Jealousy 6.

Walking into the room as she went straight up to her son's bed, sitting on it, she said;

"Now now dear...!" She said as she warned Martha gently.

Taking little Andrew in her hands, she said;

"The fact that I let you get close to him, doesn't give you the audacity to talk to him like as if he were your best friend, or any of your fellow maids servant...!" The Queen said.

Hearing what the Queen said, Martha quickly regained her posture as she shut her mouth and replied;

"Yes Your Highness...!"

Little Andrew turned and looked up at his Mother.

"Besides...!" The Queen said as she got up from the bed as he made her way to stand in front of Martha.

"Who do you think you are to talk to him like that?" The Queen asked as she walked majestically towards Martha.

"You are no more than a slave and that's you would ever be...!" The Queen'w tone was harsh.

"You can talk to him like that when I'm not present...;" The Queen said.

"But when I am, you caution yourself...do you hear me?" He asked.

When she had reached the spot where Martha stood, Martha lowered her head as she looked down.

"In fact, Andrew if she talks to you without the respect accorded to you as Prince, you report to me immediately, is that understood?"  She said as she instructed Andrew.

Andrew who had been quiet all the way finally spoke.

"But Mother, she's actually not..!"

As he spoke, Martha snapped her head up as she looked at him, shaking her head as if to say;

"No, no, no...!"

When he saw her, he kept quiet, but as already cut short by the Queen.

"Have I made myself clear Andrew?" The Queen cut in to ask.

Knowing his Mother, pretty well, she could be the sweetest human being on earth, but don't test her patience.

Turning back her attention to Martha,  Martha was quick to lower her head down, so the Queen did not notice anything.

Turning her attention back to Martha, the Queen sighed as she tilted her head a little bit to the right as she lowered her voice and said;

"You have really done your job as a role model...!" She first said.

Martha frowned as she thought she didn't hear correctly, but she kept her head lowered as she waited for the Queen to continue.

"You have really given him some courage and with what you have done, though I don't know that you have done, but you've really impacted something into him...!" The Queen said as she placed her hand in her shoulder.

Feeling the Queen's bad in her shoulder, Martha raised her head as  she looked at the Queen.

"I know you must have noticed when you came, he was a really nervous and shy little fella...!" The Queen said.

Martha nodded smiling as she answered 'Yes'.

The Queen nodded and continued.

"He was really shy, and nervous and, wouldn't even talk to anyone else but me...!" The Queen said with her head a bit lowered as she reminisced those moments.

"But now, he talks to everyone not just me...!" The Queen laughed as she pointed at herself.

Martha chuckled a bit too.

Smiling, the Queen continued as she placed her hand on Martha's shoulder.

"You're a good girl Martha...!" The Queen said.

"And I am so blessed to have you...!" She confessed.

"This may seem strange but...!" The Queen paused as she looked down.

Raising her eyes up, she found Martha was till looking at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.

When the Queen lowered her eyes down, Martha took the opportunity to look at her keenly.

When the Queen raised her eyes up, when was caught staring at the Queen.

Immediately, she lowered her head down.

Smiling, the Queen said;

"Thank you Martha."

Martha frowned slightly as she raised her head back up to look at the Queen, her eyes slightly narrowed.

The Queen nodded as if to confirm Martha's doubt.

"I'm indeed thanking you Martha and I'm going to say it again...Thank you!"

"Thank you for conversing with Andrew...!"

"Thank you for always spending time with him...!"

"Thank you for always bringing food to him whenever he's hungry...!"

The Queen said as Martha laughed, making the Queen laugh also.

"And last but not least...!" The Queen paused as she thought of what to say next.

After some five (5) seconds of silence, the Queen finally said;

"Thank you for going through some things to come and pir it out into Andrew."

Martha frowned as what the Queen said made no sense, but she dare not say it.

The Queen smiled as she guessed what Martha was thinking.

Taking her own time, the Queen said;

"Normally as a royal, you have to teach your kin the way of the ancestors, and we haven't really been able to achieve that through one issue or the other...!" Sheet said as she paused and sighed.

"And we never really thought that a mere slave would be able achieve that for us...!" She said as she looked Martha from head up, slowly lowering her eyes down, as if to despise her.

Her tone was harsh.

Martha saw how the Queen eyed her, so she slowly lowered her head down, as she wiped a tear that was daring to fall.

But then, she felt a hand in her shoulder.

She raised up her head.

The Queen was smiling at her.

