Born In The Dungeons

Chapter 10: King's Concubines

Tea time with noble ladies of the court began a little over an hour ago. Aside from initial curious glances and probing questions that I've received when I walked into the room with Athena, they paid me no mind and continued to chatter on about the latest news in the castle. 

I learned that each one of them came from very powerful families of Kingdom Poseidon. They had enough power to question the king's decisions without getting charged with treason. 

Loud chatter and laughter suddenly died down and all heads turned toward the entrance where two women accompanied by their servants walked in with their heads held high. I heard gasps and hushed whispers all around me as they slowly approached the table. 

They bowed to the princess and one of them spoke. "Your Highness, I'm afraid we missed your invitation to this delightful little gathering. The servants likely made a mistake delivering the message on time. My deepest apologies." She bowed once more.

"You were never invited," Athena hissed beneath her breath, quietly enough that even I - who sat to her right - could hardly catch it. Her initial surprise at the intrusion was skillfully replaced by a delighted smile in a matter of seconds. "Lovely to see you, Lady Ursula. Please, join us." She gestured for the servants to place new chairs by the table. "Lady Maria, please."

Lady Ursula and Lady Maria situated themselves on the left side of Athena, throwing me curious glances as they did so. 

"This must be your lady in waiting, is she not, Your Highness? Em - Emora?" Lady Ursula asked, picking up a puff pastry from a platter and dusting off its powdered sugar coating. 

"Emilia," I corrected and gave a small bow of my head. 

Lady Ursula flicked her hand. "Yes yes, that's what I said. What I want to know is how you got this title so fast. Were you not merely a prisoner not too long ago? You should have gone through proper promotions like everyone else, and yet here you are."

"Lady Ursula, I believe that I get to decide who deserves to be my lady in waiting," Athena said. "Don't you agree?"

"Of course. I was merely curious, Your Highness." She smiled broadly and started to play with diamond jewels on her necklace. Her smile did not reach her eyes.

I tried to pay it no mind, but Lady Maria's staring started to get very uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat and met her gaze. She did not look away and simply continued to stare at me, narrowing her eyes. I cleared my throat and broke our eye contact, picking up my teacup and taking a sip. 

"You allow her to eat with you, Your Highness?" Lady Ursula raised her eyebrows in surprise, only now noticing the half eaten pastry on my plate. 

"I don't see anything wrong with that. Do you, Lady Ursula?" Athena asked with a smile. 

She shook her head in response. "Not at all, Your Highness. Simply curious, that's all. You've not made it a habit of letting any servant close to you in the past. I am a bit surprised to see it."

"She is different," Athena said, offering no further explanation. "Please, are there any more questions on your mind? I would be delighted to answer them while we are here."

"You are so kind, Your Highness. I do have some more questions. If you don't mind, can Emora answer them for me?" Lady Ursula forced a smile in my direction. I could still feel Lady Maria's intense stare, but this time I chose to ignore it. With a nod of approval from Athena, Lady Ursula proceeded with her request. "Tell me, Emora, where are you from? Poseidon? Soleil? Perhaps even Pesok? You eyes tell me Soleil, but... there is something different about you." 

She leaned in closer toward me and that's when I noticed the colour of her own eyes. They looked like mine -- golden -- and yet, they didn't at the same time. The tone was different somehow.