The Royal household had a lot of servants than ordinary nobles. The servants worked hard to keep their heads atop their shoulders and to earn their daily bread but that didn't stop them from gossiping.
The marriage of the King had many disappointed and some filled with admiration. The former wanted a Cinderella story with the king but unluckily for them, they were mere extras in the royal story.
Carrissa woke up to a new day, she looked around in the hope of seeing her husband but he was not in sight. He had gone to work, it seems.
He never slept with her on the bed and always preferred using the couch. This affirmed her thoughts that he had married her just for the sake of decoration but it also bothered her as she knew she would never get a man who would love her.
She rested her face on her knuckles and sighed, a dreamy look appearing in her eyes.
She loved those stories about the overcaring, loving and protective protagonist. Her fantasy cracked softly when she heard a knock on the door. It was impossible now since that husband of gets had not made up his mind to let her go. Sigh!
She took a long bath which relaxed her already relaxed making her feel soft like jelly. The maids helped her in getting into her dress and did a quick makeover for her.
She stared at herself in the large mirror and a smile appeared on her lips. She remembered those words Auric said yesterday. He said he needed her and he liked her! Well, she was quite likeable and who wouldn't fall for such a beauty as herself, the only person who deserved her was Auric since he was charming and somehow considerate. He had given her the freedom to do whatever she wanted without caring for his image.
'If it were not for his cold expression and his mood swings, I would have forced myself to love him. ' she thought.
After a boring breakfast, she walked out to the garden. She missed the Heavenilles breakfast. No, she was not talking about the food but rather the drama.
She missed the whole drama of them screaming at each other and passing sarcastic comments.
Ever since she found out about her sister's character, she cared no more. Even though she still saw her as her sister, it didn't change the fact that there was no love between them again.
Her trust had been shattered.
She wondered if they were doing well and made a mental note to write them a letter since she missed her father so much.
Her thoughts were cut off by the annoying presence of her personal maids. They followed her everywhere and that was getting on her nerves.
She thought of what to do since no matter what she did, they wouldn't leave her side, the maximum would be them moving a few weeks away.
"Ah~~snake!" Carrissa shouted, she pointed to a nearby tree which was surrounded by bushes. The maids jerked into action and ran towards that side leaving two behind. Carrissa turned and ordered the two to join them to look for the snake and with a little hesitation they did just that.
A victorious smile kissed Carrissa's countenance. She moved a few metres backwards and scurried out of the area.
The palace was situated on a large land which spanned a few cities miles away, thus it would make it quite difficult if the maids wanted to look for her.
She walked on the large paved road which led to the in-built zoo.
After some turns, she finally arrived at the large gate which separated the zoo from the outside world. It was fenced by a small wall made of bricks.
Carrissa walked over and the guards and the caretaker bowed their heads in greetings. The gate was opened for her and she stepped in.
She was awed by the sight in front of her. The zoo transversed on a few kilometres of land, there was a large stone road in the middle which could carry two to three commercial carriages and on its sides were caged which held the animals.
She saw various species and rare animals which she had never heard before. An example was an animal which seemed to be a combination of a lion and a tiger. It had the head and bushy mane of a lion and the stripped body of a tiger. There was another which looked like a fawn with a very long tail and pointed hooves. It looked so innocent that she wanted to take it out.
As she stared at the animals, Carrissa was lost in her train of admiration. She was so wowed by the caged animals that she ended up going to the very end of the zoo.
As she was admiring the animals she heard the servants talk. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it until she heard her name.
"I pity the Queen. The maids who were in charge of her cleaning her room said that they had not seen any sign of their marriage being consummated."
"Could it be that the Queen was not a maiden? No! Looking at her mischievous nature, she wouldn't allow any man to get near her."
"You're right. As for me, I think that the King may be bent. He always walks with Lord Odin and does everything with him."
"Yes! I agree with you. A maid said that they saw him enter the Lord's room bare-chested. He didn't come out till late in the night."
Carrissa had heard enough and deliberately cleared her throat for the maids to know that she was around.
"It is very bad for you to speak without evidence," Carrissa stated.
The maids were frightened a bit but they quickly went back to their normal selves.
"How do you know we do not have evidence? And who are you to butt in our conversation? Are you the Queen?"
They didn't know that she was truly the Queen as she had not exposed herself to them as they were on the other side.
"What if I say I am?"
The servants felt their hearts skip but they quickly dismissed it. If she was truly the Queen then where were her maids? They sneered.
"If you are the Queen, then we are nobles." The servants sneered but soon their words were caught in their mouths when the coachman came running towards the lady on the opposite of the cage who they were bantering with.
"Your Highness!" The coachman bowed.
The servants had their jaws on the floor. The woman was truly the Queen! Their life was done. Luck would be on their side if they were just sentenced to prison but that may not even happen. Their hearts trembled non-stop and their eyes became red with tears.
Why did they have to argue with her and why did they have to gossip about the King?
They were doomed!
"M-my Queen!" the servants fell to their knees while their faces were covered in perspiration.
"My Queen forgive us. Please. We have a family to take care of." The coachman was be used at this stage. He wondered what had occurred but concluded that the servants did something to annoy the Queen.
If it was so, then they were doomed!
Even before she became Queen, she had had countless awards for breaking noses.
Back to the present, the Queen merely glanced at them before walking towards the carriage.
"Learn how to keep your mouth shut next time. Get me their names." She looked towards the coachman, directing her last sentence to him.
The servants felt their world crumbling around them when they heard this. Their execution was determined.
The carriage moved across the smooth road but Carrissa's mind was not all that smooth. She was thinking about what they said.
Even if it were lies, there must have been a quarter of dilated truth.
She wouldn't have believed it if the King had made advances on her but he neither kissed her, apart from the last time.
She suddenly thought that maybe he liked both sexes.
She had seen him interact with Odin and she could notice some intimacy surrounding them.
But...
If he was truly like that then why had he not touched her. Ever since she steeped into this palace, he kept his distance which was five feet. He didn't sleep on the bed but the couch.
What was with him?
She was lost in the maze of her thoughts that she didn't realize then had arrived at the castle.
She had to get the to the bottom of this.