บท 11: Meeting behind closed doors
Anastasia and Marianne's eyes met, and like the younger sister of the Flores family, the older sister's eyes widened briefly before returning to normal. The maids quickly bowed with their faces facing the floor until Prince Maxwell and Marianne were out of sight.
After two minutes, when the corridor was clear, Charlotte remarked, "Prince Maxwell is so good-looking, isn't he? He looks like an actual prince."
"That is because he is," Theresa pointed out the obvious.
"No, no!" Charlotte whispered, coming to stand next to Theresa, while Anastasia stared at the end of the corridor, where the prince and her sister had disappeared. The young maid continued, "He has such a refined air around him. His blond hair is so perfectly combed back with not a single strand out of place, and he's always friendly with everyone. I wish he could be the future king."
Theresa replied, "No matter how fair and handsome a prince is, talk has it that Lady Sophia has already discussed and received the promise that her son will be the one to sit on the throne after him. She is the wife of the King."
Charlotte then said, "I think any one of the princes would do, rather than the one n—"
Anastasia placed her hand on Charlotte's mouth so that she wouldn't continue the sentence. She placed her finger on her lips before pulling her hand away from Charlotte's mouth.
"Charlotte, I think it is a good time for you to speak with your hands and not through your mouth before you get all of us in trouble," Theresa scolded with a frown. "Bad mouthing will only make your nightmares come true faster."
Charlotte pursed her lips before she said,
"But there's no one in the corridor except for us three. We are completely safe. See," she waved her hand, while turning her upper body left and right. She then sighed, "That courtesan is lucky. I forgot her name… Anyways. It must be nice to be born with pale skin and pretty eyes. Fortunate enough to spend her time with Prince Maxwell. But she, like the other courtesans, is a whore, spending her time with more than one person," and she gave a knowing look to Theresa and Anastasia.
Even though Charlotte's words were true, Anastasia didn't like to hear those demeaning words. While concubines were considered to be the sole possession of the king, the same didn't hold for the courtesans.
Anastasia replied, 'I think it would be best to not speak ill about them. It isn't like they chose to be whores.'
Charlotte nodded. "You are right. But again, when I see them it doesn't look like they are unhappy about it. They wear expensive dresses, and jewellery, and they eat better than us. Even the one who just walked by now."
'Just because a person has everything doesn't mean that person is content in that life. Sometimes one looks for freedom,' Anastasia replied, moving her hands.
"Freedom? For what?" Charlotte asked, blinking at her.
Anastasia didn't know if she was to feel sympathy towards Charlotte for forgetting that she was once a free person, before being captured by pirates under the order of the Vizier and turned into a slave. It bothered her that every servant of the palace seemed content with their lives, and it was probably because of the people around them, who made them believe it was normal.
Once again, they heard footsteps approaching towards them from the other end of the corridor, and soon Prince Maxwell appeared, this time walking alone. The three maids quickly bowed, waiting for him to leave, but instead he stopped in front of them and ordered,
"Rise."
Theresa scolded Charlotte in her mind, squinting her eyes at the carpet on the floor before raising her head, along with the two young maids. Prince Maxwell's blue eyes moved from one maid to another before they settled on Anastasia.
Even though Anastasia was a maid, a woman of servant class in the palace, she briefly stood out when no concubines or courtesans were in the same room as her. Her olive skin gave warmth to her expressive brown eyes. She quickly lowered her eyes after noticing the prince looking at her.
Prince Maxwell asked, "Have you seen my mother since earlier this morning?" The three maids shook their heads. He said, "I see. If you do, let her know that I am looking for her."
"Yes, Prince Maxwell," the two maids replied in chorus, and the prince noticed the third one didn't respond.
Prince Maxwell demanded from Anastasia, "Don't you know that you need to answer when the royal family demands?"
Charlotte was quick to come to her friend's aid. Her voice mixed with eagerness, she explained, "Prince Maxwell, forgive me for speaking out of turn. But she is dumb and cannot speak."
Prince Maxwell gave a small nod and murmured, "A pity." He then smiled back at the maids and walked away from the corridor.
After talking to the prince, Charlotte turned ecstatic and had a big, dreamy smile. On the other hand, Anastasia turned to look from one end of the corridor to the other, which was when she caught sight of her sister, who stood behind the wall signalling her.
Anastasia picked up the bucket of water and the cloth and let Theresa know,
'I will clean the windows on the other side of the corridor.'
Theresa already suspected why, and she gave a nod. She said, "Charlotte and I will be finishing this side."
When Anastasia reached the next corridor, she didn't find her sister. She continued to walk until she was pulled into one of the rooms, and the room's door immediately closed.
"Mary!" Anastasia placed the bucket on the ground and dropped the cloth. She tightly hugged her sister.
Marianne hugged Anastasia back with a smile. It had been two weeks since they had last spoken to each other. She pulled away from their embrace and asked,
"How are you doing, sister?" When her hands went to hold her younger sister's hands, she felt the calluses forming on one of her palms and looked at Anastasia's hands with sadness. "Your hand…"
"It is perfectly fine and not painful," Anastasia took her calloused hand away from Marianne and said, "You should see Theresa's hands and feet. Compared to her, mine is nothing."
