章節 3: The cursed one
[Music Recommendation: Snowfall ~ One heart, reidenshi]
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Year 1510...
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"Lyn, wake up!"
Jacquelyn stirred, her olive-toned skin glowing in the dim light. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. As she turned to her side, the softness of the featherbed enveloped her, causing her to snuggle even deeper.
The head maid moved around the bed, with a small frown etched on her forehead, the older woman pushed the silk golden curtain to the side. Allowing rays of sunlight to stream inside the room.
The princess moaned, raising the bed cover to shield her face. "Awww, Grisie!"
"Lyn Lyn!! I'll pull the pillow next!"
Jacquelyn's sparkling azure-blue eyes peeked above the cover as she tried to give the older woman doe eyes since it had always worked in the past.
"No, Your Highness! We won't indulge in laziness. Not today!" The head maid Griselda, whose hair was now covered in gray, spoke with a firm voice that brooked no argument.
Jacquelyn groaned, pushing her auburn hair back with a languid hand, the silky strands cascading down her back, revealing their warm, golden tones.
"Why bother my sleep, when we never do anything different. It's always the same thing every day..." Her words trailed off as Griselda pulled down the cover, revealing her curled legs. The princess's toes wiggled beneath the soft linens, her pout deepening.
Griselda gently folded the bed cover, her gaze softening as she turned to the princess. "We do fun things too," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as she sat beside Jacquelyn's bed.
The princess exhaled sadly, pushing her leg up and resting her head on her knee. "Like what? Knitting? Feeding the fish? I want to see people too, like Father and my brothers and sisters."
Jacquelyn's longing to leave the confines of her quarters was evident. She stood on her bed, spreading her arms wide, as if embracing the world beyond her walls. "I want to see what other people look like too-the only face I've ever seen is..." Her shoulders sagged, and she sat back down, "You."
Griselda's eyes welled up with tears, which she quickly wiped away. "When you put it that way, it makes me feel like you're not happy to see me."
The young Princess quickly to apologize with a soft voice, "No, Grisie! It's not like that-are you crying? I didn't mean to hurt you. I just want to eat at the same table as my brothers and sisters. And go out like others."
Griselda's fist clenched; her mind transported back to that fateful rainy night. The memory of the newborn princess, wrapped in a bloodied sheet and cast out of the palace, still haunted her. As the closest maid to the deceased Queen, Griselda had taken it upon herself to protect and care for the abandoned child, hoping the king would one day realize his mistake and reclaim his daughter. But nineteen years had passed, and that day never came.
Griselda's heart ached, knowing she had kept the truth hidden, hoping to protect the young princess. Even as Jacquelyn grew into a beautiful young woman, Griselda believed she was doing the right thing, sparing Jacquelyn the pain of knowing the truth. But as the years went by, she saw the longing in the girl's eyes, a deep desire to connect with others, to belong.
The princess's words cut deep. "Grisie, you told me I needed to get healthy to visit the main palace, but I'm not sick. I've never felt sick in my life. Is there a sickness I don't know of? Please tell my father I'm ready to meet him!"
The head maid knew she had to reveal the truth, but the timing was never right. "Lyn, I'm going to tell you something really important. The reason you can't leave here or meet your father." Griselda inhaled deeply, readying her mind. "You see the—"
Just then, a loud bang on the door interrupted them. "Conceal the cursed one! And step out to receive the king's orders!" a man's strong voice boomed.
The princess's eyes sparkled with excitement as she turned to Griselda. "Grisie, did you hear that? The king's orders! I'm finally going home! Father wants me back!" But her enthusiasm was short-lived, replaced by confusion. "But who is the cursed one?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
The question hung in the air as Griselda's face remained impassive, her eyes clouded with a mix of emotions. The woman raised the basin that had clean water in it and she used it to wash the princess's face, wiping it clean with a dry towel.
"Here wash your mouth," Griselda pushed a wooden cup to the girl's face, and Jacquelyn gargled before spitting into the basin. She noticed the anxiousness in the older woman's eyes, and it worried the princess.
