Queen Mother Raine dismissed her guests a while after Amie had left. Since she could not achieve her goal of inviting them, she lost all interest in the tea tasting. It did not take long after they had all left for her mother's figure to appear before her.
"Raine, What did you do?" Lady Teel asked.
"I see you are keeping me tightly monitored, Mother," Queen Mother Raine answered.
"Why are you trying to provoke that girl?" Lady Teel walked over and stood right before her. Queen Mother Raine only continued to sit and sip on her tea, as she dismissively looked at her mother.
"You fear that Krain name so much?" she said.
At this, Lady Teel glanced around the room and all the maids took it as their cue to retreat. Only after they were gone and the doors tightly shut, did Lady Teel look back at her daughter.
"It is that same Krain name attached to the Thraine prestige that keeps us safe from the ancients in this kingdom!" Lady Teel scolded.
"And why should I care about these, Mother?" she rolled her eyes.
"Raine! Has grief filled your head with starch? Without this queen mother title that was just handed to you, you and that baby inside of you can only wait for death. Start to think for your child," Lady Teel said and turned to leave.
"So you knew. You knew I carried his child yet you allowed him to die?" Queen Raine's eyes narrowed at her mother's back.
"This child is the Teel family's heir," Lady Teel answered without turning.
"Oh, yes. How could I forget? Since my dead husband already had children, the child I bear will belong to the Teel family. You have calculated well, Mother," Queen Mother Raine smiled coldly.
Lady Teel's figure faded one second and stood before her the next. She looked down at her daughter, meeting her angry eyes with her cold ones.
"That girl is dangerous, Raine. Who knows what she said to the Ligrel clan to openly agitate the Ostie without fear? War is brewing and you are still mourning your dead king? As you wallow in your grief, someone in this same palace is growing too strong. Even if we dare not try to control her or suppress her, you should at least know what the snake in your living room is planning to do so that you do not mistakenly step on her tail," she said and Queen Mother Raine reigned in her anger. Even though she still had not forgiven her mother for not saving her husband, she understood that Lady Wickshire wished for the late King to be out of the way for King Adrian to take over. Just thinking of the amount of power the Lady Wickshire wielded, anger overwhelmed her.
"They have always been hostile towards the Ostie," she countered her mother.
"Not this openly. They no longer fear as they take over Ostie's territory and kill their younger generation. Something happened in that meeting with Queen Amie. You best clear all that starch from your head so proper wheels can start moving again. You are living with that girl. At first, it was your husband who was sacrificed for their goals, will you grieve till it is your child? We may not be able to fight their goals, but we cannot fall into their traps. You can do as you see fit," Lady Teel said, vanishing from the room.
Queen Mother Raine had long understood these, but she could not help but taunt that girl. She had not thought too much of her and still did not. She did not believe that girl was worth anything. Still, she was part of the Lady Wickshire's elaborate goals. Even if she did not care for the girl, she cared not to fall into Lady Wickshire's traps. Since she had to live here for quite a long while before she could leave without endangering her clan, it was clear she would be giving birth in the palace. This made her tense. The Lady Wickshire, was it possible she would not let her child go?
She recalled that Queen Amie had sent a knowing look towards her stomach earlier, and was sure she probably knew she was carrying the late king's child.
"That girl better keep her eyes off my child or I will scoop them from their sockets," she said coldly, as she rubbed softly her lower abdomen.