Blunder

The next morning, I was surprised to wake up. Having not eaten anything, my body was stiff and felt like a burden to carry, but I somehow made my way to the dining hall. Before waiting for anyone, I began filling my plate. I looked up to see Cozbi and Anna looking at me with stunned expressions. "I- Sorry," I looked down, embarrassed.

"It's fine. You weren't here for dinner last night. Why is that?" Cozbi asked.

"I wasn't well. And um, yeah," I stuttered impatiently.

Cozbi gestured me to start eating and herself began too. "Have you found anything?" She whispered so no one else heard. I looked up to see Anna busy complaining about her beef broth to one of the servants.

I stayed quiet, contemplating what to say.

"Asra?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. Not really."

"Tell me whatever you know," Cozbi said, growing anxious.

"The only thing I know is that your cousins aren't happy with their husbands," I smiled lamely.

Cozbi laughed, "It's always like that. Annita's on her third."

My mouth hung open and Cozbi laughed again.

"Are you happy with Myer?" I asked before I could stop myself. "Oh- I mean the prince"

Cozbi looked at me meaningfully, "Very." She said and continued eating.

* * * * *

I had made my mind. I recalled all the plans I had in my mind. I walked towards the dark hallway one more time, right after breakfast, so I could be there for dinner. I didn't want to be anymore suspicious. In the room, I saw those ladies again. With the housekeeper and the heavy one laughing or talking while the veiled lady stayed silent but joined in on the laughter quietly. She had to be mute. I studied everything about them.

Everyday I came at different times to see what they were doing. But I only found them sitting after midnight or in the afternoons. They always talked about some girl, one from myths and legends. However, they were careful not to say the name, either because they didn't know or it was part of some forbidden custom. Everyday I saw them enter, giggling and chanting the password but never caught on what it was. I tried to see the mute lady's paper but couldn't. After a week of catching in on the jokes and behaviours and body language, I was back in front of the room, but this time at midnight.

"Why isn't Celsa here?" The housekeeper asked in a shrill voice.

"She is crazy sick. I went to her chambers and she couldn't move. She was barely conscious." Told the other one.

The veiled lady, Celsa, wasn't there. "Looks like her time has come," Said the old lady after which they laughed, but I heard the tension in their voices. "Let's visit her after this." She added.

𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘢'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴. I needed to find them. I thought about waiting for them to leave and sneak inside but that didn't seem plausible with the hell bound lock and unpredictable time. I walked into the hallway, on the left of the room, the place I hadn't visited earlier. I had no idea there was anything here. I hoped to find what I was looking for but instead I found multiple rooms. 𝘖𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. I thought with a gasp. Each door read a label, like a grave stone. The name and death of all these people.

'The innocent ones. Trampled upon. We avenge.' Said the words on the wall at the end.

Were the ladies taking revenge on someone? On Cozbi? Or the other royals. What did the land of 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩 have to do with it? I walked till the end and realized there was another small corridor with two rooms in it. This must be it, I thought.

I entered a dimly lit room and jumped when I saw Celsa lying there, her eyes wide open. Shit, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵.

But she didn't move an inch. She had no reaction when I walked towards her, like she expected me to be there. I moved even closer, my heart racing. She lay still and I felt stupid for realizing too late that she was dead. I touched her temples and they were ice cold. For the first time, I took notice of here face, a bony structure with a thin and long nose and dark hair. She was pretty and looked way younger than the other two ladies. My gut turned upside down as I heard shuffling behind me. Oh no.

"Celsa, are you here?" The fat lady called.

They walked closer and peeked inside the door, eyes wide open and gasping. The housekeeper lady walked towards me with open arms, however it was hard to not notice the rigidness in her gesture. I nodded, trying to look pale and sick. "Are you okay?" I nodded again. The housekeeper looked towards Celsa's bed, and I thought I was caught but she was staring at her nightstand. I tried to walked as stiffly as I could, trying to look skinnier like Celsa.

'I was a little feverish but I am okay' I wrote in my best impression of Celsa's handwriting.

The two old ladies looked at each other and exchanged glances. Then we got to work. "Once we have the missing daughter of 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘸𝘦 will have all that the stupid boatmen want. We can live in luxury and avenge our friends." The housekeeper lady mumbled.

I froze hearing whatever she had said. Boatmen? Did they refer to the 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘯é𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘩 as boatmen? The missing daughter of 𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘩? Meant a princess. My mind whirled trying to make sense of what I was hearing.

Hiding a dead body of a mute veiled lady under her bed and sitting in her group of traitors disguised as her was the only thing I thought I'd have to get over tonight. Knowing about the secret princess of a kingdom and hearing the plans of deceiving one kingdom and overtaking plans of another was the last thing I expected. The ladies knew something that could offer them a great deal of authority. But now I knew they loved luxuries and hated the 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘯é𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘩, but I wanted to know why. What had they done to these ladies and their fellows. A shudder went through me as I remembered the cemetery-like corridor.

That night when I left the room, I panicked thinking of what I would do with Celsa's body. When I came in her room, I locked it, trying to think of what to do. I found a glass of medicated water on the side table. I picked it up and smelled it out of habit. My mind whirled as the strong smell burnt the inside of my nostrils. I covered my mouth to stop coughing and gagging.

That was no medicine. It was poison.