"But we were wrong!" The Queen said.

Martha looked into the eyes of the Queen. As she looked the Queen could see that her eyes had already turned red, she acted like as if she didn't see it and acted non-chalant and continued her speech.

"You proved us wrong, you proved us wrong...!" The Queen repeated.

Lowering her hand form Martha's shoulder, she sighed as she tilted her head as she studied the slave girl in front of her as she went on to say;

"You proved us wrong in all aspects...not that we can trust all of you, your kind, but...!" The Queen paused.

"You proved that, not all slaves are as bad as they are portrayed, you proved that despite any situation, keep your head tall and stand for truth, you proved that even when your fellow servants hate you, you look at them up down and shrug your shoulders out on them and walk away!"

The Queen said as she demonstrated, causing Martha to laugh.

"You proved that, you're the best, even in suffering, among the rest, and I would never, and I mean ever let out Andrew, or any of my child to anyone else, no one's worthy to be trusted...you have proven yourself!" The Queen said as she looked at Martha with a smile on her face.

Martha laughed when she heard that last part.

"And yes, I know about the issue between you and your fellow servants, u know...!" The Queen said.

"They are not worthy to be trusted!" The Queen said.

Martha smiled.

She didn't grab what the Queen had  said till after some time.

With her eyes slightly widened and her mouth also agape, she lowered her voice and tried to say something, but the words did not form, so she was stuck with moving her head up and down, and side to side like an agama lizard, which the Queen found funny and chuckled.

Martha, realizing herself, finally organized herself, but she couldn't help but stare at the Queen in amazement, with her mouth, still open.

After the Queen had chuckled enough, she also stared back at Martha.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The Queen asked although she knew what had Martha's mouth all agape and her eyes all widened like as if they won't drip out water or something.

Finally blinking, Martha used her hand to cover her mouth as she apologized;

"I'm sorry, My Queen...!"

But again, she had something bothering her, the Queen noticed this and said;

"Go on, ask what you want to ask...say what is in your mind." The Queen said as she gave her the opportunity to talk.

Seeing that the opportunity had been given her, she didn't hesitate in using it.

"My Queen if I have so much have found favour in you sight, please didn't find this question offensive, as...!"

"SPEAK!" The Queen cut her short.

Seeing that she shouldn't beat around the bush, Martha took in deep breath and she closed her eyes, and then opening them, she asked;

"The Queen said she knows about the issues between my fellow servants and I?" Martha asked.

The Queen stared at her with a blank facial expression.

Martha gulped, she knew that the Queen was a very sweet, free-going and out-going person, but do not waste your luck.

When she paused and waited, she watched the Queen's reaction toth her lips pursed, when she saw that it was blank, she took in a deep breath, luckily, the Queen did not interrupt her as she took her time.

If it had been other Queens or rulers that she had worked with, they would have interrupted her with insults on top.

Infact, who would even give you the opportunity to talk to them even, if not for that one King...

"I don't think I'm having any disagreements or disputes with them whatsoever...!" Martha said.

The Queen studied her.

'This girl's trying to test me...!'

Now, normally any other Queen would be fused about this, but this Queen dared to be different.

Smiling, the Queen decided to play along. Therefore, she said;

"You might not know what's been said behind your back...!"

"Or you might know but you're just trying to test me, your life...!" The Queen said as she shrugged.

The last part had Martha feel uneasy.

How did the Queen guess her so easily like that?

She couldn't help but ask herself.

But truth be said, Martha was truly aware of the gossips behind her back, but who the hell would have time to pay attention to them?

It was only jobless goats that would go about talking about other people and not minding their own business.

Or was it the chimpanzees that gossips most?

No!

That can't be...

Most monkeys are actually really smarter than most humans.

Martha almost burst out laughing, but since she knew what was best for her, she swallowed it.

"But let me tell you, there are more gossips about you than there are in other people in this world." The Queen said.

"And I know that I'm being gossiped about too, but yours is much more...!" The Queen said.

"And any normal Queen would be jealous or angry and all that, but who had got the time, am I right, Martha?"

Martha couldn't believe her ears, and her eyes.

Was it the Queen that was standing,  talking to her or one of her fellow maidservants?

She couldn't help but ask herself.

She didn't know if she answered the question the Queen answers but one thing was for sure, the Queen had nodded her head, as if satisfied with her answer.

Then the Queen was silent as she studied Martha. She found her to be quiet.

After a while, she said;

"How would you like to be the Chief Cook?"