Chapter 11: 11. The Queen
[ Quest: Become a servant in the royal castle, complete !]
[ Congratulations you have unlocked a new ability!
[ This ability only works through physical contact, you can not heal others remotely. You may not be able to heal wounds that are too severe, caused by poisoning or enchantment.
[ Also, the ability may work faster and could be more effective on a person whom you have an emotional connection with ]
[ + 20 points ]
"Thanks," Anna mumbled as she settled into her new chamber in the castle. The room was cosy, with a warm fire crackling in the hearth. Her eye wandered around the room as she admired the furnishing and the large windows that overlooked the castle garden, indeed it was the best chamber in the castle.
"I wonder who was here before?"
As Anna began to unpack her things, her mind turned to get a new ability, she tried to wrap her head around the fact that she could not heal herself and heal others, surely it was a thrilling opportunity and she couldn't wait to test them out even if it means to injure someone herself.
Anna's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a gentle knock on the door, and wondering who had come to pay a visit on her first night in the castle, she responded,
"Come in."
She expected it to be one of the many servants in the castle, maybe even the Princess's handmaid whom she ought to work with. But to Anna's greatest surprise, it was the Queen herself who entered the room accompanied by two maids.
"You majesty," she stammered and took a bow.
The Queen's expression was stern, her eyes narrowing as she gazed upon Anna like a threat.
"So it is you," she said,
"The peasant dancer whom my husband has fallen in love with."
"Okay, why does she make it sound so bad?" Anna thought to herself. She recalled the King saying that the Queen was mean, but she didn't expect to experience it very quickly.
"I'm sorry, my Queen?" Anna mumbled, as though she hadn't heard the Queen correctly.
"I can assure you...
"Shut up!" She snapped, taking Anna by surprise, the maids behind her tried to warn Anna with their eyes, communicating to her that the Queen was trouble and it was better to stay silent.
"I do not speak so much, and you mustn't say a word until I am done, I hope I don't have to repeat that?"
"Apologies, my lady." Anna curtsied.
"Now," the Queen continued, taking a few steps closer to the young woman before her,
"My husband has never been impressed by you dancers' performances, ever... I do not know what charm you possess and what your plans are. But if I see you even six feet away from the King, you wouldn't like me."
Anna felt a surge of fear mixed with indignation, she never had any intentions of pursuing the King, at least that not that is not what the system had asked her to do, and if it happened to be, Anna was in for a lot more drama.
"I assure you, your Majesty, I have no intentions of that sort," Anna said, trying to keep her voice steady while using words that she wouldn't on a normal day.
"I am merely a simple servant, trying to do my job to the best of my ability."
The Queen's expression remained sceptical, as she turned to leave the room, he voice dripped with disdain,
"We'll see about that, Anna, and I know, that you will disappoint me."
With that, she swept out of the room, leaving Anna feeling uneasy and confused. She tried to shake it off by telling herself that she had done nothing wrong, but the Queen's words lingered in her mind.
"System, hope I don't have to... deal with her at all?" She inquired,
"Because now, I know that she would be watching my every move, waiting to see me next to the king."
[ The Queen is very jealous, Emma wrote it that way. Based on her plot outline, the Queen had gone through hell before eventually marrying into the royal family, and is now very sceptical about every lady that the King brings into the castle on his terms.]
"She shouldn't play that game with me though," Anna muttered as she finished unpacking her thing.
[ Congratulations, you have one new reader support!]
"That makes two." Anna chuckled,
"Whoever Emma is, her fans were still waiting for this book to continue. She is an icon then, it's a surprise that I haven't read any of her works."
Once again, she was disrupted by a knock on the door, hoping that it wasn't the Queen this time, she headed for the door to meet whoever it was.
"Miss Anna?" A guard stood before her,
"The Queen has requested your presence in her chamber immediately."
Anna's heart sank to the bottom, she couldn't help but wonder what the Queen wanted with her this time.
"I've only been here for barely an hour, give me a break!" She kept these thoughts to herself and responded to the guards with a smile.
"I'm coming."