I waited for Urma to be in her chambers. When I walked in, I found her putting on makeup in front of her mirror.
"How was the walk with Sir Raymi?" She asked me seeing myself in her mirror's reflection. "Can we announce your engagement now?"
I didn't answer. I just handed her the scroll.
"What's that?" She questioned me turning around to see me face to face.
"It is from Sir Raymi," I replied coldly.
Urma's eyes widened like two large plates.
"It can't be ..." she said as she opened the scroll.
She read it and when she finished, she burst out laughing.
"It can't be!" She exclaimed with a laugh, "The Saints do have a cruel sense of humor, dear Daymara!"
"What is so funny?"
"Oh, no, no ... sorry, Daymara, is just ... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ..."
She couldn't stop laughing.
"I do not see what's funny…"
"Of course you don't see it, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
My blood was heating up and rushing to my head. My heart was pounding with rage. I thought I was going to jump on Urma and strangle her.
"What are you going to answer to Sir Raymi?" I questioned her trying to contain myself.
"Oh sweetheart, don't worry. I'm not interested in him. He's all yours for what I care," she stated as she turned to continue putting on her makeup.
"What? Why doesn't he interest you? " I asked indignantly.
I couldn't understand it. Who wouldn't want Sir Raymi?
"It is too… good," Urma replied.
"Too good? Do you want someone bad? "
"Well ... the truth is, yes. Someone who does a lot of… bad things to me… ha, ha, ha," she confessed with a mischievous smile that I could see in her mirror's reflection.
"Bad things?"
"You know what I mean…"
"Do I?"
"Yes. You know ... delicious things ... You can tell that Sir Raymi is one of those who do not touch you until they marry you. And then they are terrible in bed. No, thanks, pass."
I have rarely felt so outraged at that moment.
"Is that… Aren't you a maiden?" I asked. "You're supposed to stay pure! Is the law!"
Urma burst out laughing again.
"By the Saints, Daymara! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA You are such a cute thing! "
I still didn't find it funny.
Urma got up, walked over to me, and stroked my face.
"He and you are made for each other," she told me before leaving her chambers.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all! Why, why did the Saints punish me like this! What kind of twisted joke were they playing on me?
And then… It occurred to me. Urma had confessed that she was not a maiden. Her virtue had been outraged out of wedlock. She had confessed that she had violated the King's Law!
I decided to tell the Queen. I was going to expose Urma. I had never thought of getting revenge on anyone before. It was my first time and… it felt good.
***
I found Queen Antonete sitting at her desk, writing on some scrolls. I never thought her Majesty was a desk queen. I imagined her more in social gatherings and dancing and being charming. In that she was very much like the late Queen Catherine, may her soul rest with the Saints.
"Your Majesty," I announced to myself.
"Under his care," the Queen greeted.
"Under his care," I replied the greeting.
"How can I help you Daymara?"
"Um… I am very ashamed to place Your Majesty in this position, but… I have something very serious to report. Something that ... concerns one of Your Majesty's maidens. "
The Queen looked at me with concern.
"Well speak, girl. What is happening?"
"Um… it's… about Urma. Her…"
"Yes"
"She confessed to me that she… is not a maiden, Your Majesty. She gave up her virtue out of wedlock long ago. "
The Queen was silent for a few seconds and then burst out laughing.
"¡HA, ¡HA, ¡HA, ¡HA, ¡HA, ¡Oh, Daymara, Daymara!"
Why is EVERYONE making fun of me?
She finally stopped laughing.
"Is that's all?" She asked.
"Your Majesty?"
"Was that the 'serious' thing you had to report?"
"Well… Yes, Your Majesty. Urma… she has violated the King's Law. We maidens must keep our purity. That's why they call us maidens! Our virtue is the most valuable thing! "
I saw condescension in the Queen's eyes.
"Daymara… my girl. You still have a lot to learn. But I will speak personally with the 'maiden' Urma. If that's all, you can leave me alone. I need to concentrate. Thank you."
I bowed to Her Majesty and left her study.
I didn't understand anything. What was happening? Did nobody obey the laws? The King's Laws are the laws of the Supreme and all his children the Saints.
When I got back to my bedroom, I threw myself on my bed. I thought about what it meant that the Queen ignored my complaint. Could the King's laws be broken without consequence?
Maybe, if they found out my secret, it wouldn't be THAT bad ...
«What if Sir Raymi finds out?» I thought.
He would surely hate me, for being a dirty woman. Worthless. If he found out that Urma had no virtue… maybe, he would hate her too.
«Should I tell him too?» I considered.
I wondered if he would react in the same way that the Queen did.
Suddenly there was a knock on my door. I got up to open it and only found the air on the other side.
I noticed that there was a small piece of paper lying on the ground.
A note? I picked it up and read it. And what I found, would lead me to the event that would change my life forever.