CHAPTER 117
"I'm relieved. It seems like the two of them are getting along well."
"Indeed. They've been chatting for quite a while now."
The trio of maids directed their gazes toward the small greenhouse connected to the drawing room’s balcony.
Arabelle and Tristini had dismissed the maids and were spending time together in the greenhouse.
"Instead of just standing around, why don't we head to the storage room and take a break?"
Vera suggested to the two maids who had accompanied Tristini.
The quick-witted Dina positioned herself in front of the drawing room’s balcony door.
"Yes, you must be tired after your long journey. Go to the storage room, have a snack, and rest. I'll keep an eye on things here."
Tristini’s maids exchanged glances but said nothing. They were indeed exhausted, having suffered from seasickness for three days, followed by the stress of preparing for the Empress’s tea party as soon as they arrived.
Moreover, the tense atmosphere caused by Prince Bergen on the ship made them overly cautious while attending to Lady Tristini.
"What’s this? Is your lady perhaps... a difficult person? The kind who doesn't let her maids rest?"
Rosa asked, narrowing her eyes.
The maids immediately shook their heads vigorously.
"No, not at all! She’s too kind, actually. She was worried that we might be too tired today."
These were maids who had served Tristini for quite some time and knew how genuinely she cared for them. The mere thought of her being misunderstood irritated them and one of them furrowed her brow.
"My, she’s just like our Empress. So don’t worry and take a break. I’m sure that’s what your lady would want too."
"The Empress even prepared snacks for you, so come along."
Rosa and Vera linked arms with one maid each and guided them to the storage room adjacent to the drawing room.
As they crossed the drawing room, Rosa and Dina exchanged a brief glance.
The storage room was equipped with long sofas and chairs where the maids could relax. As Vera had mentioned, the table was laden with delicious snacks.
The maids looked around the room, which felt more like a cozy, sunlit chamber than a storage room. It was clear that the Empress cared for her servants.
Vera poured warm tea and handed it to the maids as they settled into their seats.
As the maids sipped the fragrant herbal tea, their tense shoulders began to relax.
"By the way... your lady must be from an extraordinary family, right? Considering she’s here as part of the delegation with Prince Bergen."
Rosa inquired subtly as she sat down next to them.
"No, not really..."
One maid trailed off, shaking her head. The other maid quickly answered.
"She’s Prince Bergen’s betrothed."
"Hey...! Why are you saying that...?"
"Why not? Even though they haven’t had the wedding yet, our lady is still his only partner. There's nothing to hide."
"But still..."
"The entire kingdom knows it. Why shouldn't we be proud to say it?"
As Vera and Rosa listened to their conversation, they exchanged glances. Prince Bergen’s betrothed? But why wasn’t she introduced as such during the delegation’s presentation?
Though confused, their expressions remained neutral.
No matter how noble a lady might be, there was a significant difference in status between a royal betrothed and a delegation representative. The level of courtesy extended by the imperial family would also vary greatly.
During wedding ceremonies, the wives of kings and princes sat beside them, while delegation representatives sat in the seats behind them.
"Why don't you inform Lord Ted Chamberlain now? If the official list is updated to show Lady Tristini as Prince Bergen’s betrothed, she could join him in the carriage parade."
Vera suggested.
The two maids sighed simultaneously.
"That’s... not easy."
"They are engaged, but the wedding date hasn’t been set yet."
"It’s not just that; the date has been postponed three times already."
"Hey, why do you keep doing this?"
"Why? We should spread the word so that other princesses and noblewomen lose interest! Didn’t you see the way they were eyeing the prince?"
"That’s true, but still..."
"Our lady is kind, but that doesn’t mean we have to be. We have to fight for her."
Vera and Dina watched as the maids, worked up in defense of their lady, reminded them of their past selves.
They, too, had once been fierce in protecting Arabelle from being ignored by the other empress candidates and their maids.
It was clear that Lady Tristini was of a similar nature to Empress Arabelle—someone whose kind heart shone brighter when surrounded by those who cherished it, but dimmed when taken advantage of.
There was definitely something complicated going on here.
"We understand exactly how you feel."
"If there’s any way we can help, just let us know."
Vera and Dina piled the maids’ plates with desserts, offering encouragement.
Bolstered by their support, the maids began to vent their frustrations.
"We never imagined our lady would be treated like this. She can’t even attend official events as the prince’s partner and is instead introduced as just another member of the delegation. Does that make any sense?"
"I don’t understand why the prince suddenly changed his mind. He cared so much for our lady when they were children... No one knows how much she’s been suffering... Sniff, sniff."
"Don’t cry. If we lose our resolve, it’s all over. There are too many noble families eagerly waiting to snatch her position... We have to stay strong."
The maid comforting her friend choked up, unable to finish her sentence.
There was a time when no one in Laicanor doubted that Tristini would become the queen. Prince Bergen had even committed treason, killing his brothers, to have her.
When Tristini came of age, everyone expected the wedding date to be announced. But that day never came.
Soon, ominous rumors began to spread, hinting that the prince had changed his mind.
Unfortunately, the maids attending Tristini already knew the rumors were true.
One day, the former king brought a woman and her daughter to the palace.
The former King Kerzo of the Kessler kingdom granted Elenia and her daughter Tristini the name of the Seymour marquisate and allowed them to live in the royal palace.
Though many vile rumors swirled around, the truth about the deaths of former King Kerzo and Elenia remained forever shrouded in mystery.
Bergen seized the throne through rebellion and placed Tristini by his side. Both the royal family and the entire kingdom firmly believed that Tristini would become queen.
