Chapter 34: Late To The Judgement

~Ioana~

My eyelashes fluttered open, squinting at the light. My eyes stung a little bit. I blinked twice, the world urged into focus, my mind calm—a serenity unique to only the morning hours before.

Knock knock.

"Come in," I groaned, turning over to my side.

"Oh my, Madame!" Vivian exclaimed. "The elders have requested your audience at noon."

'The elders?' Repeating the name that seemed to hover over the surface of my mind, never sinking.

"What elders?"

"The elders of our kingdom, Madame," Vivian replied, dragging her words, sounding puzzled.

Still staring at the ceiling, I said, "What did you say they requested again?" my tone flat.

"They request your audience at noon, Madame."

"Oh, it's noon," I replied with a drowsy mind. "Wake me up later. I'll just catch some sleep for a while."

"Madame, it's almost noon!" Vivian cried out, her voice sharp, piercing through the fog brought by sleep.

"Almost what? Noon?" I shot up from the bed, staring at her with wide, incredulous eyes. 

"You're kidding me, right?" My head snapped to the window, alarmed, scrambling down from the bed in nothing but my nighties, barefooted, ignoring the panicked shout, "Madame!" from Vivian behind me.

I shoved the weighty drape to the side. Light flooded into the room, the sun already halfway across its path greeted me with a smile.

And I greeted it with a cry of my own.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner, Vivian!" I moaned in distress.

"Your Majesty didn’t wake up!" Biting her lips, tears brimming up in her eyes, Vivian complained.

That's when I remembered, the birds are chirping beautifully.

'Let me sleep!'

"Your Majesty, it's already daybreak. You can't sleep for much longer…"

'Just give me some more time. I’ll definitely get up.'

"Your Majesty, please wake up."

'Don't disturb me!'

"Your Majesty, you have a meet—"

Memories popped up like clowns mocking me. Placing my hand over my forehead—had the night before been too exhausting—mentally—that I slept till it was almost noon?

I could almost see the sneer at the side of Elder Caldren's lips in mockery, his words lashing down at my skin, calling me every word synonymous to 'uncouth!'

I winced.

Like a whirlwind, I rushed into the bathroom, leaving the bewildered Vivian scrambling after me. Coming out a while later after donning the cumbersome wear, with thousands of layers underneath the dress, it literally pressed against my lungs.

"Vivian, can you loosen this?" I asked Vivian for the nth time.

"Madame, I really can't. You're heading to meet the elders."

I couldn't help but murmur, "It's just the elders, not the goddess."

"Your Majesty!" I heard Vivian's horrified gasp behind me. "Don't say that, Madame." She took a step forward.

"But isn't that true?" I huffed, taking in more air, the weight of the dress soiling my mood.

From my side view, she nervously glanced around. "There are fervent followers of..." she lowered her voice, "the elders who almost take them as—deities," her voice dropped barely above a whisper, her eyes darting from left to right, her movements spelling caution.

My eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" I quirked an eyebrow at how strange it was.

She bobbed her head up and down, her baby hair flyaways following her movements as I resisted the urge to smoothen them.

"It's said that once, when someone called out—" she paused, hesitating, then changed her words. "—accused the elders of something, the accuser's body was found in an alleyway the next day, beaten up so badly that his ribs and hands were broken. It's said he was bloodied with scary purple bruises all over his body. His accusation couldn't be proven as he slipped into a coma that same day. The case was closed just like that."

"Maybe it could be a terrible coincidence, right…" I reasoned, giving them the benefit of the doubt.

"We wished it was, Your Majesty, but soon we found out it wasn't. They grew bolder by the day, sometimes aggressively confronting anyone who doesn't agree with their words."

"One time it almost got into a brutal brawl."

"Wait! It happened in the palace? Right here?" My brows furrowed deeply.

"N-No, Your Majesty. Not in here. They don't dare to, even if they were given ten thousand courage." She scoffed, jutting her chin out.

"So? How did you see it?"

"Well… when I was still serving as a common maid, washing dishes and doing laundry before I had the privilege of being with you, I used to have an off day where I could do anything for that day. I would go out into the city, and that's where I witnessed it." She shuddered slightly, as if remembering something horrible.

It was after she mentioned it that it came to my mind.

"That's true, Vivian. Ever since you've worked with me, you haven't had an off, have you? When was your off day?" I asked, guilt gnawing at my heart.

I had gotten so used to her being around that I forgot it was a job for her. She must be exhausted, wasn't she?

But to my surprise, Vivian's hand grabbed my sleeve. "Your Majesty, do you not want me anymore?" Her brown eyes glistened with unshed tears.

I halted, waving away another group of servants who were about to kneel. I stared directly at her. "Why would you think that?"

"Because…" The tip of her nose reddened. "You asked me for my previous off days, and…" she sniffed, "if I leave, who's going to take care of you? Would… would you have to bring in someone to take care of you if you give me offs?"

"Maybe one day, Her Majesty might no longer need me around anymore…" she wiped away the tear that rolled down her eyes furiously, the corners of her eyes turning red like her nose.

I continued walking forward, giving her slight comfort. "No, I'm just worried that you'll be exhausted from the labour. It's for your own good. I'm not thinking about replacing you—never!"

I bent the corner when Vivian said timidly, "Actually, Your Majesty, it's this way." I froze, remembering I didn't know the way.

"Lead the way, Vivian," I ordered as she took lead with a curt nod.

"I think it's pretty good, this. Don't you think?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I do think so too." The corners of her lips curled, and just from the side, I could glimpse how dazzling it was—pure happiness.

'For something so trivial?' I could understand how.

But time didn't give me much space to take it in and think about it.

Because the next moment—

I heard Vivian's voice.

"Your Majesty… we are here."

Before me was a massive door to the elders. I took a deep breath in, shelving every other thing—

And took a step.