25: PEOPLE CHANGE

.

.

.

.

.

...25...

PEOPLE CHANGE😎

She woke up the next morning to streams of sunlight bathing her face. She sat up in bed and stared around the bedroom. She found Hyeera who was just opening the blinds. The lady sighed as she turned away from the blinds and to her mistress who was still staring at her. She smiled at her. Her Lady returned the smile with a well rested look on her face. She looked better that the night before when she seemed as if her soul had been taken away. It was all because of the Emperor -and their bond, and she knew that her lady knew absolutely nothing about it.

'Good morning My Lady,' she greeted her with a broader smile. 'It is a very beautiful day with a fine weather. That must be the reason why you chose to sleep in,' she teased her lady.

'How long did I sleep in?' she asked her as she lifted her foot off the bed, sitting at the edge of it. 'What time is it now?'

'I think it is about two hours after the breakfast hour My Lady,' she informed her as she offered her palm to her mistress.

'Wow! That long?' she said in surprise, yawning softly afterwards. 'I must have been really tired.' The maid nodded in reply as her mistress continued. She reached out and took her maid's outstretched palm absentmindedly and allowed the maid to help her to her feet.

'Yes My Lady.'

'Thank you Hyeera,' she said as she yawned once again. She felt over rested.

'It is a good thing to sleep in once in a while My Lady. You have not slept this long in a long time and I am glad that you did today,' she divulged to her mistress with a satisfied smile.

'I suppose so.'

'I was just done with your bath My Lady. I was on my way to wake you up when I decided to raise the blinds first. It is a good thing that you rose yourself and I did not actually have to disturb you.'

'Yeah, that is alright.'

'It is just the right temperature for a weather such as this. You should quickly go in My Lady and have the bath lest it gets cold.'

'Walking thermometer,' she called Hyeera jocosely. 'I will hurry in thank you.'

'It is just my gift My Lady,' Hyeera said to her with a wide smile that tattled on the fact that she was extremely happy with the compliment.

'It is a beautiful one.'

'Then, I will have your breakfast ready by the time you are done in the bathroom,' she promised her.

'Alright, whatever,' she said turning away from her and going towards the dressing room. The bathroom was in the dressing room. Hyeera left her then. She heard her leave, shutting the door noisily. She stripped in the dressing room and headed for the bath tub. True to her words, the warm bath was just the right temperature for that kind of weather. She lowered herself into it to enjoy it.

She had a long refreshing bath and came out of the tub only when the water began to get too cold. She went into the dressing room and applied her cosmetics best care products. She picked out her clothes and put them on. She chose a short A-line gown that stopped on her knees. It was a brown cold shoulder dress. She found matching brown sandals to pair the outfit. She looked in the mirror and smiled, moving on to combing her entire mass of hair. She matted the end behind her and rolled it at her nape. She held it in place with pins. The hair style resembled a braided chignon. She heard Hyeera come back into the room then, giving instructions to the maids who she knew where setting up the breakfast table. She turned and walked out of the dressing room and into the bedroom.

'Oh My Lady! You look breathtakingly beautiful,' she complimented her with a knowing smile.

'Thank you Hyeera.'

'Here My Lady, breakfast is served. Come sit and eat,' she urged her. As if she needed any urging! She was more than hungry. She was famished! She walked quickly to the well laid breakfast table and took a seat. She stared at the varieties of food before her hungry eyes.

'What a sumptuous meal you have prepared!' she told Hyeera.

'The Emperor commanded me to stuff you full at every meal time in his absence,' she revealed.

'Oh I see.' She said as she took a fork and placed a slice of peeled apples in her mouth. She didn't actually mind. it was good of him to say that. She chewed gently on the fruit. 'After breakfast, I shall head for the library,' she informed Hyeera.

'Alright My Lady. Eat up,' she urged her. She nodded and continued with her eating.

After breakfast, she headed for the library with a full stomach to keep herself busy with books. She stepped out of the bedroom gaily. Xiera and Vura stood up and came up to her with smiles on their visage. She smiled back at both.

'Good Morning My Lady,' both greeted simultaneously with a small bow.

'You both look so happy.'

'Yes My Lady,' both answered her simultaneously.

'How was your night My Lady?' Vura asked her. She noticed the lady had put her bright hair into a ponytail.

'It was wonderful thank you and what about you both?'

'It was absolutely fine My Lady,' Xiera answered her first.

'I slept like a baby My Lady,' Vura said, 'because it was Xiera who kept watch on you last night.' The confession brought uncontrollable laughter to her lips.

'Oh Vura!' she moaned. 'No wonder you look so good. You had all the time in the world to do your hair.'

'Of course My Lady.' She began laughing again and all three of them joined in the laughter.

'Where are you headed My Lady?' Xiera asked her when they stopped laughing. She pointed her towards the direction of the library.

'I am going to my usual rendezvous spot, the library,' she informed them.

'Let us go together then, My Lady,' Vura urged her. She nodded slightly and resumed walking to her destination with both of them following behind her.

