty about my lie.
"But still. That's a terrible thing for you," she said frowning.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll enjoy it here," I said reassuringly.
"So, tell me, from which family are you?", I asked, changing the subject.
Her face darkened. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. "Wait, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, it's fine. You're nice, so I'll tell you," she answered. "I never met my family and I plan to keep it that way. They gave me up because apparently, having a fourth girl was unthinkable for them. They wanted a boy. So, they gave me up 21 years ago. But luckily, I was found by the queen Christina of the kingdom. She was heavily pregnant, so she couldn't take care of me, and gave me to the queen Rosalie. So, I grew up here with another friend of the queen as a governess, and she was always nice to me. I consider her as my mother really," she said smiling a bit at the mention of her governess.
I felt a lump in my throat, and my eyes watering. My mother had found her? I was overwhelmed and a bit lightheaded.
"Are you alright?", I heard Michelle ask concerned.
I quickly composed myself again. "That's a heart wrenching story to hear. I'm so sorry it happened to you," I said emotionally.
"It's alright. I can't remember anything anyway. I was too small. It's my governess who told me when I was twelve."
"Just out of curiosity, what's the name of your original family?"
"Rutherford," she said darkly.
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Hi friends,
That was chapter 11! So, what do you think about Michelle and her story?
Don't hesitate to vote, comment and share!! ♡
Love,
Floriane
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Saving Her Kingdom
Historical Fiction(Complete) I backed against the door, and balled my hand into fists, to keep myself from panicking. "I..." Another step. We were now inches apart and he stood in front of me, his face in the shadows. "Who are you?", he asked, his voice sending shive...
