65: Golden moon's significance

Golden moon's significance

1Anastasia stood on one side of the room, while Princess Emily sat on the edge of the bed next to the sick woman. 

It seemed like the princess and the lady had a little secret between them, aiming to prevent the princess from marrying the first man her mother found agreeable, Anastasia thought. As they continued speaking to each other, she noted how Princess Emily didn't treat the woman badly, even though she was her father's mistress.

"Oh, you are almost done with the scarf," Princess Emily said, leaning forward to pick up a blue scarf from the bed and looking at it. "It is a lovely colour."

Lady Lucretia smiled and said, "There's still a little more to knit before I bind it off. Then it should be done and Dante can wear it."

"I am sure he will. I love the one you made for me. I still cherish it," Princess Emily beamed happily before placing the scarf down. "I thought to spend some time with you before we return tomorrow morning."

"Ah. It is already time to leave," Lady Lucretia acknowledged. "We will all miss you."

"Me too, Lady Lucretia. I hope that all of you can return to the main palace soon," Princess Emily said hopefully, her eyebrows furrowed. "It feels strange there. Almost foreign, especially during the time Brother Dante was away for the war."

"Everything will be fine, and we are only a short distance away from the main palace. You can always come visit whenever you feel like seeing us," Lady Lucretia assured the princess, who nodded. She then asked, "How are your marriage prospects looking?"

"Ah, about that!" Princess Emily exclaimed before throwing her arms around Lady Lucretia and whispering, "Thank you so much for requesting that the soothsayer meet with Mother. Thanks to the soothsayer's prophecy that I will meet my soulmate, Mother hasn't forced me to spend more time than necessary with a man before rejecting him." 

After a few minutes passed, one of the servants came to the entrance of the room and informed them, "Princess Emily, your mother summons you."

"Excuse me, Lady Lucretia. I will be back soon," Princess Emily offered a bow to the lady. When Anastasia went to follow her, the princess said, "Stay here, Anna," and stepped out of the room. 

Anastasia stared at the ground, waiting for Princess Emily to return. And as she stood there, she heard the lady in the bed start to cough. The woman's body shook with harsh tremors. Not knowing what to do, she quickly poured water into a glass and came to the bedside. 

When she offered her the glass, the lady took three sips from it. As Anastasia took the glass away, the older woman said, 

"Thank you… Anna was it?" 

Anastasia nodded in response. Lady Lucretia said, "There's no one in the room but us. You can use your voice and words to reply." 

Anastasia's face paled when she realised that Lady Lucretia knew about her secret. Her hands clenched, and she stared at the sick woman, who stared right back at her. 

"…" 

Lady Lucretia had thought to join the others for breakfast this morning, knowing her son would be leaving the old palace tomorrow. And it was by chance that she had overheard the whispers between Prince Aiden and the maid. She ordered, "Why don't you close the door?" 

Anastasia nodded, "… Yes, milady." She walked to the door and closed it, but didn't lock it. She turned around and returned to the bedside. 

"Why do you act as if you don't have a voice when you can speak?" Lady Lucretia patiently questioned her. "Do you understand the consequences a lie can bring to you in this palace when the truth is exposed?"

Anastasia quickly offered a deep bow and replied, "I didn't mean to bring any harm to anyone through my silence, milady. It began as a means to avoid a certain situation many years ago and nothing more than that. Please don't inform the others," she pleaded in a whisper. 

Lady Lucretia stared at the young maid. She stated, "But there are people who are already aware of it, aren't there?" 

Anastasia raised her head, and she met the lady's curious eyes. She nodded, "There are some people who are aware."

"And is my son one of them?" Lady Lucretia continued to question the maid. 

"Yes, milady…" 

Lady Lucretia's chin tipped up in thought. Her son, being the first child of King William, had been raised to follow the rules and to set an example. She found it rather surprising that instead of dealing with it, he was concealing this young woman's lie. He had lied to her, and it only confirmed the suspicion that had been sown in her mind. 

