章 3: The Third Queen
"You called for me, Mother."
"How dare you go against my orders?!" The second queen yelled, throwing her jewelry box off the table.
"The right of succession can only be passed down by will not by force." Lily replied with a huge smile on her face.
"How, how dare you?! I raised you!"
"Did you?" However, Lily refrained from saying anything, she simply stared at the queen.
"Leticia, get me a whip right this minute!" She ordered the maid who was standing right outside the door, and she came in after a few seconds with an oddly familiar whip in her hand.
"Ha!" Lily scoffed.
That familiar made, who waisted no time in gripping her whenever the queen ordered. However, it wouldn't be the same this time.
"Hold the princess down." Ordered the queen in firm voice.
Leticia smiled in response, that same smile that the guard had on his face before her death.
"Do you dare to touch the crown princess?" She glared at the maid, who shuddered when she met Lily's eyes.
Lily sighed and walked past the maid, walking past her stunned mother, she turned and stated, "You have more political power than I do, Your Majesty, however I have more power in the palace than you do." A smile adorned her lips, as she declared, before leaving the room.
"Argh!" The queen's screech was heard from inside, followed by the sound of continuous whippings and screams, "How dare you let that brat speak to me like that?! How dare you mock the queen?! How dare you?!"
-
Lily stopped outside the queen's palace, the hatred and anger that she held in slowly seeped out. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest.
"Selena."
Lily jerked at the sound of the sudden voice that called her by her new name and the pleasant smell that wafted into her nose.
"The second queen might just end up pulling down her palace at this rate."
Lily looked up to see the satisfied smile on his face. His red hair fell lightly over his forehead and those shimmering jewel eyes; it was the first prince, who she had the least contact with in her past life.
"Hello, brother." She greeted with a bow.
"Brother? I remember you calling me your highness a while back." He smiled.
Lily rolled her eyes secretly, she didn't want to address him informally either but she needed as much power and connections as she could get.
He placed his hand on her head, ruffling the hair that took hours for Mary to make. Lily could imagine how heartbroken Mary would be when she sees this.
"I have never seen the second queen like this in my entire life." He added, smirking happily.
Lily could sense the happiness in his voice. Making the queen go into rage supposedly gave him joy, if this was all it takes to get him on her side, then she wouldn't mind doing it every time she got a chance.
However, she simply smiled back at him, saying, "I guess my face is the most effective."
"Truly." He replied. Well, it was widely known that the first princess was disliked by her own mother hence Lily was not surprised.
"Goodbye then, brother." She bowed and quickly escaped. The place she wanted to see the most right now was the place where Lorain was born.
The third queen's palace was exactly as she remembered it, however, it was dull, duller than she remembered. The empty palace was the gloomiest place in the entirety of the king's palace.
Taking a deep breath, Lily walked into the palace, without being questioned or stopped by anyone, she made her way to the third queen's room.
The third queen lost her will to live when her two children died, however, she regained that will when she conceived Lorain, but it didn't last long since she died a few months after his birth, leaving the young Lorain in Lily's hands.
"Your Majesty." Lily knocked calmly. Lorain's mother was on the other side, she couldn't stop her pounding heart as she recalled the image of the woman who's ethereal beauty were passed unto her son.
Lily pushed the door open when she got no response from the other side. Just as she thought, the room was dark and quite dusty. The lone scrawny figure sat quietly on the rocking chair, the creaking noise of the rocking chair against the wooden floor echoed in the dark room.
"First Princess, Lily Selena de Florain greets Your Royal Majesty." Lily greeted with a slight bow.
The creaking noise stopped, however, Lily did not raise her head, she remained in that position until she heard that familiar voice that she had so-much missed, "Princess."
"P-princess." She stuttered, standing up from her chair with trembling legs, "M-my princess, Lana, my precious Lana."
Right, the third queen's daughter was barely nine years old when she was poisoned.
The third queen ran towards Lily and held her tightly in her arms, "My baby."
Lily felt the bones pressed against her petite body and her heart ached even further.
"Your Majesty." Lily gently pulled away from her grasp, she walked to the window and drew the dirty curtains down. She then turned to face the third queen again and bowed, "First Princess Lily Selena de Florain greets Your Royal Majesty."
This woman who's eyes once beamed with ambition and joy. She lost those features when she lost her children.
Her dim eyes seemed to have cleared for a moment, she stumbled back muttering, "You're not Lana."
"That's right, Your Majesty. I am not Lana, however, the third queen is still considered my mother."
"How can a child of the second queen consider me as her mother?" The third queen's eyes flashed with contempt and disbelief, "Is this another one of her ploys? She wants to use a child now?!"
"Queen Hannah." Lily called, "It seems your oblivious to the matters of the palace. Though Queen Shannon is my birth mother, we're not as close as you think."
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