Free Web NovelChapter 50: A Shadow to the Moon
Chapter 49: A Shadow to the Moon
Lyria’s POV
By the time I returned to the Queen’s chambers, a full hour had passed.
I knew it had been precisely that long because the great clock in the eastern corridor had tolled the hour just as I stepped from the servants’ washroom. Its solemn chime still echoed faintly in my memory while I walked.
The scent of soap clung to my skin now.
To anyone else, specifically the Queen, I had scrubbed until my hands were nearly raw, and the water in the basin had gone cold twice over. Every trace of the stables had been chased from my clothes, my hair, even beneath my fingernails. The sharp bite of lye soap still lingered faintly in the air around me.
Though, yes, I had scrubbed myself clean but not to the point that they were raw. I had just stayed in the washroom—my little act of defiance against the Queen.
The guards outside the Queen’s door were the same two men as before.
They looked me over when I approached, though this time neither recoiled.
One of them opened the door without a word.
I stepped inside.
The fragrance of roses and incense washed over me at once... again.
It was so thick and sweet it nearly smothered the faint trace of soap clinging to my sleeves.
The Queen had not moved from her chaise.
Jacinta still stood beside her.
The moment the door shut behind me, the Queen’s eyes lifted.
"What took you so long?" she asked me, her gaze raking over me in unmistakable displeasure.
The feeling was mutual, but I couldn’t show it outright after all.
"You are nothing but someone akin to a servant," she continued sharply, her jeweled fingers tapping the arm of the chaise. "Surely washing yourself does not require the better part of an hour."
I bowed immediately.
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty." My voice remained soft and perfectly measured.
Thankfully, my stutter had chosen it was not time to make itself known... the truth was, even in the presence of the Queen, I was calm. I was used to situations like this after all.
"The only reason I delayed so long was because I did not wish to poison Your Majesty’s nose again," I told her softly.
A faint silence settled over the room, but I kept my head lowered.
"I feared that if I hurried, the scent of the stables might still cling to me," I continued politely. "I therefore took great care to scrub everything away so that I might present myself properly before Your Majesty."
I lifted my head just slightly.
"Especially since Your Majesty possesses such a sensitive nose."
The Queen’s eyes narrowed. Her expression hardened into a glare. It was rather obvious she was annoyed. For someone who enjoyed picking on me, she had no control over her emotions.
Before she could speak, Jacinta lifted her chin and drew in a small breath.
She sniffed the air once.
Then again.
"Well," she said at last, with reluctant acknowledgment, "she does smell rather clean, Mother."
The Queen glanced at her daughter.
For a moment she said nothing. Then she gave a short, curt nod.
"Yes," she admitted.
Her gaze returned to me.
"But be as it may, your filth is not the matter for which you were summoned."
Of course, it was not.
The Queen shifted slightly on the chaise, the silk of her gown whispering against the cushions.
"I have called you here," she said slowly, "because it has come to my notice that you are being both disobedient and disrespectful toward the Princess."
I turned my head toward Jacinta instinctively.
Her gaze met mine at once. She looked proud of herself. Even a tad bit delighted.
I lowered my gaze and bowed again to the Queen.
"If I have offended Her Highness in any way, Your Majesty," I said carefully, "then I offer my sincerest apology. It was never my intention to show disrespect to the Princess."
The Queen watched me with cold appraisal.
"Answer me this," she said. "Did the Princess instruct you to present yourself at breakfast with her this morning?"
My answer came immediately.
"No, Your Majesty."
Beside her, Jacinta stiffened. Her eyes snapped toward me with unmistakable fury.
The Queen, however, merely nodded once.
"Yes," she said calmly. "That is precisely the issue."
Jacinta’s glare deepened.
"The Princess should not need to instruct you," the Queen continued coolly. "Such matters ought to be understood without being spoken."
I remained bowed.
"Your Majesty," I said gently, "I fear I fail to understand."
The Queen gave a short, derisive scoff.
"That is hardly surprising." Her lips curved faintly with disdain. "Someone as uneducated as you would naturally fail to understand, even when the matter itself is quite simple."
I made certain my expression remained perfectly blank, even as the words stung. I would not let them have the satisfaction of knowing that they had successfully irritated me.
Silence stretched briefly between us.
Then the Queen leaned forward slightly.
"Tell me, Lyria," she said, her voice smooth and sharp all at once.
"Is it known to you that your duty is to be a shadow to the moon of this empire?"
I lifted my head slightly, feigning confusion.
"I beg Your Majesty’s pardon," I said politely. "Do you mean Her Highness the Princess when you speak of the moon of the empire?"
For the briefest moment, the Queen’s eye twitched. That was a sign that she was annoyed. It was subtle, quick enough that someone less attentive might have missed it entirely.
But I saw it.
The Queen’s voice cooled several degrees.
"You are being insolent."
The words were soft.
"Perhaps," she continued slowly, "you have begun to believe you no longer have reason to fear us."
A small knot formed in my stomach. I wouldn’t call it fear, but it was something close enough to resemble it when necessary.
I swallowed quickly and bowed deeper.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," I said immediately.
I had forgotten for a moment there that I was not just here by myself—my mother was just down the corridor.
"My ignorance was not meant as insolence," I told the Queen.
She studied me for several long seconds.
The room was silent except for the faint hiss of incense burning. At last, she leaned back once more.
Her expression remained sharp.
"Then answer me plainly," she said.
"You know what your position within this palace entails."
Her gaze cut into me.
"You know that your purpose is to remain at the Princess’s side."
Her voice grew colder.
"To attend her. To accompany her. To observe and anticipate her needs before they must be spoken aloud."
"You exist," the Queen continued, "so that my daughter need never lack proper attendance."
She tilted her head slightly.
"And yet," she said, "I am told you have begun to neglect this duty."
Jacinta folded her arms beside her. Her satisfaction was barely disguised.
The Queen’s eyes narrowed again.
"Which brings us to the matter at hand."
Her voice dropped just enough to sharpen the words further.
"You know your responsibility."
Her gaze pinned me in place.
"So tell me, Lyria..."
Her lips curled faintly.
"Why is it that you are refusing to do so?"
The room seemed to grow very still.
Even the scent of roses felt heavier in the air.
The Queen’s eyes did not leave mine as the final question fell between us.
"Why," she repeated coldly, "are you refusing to shadow the Princess?"
