10 years ago, in some small bar in the back alley of the Kuravos empire -
"Do you know Regina? What to do with the knives that can no longer be sharpened?", a man asked her in his husky, broad voice.
Regina, who was just 12 years old, sat there confused. "No, I don't know Big Man. What do we do with it?" Regina asked naively.
Big man, the so called teacher of Regina, burst out in laughter. "Oh my Regina, you sure are honest." He said, banging the table with his hands as he laughed.
"Big man, tell me. Tell me what to do?" She said, desperately wanting an answer from him. He looked at her. Sitting across the table, right in front of him.
"We discard them.", he responded.
"The weapons which don't listen to our commands should be discarded before you go to the next war." The big man warned her.
Regina pondered over the statement for quite a time. She took as much as she could from the sentence which her twelve-year-old mind could absorb.
"One more pint of bear please." The big man ordered.
"Why? What could happen?" She kept on thinking, maybe looking for an answer inside herself.
"She is deep in her thoughts again. This child sure is different than everyone else." The Big man smirked and thought.
Regina couldn't keep her questions in and just decided to ask Big Man, "What would happen if I didn't discard those weapons?" Her big eyes were looking, or let's say, piercing through the wall around Big man.
"Umm, it's simple." The Big man shrugged his big shoulders as he said. "If you take those weapons for any war, they won't work for your side. They would become a tool in the hands of enemies and your defeat would become inevitable," he said casually.
But Regina's eyes grew even bigger with excitement to listen to more. "Wow you are so cool big man. Tell me more." Regina praised him and he told her even more stories.
Maybe she doesn't remember the other stories as much, but this one. She definitely remembers.
"Discard the weapons which can't be sharpened. Or they will side with the enemy." She always kept this one lesson close to her heart.
-
Regina, after entering the Eastern palace knew very well that there will definitely be diffrent people who were planted there just to keep watch on her.
She was currently playing the role of Rachel D'Azure, who only in afternoon married the king of Kuravos. That means she was the apparent queen to the throne.
And that invited a lot of unnecessary people, with their unnecessary greed and malice. But afterall this was all she signed up for. As preparing for the role she was now playing, required just much more than plain looks of Rachel, it required intelligence. Why?
Because Count D'Azure hired her to eliminate all such pests from the palace and secure a good environment for Rachel to rule. And eliminating the people meant, eliminating the roots behind them, eliminating the minds who planted them.
"Discard the weapons who won't work for you.", she remembered her lesson very precisely.
And thus when she interacted with the woman who seemed to be the head of the servants she knew her assumptions weren't entirely wrong. Or more like they weren't wrong at all.
"This woman knows what she is talking about. She is definitely not an air head. Let me dig in more." Regina thought this game was fun.
"I am actually honoured to live here as the Queen of the Kuravos empire. And I am grateful to have your service," Regina said with an earnest tone.
The Head Maid didn't seem impressed and just gave a smug expression outright. Regina wasn't any fool, she noticed her expression.
But to pin her down, that wasn't the right time.
Even though she is playing the role of an unnecessary weapon right now, she should be discarded only after knowing who the owner is.
Regina looked at all their faces and took a deep breath. She headed toward the sofa in the middle of the room or maybe the entrance premises and sat down there.
All the maids and the servants lined up in front of her. Regina looked at the Head Maid. "Should I tell you what you are supposed to do?" Was the expression on her face as she looked at the Head Maid.
The head-maid flinched and quickly started introducing the servants.
"Your majesty, this is Lara, she is in charge of your wardrobe. This is Matthew. He is in charge of the house keeping...." the head maid's voice soon faded into the background as one of the maids caught Regina's attention.
As soon as the introductions were done, everyone seemed to lighten up a bit. The atmosphere became lively and everyone started chatting right away about their jobs and about the way they did their work around there.
Regina was listening and nodding to them. Even more so, giving them a bright and warm smile. But these were all just background noises as she focused on that one maid standing in the shadows of everyone, behind them.
"I am glad I was transferred here. It seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity to serve the queen." One of the male servants said it in a flow.
"Eh?" Regina thought to herself.
"That means you don't work in the Eastern palace?" Regina asked instinctively.
"Oh yeah. We are assembled to work here for you, the new queen." Responded one of the male servants. "There was nothing. No one was even allowed to come to this place and, moreover, this place was always close to servants like us.", he added.
But then immediately the head maid signalled him to stop with her expressions.
"So your majesty, who do you choose as your lady-in-waiting?" The head maid asked. She was suddenly all bubbly and sweet and Regina was definitely on guard due to her expression.
"Uh... this woman is annoying. But I must keep her close, so close that I know who exactly is the master behind her sharp and sweet words." Regina thought to herself.
Everyone stood there in a bowing position to the queen as Regina got up from the couch and walked along with them.
"Hmm, they are pretty diligent," Regina thought as she looked at each servant and maid standing there neatly.
" After all, this is the Royal Palace. Who are we kidding?", Regina thought to herself as she casually shrugged her shoulder.
She was aware that she had to decide on someone as a lady-in-waiting and now she was firm on her decision.