56: Where have I seen you?

Where have I seen you?

The following day, a palanquin was dispatched from the royal palace to the old palace. The Mother Queen stood at the front of the palace with her minister, who now asked her, 

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you, Mother Queen?" Aziel looked worried. 

"I can take care of myself, Aziel. What I need from you is to look after Lucretia, considering her weak health," the Mother Queen instructed him. She said, "Maya is making sure to keep people away from the palace by imposing difficult conditions. Let me go and see what has been going on in my absence and also take a look at the wilted rose. With Noor now here too, she will stay by Lucretia's side, so you won't have to worry too much."

Aziel informed her, "Lady Lucretia's health has continuously deteriorated, and the medicines have been of no use."

The Mother Queen said, "Lucretia's health had taken a hit many years ago, ever since William stopped seeing her with the same affection he once had for her. It is only now that it is physically evident." She paused for a moment and then continued, "Our traditions and culture allow a king to take more than one woman, but with the idea that the woman and her children would be well taken care of. Sometimes it isn't just about putting a roof over their heads or food on their plates. It is about love, and when there's no love, there is pain," she sighed. 

The old woman climbed inside the palanquin, and before the men carrying it began to move, the minister assured her, 

"I will keep you informed."

"I expect nothing less. I will visit in the near future," the Mother Queen said, and soon the palanquin set off. 

Back in the royal palace, Anastasia cleaned one of the guest rooms with Theresa. With the news about Lady Evin falling sick and the wedding being postponed, most of the guests had decided to leave the palace one by one out of fear that the palace had been touched by ill fortune. First, it was the deceased King William, and now Lady Evin was on the brink of her death. 

Noticing Anastasia's worried expression, Theresa asked, "Has there been any progress with Lady Evin's condition?" 

Anastasia shook her head, "None. I would say she was dead if it weren't for her pulse."

"I don't think I have heard anything like it before," Theresa whispered, then said, "The palace is so quiet that even the maids are scared to say a word about it. King Maxwell must be in a rage that he might lose his soulmate."

"He is, and he blames his sisters for it. But it isn't Princess Emily's fault," Anastasia removed the pillow covers and put them in the basket. She hoped the king wouldn't punish the older princess. She said, "There is something that I haven't told anyone, Auntie. There was this one time when I got pricked by it, but nothing happened."

Theresa's eyes widened, and she quickly approached Anastasia's side to look closer at the young woman. She asked, "When did that happen? Are you alright?" 

"I am fine," Anastasia assured the older woman before saying, "They were saying the Blackthorn rose was dead, but it could be alive now. Do you know what that means?" 

"Unfortunately, we servants don't have any knowledge about it, and to tell you the truth, though I have been working here for more than three decades, never once had I seen what or how it looks like," Theresa replied to her with a frown. "Don't go near something so dangerous, Anna."

Once they were done cleaning the current room, they moved to the next guest room before removing the bedsheets and replacing them with a new set. Theresa remarked, 

"It feels like Versailles is going through a hard time, not to mention the current reign. You know… I don't mean to encourage you, but it is something that crossed my mind. This is a good time if you want to escape these walls and this kingdom."

Usually, Theresa was against the idea of Anastasia and her sister putting themselves in danger by risking being caught, but after what happened to Marianne, the older woman's heart ached. She didn't want Anastasia to share the same fate when she had lied to the royal family. 

Theresa whispered, "The guests are still boarding the ships and you can follow them. I also carry this with me, just in case you ever need it," she pulled the gold coin from her pocket to show Anastasia. 

"I cannot believe that you are telling me to flee," Anastasia softly chuckled before the smile fell from her face. She said, "If it was another time, I would have done it without a second thought. But I need to know who killed Marianne."

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"Anna," Theresa took Anastasia's hand and said, "I cannot wait for the culprit to be caught and punished for stealing an innocent woman's life. But this moment that we live in now, it is a dark time. Sometimes, some things will entangle you in a way that make escaping impossible. What if you get hurt while looking for the person?"