Done with this, the former head maid swiftly grasped the bed cover she had earlier pulled away, using it to cover Jacquelyn's face. "Don't say anything, Lyn. Just follow me."
As they stepped outside, Griselda knelt down, tugging Jacquelyn's hand, and bowed her head.
Jacquelyn moved her head to the side. She itched to pull the cover down her face so she could catch a glimpse of the people's faces, even for a passing second, but she knew better than to disobey Griselda. The woman never did anything without a reason, so patiently the princess waited for the time to come when she could look at anyone she wanted.
The king's guards stood at attention, their faces expressionless. "The king has ordered for Princess Jacquelyn to be trained before noon, as she will be on her way to her husband tomorrow!"
Griselda shook her head. "No! S-she's still a child. What husband? She knows nothing."
Jacquelyn giggled. "What child? Grisie, I became a woman long ago. I can't wait to see my husband and Father and sisters!"
Griselda sighed, knowing the girl couldn't wait to explore beyond her confinement. But life outside wouldn't be mild for someone who had never interacted with humans. "Please, I beg of His Majesty, give me more time to train the princess. She's not ready," Griselda said, bowing her head deeply until it touched the cold floor.
A soft click of a woman's shoe echoed. "You need not worry, I am Governess-in-Chief Beaufort, in charge of preparing the princess," said a slender, tall woman with a coif covering her hair and a black cane sunk into the ground behind her.
Griselda raised her face, seeing the governess's pointed chin and proud expression. Griselda gulped, knowing governesses, and one looking like this was not going to show mercy to someone like Jacquelyn, who was as clumsy as a newborn fawn.
"Lady Beaufort, the princess is already used to being around me. Can I—"
Lady Beaufort struck her cane noisily on the ground. "I will not have you tell me how to perform my duties." She turned to Jacquelyn. "Is she the one? We must make this training quick!"
The king's guards stepped away, leaving the three women alone.
"Princess Jacquelyn, stand!" Lady Beaufort's voice thundered. "And pull down the cover!"
Jacquelyn's leg quivered beneath her as she stood up, her heart racing with a mix of emotions. She hesitated, unsure if she should feel excited or terrified to finally meet someone other than Griselda. With trembling hands, she slowly pulled down the cover, her eyes widening as she revealed her face.
"Hm blue cursed eyes." Lady Beaufort frowned, taking a step forward with her cane. "Not bad, but don't slouch! Raise your shoulders!"
As the princess raised her shoulders, a shiver ran down her spine wondering why the woman had called her eyes cursed. The first face she saw was that of Lady Beaufort, her expression stern and unyielding. The governess's eyes seemed to bore into Jacquelyn's soul, her gaze as sharp as the tip of her cane, which looked poised to strike at any moment.
"First rule as a wife; perform your wifely duties and let your husband have his way!"
Griselda gasped, rushing to protect Jacquelyn. "She doesn't know things like that! She's still a child!"
Lady Beaufort shoved Griselda aside. "Child? I see a grown woman with a ripe chest ready to milk a child of her own! Now stand back, maid, and do not interrupt!"
Jacquelyn's gaze darted to Griselda, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, "Grisie..." Her voice cracking at the end.
Griselda's face contorted in anguish, her eyes pleading for the power to shield Jacquelyn from the cruel fate awaiting her. "Lyn," she whispered back, her voice barely audible.
Lady Beaufort's cane scraped against the floor, making Jacquelyn jump. "Repeat after me!" she barked. "A wife must perform all her wifely duties and never deny her husband herself."
Jacquelyn's voice trembled. "A-a wife must n-never...d-deny her husband..." She bit her lip, fighting back tears as fear gripped her heart.
The cane cracked again, the sound echoing through the room like a whip. "Do not stutter! Again!" Lady Beaufort's voice was like ice, chilling the spine.
Jacquelyn's breath caught in her throat as she forced out the words. "A wife must never deny her husband herself!"
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