"Felizah, why do you look so worried?"
Atarah questioned as Felizah looked frightened and her expressions told that something was wrong.
"You're asked to attend the royal court today."
Felizah admitted and Atarah's eyes widened.
"But why?"
Atarah was both nervous and irritated about the fact that she has been called to attend the royal court. Her parents have never forced her to join them in the royal court and that's because they trusted that Atarah would learn to handle court by herself one day. But Atarah was not interested in going to court or learning anything there. She thought the law system at the court was biased. She wanted to do something for her kingdom but not by taking up the authority. She had the thought that she could even be a commoner rather than a queen.
"I don't clearly know about it but I think they want to test you on your abilities."
Felizah said and Atarah had been guessing the same.
"You need to get ready now."
Felizah helped her in getting ready for the court and Atarah was sure that the day wasn't gonna end easily for her.
The court was filled with people, the Royal Families, both Coldwell and Windsor, the civilians with their problems, waiting for the queen to hear their worries and pass judgments on them. The media was also present to take the recordings of cases, although they couldn't publish them publicly without the queen's approval. Atarah entered the court and curtsied the king and the queen and took her seat near the Queen's throne. Everyone's eyes followed Atarah as it was rare for her to attend the court. The civilians were awestruck at seeing the beauty of the princess, it was an event worth watching. Not every time someone gets to encounter the royal family this closely.
"Let the hearings begin."
Minister announced and one by one, the civilians were allowed to enter the courtroom, and the queen's whole attention was dedicated to them.
The first civilian came in with his problem.
"Your highness."
He greeted the queen and the queen accepted the greeting.
"What is your problem?"
Queen Celeste's tone was firm while questioning.
"Ma'am, my wife is the problem. She is getting difficult to handle for me. She never listens to me and does the only thing that she finds suitable. When I asked her not to work and give more of her time to children and household chores, she told me that she wasn't going to do that and if I force her she will leave the house along with my children."
The man cried about his problem but before the queen could say something, Atarah stepped up.
"Why don't you want her to work?"
Atarah's question got her everyone's attention. Queen hadn't expected her to come up and speak on the royal court when hearings were going but when Atarah does that, the queen finds herself joyful and confident in her daughter because this was the first time Atarah was taking part in the court.
"Because there is no one to look after kids and lack of proper attention could lead to the poor cherishing of the kids."
"But should it be your wife only to look after your kids? Can't you do it yourself? What do you do?"
Atarah's tone was commanding and direct while questioning and everyone in the court saw her as the future queen at the moment.
"I'm a tailor and I have my work to handle. She is a woman, she should better pay attention to the house first and then think about going outside to work. We have been debating about this for a long time and she said if I ask her again to leave her work then she will take my children with her."
He told his whole problem and the atmosphere in the court became intense as everyone was waiting for the princess's next words.
"Your words disgust me a lot! How could you say that it's all her job just because she is a woman? Tell me one thing, when she was pregnant did you want those kids or you had no intentions of getting kids?"
"Atarah!"
Queen tried to warn Atarah about what she was asking from the man was his matter, it was not relevant in the royal court to discuss, if the decision of having kids had his preference or not.
"I know what I'm doing, mother. Let me handle this case, please."
Atarah didn't need to plead her mother for letting her handle this one case because her mother would allow her that anyways. This was the sole reason why Atarah was asked to join the royal court, to check her abilities as a future queen.
"You need to answer me."
Atarah told to the man who was now nervous of the princess's interrogation.
"Yes, it was both of ours decision to have kids and I love my children."
The man said proudly as if he was doing a great job by loving his own family.
"Why should your wife be the only one to look after children when it was both of yours' decision to have them? Do you hear yourself right now? You sound so sick."
Atarah's words started a wave of murmurs in the court and everyone was mumbling about Atarah's informal usage of words in the court.
"Pardon, your highness but what you suggest me to do in the situation? I can't afford to look after my children when I'm working and I can't lose my children if I ask her to look after them."
"What does your wife do?"
The princess questioned.
"She is a baker, in the city's main bakery."
"And where is your workplace?"
"I have my boutique set up in the front hall of my house."
The man answered.
"The problem is sorted then. Since your wife has to travel some distance to reach her workplace and she looks up to children and you, on the other hand, stay near them the whole day. I think you should be looking up for them in her absence after all you are their father."
Atarah ordered.
"But that's a woman's job to do. She married me to handle my house and children. I have been lenient enough to let her work before we had children and now she has started going back to work again. How could I do her job on her behalf?"
The man knew no limits when he asked this kind of question in the royal court.
"First of all, it is not only her responsibility, but they are also both of your children, and you if you love them enough to care about them then you should be able to look after them in their mother's absence. What's wrong with your wife working hard to live the life that wants, I'm pretty sure she has her reason for being so determined towards work, and I absolutely support and encourage her. And if you can't take responsibility for children in her absence then I think I will support her in her decision of taking them away with herself. And you should not forget, in any case that this is a kingdom run by a Queen!"
Everyone's eyes widened at Atarah. The princess told her decision confidently. Although the matter was really small as compared to the other hearings of big crimes that go on the royal court on a daily basis but many men still have the same sick mentality as the man standing in the court and the princess's confidence and power in her words depicted that how much she supported the notion of feminism and equality.