"I haven't looked for the murderer yet, because I don't know where to begin," Anastasia looked down at their joined hands and continued, "But I am hoping that I will find out, if not… I will take Mary with me and leave."

She had stored her sister's ashes in a clay pot, which would be the first thing she would take with her when the time came for her to leave. Sometimes, when she came across the courtesans, she felt a pang of pain in her chest because her eyes searched for her sister, who wasn't there. Since her sister's death, she wondered what she would tell her parents about Marianne's whereabouts when she would reunite with them. 

When Anastasia's eyes filled with tears, she picked up the dirty laundry and said, 

"I will put these down for the maids to collect later for cleaning." 

After placing all the sheets in the room where all the laundry was collected, before it would be sent to the river to clean, Anastasia was heading back to where Theresa was when she met Prince Aiden on her way. She offered him a small bow, and was about to walk past him when she heard him say, 

"Anna, could I have a moment with you?" 

Anastasia nodded before following him. Once they reached a deserted corridor, Prince Aiden said, "I am sorry about your sister. I realised it rather late that my brother's concubine was your sister."

"I am sorry about your father," Anastasia offered her condolences, and an awkward silence filled the air around them. She asked him, "How are you holding up?" 

Prince Aiden nodded his head, "Trying to keep myself afloat. How about you?" 

"Same," Anastasia replied. Pursing her lips, she said, "I am sorry for escaping that day."

"It wasn't your fault. We didn't know something so horrifying was going to take place, and it was my decision," Prince Aiden murmured before saying, "I am surprised you don't think I am the murderer. Most of them do, at least Queen Maya does." It was evident that the blame would have fallen on him, considering no one had seen him in the palace only because he was planning to escape, like her. 

Anastasia replied, "I don't think it makes sense that you would try to kill someone when you were leaving… Can I ask something, if I may?" 

"Go ahead. You don't need to ask permission from me," Prince Aiden said. 

"Why did you want to escape?" Anastasia didn't know if Prince Aiden knew what life outside the palace walls was like because it was not akin to some random visit to the Bazaar. 

Prince Aiden smiled at her question, though it didn't reach his eyes. He said, "Because I feel suffocated here. You must wonder what a prince who has everything and barely anything to worry about has to feel suffocated by?" 

"I think everyone has their own troubles," Anastasia replied to him. 

"When you are the king's legitimate wife's son, expectations are placed on you. It doesn't make it easy that your older brothers are better than you, which I have no complaints about, and I am truly happy for what they have achieved, but I realised I was more happy when I am outside, than when I am here. I feel the walls closing in on me," Prince Aiden looked away from her as he stepped closer to the window next to them and looked outside. 

He said, "I have been told by my mother and others before to learn and follow my siblings' example, but my way of thinking is different from theirs. I only wanted to breathe freely, which is why I didn't stop you when I understood that you wanted to escape. People like us, Anna, we crave freedom. To be our own person rather than what people want to label us as. Ironically, the privilege of freedom doesn't exist and is only imaginary."

Anastasia wondered how much regret Prince Aiden was filled with, like her, hoping things could be different. It also made her question if he regretted chasing his freedom, which had now put his family in the cruel hands of his second brother. 

"I am sorry that you feel that way, Prince Aiden," Anastasia apologised. Because people only saw what they wanted to see, they called him the black sheep of his family without knowing the struggle he went through. Like her, he had been chasing after his freedom. 

"Aiden, Anna. I think I would like to share and rely on my friend now," Prince Aiden offered her a cheeky smile as if they hadn't had a deep conversation. 

"Your sister was a beautiful woman, Anna. Inside and out."

"Thank you for saying that," Anastasia replied, wondering if her sister had spent time with him. She asked him, "About my sister and King Maxwell… do you know anything about their relationship?"

