"What is your name?" Regina asked. Her voice brimming with authority and yet not reeking of royal rudeness.
She had her eye on a specific person ans thus she wanted to precisely make her move.
Regina pointed out at the maid standing quitely behind everyone. She was also bowing to the queen but she didn't once open her mouth after she was introduced.
"Umm... your majesty... my name is Claire." She was stuttering. She only just peeked once at Regina's face and then continued looking down.
Maybe she had a look of a victimized sheep that garnered Regina's attention, but Regina needed to stay vigilant, that's what she was tasked with after all.
Though was a little confused for the odd behavior the maid was projecting, but this tickled more of her intrest. She now only wanted to play more.
"Hmm, this person is intresting. She is intresting in so many ways." Regina thought as she went back and sat down on the couch in the middle of the palace premise. Making herself comfortable and relax enough to show that she was the one and only one with the authority in the current situation.
"Claire, you are indeed the one I was looking for but I can't choose you as the lady in waiting. I am sorry." Regina was conversing with herself. Although she was intrigued by the maid and wanted to play more, but now wasn't the time to only think single handedly. It was a time to make wise and noteworthy decisions.
She decided to keep an eye on Claire, but she needed somone else to present themselves beside her as the lady-in-waiting.
"So my lady-in-waiting will be-" Regina paused for a moment. The Head maid was already standing there with her self confidence reflecting from her posture, while other maids knew they stood no chance so they were relaxed. They also seemed like they have given up a long long time ago.
"My lady-in-waiting is Lara De Gonstroght." Regina announced loud and clear. And that announcement came as a surprise to everyone.
It was like that one dramatic statement that takes a couple of moments to settle in. It was just like an echo but with probably no after sounds and a clear loud thunder.
The announcement which only raise questions -
"What?", "How could she do that?", "She chose Lara, the scandalous daughter of Baron Gonstroght." Was what everyone's expressions were showing. They were not only unsure of the queen's whimsical decisions but also nervously looking around to find some reason to rationalize the decision. It was after all Lara De Gonstroght.
"Hmph. So predictable. I am sure now who planned on making me stay here." Regina was a little excited since her assumption became clear in that very moment. It was definitely a person with authority to place someone like Lara in the crowd of clueless lambs.
But the intresting fact was that Lara herself shocked. Her expression was - "Why did she chose me? Is she in her right mind?" Her eyes were wide open and her cheeks flushed.
Regina just gave a small smirk and said, "It's my first day here and you all want to question my authority?"
Everyone suddenly became quite and looked away from her face. Regina took a deep breath of satisfaction and looked around the palace.
"Hmm? I am still in my wedding dress so I guess I should change into something more suitable for the night." Her blue eyes piercing the Head Maid. And she flinched.
"Oh! Yeah that is my mistake. I apologize. I will lead you to your -", she suddenly panicked and Regina glared at her.
"I would love to go ahead with my lady-in-waiting." She said cutting the head maid's words. Lara quietly came ahead and stood behind the queen.
"But I also have a task for you, Ms. Head maid." Regina said in a polite warm smile.
The head maid immediately smiled as if she was thinking- "I knew you would need me."
"Yes your majesty." She walked ahead towards Regina. This time not that confident but yet a little egoistic.
"Oh it's nothing massive." Regina said shrugging her shoulders. She was just having fun at this point.
"I will do anything for your majesty." Said the head maid with a cheeky smile.
"I want your resignation letter on my desk by tomorrow morning." Said Regina with a genuine wide smile.
She could totally hear the the glass shattering inside her ears as a dramatic effect for the drop of her smile. "They are two different people." Regina thought as she looked at the head maid.
As the Head maid's smile dropped that very second. "Huh?" Naturally came out of her mouth.
"What? You want the queen to repeat herself?" Regina said as she glared at her. She was apparently enjoying herself, and she was only doing her job. "There are two diffrent people. Someone placed the head maid here, and somebody else placed Lara." She was just getting sure of it with every passing second.
"I wish to have a long stay here since that is what the plan seems to be. I am grateful for having you all serve me." Regina said with warmth and comfort and walked along with Lara.
The servants made a bow and scattered away as soon as the queen walked away. The head maid also had to make her way to her quarters something she never expected to be doing. She lost the game.
On the other hand Regina and Lara -
They walked up to the third floor and noticed that there were only two rooms on the floor. One was definitely the Grand Queen Chamber but what was the other one?
Regina turned around and asked Lara, "What is this room for?"
Lara immediately came forward to open the door with the key she had from the bunch of the keys.
"Huh? She has the bunch of keys? Isn't that only supposed to be with the head maid?" Regina had a natural question, but she thought that perhaps it wasn't the right time to ask. She let that question remain with her and looked forward to the interiors of the room.
Lara opened the door and led Regina inside.
The room was huge. But now it was apparently being used as the store room. All the things were covered in white sheets and gathered dust.
"You majesty," she started to talk about the room. "I don't know why but we were told never to open this room until the queen asks to." Lara said meekly.
"Is that so?" Regina said as she made her way even further in that room. Lara nodded. "Who said that though?" Asked Regina as she dusted an ancient looking novel from the book shelf and opened it.
"Umm, it was the king." Lara said in a very low voice.
"Hmm? Who?" Regina asked.
"His majesty asked us not to open this room until you asked us to." Lara said loud and clear the second time.
Regina nodded her head and looked around the room. The room wasn't as creepy as Regina thought it could be.
But one thing was clear, it sure was locked for a really long time. The things were kept intact where they must've been left and now dust just plainly covered everything. There was also nets and spiders near the book shelf.
Regina surfed through the book in her hand and just kept it back where it was right away. She just roamed around the room and took a look at everything.
Old vases, potraits on the wall and antique artifacts. It must've been someone's office was the natural thought that came to Regina's mind.
She didn't have any particular complaints but she sure had questions. Although Lara wasn't the right person to ask all these questions.
There were novels, study textbooks and some show pieces on the shelf. The furniture was made from high quality materials for sure. And there was also a wardrobe that stood covering an entire wall on her right side. She walked towards the wardrobe and in that moment a voice came from behind her, "Your majesty." It was a panic voice intending to stop her from opening the wardrobe door.
Reaching to her like a gush of wind trying to warn her for the very next step.
Trying to warn her of the very next moment.
She looked back at once as a reflex action.