CHAPTER 049: Ladies-In-Waiting

An unknown emotion stirred within Princess Jasmine.

It was making her feel like vomiting blood watching a harmonious scene that was unfolding to her very eyes.

She was revolted.

This unfamiliar sensation, she had been feeling this since morning…

"There is always a reason, don't you think so? Why is it painful when we are wounded? Why do we smile when something's funny? Why do we want to cry when something's making us sad? Why did we scream when we were frustrated? Why were we cold when we were disappointed? There was an output for every input."

Princess Jasmine recalled the letter she read, she always found it fatuous. Those scribbles infiltrated her mind right now and she cannot get them off her head.

"Sometimes, we won't be able to identify what were the emotions we were feeling. It was better to overlook them, it was easier not to recognize those uncomfortable but trivial sentiments. However, the more we fastened the cover, the stronger the pressure would build up."

Emotions—

She thought she became void of emotion because she started feeling nothing a long time ago.

The nervousness and the subtle fear, the injustice, the irritation she had earlier.

Those unfamiliar emotions… caused her to be uneasy.

She thought she felt those because of the unexpectedness of unfolding events.

Because the first Princess died; because the Queen did get mad, and she had to take the fall for it.

As Princess Jasmine looked back, there was nothing scary about it. This kind of scenario had always happened to her.

The third Princess would create trouble, she had to be responsible for it, and Queen Eriela would be so mad that she would either be punished verbally, or physically.

It was nothing new.

What made it scarier? What was so special about it today?

Was it because of the letter? Those insignificant papers…

She could not feel anything from the inside out; whether it would be her body or her feelings; it was her brain that was only working… and her mind was distinguishing them to be so trivial.

Princess Jasmine could hear the third Princess and the Queen, and she could process what was happening.

Her mind was completely engaged in something else.

The second Princess could not move her body to leave this sorry state she was in. She could just lay on this floor and pity her situation. She thought she would cry because of her bottled emotions; and upon distinguishing the unfair treatment between her and her sister, she would explode. Nonetheless, she became placid.

Her mind was clear and lucid.

Among those letters, she remembered reading a particular part where it appeared so ridiculous. At this moment, she was considering it.

"Is someone out there?!" Princess Liezel shouted.

Queen Eriela nor Princess Jasmine made a reaction as a group of servants entered the chamber room.

"Greetings to the moon of Menotalis. May the sun of Seerian bless the Queen and the princess."

With them were the ladies-in-waiting, they gracefully said their greeting and curtsy to the highest woman of the kingdom, Queen Eriela.

"Did you handle the people who were with us, Lucinda?" Queen Eriela asked Lady Lucinda.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lady Lucinda said with her strict but very respectful voice.

Queen Eriela was obsessed with hierarchy and power.

She would not accept anyone with a noble title lower than a countess in her principal ladies-in-waiting.

The senior lady in waiting, Margaretta Lucinda De Gracia Carro, sister of the Marquis of the house of Carro, was also called Lady Lucinda. She was among those people who came with Queen Eriela when visited the chamber room of the first princess. She was a dear friend of Queen Eriela since the reign of the 40th Generation of the monarchy of Seerian. It had almost been two decades since she was serving as the second queen of this kingdom.

Besides Lady Lucinda, the other ladies-in-waiting were also noblewomen of this country that was known to the high society. They were the queen's finest court ladies.

Countess Nieve Villar Idozo, Lady Nieve. She was the head court lady who formally supervised the wardrobe and jewelry and the dressing of the Queen. Her main duty was to always make the Queen's image remarkable, dignified, and fashionable.

Countess Delfina Aina Cabeza Limones, Lady Delfina. She was in charge of supervising and hiring the maidservants and was also assigned to the Queen's daily routine and expenditures.

Countess Marcelina Asuncion Terrones, also known as Lady Marceline; along with Countess Therasia Casados Triana also known as Lady Therasia. They were the lady-in-waiting that was responsible for arranging an event that would be held inside the palace under the name of the queen.

They wore expensive pieces of fabric of the infamous Barong and Saya that were usually worn by the high society woman in Menotalis.

Aside from the physical traits, the distinctness of being a royal, or a noble was evident in the fashion of an individual.

Behind the esteemed ladies-in-waiting were thirty-two maids, arranged in two neat lines on the crimson carpet. With heads lowered and eyes fixed on the ground, they walked with their hands clasped, fingers entwined over their stomachs. Their hair was concealed by mob caps, and they donned long-sleeved black dresses that reached their ankles, with white aprons draped over them. Completing their outfit were black rubber shoes and long white socks.

"Your Majesty, the ministers headed to the court as soon as they bid you farewell. They were probably having a meeting with King Mertl," Lady Nieve said, not daring to lift her eyes to see what had happened to the second princess.

"What did they tell you?" Queen Eriela asked.

"The ministers said nothing, they seemed to be in a state of reverie."

"That's understandable," Queen Eriela asserted with her virtuous smile.

She was smiling but her eyes were dark; her sinister atmosphere had not faded away. Princess Liezel could feel that, and she was uncertain whether she should intercept the conversation that could ignite the Queen's anger or let it occur.

She veered to see her older sister's situation; the spectacle of Princess Jasmine lying on the ground in an awful condition. Her fingertips that were massaging her mother's shoulders stopped moving and shifted her attention to the servants.