The frown on Marianne's face didn't leave, and she said, "I will ask Madame Minerva if she knows how to reduce it. Maybe medicine."
Marianne wished she could help Anastasia, as she didn't like the calluses on her sister's hands. If she could, she would have switched her life with her younger sister. But at the same time, not everything was beautiful in the life of a courtesan. She didn't want her sister to go through it.
"You are worrying for no reason." Anastasia held Marianne's hand, and they walked to the other side of the room, where on a table, little flower buds were placed in the vase. "I didn't know Prince Maxwell and you were talking."
Anastasia noticed the smile on Marianne's lips at the mention of the prince's name. Even though they were the only ones in the room, Marianne whispered, "Not until yesterday, we didn't. It is because of Irene."
Irene was the once famous courtesan of the royal palace, where men flocked and showered her with gifts. But as expected, with the years that had passed, her youth and charm eventually left her. She was pushed aside and replaced by younger courtesans who were more in demand.
"What did she do? Wait. Was she the one who tried to run away from the palace?!" Anastasia asked with a stunned expression.
Marianne asked, "You heard about it too??"
During the years the sisters had grown up in the Blackthorn Palace, even though they didn't share the same status, they had tried to secretly meet each other to make sure the other was alright, while sharing things about their side of life.
Anastasia knew about the courtesan named Irene not because of her popularity, but because, in the beginning, the woman had given Marianne a hard time.
"Auntie Theresa told me about it last night. News like that doesn't stay hidden for long and spreads quite quickly," Anastasia replied, and then asked, "Did she really try to run away with the servant?"
Marianne nodded, a frown appearing on her beautiful face. She said, "It was a guard. Irene and that guard were lovers. They planned to meet at the port. But somehow someone came to know about it and reported it to Madame Minerva. They caught the two of them before they could even leave the palace. The guard was executed right there."
A sigh escaped from Anastasia's lips as what she just heard sounded terrible, no matter how Irene might have treated Marianne in the past. She then asked, "And Prince Maxwell?"
"Oh yes," Marianne remembered and said, "I was nearby when Prince Dante severed the guard's head…. There was so much blood, and I was in shock. Prince Maxwell walked me out of there and took me back to Paradise Tower."
Anastasia had zoned out a little after hearing Prince Dante's name. H—he had killed the guard yesterday?! Her feet turned cold. So he truly was as ruthless as people made him out to be…
"He killed the guard because the palace would lose a courtesan?" Anastasia asked, feeling uneasy.
Marianne shook her head. "Prince Maxwell said it had nothing to do with Irene. Maybe it would have been the guard's second mistake. The first mistake was his disloyalty to the Blackthorn family, and also that he worked under Prince Dante's men."
Incidents like these worried Anastasia, and she could tell Marianne was worried too. She knew their lives could change for better or for worse, depending on the success or failure of their escape plan.
Anastasia's hand reached out to pick up a flower bud. She gently twirled it between her fingers and said, "I went to the Bazaar yesterday."
"You did? I am so happy for—" Marianne's excitement died along with her smile, and she said, "No… Life isn't bad here. Did you not hear what I said about Irene and the guard?"
"You don't mean it, Mary. To say this is the life you want," Anastasia's eyebrows furrowed.
Marianne was conflicted by her sister's words and replied, "I would rather have you alive where I can see you, than be punished or lose each other forever." Noticing the bud in her younger sister's hand, she softly smiled and said, "I haven't heard you sing in a long time. I remember you had trouble not being able to keep quiet about it when we were young, always wanting to sing."
Anastasia had a faint memory of it and smiled a little. She said, "It is good that I am acting as a mute. It has helped me stop singing, which is good in a way."
There were times when Marianne wished she had told some other lie in front of the Queen, but she had said the first thing that came to her mind, and probably it was the best lie. She could tell that her younger sister missed singing, along with their parents, who were far away from them. She said,
"There's no one here. You can sing when we are alone and when no one is around. I heard the west side of the palace has been unused and left untouched for years."
Anastasia gently brushed the flower bud. She cleared her throat, which brought a smile to Marianne's lips. She then parted her lips and sang in her sweet voice,
'Everyone aims to be you, who is up in the stars,
not knowing what you went through in the wars.
They are green,
not knowing what you had to sustain.
Thinking it has been a meadow,
When only the one that knows your pain is the shadow... that follows you in the silence of your pain is me…
I hope you remember that I will always be by your side, no matter what road you choose.'
The flower bud that Anastasia was holding, with its petals, slightly moved. It was an ability passed down from the Flores family, which only a few possessed. One of the secrets the sisters shared between them in this palace. Marianne praised her sister,
"You have the sweetest voice, Anna, and your songs still have an effect. It is wonderful."
"It's an insignificant thing," Anastasia said as she placed the flower bud back in the vase and hugged her sister. "I should go now."
"Take care of yourself, Anna," Marianne said, and Anna nodded.
"You too." When Anastasia reached the door, she turned and said, "Mary, I will find a way for us to leave and not get caught."
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