She left the bathroom, opened the wardrobe, and took out a red striped dress that parted around the leg, ensuring it was free to battle at any given time. All her clothes were designed this way.
She brushed out her hair and placed her silver crown on her head. Passing through the mended wall, she left the room, breaking it once again.
The crashing sound alerted the guards, who rushed in to see the queen walking through the debris.
Elora cast a cleaning spell, and her dusty clothes regained their original color.
"Good afternoon, your Majesty." They bowed in greetings.
"Rise." Elora waved them to stand, not used to all the bows. So it's afternoon? I slept that long?''
If she recalled correctly, the meeting with the city lords was today. "Are the cities lords here?" She asked, moving toward the dining room.
"Your Majesty, they've been here since morning." one guard answered. Elora paused briefly, then turned her steps in the direction of the throne room.
"Send for my lunch in the throne room," Elora instructed. One of the guards bowed and headed to the kitchen while the other one followed her to her destination.
Upon reaching there, she pushed open the large doors, alerting the people inside; they sat up in their seats, feeling it was the queen coming.
As soon as they saw her walk in, they stood up from their respective seats and bowed in greeting, "Long live your Majesty!"
"Rise," Elora said, gesturing for them to sit. She admired the elegance of the throne room, its walls decorated with life-like stained glass images of the battles won and past queens' conquests.
The room was large enough to hold over a hundred people with space to spare. She walked calmly down the red rug leading to the throne, climbed the stairs, and sat comfortably on a long golden seat.
Seeing the queen seated, everyone else followed suit. Elora's purple gaze calmly swept over the room before she spoke. "Let's begin."
The highest-ranked and wealthiest of the city lords stood and walked to the front. Elora met her gaze with a steady, unreadable expression, making the woman uneasy. Still, she ignored it thinking the child wanted to show her power after becoming queen.
She gave reports on City A's revenue, losses, and profits over the years. "due to the rising birth rate, our funds have been dwindling for years.
We are barely sustaining ourselves with fishing sales. I beg her Majesty to release additional funds,'' she said in a lowered tone, though her heart was scheming otherwise.
(This is the moment I have been waiting for all this while; quickly open the Treasury. I have to build a new house for my husbands, hmm magic crystals are not cheap to buy. Her daughter and sons are to do well to be grateful for her hard work.)
She calculated how to make good use of the funds given to her, feeling it was a sure deal and the queen was too green to know anything about governing the kingdom.
Elora sighed deeply in her heart but her expression remained the same. Some of the women had a flash of inquiring light, wanting to watch a good show of ripping the queen off.
Only others frowned, waiting for the queen's decision. There are thirty women gathered here today, each with different thoughts in their hearts.
"Do you really need funds?" Elora asked, hoping the woman would grow a conscience, but she was disappointed when the woman nodded with a respectful bow.
Elora said nothing else, making the woman stand there confused and in doubt. Is she agreeing to the funds or not?
The silence drawled, and the doors opened with the butler following the maids to serve the queen's food.
They all watched with confused hearts, waiting for the queen's decision. But Elora couldn't feel their rush; she calmly took out her utensils to enjoy the braised flying fish with rice and some stew sauce.
She took a bite and hummed, enjoying the spiciness of the fish going down her throat; she ate elegantly without rushing while the poor woman stood feeling confused and annoyed at the queen for making her wait in front of the lower-sitting lords.
Elora took a sip of water and turned to the woman, "Your last chance. Do you need funds?" She asked again, making the woman's heart skip a beat, but she ignored it, feeling the queen was the same as before.
"Yes, your Majesty, I am in great need of funds." She replied, maintaining her composure. (Why the delay? Answer me already. I need to go to my favorite husband's chambers today.) Her heart lightened as she thought of his skillful expertise in pleasuring her.
Elora nearly threw up; her spoon paused before she brought the rice into her mouth; her hands waved for the bodyguard behind her, and the woman's eyes brightened.
Others in the crowd felt it was expected, what would come out of a queen whose relatives have control over.
(Your Majesty don't believe them; her city is beside the ocean with enough sea life, which they eat and sell to others. Their lands are enough to plant food for them using elemental mages!) The guards looked at the queen, difficulty flashing in her eyes.
She opened her mouth but closed it, knowing it wasn't in her place to overrule the queen's decision, or it would destroy her oath of swearing unquestionable loyalty. After the former queen made them swear with their magic chamber.
Elora looked at her guard in a new light, but she didn't feel anything; she added the guard's name to her white book, where she kept useful people and people who lived longer.
"Hold her down," Elora ordered, her tone soothing without any emotional fluctuation, causing the crowd to be oblivious to the danger and watch on curiously for her next actions.
The guard obeyed and held the woman in place with a skeptical heart; she was curious about the queen's action.
The woman who was held down sensed something was very wrong in her heart, but the misconception of the queen's former image was deeply rooted in her heart, so she calmly waited to see her actions.
Elora descended from the throne, her dress parting at the leg as she walked down the steps. Standing before the woman, she tilted her chin upward with one finger, locking gazes.
Then, a cold smile broke across her lips, sending shivers down the woman's spine.