Chapter 36 - How ludicrous of you.

  *Cbsp;As the magical whirlwind subsided, my heels tapped softly against the arble floor, the sound eg in the sudden stillness. I had teleported away from the tumultuous se, arriving in my mother’s chamber at Helia Pace, where opulent decor and thick air with memories and expectations; felt both f and suffog at once.-Helia Pace; Roxana's Room, Afternoon- In the opulent fines of Helia Pace, the afternoon sun streamed through the intricately carved windows, illuminating mother's room like a spotlight on a stage—too bad I was the only one in the audience. I sat there, fingers running through my hair, feeling like I was trying to untangle a particurly stubborn ball of yarn. I should’ve used the teleportation magic sooner. Seriously, what was I thinking? My thoughts spiraled into a pit of self-recrimination. Sigh. What now? I thought, staring up at the ceiling as if it were about to drop a life-giion on me. My hands ched my hair tighter, as if it might magically pull me out of this mess. I’m baow, but where are My and Mylo? Should I just summon Veles? The mere thought sent a shiver down my spine—Veles aloh me? Yeah, that’s like inviting a wolf into a henhouse and expeg him to bake cookies. Alright then. I’ll just go find them. The decisioled in my mind like a ro my shoe—unfortable but necessary. I pushed myself off the bed and rushed to leave the room, only to be greeted by an uliiness in the corridors. It felt like stepping into a ghost town where even the ghosts had better things to do. heless, it was better than having someoare into my soul. Hmm...My is probably i or outside, maybe hanging clothes on the line like some medieval undry maid. I’ll check there first. With that thought guiding me, I stepped into the vastness of the pace’s corridors. The paths twisted and turned like they were auditioning for a role in a horror movie, and for a moment, I felt lost—really lost. I had always relied on servants to navigate these halls; memorizing routes had never been necessary for someone as important as me. As I wandered aimlessly, trying to shake off the feeling of being adrift in an o of opulence, I finally spotted someone—a maid pushing a serving cart filled with an array of desserts and steaming tea. It was as if............................................................ they were preparing.......................for a............................guest? I don't know if the maid was blind or not to notice me, but let's go check the host of this little tea party. As my curiosity piqued, I closed the distaween me and the door of the room to iigate further. I approached the door and peeked inside. TENSE. AWKWARD. UNCOOPERATIVE. If there were better words to describe the atmosphere in that room, they eluded me—like my st pair of socks after undry day. Daleyza and Isabel sat there, their expressions so stiff they could have been made of marble. And then there was the guest—a woman dressed impeccably in fine fabrics that screamed “I have too much money and not enough personality.” Her dull blonde hair ulled bato a bun so tight it looked like it could unch satellites. Should I take this to my advantage? A mischievous thought flitted through my mind as I weighed my options—what’s life without a little chaos? “MAAMAMAMMAMAAAAAAAAA! Mama! I missssssssed you soooooooo much!” I excimed suddenly, bursting into the room, running like a professional athlete and ing my arms around Daleyza in an exaggerated hug that could only be described as Olympic-level enthusiasm. “HUH?” came the startled chorus from all three women, their faces morphing into expressions that suggested they had just bitten into something very sour. “Mama, did you miss me?” I asked excitedly, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes while keeping my arms still ed around her neck—our faces only timeters apart. It was intimate enough to make anyone unfortable. Isabel’s expression shifted to one of disapproval; her brow furrowed deeply as if she had just discovered that her favorite dessert was made with kale instead of chocote. The guest mirrored her distent but added an air of superiority that suggested she expected more de from me—like she already knew who I was and what kind of chaos I could unleash. Is it just me? Or is this guest giving off a strange aura? My instincts prickled with uainty as I scrutinized her closely—was she wearing perfume or just radiating judgment? Despite that nagging feeling in my gut, I pressed on with my act—my need for e outweighing my caution. Without shame or self-respect (which is really saying something), I plopped down beside Isabel on the couch, determio maintain this charade even if it felt precarious—like bang on a tightrope made of spaghetti.