Prince Aiden frowned as if to recollect and then said, "Maxwell seemed to hold an affection towards your sister," He cleared his throat and said, "Maxwell and I, uh, we are sort of alike when it comes to women… It must be something we got from our father. Maxwell did spend his time with other women, and his eyes wandered, but he enjoyed your sister's company before Lady Evin's appearance in his life."

"I sometimes get this feeling… It's a stupid one," Anastasia's voice was low, and she said, "That she was probably more than just a courtesan to him. Something similar to a… soulmate."

Prince Aiden's eyes widened, and he said, "I—uh, don't think so. What I mean to say is, there have been a few rare occurrences where a person has two soulmates. If what you think is true, then Maxwell wouldn't have resisted the bond, and she would have instantly been turned into his wife, but that isn't the case… Like how he's ready to kill his own siblings for harming Lady Evin; that's what a soulmate does. Irrational if you ask me."

Anastasia wondered if Maxwell was indeed the killer, which was why a speck of guilt made him wander in the middle of the night. 

Suddenly one of the servants appeared and informed, "Prince Aiden, Mother Queen Ginger has arrived in the palace." 

"I will be there in a minute," Prince Aiden said, dismissing the servant from the corridor. 

"Thank you for answering my questions, Prince Aiden," Anastasia was about to bow her head when Aiden placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. 

"Just Aiden. As friends, we shouldn't hold such formality between us, at least not when it is just us two alone," Prince Aiden smiled at her before disappearing from the corridor. 

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Anastasia finished her work with Theresa before she returned to Princess Emily in time to see the Mother Queen enter the room where Lady Evin still lay unconscious on the bed. The Mother Queen remarked, 

"Look what happens when I am gone. Disaster," she walked near the bed while the people in the room bowed at her. 

"Did you bring the antidote with you?" King Maxwell asked her, and the older woman smiled. 

"I have," the Mother Queen replied, and her hands reached for her necklace. A long pendant hung on it, which she opened by flipping its top cap. "Make the girl drink it."

The physician took hold of the pendant containing the liquid inside and made Lady Evin drink it until the last drop. But when the black spots on the young lady's body didn't disappear, Queen Maya asked, 

"It is the right antidote, isn't it?"  2

"Unless someone stole my necklace and replaced it with a similar one, yes, it is the antidote," the Mother Queen replied with a soft harrumph at the end of her sentence. She said, "It will take time for the antidote to work. The good news is that she won't die."

The physician turned to the king, saying, "It would be good if we let the lady rest and allow her body to expel the poison slowly."

"Emily dear, your mother received a proposal for you," the Mother Queen said, "A word with you outside on why you failed to talk to Mr. Hyde."

Princess Emily followed her grandmother, and so did Anastasia out of the room. The princess said, 

"Grandmother, I won't be marrying Mr. Hyde."

"I don't want you marrying him either," her grandmother stated, which had her confused. "I want you to tell me what exactly has been happening during my absence. If you have any gossip, don't be shy to share it with me. Especially about what happened in the forbidden garden because I heard you were there."

"Yes, Grandmother," Princess Emily turned, relieved about the development regarding the marriage. 

Anastasia was the Mother Queen's coat bearer, which she now carried as she followed them, listening to the princess spill everything like a dutiful granddaughter. From King Maxwell's soulmate to the Blackthorn rose, finally ending with Prince Dante. 

"… the concubine stayed in Brother Dante's room until the wake of dawn," Princess Emily said when they reached the front of the Mother Queen's room. 

Anastasia quickly walked forward and opened the door for them, and they stepped inside. 

"I am appalled and excited about this news, Emily!" The Mother Queen exclaimed with a look of shock on her face. "I told him to deal with the situation, but I didn't expect him to finally listen to my recommended approach. Though removing the rule of no Crux, no throne is something Aziel and I have been working on, the situation is still difficult. So tell me more about this concubine!" 

