115: Survival in the palace

Survival in the palace

Music Recommendation: Abandoned Secret- Fredrick Jonasson 

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Anastasia watched Queen Maya stare at the wall beside her, her hands resting on her crossed legs. The woman inside the cell appeared bitter and angry, yet maintained a stoic expression. As the surrounding silence enveloped them, the only sound she could hear was the distant clanking of chains coming from various corners of the dungeon. 

When Anastasia turned to look at Theresa, the older woman took it as a cue and proceeded to walk further away from where she initially stood so that she could promptly inform the young woman if anyone were to approach. 

"Were you caught trying to escape from the palace?" Anastasia asked, but Queen Maya only continued to stare at the wall, offering no response. Perhaps the woman didn't want to speak to her, she thought to herself, and just as she was about to depart, she unexpectedly heard her say, 

"It feels like a distant memory that has been buried and obscured amidst other recollections. Something I haven't revisited for many years now." Queen Maya's voice softened from its previous volume. "The place I came from used to experience heavy snowfalls. I had loving parents, a brother who cared for me, and a lover I was engaged to. His name was Oslo. I still vividly remember that fateful evening when my town came under attack." 

"Was it pirates?" Anastasia inquired, feeling a connection to the woman's past. 

"No. It wasn't pirates. It was the soldiers of another kingdom who had attacked us during a blizzard. They captured me and four other women, trading us like sheep before we were eventually brought here," Queen Maya explained, her blue eyes void of emotion. Shifting her gaze towards Anastasia, she added, "You know what happens in this place."

But Anastasia was curious about Queen Maya's attempted escape and the reason for its failure. Additionally, a part of her wanted to understand the woman, who claimed she had not been like this before. Though she didn't believe the woman completely, she was willing to hear her out. She stated, 

"Most of the concubines consider themselves fortunate to be in the presence of the royal family members."

"Is that how you are feeling now?" Queen Maya raised her eyebrow. "Being a prince's exclusive concubine, one on the path to becoming a king. You must be feeling fortunate." 

Anastasia didn't respond to the woman's words at first, before she said, "I never had my eyes on the throne."

"Do you think that when I was brought here, I ever desired any part of it?" Queen Maya huffed, her lips twisting into a frown, before she continued, "Most of us who end up here either long to go home, or seek to remain as close as possible to the throne. But the inevitable truth is that once you arrive here, there's no way back."

"When did you come to that realisation?" Anastasia asked, her sense of hope still intact as she wondered where the breaking point lay. 

"You do have an abundance of questions, don't you?" Queen Maya responded, turning the question back on Anastasia this time. During the last twenty-four hours of being confined in this cell, her only visitors were those who interrogated her about her intentions of working with the Vizier, and her distressed daughter, who had been crying and panicking. The visitor before her now was one she hadn't anticipated. 

"I want to understand where you are coming from, as it might shed light on your motives. Like your decision to choose Lady Evin to act as your son's soulmate, even though she wasn't," Anastasia said in a lowered voice, her words intended only for Queen Maya to hear. The older woman's eyes narrowed, but she remained noncommittal, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. 

"Looks like you are smarter than your sister was," Queen Maya commented as the two women maintained unwavering eye contact. "If a girl who was merely a maid a few days ago is discussing it, it means others have spoken to you about it."

Anastasia disliked it when members of the royal family mentioned her sister, and she especially didn't like it when anyone belittled her sister's memory in her presence. 

"Is that anger in your eyes that I see? The loss of a loved one does change people, doesn't it?" Queen Maya questioned, regaining Anastasia's attention. The woman then proceeded to say, "When I was taken captive, my brother followed in an attempt to get me back. What do you think happened?" 

By the older woman's words, Anastasia didn't have to guess, so she said, "He was killed by the soldiers who captured you?" 

"Not them," Queen Maya's voice hardened, as did the look in her eyes. "My brother came searching for me after he heard that some soldiers had transported the captives to Versailles. It took two long months until I finally saw him, and my joy was indescribable. To see him here, after enduring hell in a place where I didn't belong…" A smile graced her lips at the memory of that moment. However, after a brief pause, the smile faded, and she continued, 

"Just five minutes after meeting him, we were torn apart by the guards. A concubine is considered the royal family's property, belonging exclusively to them, and isn't supposed to allow another man to touch her, nor should any man attempt to do so; these are the strict rules of the palace that I didn't pay attention to at the time. After all, who even thinks about such things when their family is before them…" 

"They killed him," Anastasia whispered, as realisation dawned on her, noting no tears escaped Queen Maya's eyes. 

"In front of me," Queen Maya said as she took a deep breath, with one of her eyebrows subtly raising at the haunting memory. "I witnessed him sacrificing his life for me right before my eyes, but it was all in vain. And the person who ordered his death was the Mother Queen."

Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head in disbelief, saying, "That can't be true." The Mother Queen had been kind and nice to her, and she couldn't believe such a respectful woman would ever order someone's death. 

"I don't care if you believe it or not. That is what happened," Queen Maya said, repositioning herself on the bench before adding, "If you truly want to know if I'm lying, you should ask the woman herself." 

Anastasia wondered why the woman would lie to her about such a matter. Could it be to ruin any possible chance of a budding relationship they might develop? But what if it was true, she questioned herself, considering the possibility. The idea of losing a family member, and witnessing them being killed right before one's eyes, resonated deeply with her. She could empathise with the pain, anguish, heartbreak, and sense of helplessness that such an experience would bring. 

"You knew King Maxwell was in love with my sister, didn't you?" Anastasia asked, her heart clenching as memories of her sister flooded in. "You could have selected her to be his soulmate, but you chose the false soulmate instead."

"Max had spent a considerable amount of time in the Paradise Tower, and if such a thing were to occur, it should have happened weeks before the news about Max's soulmate was announced," Queen Maya responded, without explicitly confirming or denying Lady Evin not being his soulmate. "Maxwell began messing things up as she gained more recognition, and it continued to cause us trouble even after her death." 

"Mary never caused any trouble, and if you didn't want her here, you should have let her go free when she was brought in," Anastasia defended her sister. Frowning, she continued, "You were once in our position. Why didn't you fight for the little girls and young women who were brought here against their will? You did nothing but watch."

Queen Maya took a deep breath before exhaling the air, as if to convey that the matter wasn't as simple as Anastasia perceived it to be. With a smile, she said, 

"My journey until this point hasn't been easy, and I have worked extremely hard for it. Very, very hard." She emphasised the word 'very' to ensure the young woman understood the extent of her efforts. "After my brother's death, I attempted to escape, but was caught and punished. The wounds I received on my legs were so severe that I couldn't walk for days. I realised there was no escape from this place, and if I wanted to help myself, my only path was to rise to the top and become King William's first concubine." 

However, Anastasia found that Queen Maya's answer didn't address her earlier question. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that none of them objected to the concept of forced captivity and slavery. Not the king, not his women, nor the Mother Queen, as it was a deeply ingrained tradition followed for many generations. To them, it was as routine as having a meal, a habit everyone had grown accustomed to. She remarked, 

"It must have made you happy that you were able to become the king's first concubine."

Queen Maya reminisced, recalling the fierce competition she had faced against the other concubines, who all sought to steal the king's attention, and finally, it was she who was chosen to be his exclusive concubine, even though he already had a wife. 

"Sometimes, happiness arrives late but departs early, sooner than one can expect, especially in times of unpredictability," Queen Maya murmured, her words vague and veiled in ambiguity, leaving Anastasia puzzled. 

Queen Maya's thoughts shifted to the day she experienced grief for the second time after her brother's death. 

'Lady Maya, please, you must stay still so I can examine you!' pleaded one of the midwives positioned at her feet. 

'Is the baby alright?! Is he fine?' Maya asked, her back against the bed and her knees pulled upwards. Blood had stained the ground, as she had lost a significant amount. 

After the midwife finished her examination, the older woman pulled away with a grim expression and shook her head, saying, 'I am sorry, Lady Maya. The baby is gone.'

Tears spilt from Maya's eyes, and she demanded, 'W—what do you mean, gone? He was right here with me! He is going to be a prince! Call King William!'

However, the king didn't return to her side as she was told he was busy. Before leaving, the midwife advised her, 'You should wait and allow some time for your body to recover before considering conceiving another child. This is the second time you have lost a baby, which only means you need to rest.'

'How unfortunate to have lost two children before birth,' Maya overheard one of the maids whisper as they left the room. 'No wonder the king is showing interest in the new courtesan to secure an heir.'

And though she eventually gave the king two children, it didn't please him as much as she had hoped and planned. This was because another courtesan turned concubine, Lucretia, had already given him a prince before she could. Even when it came to daughters, she had given him the second princess, leaving her position in the palace delicate and precarious. 

And it took her many years before she knew she had the chance to gain favour from the king. Queen Maya said, 

"I did what I had to do to protect myself. To protect my children. To survive, and, given a chance, I wouldn't have changed a thing."

But she drove her son to take his own life, Anastasia thought to herself. Or was it her resemblance to Marianne that burdened King Maxwell with guilt to his death?

Anastasia coaxed the woman to reveal the truth about everything that had conspired, "You cannot change what has happened in the past, but we can mend the future. There can be peace within the family and a chance to rectify the errors made by others before us." 

