Charmaine felt dissatisfied with the situation. Of course, no one wants to be separated from their parents when they are so young.
She had never been away from her parents because she was an only child.
"You've stopped crying? Or are you taking a break?" The woman who had taken her away from her parents questioned her.
She had stopped sobbing since her eyes were red and painful, and she had no more tears running down her cheeks. She was, in a nutshell, weary from sobbing.
That did not, however, imply she would stop crying. She felt sorrowful deep down in her heart, and that would not change soon.
"You must not weep. If you do that, my ears will bleed." As the carriage came to a halt, the woman continued as the horseman who had been riding them opened the door for them.
The woman was the first to go. "What? There are no royal butlers on hand to assist you in exiting the carriage. You should go out on your own."
Charmaine walked closer to the edge, where she could see the earth, with a small nod of accordance to what the woman had told her.
It appeared to be a long way away, and she was frightened of hurting herself by leaping out.
The horseman gave her a brief glance before turning aside to disregard her.
She wasn't looking at her since she was engrossed in a conversation with two other women who had just showed up.
This was her time to take a solo step down, but she had to be careful not to injure herself.
She turned away from the ground and pushed her small feet out to walk on the next available surface area, but her hands struggled to keep a solid grip on the sitting space.
Leather was used to cover the seating area. Her worry led her to sweat, and as a result, her grasp on the seat was not as tight as she would have preferred. Additionally, the location where she stood was not a stable surface area, leading her to lose her balance and fall flat on her back on the hard ground.
She screamed in agony, but the horseman refused to look at her or assist her in rising from the ground.
"Is it possible for you to put an end to your drama? Even though it's only a minor fall, you scream as if you've fallen down a slope." The woman spoke from where she stood among the two other women who were laughing at Charmaine.
"Can you tell me who she is?" One woman inquired.
"Oh, she? They wanted me to remain with her for a time since she's a niece of one of my brothers from the other kingdom." The woman replied.
"But, why?" The other lady inquired.
Anyone who knew Charlotte knew she detested children, and one reason she was never married was because she couldn't carry children.
She didn't want children and didn't want to be around them, so seeing her with this girl made them question why she was with her in the first place.
However, the woman in charge of Charmaine just shrugged and motioned for the horseman to remove Charmaine's possessions from the carriage and carry them inside.
"That is none of your business, ladies!" she exclaimed and motioned with her eyes for Charmaine to get up and follow her.
In comparison to the palace, the woman's quarters were neither shabby nor elegant.
"What are you staring at?" the woman said as she removed the cloak that had been hiding her face the entire time.
Charmaine averted her gaze, but she kept a sidelong glance at the woman, puzzled as to why the woman had kept her face hidden all these times; was she ugly? Was there a scar on her face that she had to hide?
"Can you tell me your name?" The lady inquired.
"Charmaine!" said Charmaine.
"How come you live in the palace and have no sense of order?" The woman's question perplexed Charmaine.
"Respond to my query respectfully." The woman continued.
Charmaine stared down at her feet and fidgeted with her fingers in front of her, where she could see them.
"My name is Charmaine Aidweph," she introduced herself.
"That's OK; however, from now on, your name will be Charmaine, is I clear?" The lady inquired as she bent down so that she would be on the same eye level with Charmaine,
Wow!
So she was this beautiful?
Then why was she hiding her face all this while?
Charmaine couldn't help but wonder to herself.
"But, why?" Charmaine inquired, perplexed why she was supposed to forget her last name if that was what the woman meant.
"Because I said so, and if I ever find out that you told me, I'll teach you a lesson that you will never forget in your entire lifetime, I'm I clear?" The woman asked as she looked into Charmaine's eyes. The little girl nodded in accordance, before the woman straightened up and turned away from her.
"Can you tell me your name?" Charmaine had inquired.
"Why?" the woman, who was folding her coat at the time, inquired as she watched Charmaine through her peripheral vision.
"You inquired about my name, and I told to you."
"So you think it's fair that you know mine as well?" The lady inquired, earning a nod from Charmaine.
"OK then, my name is Charlotte," said the woman.
"How about your surname?" Charmaine was the one who inquired.
"I forgot it, and it's better if you don't remember your own last name, either." Charlotte remarked.
"But, why?"
"Be a good girl and put your belongings in the little room near the kitchen; that'll be your new sleeping quarters." Charlotte moved by Charmaine and into her room, which was in the other direction from where they were standing, completely ignoring the little girl's question.
She was only doing this because the King and his wife were paying her and she needed money. If it wasn't for the gold, Charmaine wouldn't be there with her.