"If only we knew the reason, it wouldn’t be so frustrating,"
One of Tristini’s maids sighed.
As a citizen of Lycanor, it was impossible to speak of the royal curse or the rumors surrounding Tristini.
To even utter such things would lead to an immediate execution for treason, and it was widely suspected that the curse that bound Tristini and her mother was related to this.
The elder nobles often hinted, without saying much.
“Tristini has outlived her usefulness.”
As Tristini lost the king's favor, her position weakened without end.
Tristini was an orphan without the backing of any noble family.
Had she been a cunning woman who used the king’s affection to amass wealth and power, she might not have been so easily dismissed.
But Tristini was naive about the power struggles within the royal court and had never even hidden away a secret fund.
Now, only a few remained by the side of this orphan, who had neither the emperor’s love nor the protection of a powerful family.
"How can people turn away so suddenly, after receiving so much help from our lady?"
One maid lamented, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.
“When His Highness announced that he would take Lady Tristini to the Maxwell Emperor’s wedding, how thrilled we were. The entire royal household buzzed with the possibility that their relationship might be mended. The noble ladies who once scorned our lady began to fawn over her again.”
“But when we saw that she wasn’t listed as his fiancée on the official roster, our hearts broke. I just don’t understand why he brought her here if he was going to treat her this way.”
Listening to the maids' grievances, Vera and Dina felt their own spirits droop.
They had initially sought out Tristini’s maids to subtly probe for information—to determine what kind of person Tristini was and whether she might pose any threat to the Empress.
Yet the more they heard, the more their hearts ached for her.
They couldn’t help but feel a connection, remembering how they had endured so much in the imperial palace, silently supporting Arabelle as she was treated with contempt by other Empress candidates and their maids.
Vera and Rosa glanced out the window towards the greenhouse, where they could see a small corner of the enclosed garden.
***
Having heard the full story from her mother Elenia and her aunt Keisha, Arabelle lifted her head. The mother they had exchanged, the swapped destinies of Arabelle and Tristini—tears streamed down Arabelle’s large eyes.
It would be foolish, not merely naive, to believe the words of a woman she had just met today without question. Especially when the mothers of both women were no longer alive. There was no one to confirm Tristini’s words, no evidence.
But even so... Arabelle believed Tristini.
No matter how faint her light might be, Tristini was a Lumen Saviour.
Her light told Arabelle that she was speaking the truth.
Even among Lumen Saviours, it was possible to hide one’s true feelings. But when someone wished to convey the truth, they could allow their light to be felt. Tristini had grasped Arabelle’s hands and let her light shine, free of deceit.
“How did you know?”
Arabelle asked, her voice wet with tears. Tristini gently released her hands.
“I am not as gifted as Your Majesty, but occasionally, I can understand the speech of animals. A mouse in the caves of Echo Mountain from twenty years ago happened to share the story with me. I have only known this truth for a short time myself.”
Tristini explained, clasping her hands together on her lap and lowering her gaze.
“What a fortunate mouse, to have shared this with us and revealed that we are cousins,”
Arabelle said, her voice thick with emotion, as her eyes crinkled into a teary smile.
Tears rolled down Tristini’s cheeks as well. She felt ashamed and guilty, unable to meet her cousin’s eyes, knowing the terrible task she was supposed to carry out.
A memory flashed through her mind—of the witch Vasilika's ghastly laughter.
“If Tristini fails to bring Arabelle to me, I will deliver her myself to the Emperor’s feet.”
The witch had said, her lecherous eyes lingering on Bergen before slowly turning to Tristini.
With a bony, rough finger, she pointed directly at Tristini.
“If you offer Arabelle to me, I will take this Lumen Saviour as my own. She may have little light, making her worthless to the Emperor, but her sweet blood will be of great use to me.”
Tristini knew that the witch experimented on orphans, turning them into monsters. She had seen the pure terror on Tristini’s face when the king standing next to her had said, without hesitation:
“So be it.”
Swallowing down a thick lump in her throat, Tristini forced herself to hold back her tears. She bit her inner cheek hard enough to draw blood. Reaching into the pocket of her dress’s petticoat, she pulled something out.
She slowly unfolded her hand, revealing a small, round, silver pendant, no bigger than a thumbnail.
Arabelle’s eyes widened in recognition as she looked at the pendant. Her gaze then dropped to the bracelet on her wrist, where several pendants hung.
Carefully, she removed one pendant from the bracelet, holding it between her fingers.
Among the six small pendants on the pearl bracelet gifted by the Emperor, five were rare, precious gemstones he had chosen with care. The small, plain silver pendant Arabelle now held was...
“Mother... Aunt gave this to me when I was a child. She told me to keep it with me always.”
Arabelle’s voice choked with emotion as Tristini nodded.
“Aunt Elenia gave one to me as well,” she said.
Without a word, Arabelle and Tristini exchanged the identical pendants, placing them in each other’s hands.
A soft hum filled the air.
For a brief moment, the silver pendants in their hands glowed brightly, as if they had finally found their rightful owners.
Arabelle wept freely, yet her tears were accompanied by a broad, joyful smile. The warmth of Elenia’s light seeped into her palm, spreading throughout her body.
Tristini, too, wept, her shoulders trembling as she felt the light of her mother.
It was as if the pendants had been waiting for this moment. After shining brilliantly in their hands, they slowly dimmed, their light fading.
This was the first and last time they would feel the presence of their mothers, who were no longer in this world.
Without a moment's hesitation, Arabelle and Tristini opened their arms wide.
The two cousins embraced each other tightly, not an ounce of doubt or hesitation between them.
Comments
Post a Comment