-A Room in Helia Pace; Afternoon- As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the opulent pace gardens, the air ihe royal reception hall crackled with tension. The gilded walls, adorned with intricate tapestries depig the kingdom's glorious history, seemed to close in around us, amplifying the charged atmosphere. Crystal deliers cast a warm, flickering light over the assembled heir faces a mixture of curiosity, apprehension, and barely cealed ambition. "Ah, please excuse the Late Empress's child, Lady Kaelith," Daleyza's voice rang out, shattering the tense silence. Her words dripped with honeyed politeness, each sylble carefully crafted to vey both deferend authority. I watched with barely cealed amusement as she bent low, her eborate coiffure—a t fe of braids, jewels, and delicate silk flowers—threatening to topple from the exaggerated motion. Daleyza's gown, a masterpieidnight blue silk embroidered with silver thread, rustled softly as she moved. The sound seemed to echo in the suddenly hushed room, drawing all eyes to her performa was a rare sight io see her prostrate herself so thhly for such a trivial matter. The Queen, known for her iron will and sharp tongue, was not oo bow easily to anyone, let alone a young noblewoman barely out of childhood. As I observed this dispy of obsequiousness, my mind wandered, pting the lineage of Lady Kaelith. Which illustrious household could have produced such a guest, worthy of Daleyza's groveling? The question lingered in my mind, even as the versation around me devolved into meaningless prattle. Words flew like water over smooth stones, leaving no impressio I found myself straining to catch every nuance, every subtle iion that might reveal the true nature of our mysterious visitor. Lady Kaelith herself was a study in trasts. Her youth was evident in the softness of her features and the brightness of her eyes, yet there was a wisdom and wariness in her gaze that spoke of experiences beyond her years. Her gown, while exquisitely made, was simpler than those of the courtiers surrounding her, its pale vender hue a stark trast to the riot of colors favored by the royal court. She stood straight-backed and poised, her lifted slightly in a gesture that could be interpreted as either fidence or defianbsp;Suddenly, Isabel's whisper sliced through the air like a razor-sharp dagger, cutting through my musings. "Sister," she hissed, her fake smile never wavering as her face remained a masterpiece of false geniality. Her emerald eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, now glinted with barely suppressed fury. "If you do something like that once more, please be aware of the price you'll have to pay." I couldn't help but smirk inwardly at her attempt at intimidation. Isabel, for all her ing and charm, had never quite mastered the art of subtle threats. Her words, meant to strike fear, instead amused me. Turning to her, I matched her saccharioh my own, my voice a silky purr that belied the steel beh. "Isabel," I said, my words dripping with false sweetness, but ced with unmistakable threat. "If you think I'm bluffing, feel free to test me. I'd hate for you to discover the cost of your overfidehe hard way." As I spoke, I allowed a hint of my true nature to show through the carefully structed facade I preseo the court. My eyes, usually warm and inviting, turned cold and hard as polished obsidian. The smile that graced my lips held no warmth, instead promisiribution should she dare to challenge me further. I could practically feel the waves of irritation radiating off Isabel as she struggled to maintain her posure. Her fingers, adorned with rings of gold and precious gems, twitched slightly, as if longing to ball into fists. A faint flush crept up her neck, barely visible beh the yers of powder and rouge she favored. Rolling my eyes, I let my own facade slip bato its usual ask, the brief fsh of emotion disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. As I turned my attention back tuest, I noticed something intriguing. Lady Kaelith seemed to be taking an unusually long time to respond to Daleyza's overwrought wele, carefully weighing each word before speaking. Her eyes, a striking shade of violet that hi her royal lineage, darted between the assembled courtiers, assessing and cataloging each face, each rea. It was clear she ying her own game, oh rules and stakes that remained frustratingly opaque to me. The air in the room seemed to thi, charged with unspoken tensions and half-formed alliahe soft rustle of silk and the gentle k of jewels provided a stant undercurrent