19 NINETEEN: Restless pt 3
"Appalling? How bold to speak so confidently of things you do not know."
The rebuttal sounded like a confession to every ear.
Except, it did not come from the lips of the only member of the Despised Clan seated at the table. Rather, the woman at the head of the table, whose friendly smile had turned to ice, was the one who spoke.
The girl who first spewed the accusatory words gulped.
"I can tell right away that neither of you belong to that clan," she rapidly began backtracking.
"How can you tell?"
Not all the women at the table had felt the chill of Habeth's icy expression.
"They say you can always identify a member of the Despised Clan," the first woman hastily explained, nervously checking Habeth's reaction. "You only have to look for the colorful woven bands."
"Oh, I've heard that before, too!" Another Candidate piped in. "So it's true, then!"
Esther clenched her fist in her lap.
Again.
Again, she must be subjected to the ridiculing of her clan for the simple bands they wore to symbolize their faith.
"The Banai Clan enjoys gaudy accessories as well, right, Queen Candidate, Farah?" Habeth aimed her words this time at the girl who had most recently spoken. "Or was that simply a rumor as well?"
Esther managed to hold her face steady despite the shocking words, but many girls at the table reacted.
"That is simply a rumor, Queen Candidate, Habeth."
The woman lowered her head as she fumbled with one of her bracelets, turning red from the obvious scoffs and snorts around her.
The feeling Esther had, that Habeth was kind, had all but disappeared, only to be replaced with apprehension.
Being a source of peace in the midst of conflict, or a peacemaker as Esther had grown up hearing, was a value highly praised by the Believers. In fact, that very doctrine was the reason the Despised Clan kept their heads down and allowed themselves to be discriminated against.
But now, Esther squirmed in her seat as she glanced at the girl with her head bowed, Queen Candidate, Farah. She didn't deserve to be ridiculed, and Esther wished desperately to put a stop to it.
But defending the woman would only add to the tension. Plus, Esther was unacquainted with her, and had no intentions of lying simply for the sake of refuting Habeth's statement.
Her only options now were to sit quietly and listen or to try to distract the Queen Candidates with something else.
Despite all the reasons to keep her head down and mind her own business, Esther could not do so. Whether it was the years of being indoctrinated with the values of Abraham's God or the strong sense of justice she had been born with, something inside her refused to let the matter be.
Instead, she hastily calculated the best way to cause a distraction. Dozens of viable strategies were available, but she quickly narrowed it down to just one.
She looked at Queen Candidate, Habeth one more time, offering a silent apology, before moving her gaze down to the woman's half-full tea cup.
"Eek!"
"Oh my, please forgive my clumsiness," Amidst the squeals from around the table, Esther desperately apologized to Habeth, whose teacup was now sitting upside down in her lap.
"I am so very sorry," Esther repeated her apology, clasping her hands together. ".. Your dress!"
Queen Candidate Habeth looked at her dress and then back up at the noisy women at the table. In order to silence them, she held up her hands.
"I'm quite alright."
Her warm smile returned once again as she turned to Esther.
"If you would like to make up for your mistake, please accompany me to change my attire," she requested.
Esther took a deep breath.
It wasn't the idea of accompanying another person while they changed their clothes that made her nervous so much as worry that Habeth would direct her anger toward her once they were alone.
"Of course," Esther returned the Candidate's smile. "Thank you for your graciousness."
"The rest of you may leave now," Habeth waved her hand as she rose from the table. "I shall host another party at some future date."
With another eruption of chatter, the women all charged toward Habeth, each offering their sympathies and assistance, but they were effectively cut off by a group of maids.
Habeth didn't even look back at the women as she led Esther to another chamber in the room. Esther followed her lead, but secretly snuck a glance at Baara. The handmaiden's lips were pressed into a fine line, her hands clasped in front of her as usual.
The woman was hoping with all her might, much like Esther was, that the Queen Candidate of the best place in the House of Women wasn't walking into a trap.
"Take this off for me," Habeth instructed, showing her back to Esther as a maid drew the curtains behind them.
Esther discreetly looked to her left and right, wondering if Habeth had indeed spoken to her. To her dismay, the women were alone in the chamber.
"Oh.. yes," Esther swallowed.
Did friends usually undress each other? She was beginning to think a few very important lessons had been left out of Mordecai's teaching.
"Ah, that feels so much better." Habeth sighed as she pulled a simple shift over her head.
Esther could only see the woman's movements out of the corner of the eye, as she'd found a spot on the wall to fixate on.
Throwing herself onto a cushion in the chamber, Habeth motioned for Esther to join her.
Reluctantly, Esther tore her gaze from the wall. She walked gingerly to a cushion exactly one body distance away from Habeth and slowly knelt down.
"It's so stuffy," Habeth complained, fanning her face. "Do you also find life here difficult to get used to, Queen Candidate, Esther?"
Esther thought of her days spent nearly losing her mind as she sat in boredom.
"It has not been so bad," she responded.
Much like her interview with Lord Hegai, she couldn't afford to give too much information about herself nor too vague of an answer.
She looked over at Habeth once again. The woman rested her head on her thumb and forefinger, watching Esther curiously.
"You know.." she began, letting out another sigh.
"I almost gagged when they accused me of hailing from that disgusting clan."
