Quirra woke up the moment Liwei got up for morning court. But she kept her eyes closed as she waited for Liwei to leave. however, after getting dressed, Liwei turned back around and leaned over the bed to kiss her on the temple. Quirra controlled her breathing as she pretended to still be asleep. She could feel him staring down at her.
What seemed like forever for Quirra were just mere moments for Liwei, as he stood back up and composed himself before leaving the room. However just before he left, he turned to Iwa's head chamber maid and gave her an order.
"Make sure the Queen is not disturbed, she needs proper rest. And when she wakes up, make sure to fill her tub with hot water so she can have a hot bath and also prepare a hot meal to break her fast. Do you understand?"
The head chamber maid bowed her head even further and answered; "This mere maid Understood, your highness."
"See to it that her Highness, the Queen, is taken better care of from now on. Do whatever she orders you to." He reminded everyone who stood outside of his Queen wife's bedroom door.
Eight maids and six eunuchs in total, all bowed together in agreement. They did not raise their bodies nor their heads until King Feng was completely out of their sight.
"I wonder what happened last night that made the King favor our Queen so much all of a sudden?" One maid whispered to another.
"I know nothing just like you. But one thing is for sure, it is a good thing that King Feng is showing care towards our Queen." another maid answered.
"Hush! The both of you!" Nina, the head maid, sternly scolded the gossiping maids. "You all know the rules of the palace. Or should I remind all of you again? Utter another word and I will ensure punishment is fulfilled."
The two gossiping maids immediately shut their mouths and begged for forgiveness. They thought their whisperings were low enough that Nina and the others didn't hear them, however they should've known better than to speak in front of Nina with her extreme sense of hearing.
"Go clean the front steps and the courtyard. That is where you both will be from today onwards." Nina ordered the two gossiping maids.
The two maids wanted to cry at their misfortune. They worked so hard to become an inner maid for the Queen, but with only one mistake, they were quickly demoted. With no other choice than to bow their heads in understanding, the two maids left to do as they're told. But not before Nina warned them; "You should be grateful that you still have your lives." then she turned to the others; "Speak on those that you are not suppose to speak upon and your life will be forfeit." The rest of the servants nodded their heads in understanding.
Nina and the rest of the servants remained outside of the Queen's bedroom as they all waited for her to wake up.
As for Quirra, she went back to sleep right after Liwei left her room, and finally woke up just before noon.
"Nina!" She lightly called out as she stretched her back after which she sat up in bed.
The door opened and the waiting maids and eunuchs entered in an orderly fashion. Nina went directly to Quirra, while two maids came in bringing tea and snacks for their Queen. Three maids went straight towards her wardrobe to pick out her dress for the day, while the eunuchs were busy going in and out of the room, bringing hot water to fill up her tub. Everyone doing as per the King's orders that morning.
"Your highness. " Nina greeted Queen Iwa as she bowed once then helped her get out of bed. Nina quickly grabbed a robe that was left on the side of the table, to put it on the Queen. "The bath should be ready soon, your higness. Afterwards, the morning meal will be served."
Nina then turned around to grab the freshly brewed tea that the maids brought in and tested it for poison, before giving it to Quirra. "Your highness, here is a ginger and lemon tea to help clear your throat. There are also some snacks to hold your highness's hunger away."
Quirra took the tea and slowly drank it as she looked around her room. It was a large room filled with expensive and exquisite items. However, it wasnt heavily decorated, which made the room look open yet elegant.
"Nina, tell me what happened while I was still asleep." Quirra ordered the head maid which Nina obliged and leaned in towards Quirra to whisper on her ear. She told her, in detail, what happened that morning. After she was done, Nina thought she would see the Queen smile at the knowledge that King Feng was considerate towards her.
However, she was instead surprised by the Queen's poker face. She didn't show any emotions on her face. Instead, the Queen was unusually calm.