Anastasia felt the palms of her hands turn clammy, and she discreetly wiped them against the sides of her skirt. She didn't meet the lady's eyes, as it was rude to stare at members of the royal family. 

"I overheard one of the servants speaking about a fight that took place in the village, which involved my son and Prince Aiden," Lady Lucretia said, before another coughing fit wracked her body; this time, she coughed up blood into her hands. 

Anastasia stepped forward and started cleaning the blood off the woman's hands with the help of a wet cloth when the lady asked, "Did the scuffle happen because of you?"

Though Anastasia knew she wasn't the entire reason for the fight, she didn't want to upset the lady over what Issac had remarked about the woman's earlier life. She answered, "It was because of me, milady. It began with words, and it ended with fists." 

"I see. Where are you from, Anna? Is that your name?" Lady Lucretia raised her eyebrows to confirm.

"A—Anastasia. But everyone calls me Anna," Anastasia wondered if the lady was only curious or if she was deciding whether or not to expose her secret. "I am from a small village called Hawkshead. Far away from Versailles."

"Most of us in the palace come from other lands," Lady Lucretia responded, and Anastasia noticed the older woman smile as if remembering something. She then said, "In my time, there was a certain courtesan. She was beautiful and tall, and her eyes would turn a shade lighter in the sunlight. If she hadn't been beheaded by King William, I wouldn't be here. She was from Drumfell too."

"Drumfell," Anastasia repeated as she picked up on the 'too' in the lady's words. 

"Though you are from the same country, I doubt you are from the same place as her," Lady Lucretia said, staring at the young woman, who looked worried. She said, "I won't tell on you, Anna."

Hearing this, Anastasia became relieved, "Thank you, Lady Lucretia!" She finally knew the name of her country!

"But there is something else I am curious about," Lady Lucretia said, her eyes briefly moving towards the door, as Princess Emily hadn't returned yet. Anastasia waited for the lady to speak before hearing the question, "What is your relationship with my son? Did something happen between you two?"

Anastasia's expression froze, and she stared at Lady Lucretia. Were rumours about them already floating around? She saw the older woman patiently wait for her to speak. 

Already caught in a lie, Anastasia wasn't sure if she was supposed to deny what had transpired in her room last night. 

While Lady Lucretia understood the maid's silence as an affirmation, she was oblivious as to what happened between her son and the maid the previous night. Her question pertained to what she heard in the main palace, where rumour had spread about Dante sleeping with this young woman. 

"So that is how it is," Lady Lucretia murmured as she stared at the young woman before her.

Anastasia felt the woman continue to stare at her before she said, "Come closer, Anna." And when she did, Lady Lucretia took a close look at her. "I wonder if I will get to see my grandchildren before my time is up."

G-grandchildren?! Anastasia's face turned pink, and she stepped away when the lady leaned back against the pillow. She said, "You will live long yet, milady," and saw the older woman smile softly. 

"There was a time when I wanted to die. And now I wish I had another day. Life is strange with all its odd possibilities," Lady Lucretia stated, her voice steady. 

A curious Anastasia turned around before slowly asking, "Was it because you were stolen from your family, milady?" 

Lady Lucretia was lost in deep thought before she replied, "No. I was happy when I was transported across many seas because I wasn't happy before that. My family… We were poor. My father drowned himself in alcohol, while my mother took out her pain and frustrations on me and my sister. My sister ran away without a word, and things got worse. So when I was shipped away at the age of fifteen, things got better for me. Maybe not ideal, but better. It feels like it's been a long time since I last recollected this memory," she smiled at Anastasia. 

Anastasia weighed Lady Lucretia's words and heard the lady ask her, "At what age were you brought to Versailles?" 

"I was ten, milady," Anastasia replied, and the lady hummed. 

Lady Lucretia remarked, "A tender age."