'I will be inside,' she said to them when they arrived at their destination. Both nodded and watched her go into the library. They sat outside, not wanting to disturb her reading and began to chat.

About an hour later, the noise coming from outside caught her attention, distracting her from the novel she was reading. She tried to ignore it and go on, but the nuisance was persistent. She went outside the library to take a look. She met both her aides sitting outside laxly, chatting. They both quickly stood and bowed slightly at her appearance.

'My Lady, what brings you out?' Vura asked her. 'Are you done with your reading? Do you want to do something else?'

'No I am not done with my reading Vura. I was only distracted by the noise coming from below,' she revealed. 'Can you tell me what is going on?' she inquired. The both stared at each other, hesitatingly, vividly unsure of what to say to her.

'My Lady,' Xiera started and then stopped. She raised a brow at her.

'Come on both of you. You can tell me. Whatever is it that has your ever moving tongues tied?' she queried them. Still, they hesitated.

'The Emperor is gone.'

'Yes I know that,' was her retort to the warrior's quick input. 'I am not asking  about the emperor. I am asking about the reason for the noise below and you both seem to know. So, tell it to me?' she pointed out staring at both, arms akimbo.

'This has to do with the emperor My Lady,' Xiera said. 'That is why I mentioned that to you first so that you can get a better understanding of the upcoming explanation.'

'Oh whatever. Just speak please!'

'Alright My Lady.'

'The Emperor is gone and he left this manor, his manor in the hands of the assistant butler, Collins who is supposed to oversee it till his return. There, that is it,' Vura said. Xiera nodded stupidly.

'Okay?' she further probed for more information. She just knew that there was more to the story.

'Princess Hera-Mera has taken that burden off his shoulders. You know that she is well known by all. She is our Empress to be.'

'Go on.'

'She is using the Emperor's absence to establish that authority,' Xiera chipped in quickly.

'She bullies Collins into doing her bidding. She had already bullied him into letting them use the courtyard for a lunch party that she is hosting. That party just feels like a campaign to me.'

'Yes, it is for political reasons. She is trying to enlighten the other empress candidates of her affianced state to the emperor and to also get them on her side.'

'I believe she is shamelessly announcing herself and her propaganda,' Vura interrupted Xiera. 'She keeps reminding them that if they are loyal to her, she would make sure that the Emperor accepts them all into his harem. Now, that is an obvious lie,' she hissed.

'Lie? Why?'

'That isn't possible because our emperor is no womanizer. He has no other woman except for you of course,' Xiera explained to her. For some reason, that revelation planted sugar in her being.

'But, why is she so sure that she would be the empress? I thought it was a contest and the winner would take the empress seat as the grand price?' she asked them.

'It is not a hidden fact that Princess Hera-Mera is very good. She has been trained for this all her life because she had been affianced to the Emperor since birth,' Xiera revealed to her.

'Wow!' she said. 'So they must have know each other since childhood, isn't that so?' she asked both of them.

'Probably,' Vura said.

'No wonder they seem so close and all lovey dovey,' she said with a sneer. 'It's the fault of that stupid engagement,' she murmured softly to herself.

'Actually My Lady, they are not as close as you think they are,' Xiera said. 'I personally think so.'

'And tell me why you think so?' she asked the warrior who struggled to find something to actually say.

'Well, you see...' she hesitated, unable to continue with her statement. 'I just think do because I feel do. There is no particular reason for my thinking such,' she finally confessed out loud with a sigh.

'Really Xiera?' she asked her in surprise. 'And here I was thinking that you had something important to say.'

'I am sorry My Lady if my thoughtlessness has disappointed you. I will learn to keep shut next time,' she apologized.

'Oh stop doing that!'

'What shall I stop doing My Lady?' she asked her mistress with a perplexed look on her pretty face.

'Stop apologizing when you have done nothing wrong. Stop apologizing for nothing. It makes me feel like a bad person, a villainess,' she told her.

'I am sorry that I made you feel like that My Lady. I apologize.'

'You are doing just that again!' she complained. 'Oh bother!'

'I am sorry My Lady.'

'Forget it, totally,' she told her. 'I will just go back to my reading. Please remember to get me for lunch lest I forget and eat the Royal volume that I am reading.'

'You are reading the Royal Volume My Lady?' Vura asked her in astonishment. She nodded with a smile.

'Yes I am.'

'Wow!' Xiera said. 'Just wow!' The awe in those few words were unmistakable.

'Why are you both so surprised?' she asked both of them. 'Can't I do that? Is it something strange and unusual for me to be doing with my time?' she asked them for an answer. Vura shook her head.

'No My Lady, it isn't.'

'Then tell me, why are you both so surprised that I am trying to get to know about The Linamine Empire, its past Emperors and it's present Emperor? Your master is an adamant mule you know? Why won't I do this when he will tell me absolutely nothing about himself?' she complained to them.

'My Lady,' Xiera began. 'It is not that you are doing so that we are surprised. It is just because you have always hated the Emperor and this Empire.'

'People change,' was the only thing that she said to them before she turned away and went back into the library.

.

.

.

.

.

...OmaPhinaPhire🔥