to the stilted versation, a reminder of the wealth and power trated in this single chamber. Courtiers shifted restlessly, their painted smiles barely cealing their burning curiosity about the newer in their midst. Deg it was time to shake things up, to shatter the carefully maintained veneer of civility and see what truths might be revealed in the chaos, I gathered my ce and my wits. With a sudden burst of energy that startled those o me, I excimed, "OH! Please. You speak fortably to Mommy, she's super duper used to being insulted, harassed, bmed, made to pay the prid all sorts of things, so be fortable!" The sho Daleyza and Isabel's faces riceless, a tableau of disbelief that I wished I could preserve for posterity. Their jaws dropped, eyes wide with a mixture of horror and disbelief. Daleyza's carefully applied rouge stood out starkly against her suddenly pale skin, while Isabel's mouth worked soundlessly, as if trying to form words that simply wouldn't e. Even uest seemed taken aback by my outburst, her posure slipping for just a moment to reveal genuine surprise. The other courtiers froze iheir expressions a ical mix of shock, sdalized delight, and poorly cealed glee at this break in de. The silehat followed my words was absolute, broken only by the soft tig of the ornate clo the er and the distant call of a nightingale in the gardens beyond. Just as I was sav the moment of stunned silence, reveling in the chaos I had unleashed with a few well-chosen words, Lady Kaelith surprised me with her reply. "Same goes for my mother," she said, her smile matg the brilliany own. "She's gohrough even worse." I felt a thrill of excitement at her audacity, a spark of kinship with this young woman who dared to match my irreverence. paring her mother's experieo those of the Queen was a bold move, ohat could have serious sequences in our world id hierarchies and easily bruised egos. It was a calcuted risk, a challehrown down in the midst of this gathering of power and influenbsp;The room, which had been holding its collective breath, suddeed into a flurry of whispers and meaningful gnces. Fans fluttered rapidly, cealing lips that moved in hurried versation. The rustle of fabric grew louder as courtiers leaowards one another, eager to share their interpretations of this unpreted exge. As expected, Daleyza's posure shattered like fine crystal dropped onto marble floors. She rose from her seat, her movements sharp and jerky, a far cry from her usual fluid grace. Her face, moments ago a mask of polite i, was now flushed with awht spots of ch on her cheekbones. Her eyes, usually a warm brown, now bzed with fury. "How ludicrous of you," she spat, her voice trembling with barely tained rage. The hoones of earlier were gone, repced by a harsh, grating sound that seemed to scrape against the ears of all present. "There are tless women of far greater caliber than yourself in this world. I would advise you to make your departure with haste." The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as Daleyza's words hung in the air. Courtiers shrank back, trying to make themselves as inspicuous as possible in the face of the Queen's wrath. Even Isabel, usually so quick with a cutting remark or a sly dig, remained silent, her eyes dartiween Daleyza and Lady Kaelith as if watg a particurly intense game of chess. Lady Kaelith, to her credit, maintained her poise in the face of this onsught. If anything, she seemed to grow calmer as Daleyza's anger mounted, her posture rexing slightly as if shedding a heavy burden. "As you wish, Your Majesty," she said, her voice steady and clear. She rose gracefully, her movements unhurried despite the palpable tension in the room. With a deep, perfectly executed bow that somehow mao vey both resped a hint of mockery, she took her leave. As Lady Kaelith's footsteps faded down the long corridor outside, I could practically see the gears turning in Daleyza's mind. Her anger, momentarily directed at our departed guest, was now seeking a arget. And I had a sinking feeling I kly where that fury would nd. Daleyza rose fully, her anger palpable and her movements jerky with rage. The air around her seemed to crackle with barely tained energy, and I kly what was ing. But before she could fully unleash her fury, I had already begun my strategic retreat. Years of navigating the treacherous waters of court politics had honed my instincts to a razor's edge. As Daleyza turned her fury towards me, her mouth opening to unleash what would undoubtedly be a blistering tirade, I saw my opportunity. In the blink of an eye, I slipped away, leaving room for only supressed spleen and aggravated choler.To be tinued...