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and Princess Emily stepped in. She apologised, "Forgive me for not returning sooner and continuing to keep you company, Lady Lucretia. Mother was talking about finding a box in her room in the main palace, as well as the golden moon."

"That's fine. Anna and I were enjoying each other's company," Lady Lucretia smiled, and Princess Emily didn't suspect anything while returning to sit next to the ill woman. She continued, "The moon yesterday was indeed beautiful. So round and big, almost as if… if you reached out your hand towards it, you could touch it."

"I should have witnessed it," Princess Emily was disappointed. She had been busy with her books and had eventually fallen asleep with an open book on her face. 

"The soothsayer said next month the moon will be in its glory again. You should mark the calendar so that you don't miss it," Lady Lucretia said to the young princess. 

Anastasia tried to remember last night's moon, but her mind had been preoccupied with what Issac had commented, and her eyes were fixed on the back of Dante's head. She heard Princess Emily say, 

"Mother is writing a letter to Grandmother. To host a celebration on the day of the golden moon."

"I think I know what Lady Sophia is trying to do," Lady Lucretia responded, with her eyebrows subtly furrowing. She said, "The golden moon comes twice every year. Once every six months, and it is usually when the chances of finding your soulmate are higher than usual. Something to do with its energy. It is why most of the celebration is held when the moon is out."

"I don't think I have ever paid attention to it before," Princess Emily muttered, and Anastasia, who was paying attention to their conversation, couldn't help but listen in. 

Lady Lucretia said, "Your mother must be hoping to have you and Aiden find your soulmates." 

"I think it will happen when it needs to happen. We have attended all of the past celebrations," and she hadn't found her soulmate, even though younger women of other kingdoms had found their destined partners. 

Lady Lucretia placed her hand on Princess Emily's hand and smiled, "When you meet your soulmate, he won't be able to resist the bond. A male is the first one to feel it, much more than a female does. And when he finds you, he won't let you go. At least, that is what Mother Queen told us once. I hope she is doing well."

Back in the main palace, the Mother Queen stood in the deserted corridor where vines and creepers curled around the pillars and tried to crawl along the floor. She stared at the wilted Blackthorn rose with great interest without moving closer to it. 

"I thought I would be happy to see it bloom, but somehow, it worries me," the old woman muttered to herself. 

"Talking to yourself, Mother Queen?" Queen Maya stepped into the corridor, approaching the place where the woman was standing. 

The Mother Queen turned to look at the newly-titled queen and responded, "I thought it was better to talk to myself. Who knows if you would claim that I am conspiring if I were to talk to old people." 

"You mean the ministers," Queen Maya knew the Mother Queen well enough to cut off her resources. "What are you doing here with the Blackthorn rose?" 

"Admiring its deadly thorns. How is your daughter-in-law? Still a sleeping beauty?" The Mother Queen inquired, turning back to look at the thorns. 

If there was one thing Maya despised, it was the Mother Queen's sarcastic remarks. She said, "She is still sleeping. Let us hope that your antidote was the right one."

While Queen Maya stared at the wilted rose with a look of suspicion, the Mother Queen decided that she had spent enough time there and took three steps away from where she had been standing before pausing and asking, 

"Do you know when the last full moon was?" 

"Wasn't it yesterday?" Queen Maya responded, and the new queen saw the older woman count on her fingers. 

The Mother Queen frowned. How did she miss it? It was probably because she had passed out early last evening. Her body must have caught up to her age. That meant the golden moon would arrive next month, she thought to herself. 

"What's wrong?" Queen Maya asked the Mother Queen. 

"Here's an interesting fact. The golden moon has a hint of redness to it if you look at it closely. Did you know that the golden moon is directly related to the curse that was placed on Versailles? The day when the trees died, along with the Blackthorn rose?" The Mother Queen asked the younger woman. 

"I think all the members of the royal family are aware of it," Queen Maya responded.

The Mother Queen said in a lowered voice, "That isn't all though. When the curse fell, something was trapped in here. In this very palace."

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