The unexpected happen

Chapter 18

"Queen Maya I…" Freda sought the right words to explain the current situation of things, but they just weren't forthcoming. She was sure that Queen Maya wouldn't take it lightly that she was about to be poisoned.

"What is it, Freda?" Maya asked, noticing the tension that built up in her maid, the moment she made that apology. She wondered if she had said anything wrong. "Is anything the matter?"

But she was still speechless. It felt like the words at the tip of her tongue, but just couldn't say it. Nothing about all of it seemed right to Maya. Freda never showed such character and it seemed questionable.

"It's nothing, my queen," Freda quickly travelled back to reality, as she was sinking deep in the lonely world of thought. "I wasn't just expecting that to come from you. I have never heard of a Luna apologizing to a lowly omega as I am."

Freda was still trying to solve the difficult math of how she would be able to get Queen Maya not to eat the poisoned food. She couldn't tell her openly about the concubines' conspiracy.

"Thank you so much, my queen," she said, brushing off the teardrop that threatened to fall off her cheek. "I will forever cherish this very moment in my heart. You are indeed the best of the queens to me, regardless of what every other person had to say."

"Thank you, Freda," Maya replied, as she hadn't lost her one ally in Alpha Charles's palace. With the days that were coming, she figured that she would need someone by her side through all the fierce contentions that would possibly ensue because of the prophecy about the pup she was carrying within her.

"Alright then, my queen. Come and have your lunch." Freda motioned towards the table where she had kept the food. She led the way to the table slowly and steadily, just as she had planned to do.

Every single step of the way, she peeked over her shoulder to know if the queen was actually following her.

As Freda was trying to pull out the chair for the queen to sit at the table, she suddenly pushed the tray off the table and watched all of its contents fall to the floor.

She was relieved momentarily, but was soon made uneasy by the angry look that formed on the queen's face.

"Freda!" Maya yelled angrily at the irritating show of clumsiness by the young maid, which had cost her her lunch.

"I'm deeply sorry, my queen. It wasn't intentional," Freda muttered as she bowed low in front of the queen, hoping that she would understand that it had been for her own good. "I will clean up this mess and get you another serving immediately."

"You better do," Maya said angrily, as her stomach was rumbling at that point. "Now go!"

"Yes, my queen," Freda said, taking the dishes on the tray and hurrying out of the room. She was pleased by the fact that she hadn't made herself guilty of the queen's blood.

There was no way Alpha Charles would have spared her, even if the concubines pleaded on her behalf. She was finally seeing it for the set-up it had actually been.

***

"What do you think, Ruth?" Stella asked excitedly, as the both of them stood close to the kitchen door, waiting expectantly for Freda's arrival with the news of how things had gone with.

"All things being equal, I think Maya should be choking on her vomit by now," Ruth said, with a corresponding tone of excitement as she imagined what the sight of Maya's corpse would be like. "Poor Maya, she wouldn't know what exactly hit her."

"I know, right?" Stella replied. "But then, the more pitiful person in this story is Freda. For her to think that we would actually keep our end of the bargain had to mean she was quite delusional—"

"Shush it, Stella. You're going to ruin the plan before we can give it a chance of coming to fruition…" Ruth interrupted in a low tone. "Look Freda's coming…"

Freda was undeniably startled at the sight of them. What had they been doing at the kitchen door? She hated the fact that she would have to see them immediately after the suspense - filled episode she'd had with Queen Maya.

"Hello Freda," Ruth said, forcing up one of her fake smiles on her face in a bid to look friendly and inviting. Within her, she disliked the young maid and every one of the omegas.

She noticed the troubled look on Freda's face, and hoped that she was worried because she had just killed her queen and not because she had failed the plan.

"How did it go, Freda?" Ruth asked in an almost inaudible whisper, as the maid was soon standing in front of them.

But then, Freda was speechless.

***

"There's nothing wrong, Ryder," Charles snarled, as he hated the fact that Ryder wouldn't quit persisting on him telling him about his current predicament. "If that's all you came to ask, then you might as well take your leave now."

"Calm down, Charles," Ryder said, as he was surprised by the sudden change of attitude. That made it even more obvious that he had something to hide. But then, he knew Elias too well. His 'no' actually meant 'no'.

"Is there any other thing you wish to ask before you leave?" Charles asked in a mildly harsh tone. "I do not have all the time in the world to entertain questions."

"Now I'm sure that something is really the problem, Charles." Ryder retorted, as they stopped walking through the garden. He hated being spoken to in such a rude manner. "Your temper is something you should work harder to gain control of."

"You have really got the nerve, Ryder. Coming into my palace to give me some silly pieces of advice." Charles wanted Ryder to know just how impatient he was for him to get out of his palace.

"Quit being a dick, Charles. I don't know what could have suddenly come over you, but you better get a grip of it." Ryder said, sounding undaunted by the ruthless Charles.

"That does it, Ryder. You and your goons are going to have to leave right now," Charles retorted, facing off with Ryder, there in his garden. "Go home while you still can."

The air was tense between the two men, as a face off was imminent.

But then, Ryder was just curious to know what exactly Charles was about to do.