Queen Maya chuckled at Anastasia's words and retorted, "Do you truly believe there can be peace? When it has been hours since my son died, and I haven't been given the chance to see his face? If I were that cruel, either I or Maxwell could have forbidden Dante from seeing his mother as well. Nobody thinks that way." 

"It is your actions that have led them to make the decision. Which is why it is necessary for you to come clean, before you lose your last chance that now capriciously hangs by a thread," Anastasia's words left her lips seamlessly after spending minutes alone talking with this woman. 

"You might think that your future is secure, having the favour of a prince who will become a king," Queen Maya stated with a bitter smile before continuing, "Because I thought the same, how they make you feel as if you are the only one, until you cannot provide what they want and they look for someone else to replace you." 

"I am aware of it, thanks to you," Anastasia replied. She had seen it happen to her sister and now had heard the same from this woman, but she wouldn't know how much of it was the truth until she verified it with someone else. When she noticed Theresa hurrying towards her, she turned to Queen Maya and offered her a bow, saying, "Thank you for talking with me."

As they started moving away from Queen Maya's cell, Anastasia heard a snapping sound akin to twigs being broken, making her pause and causing her to turn around to look behind. And as they continued down the passage, a shadow stood at the other end, watching them leave. 

Aziel, searching for the Mother Queen, came to stand before the room where the Jeremiah family was present. As his gaze fell upon the young woman, who had been sleeping for weeks but now sat upright, holding her head in her hands, the minister's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly ran from there. 

"Have you seen the Mother Queen?!" he asked one of the servants. 

After ten minutes, he finally found her walking in one of the corridors, and he wheezed as he stood before her. The Mother Queen's lips tightened, and she said, "How many times have I told you not to run, Aziel? Not only is it unseemly, but unlike me, you aren't in the prime of your life." 

"She's…awake! Lady Evin!" Aziel informed her, and the woman's eyebrow arched in surprise. 

On the floor above, as Anastasia reached the room where Princess Emily was standing with her mother, watching over the king being prepared to be placed in the glass case, they heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside. And like a ghost, Lady Evin appeared at the door. 

"My soulmate is dead! What happened to him?!" Lady Evin cried as she stepped inside the room and walked towards Maxwell's bed. 

Everyone was surprised to see her awake. Anastasia and Emily stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to react, while Lady Sophia stepped forward, saying, 

"Lady Evin, you should be in bed. What are you doing here?"  1

"My parents told me what happened," Lady Evin said with a look of despair as she gazed at Maxwell's pale face. "How could life be so cruel and take him away from me?! Just when I am awake! As the queen, I order a court meeting!" 

Lady Sophia's eyes narrowed at the oblivious young woman, who thought she was the Queen of Versailles. She said, "The court meeting was held a while ago, and it was handled by a member of the Blackthorn family."

"Without involving me?" Lady Evin blinked, as if they should have known that she would wake up. 

Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of another pair of footsteps, and as everyone turned in unison, they realised it was Dante. 

Like Anastasia, he had also changed his clothes. As he stepped forward, her eyes were drawn to his hair, noticing that the ends were still damp. A single drop of water trickled down his neck, only to vanish into steam. Soon after, the Mother Queen and Aziel appeared at the door. 

"Lady Evin, it's a pleasure to see you have woken up," Dante addressed the woman, who had tears in her eyes. "Our grandmother here believed it would be rude to send you back to where you come from while you were still asleep."

"Send me back home? Why?" Lady Evin asked, feeling perplexed because, without her knowledge, she had been made to feel that she was Maxwell's soulmate and had a rightful place in the royal family's matters as well as the courtroom. 

"Because you aren't Maxwell's soulmate. Everything was a deception, and unfortunately, you fell for it," Dante didn't miss a beat in delivering the news to the entitled woman, causing her mouth to hang open. 

Lady Evin's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "That's not possible," she protested, feeling offended by the first prince's words, "I have an inexplicable ache in my chest because of King Maxwell's death." 

When Dante raised his hand in front of him, a tense atmosphere settled over everyone in the room, as they didn't want to see the woman explode. Although Lady Evin wasn't aware of what had been happening while she slept, she could sense that she should be frightened right now, especially considering the expressions worn by everyone else in the room. 

"With all my past memories back from the underworld, there is one way to obtain the proof, if it's still around. I do have some matters to settle," Dante remarked calmly. 

Anastasia noticed the air in the room turning cold as a breeze entered through the windows. The objects around them shook slightly, making everyone wonder what Dante was planning until his hand moved to the side. 

A small black ball emerged from the ground, floating in the air, before it moved towards Maxwell and sunk into his chest. And a second later, the dead man let out a gasp. 

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