Returning Reign

Chapter 12

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"... Lizzy, and Cartia are all coming with me to finish preparing the ballroom for tomorrow's ball," the head maid gives us all orders and we scatter. Lizzy and I follow the head maid to the ballroom. Just like last time, I was taken back when I found out there would be another ball hosted this weekend. I make a mental note to ask Lizzy how often they occur here.

The ball room is crowded with maids already cleaning the white marble floors and the intricate pillars going up to the high ceilings. The grand staircase that Lizzy and I walked down last Saturday, has a crimson red carpet going down its entirety.

The palace event coordinators are busy telling staff where to put everything, each ball has to be special. Better than the last, it would be exhausting being them. I grab my supplies and work. Since everything is always being cleaned, there is hardly any dust or dirt to clean. But our job is to keep every room spotless at all moments.

The day ends quickly and Lizzy runs up to me after our shift. We walk out of the ballroom in our maid uniforms, a drastic difference from Saturday night.

"Have you studied the map I gave you?" Lizzy pokes fun at my non existent ability to navigate the palace.

"No I have not had the motivation to get around to that," I tell her truthfully.

"Well, how about we meet up in the library in an hour after we have showered and changed, so that we can talk about books and," Lizzys voice lowers for the next part. "Your parents," she looks over at me gauging my reaction.

"Sounds great Lizzy," I nod at her as we approach the doors to our rooms right across the hall from each other.

"You wont get lost this time right?" Lizzy asks me, she surely loves making fun of me. I decide to play along with her humour.

"I just might," I tell her evilly and close the door behind. I grab a very light blue knit sweater and some black leggings from my closet to put on after my shower. I shower quickly and brush out the knots that formed in my black hair during the shower. It might not be the best outfit to wear around in such a formal place, but I dont have many options since I have not left the castle since my arrival. I need to shop for my own clothes, especially since I got paid today in the morning.

I walk into the beautiful library, it never stops amazing me just how beautiful this room is. I feel like this is all a dream and I will wake up in the morning. The library is a dream, my missing parents, that's my worst nightmare.

I thought I would have beat Lizzy on arriving her first but she was sitting on the red velour couch while reading the same book she was reading when I first met her.

"I thought you would have finished that book by now, you're always reading," I tell Lizzy as I get settled into my favorite sitting spot in this room. I always chose the couch with the fireplace to my left, and the grand bookcases to my right.

"I am re-reading it," Lizzy shrugs her shoulders and puts her book down on her lap. She shifts her sitting position so that she is facing me.

"So who does he end up with at the end?" I ask Lizzy about the amusing, overly cheesy and cliche love triangle she was so engrossed with.

"No one!" Lizzy throws her hands up in an exasperated manner.

"Then why are you re-reading that junk?" I snort in laughter at her persistence to read a book with such an awful ending.

"It builds character," Lizzy lifts her face in a defiant manner and holds the book to her as if hugging it.

"And I guess I like the heartbreak," she replies quietly. I look her dead in the eye and we both laugh until we almost roll off the couches and onto the cold, hard, marble floor. Once the laughter is over we get on to planning.

"Since you have lived here your entire life, is there any information that can important to me later on?" I ask Lizzy. She nods and settles her book on the floor, this means serious business is about to take place.

"Queen Vivian is technically not even the official Queen of Zemira," Lizzy starts of with a fact I would not have even dreamed about. My brows furrowed in confusion and I started to write on my notebook all the information.

"King Hugo did not ever officially wed Queen Vivian, they are not even engaged," Lizzy tells me as I continue to write and organize all the growing information. Something here has to be important later on.

"Some people think it is out of respect to the late and almost forgotten Queen Josephine. Or it could be because Queen Vivian and King Hugos relationship started off so scandalously that marrying would be too much," Lizzy is looking around at all time making sure there are no guards or cameras around listening to this conversation. I dont think gossiping about the Royal Family inside their own home is something to do just anywhere carelessly.

"There's also the fact that the Royal Family dont get along. You saw when Prince Nathaniel stormed out of the dining room, or how unhappy he looked to be at the ball last Saturday before he disappeared," Lizzy started talking about the Prince, again.

"Wouldn't the King think almost twenty years after his wife passed away he would be ready to marry the woman he was having an affair with?" I stop writing momentarily to bring her back to topic.

"King Hugo has not been the same since Queen Josephine passed away. They were definitely meant to have their happily ever after, they were end game." Lizzy explains.

"He used to have a soft spot for her, they would hold hands in balls, and they were a young couple that was so madly in love. He is not that way with Queen Vivian. The comparison is like day and night. I have never seen them hold hands, embrace in a hug, or a single peck on the cheek," Lizzy continues her information as I continue writing it all.

"Don't get me wrong, Queen Vivian tries to have these moments with the King but he refuses." Lizzy leans and whispers barely audibly. "I dont think he's ever loved her."

Authors Note:

So, I decided to change my uploading day to Fridays! It works better than Mondays, and I am sorry I posted this chapter a day late.

If I were you, I would pay close attention to the detail in these chapters! You never know what information will be vital at the end :)

-xoxo Ellie Violet