The door to the ballroom opened and she walked in majestically just like a Queen would, but not everyone understood why her face was covered with a barely transparent veil.
"Isn't a Queen supposed to show her face to the new one?" They murmured.
"She probably hate the new Queen so much that she's only doing this because she had no choice. She's probably frowning behind that veil," said another but their voices were barely audible.
"The Queen has arrived," the old man exclaimed and turned to Sania with a smile. Sania smiled back at him, but as soon as he looked away her smile faded.
She knew that there was something wrong, she had only met the Queen once, but she believed that the person who walked up to her wasn't Taffi's mother,
"But who is was she, then?" She wondered.
Everyone else seemed convinced that Queen Lila was hidden behind the veil, making Sania wonder if she was overthinking.
The Queen stopped in front of Sania and took Sania's hand in hers. This act convinced her that the lady behind the veil wasn't Taffi's mother, because the Queen wouldn't have changed towards her so suddenly.
"Sania," the Queen called her name and Sania raised a brow, she instantly concluded that she might be insane or delusional because the voice she heard was similar to that of Queen Lila, and there was no way a person would fake their voice to sound like another, or so Sania believed.
"When you arrived at the castle, I saw the next Queen of Azeera." She added and Sania let out a faint smile, it was the least she could do to relieve herself from the awkwardness.
She turned to Taffi and he nodded his head with a smile,
"Was he able to convince his mother to love me overnight? Then what about Tehila, that is probably why she isn't here." Sania's mind was occupied with these thoughts that she didn't hear much of what the Queen was saying to her.
By the time she snapped back to reality, the Queen had already concluded her speech, which meant that Sania was zoned out for minutes, but no one noticed since she kept a smile on her face and nodded like she was listening.
"Today, I renounce my position as the Queen of Azeera, and make you, Sania Yoshabed, the new Queen of Azeera," she concluded. She took off her crown and placed it on Sania's head, followed by a loud cheer from the audience.
After which the Queen embraced Sania, and whispered into her ears,
"It doesn't count if you don't hug back, My Queen."
Although Sania felt strange, she hugged back despite the numerous questions left unanswered. She couldn't believe that it happened so peacefully, and couldn't tell whether to be excited or not.
"What if she's just pretending for today, and will continue to make my life miserable as the days go by?" She wondered, there was barely anything positive that Sania could think of.
After the celebration had died down, and the Queen had released Sania from her embrace, she said,
"You are my daughter now, you have nothing to be afraid of. Until the day that I am buried, I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a Queen."
"Thank you... My Lady," Sania stuttered but still didn't get over the uneasiness.
Taffi walked towards them after the ritual had been completed, and he took Sania by the hand. They both took a bow in front of the Queen and Taffi said,
"Thank you, mother,"
Sania observed his behavior around the woman he called his mother and sensed that he was faking it. The smile on his face wasn't genuine, and even when he hugged her, there was a hint of hesitation between them.
After the rites ended, Sania and Taffi returned to their seats, while the celebration continued in the throne room with drinking, dancing, and numerous performances from magicians and dancers.
Others came forward to congratulate Taffi for finding a wife, and they didn't forget to welcome Sania to Azeera. A few people told her that she wouldn't regret it, little did they know that she already did.
When they had free time to speak, Taffi was the first to break the silence that prevailed between them for a long time,
"I told you that there's nothing to worry about." He said.
"Why was she wearing a veil?" Sania asked with a hint of authority in her tone, it was quite bold of her to question a King in that manner, but Taffi chose to let it slide for the time being.
"Her makeup was ruined, and my mother is very particular about how she looks, she'd rather not attend this feast than show up without looking her best. She was the Queen after all," he explained but Sania was not convinced.
It sounded like a lie that he made up just to distract her, but Sania also didn't want to prolong the conversation, so she replied,
"Okay,"
"You don't believe me? "Taffi inquired with a rather childish tone, and Sania found it very embarrassing that he did so in a public gathering.
"I do," she retorted,
"I was just curious, that is all."
Sania couldn't wait for the celebration to be over, it'd be very disrespectful of her to leave while the guests were still present, else, she would have done so as soon as the rites ended.
The feast ended at sunset, and every guest returned to their homes, and those left were the King's family member. They had a separate dinner with Taffi and Sania in the throne room.
But nobody said a word, not even Taffi. They all ate silently and it was even more disturbing that Queen Lila was absent from the dinner.
After eating, Taffi introduced them to Sania by name, and each one of them faked a smile, how could they collectively dislike Sania, it's made no sense to her still.
"Is Tehila the only reason behind this?" She wondered.