Queen's Obsession

Chapter 7

*Suzanna's P.O.V*

Queen Seraphina led me down a series of long hallways. The guards stood even more attention when she passed, seeming to turn into statues with how still they were. She led me to a heavily guarded door, waving the guards away with a simple flick of her wrist.

I followed her into the hallway, surprised at how bright it was. Portraits lined the hallways and light flooded the hallway. She unlocked a door and I cautiously followed her into the room.

It was a cluttered study, stacks of books and papers lining the desk. Bookshelves were filled with books that were just shoved into place. The room's curtains were thrown open, barely tied into place to keep them from closing.

"My office is a mess, I know," Queen Seraphina said softly as she sat down at the desk.

"I wouldn't say that, I would say that clearly people love to spend time here," I said as I sat down across from her. The book's spines were worn down, looking like someone had spent hours reading them.

"My son, he loved spending his time here," Queen Seraphina whispered as she closed one of the books sitting in front of her. "Anyways," she cleared her throat, "we're here to discuss you and your duties as my court scribe," she said.

I straightened up at her words, feeling a sense of pride in my work. She wouldn't have hired me if I wasn't what she wanted. I just had to prove that she had made the right decision. My hands quivered slightly as I rested them in my lap, assuring myself of my ability.

"The file I received on you was simply...beautiful," Queen Seraphina said. "You were near the top of your class, you spent more time writing and reading then socializing with your peers, and were reading things far beyond what was expected of you. Yet you remained unemployed even after applying to numerous positions," she said.

"I wasn't what they were looking for," I said simply as I raised my chin slightly. I tried to keep the quiver out of my voice. The reminder of the fact that I wasn't what anyone in my kingdom wanted to hire.

"Because you are young and a woman? Or something a bit deeper, your parents preventing you perhaps?" Queen Seraphina asked. I froze at her question, a frown on my lips. "I've seen your writing, it's simply astonishing," she said as she opened a file. I caught sight of the papers that were in the file and flushed.

"How did you get that?" I asked quietly as I stared at the paper. It was one I had written for Queen Circe when I had first applied, one practically begging for the job. It made me sound desperate, which I admittedly had been at the time.

"Circe kept the records on all of those who applied to her," Queen Seraphina shrugged. She moved to another page, one I was a bit more comfortable with her viewing. It was just a written transcript of a conversation between Circe and one of her guards. It was her way of seeing how fast I could transcribe the conversation.

"I wish to see how fast you can transcribe a conversation," Queen Seraphina said as she opened one of her desk drawers. She pulled out a piece of parchment, opening another drawer to pull out a quill. "Come here," she gestured to her side of the desk.

I shivered slightly as I stood up, a sheen of sweat on my face. I was rather hot, again I was surprised at how the Queen wasn't, and nervous. I moved to stand next to her, picking up the quill carefully. There was no place to sit so I remained standing, trying to focus on the paper in front of me.

Queen Seraphina seemed to be counting down for something. She even seemed to sit back in her seat as she set down an inkwell right in front of my paper. Her hand remained over it for a few seconds longer before she removed it, right as the door opened.

"What on Earth where you thinking?" Pandora said, her voice slightly shrill. I dipped my quill into the inkwell, starting to write almost as soon as she started talking.

"Thinking about what?" Queen Seraphina said, sounding slightly amused.

"You know what," Pandora hissed as she moved forward. "Of all the foolish things..." she trailed off when she noticed me.

"No, please continue with your scolding sister dearest," Queen Seraphina said.

"I need to speak with my sister alone," Pandora said as she glared at me. I shrank under her gaze but didn't move. Queen Seraphina was the only one who could give me orders and she hadn't told me to stop so I wouldn't.

"You do not control those who work for me," Queen Seraphina said simply. She seemed to be greatly amused by her sister's attempts at getting rid of me.

"I do though, that is kind of my job," Pandora said as she glared at her sister. Their bickering certainly reminded me of my mother and her sister. I cleared my thoughts as I continued writing. I continued writing down their conversation.

They seemed to ignore me for a few moments as they talked until Queen Seraphina told me to stop writing. I set the quill down, looking to her for more instructions.

"So you're quite adept at ignoring other people," Queen Seraphina seemed content with my writing. "That's good," she said with a small hum.

"Thank you, your majesty," I said as I dipped my head to her.

"You're dismissed, tomorrow will be your first day in court," Queen Seraphina said. "The rest of the day is yours to do with as you please, Orion or Pandora should be available after lunch to give you a detailed tour if you would like," she stated.

"That would be nice," I said with a small smile. I set the quill down as I curtsied to her before moving to leave the room. I could feel Pandora's eyes staring holes into my back as I left, my face flushed from the heat. I hoped I got Orion for the tour, Pandora seemed to be unhappy with me at the moment.