"The concubine's name is Kailani. Dark hair, bright eyes. She is pretty," Princess Emily nodded in affirmation. 

The Mother Queen took a seat in her armchair, and turned to Anastasia, "You. Go and fetch this concubine who broke through the impenetrable wall." 

Anastasia offered a bow and left. Arriving at the front of the concubines' quarters, her eyes moved around the place. Some of the concubines were playing music, and at the higher ground sat Queen Maya, Lady Evin's mother and Princess Niyasa to relieve the stress they had been carrying. 

Madame Minerva walked up to her, and Anastasia felt a sliver of fear ripple through her chest. It was because, in her eyes, this woman had always been a villain who had torn her sister away from her when they had first arrived at the palace. 

"What do you want?" Madame Minerva asked, placing her hand on her waist. 

Anastasia moved her hands, pointing towards the concubines and mentioning the Mother Queen by indicating the short length of hair. 

"What the hell did you even say?" Madame Minerva turned annoyed. 

Princess Niyasa saw Anastasia and said, "That is Lily's mute maid. Let her in." Once Anastasia came near, she heard someone call 'Kailani', and she pointed her finger at her. The princess asked, "She's being summoned?" 

"It must be the Mother Queen," Lady Maya murmured, and she said, "Kailani, go with the maid."

Anastasia led the concubine towards the Mother Queen's room, and once they were there, she took the woman inside. Going further inside, she noticed the Mother Queen holding an empty glass and a bottle of liquor in front of her. 

"Grandmother, Kailani is here," Princess Emily let her grandmother know, who had downed one glass as a 'celebration'. 

"Stand in front of me. A little closer," the Mother Queen ordered the concubine, who was more than happy to do it. "Hmmm," the old woman hummed while she took a look at the concubine's face and her other features. "I hear that you were of service to my grandson. Here, take this as a gift," she dropped a jewel into the concubine's hands. 

"Thank you so much, Mother Queen! Thank you!" Kailani thanked her, brimming with pure happiness. 

"Now, make sure that once Dante returns, I have a grandchild. The sooner, the better, you hear?" The Mother Queen ordered the concubine with a smile. Though Kailani smiled right now as she was blinded by the shine of the jewel she received, she didn't realise that having children with the first prince was a faraway dream because stepping into his bedroom would be impossible.

While Princess Emily talked to the concubine, the Mother Queen said to Anastasia, "Fill me another glass."

Anastasia quickly stepped forward, picking up the liquor bottle and coming closer to the Mother Queen, who didn't let go of the glass. As she poured the liquor, making sure it didn't spill, she suddenly felt the old woman stare at her. 

She hoped the woman would look back at the beautiful concubine, but instead, the woman's eyes subtly narrowed before she heard the Mother Queen murmur, 

"Why does it feel like I have seen you somewhere before, hm?" Her eyebrows rose in question, "Where?" She whispered. 

Anastasia's hands turned cold, and she held the bottle tighter. She shook her head and slowly raised her shoulders as if she didn't know.  Though the Mother Queen didn't say anything and Anastasia stepped away from her, standing quietly behind, it took a couple of seconds for the old woman's gaze to shift to the concubine. 

Back in the concubine's quarters, Princess Niyasa turned to her mother and asked, "Mother, have you thought about whom to use to fill the vacant positions of the two courtesans?"

The Vizier was the one in charge of trading with the pirates, bringing in new people so they would be assigned to the most suitable positions within the palace. Queen Maya, who was looking at the concubines, said, 

"I haven't had time to think about it because of the recent events."

"If you don't mind, Mother… Lily's maid doesn't look that bad, and Brother Dante slept with her too. There must be something in her, no?" Princess Niyasa asked her mother. 

"She's a mute, so it would be useless to have someone like her here. Your grandmother recommended her too. Looks like she left a lasting impression on everyone," Queen Maya commented and said, 

"But let me take a closer look at her later, and see if she is fit to be a courtesan or a concubine." 

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