Queen Erika
It had been a couple of days, and the new maid wasn't sitting right with me; Dominick said he would place her on a trial.
This is a good thing, in my opinion. We know nothing of her or her references, and with everything going on, I wouldn't want this to be an attack.
The good thing was that Tina and Mary didn't seem to get along with her too well; there weren't any arguments with her.
But there was something else. It was more of her vibe. It was off, and she was always alert, almost as if scared of something.
I wanted to meet her formally and see if there was anything I could do to help her, but the vibe always stopped me.
She was a very pretty young girl with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, but she was always quiet and observed a lot.
For example, there were times when you would think you were alone, but she was there with you, watching and observing.
Tina wanted Dominick to fire her immediately since no one in the royal family approved of her; however, it seemed unfair.
That's why the trial is a good way to determine whether she's a good fit here, and she seemed to be doing okay.
Her first test was to pass the King. If Dominick approved, she could stay, but then Tina and I would approve of the rest.
I was sitting down reading a book and enjoying some tea; I had just finished making some dresses for the children at the orphanage.
I had to stop because I wasn't feeling too well. Then Mary entered with the tray of tea.
"Are you feeling better, Your Majesty?" She asked as I nodded.
"Shouldn't have skipped breakfast," I said as she smiled and nodded.
I wasn't very hungry this morning, so I skipped breakfast, but that was a bad move.
I was making the dresses when a sudden wave of nausea hit me, and my stomach began to growl.
Mary brought me some tea and then went to grab some snacks to ensure I got some food into my system.
"Thank you, Mary, you are a lifesaver," I said as she smiled.
"Of course, Your Majesty, but you need to take better care of yourself; it's not healthy for you," she said as I nodded.
"I know; I promise to do better," I said as she smiled.
"Lunch will be served in a few minutes. Why don't we head that way?" she said as I nodded.
"Good Idea," I said as she smiled, and we made our way to breakfast.
Once we arrived, we saw Tina and the new girl Beatrice setting up the pates for Lunch.
"Good evening, Your Majesty; Lunch is served," she said as I smiled and took my seat.
"Is my husband not joining us?" I asked, confused as Tina shrugged, confused as well.
"The king had an important meeting with the constructor of the villager," said Beatrice as I raised my eyebrow.
"Odd, I thought he would have told me something," I said but shrugged.
"The letter arrived 20 minutes ago, Your Majesty; it was a last-minute thing," said Beatrice as I nodded.
I looked down at my plate and noticed I was having cucumber sandwiches and peppermint tea.
"My favorite," I said as Tina nodded before leaving with Beatrice.
I looked at Mary and gestured for her to take a seat next to me. At first, she tried protesting but stopped after a while.
"How is she doing?" I asked as Mary sighed.
"Good, no complaints whatsoever. But she's still pretty quiet," said Mary as I nodded.
"Do you still have that feeling about her?" I asked as she nodded.
"Not a lot, but a little bit. I just feel like she's hiding something," said Mary as I nodded.
"I think so, too," I said as she nodded.
"Who hired her again?" She asked as I sighed.
"She was recruited by Lord Caius," I said as her eyes widened.
"But… But why? He's not the one that gives command here," said Mary as I nodded.
"Exactly, but at least that too is taken care of," I said as Mary nodded.
Once Dominick told me who was behind this, I was just as furious as he was; I wouldn't think Lord Caius would do this.
"How is Princess Anneliese doing?" She asked as I smiled.
"She's doing terrific, training a lot to ensure the kingdom's transition goes smoothly," I said as she nodded.
I haven't seen Anneliese in a few days, but it's understandable. Things have been a bit rocky since the hearing.
I was glad to hear that everything went their way, but knowing well it wouldn't last.
She sent me a letter yesterday and told me that King Max was going to visit her in a few days to discuss a couple of things regarding discipline.
I knew Anneliese well and knew how she would handle the discipline; she was fair and would provide justice.
"Queen Erika, are there other things you have remembered about your past?" She asked as I thought for a moment.
"Honestly, no. It's a bit hard trying to remember when the times were a bit hard," I said as she nodded.
"What were your parents like?" She asked as I smiled.
"My Mother was amazing. She loved riding so much that it was her passion," I said, remembering her.
"Where was she from?" She asked as I smiled.
"She used to live with her sister and Father in the kingdom of Andros, where they owned a small bake shop," I said as Mary smiled.
"My Father was a traveler and went from town to town. One day, when he was in the kingdom of Andros, he got lost," I said as Mary looked concerned.
"How did he get lost?" She asked as I smiled.
"He was traveling and didn't pay attention to where he was going and stepped into a puddle of quicksand," I said as her eyes widened.
"Let me guess, your Mother saved the day?" She asked as I nodded.
"She heard him and helped him out of the mud," I said as she sighed happily.
"How romantic," she said as I smiled and nodded.
"Your Father was an explorer?" She asked as I nodded.
"He enjoyed exploring, but he didn't do it alone. He always had someone with him, his best friend from childhood," I said as she nodded.
"What happened to him?" She asked as I shrugged.
"He disappeared one day and was never heard from again,"I said as she looked confused.
"Didn't that seem a bit odd?" She asked as I nodded.
"Honestly, it does. Especially since he and my Father were very close friends," I said as she nodded.
"Did you ever know his name?" She asked as I tried to remember.
"I did, but now I can't remember. The only thing I remember is his name starting with the letter D," I said as she nodded.
"Did you know him as a child?" She asked as I nodded.
"Slightly; he didn't come too often because he had to take care of his family," I said as she nodded.
"There is one memory, though, that still goes with me today, involving him," I said as Mary nodded.
"What is it?" She asked as I smiled.
"One Christmas, I thought we weren't going to have a celebration since money was tight, but my Father's friend showed up with food and presents," I said as she smiled.
"That was very nice of him," she said as I nodded.
"It's a bit foggy since I was very young, possibly four. I can't remember, but he came with his family. It was a nice Christmas," I said as she nodded.
"He helped my Father by getting him a job when he lost his, that was until he disappeared," I said as she looked a bit upset.
"Did your Mother sing?" She asked as I shook my head.
"Not a lot; my Father said I got my singing from his sister," I said as she nodded.
"Your aunt, where is she now?" She asked as I sighed.
"She died when she was 13," I said as Mary looked upset.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty," she said as I smiled.
"My Father said that hearing me sing was like hearing my aunt sing," I said as she smiled.
"Think of it this way: Once you and the king have your children, you two will be able to sing to them," she said happily as I smiled.
"I think we still have a long way to go for that, but that is true," I said, standing up as she did too.
"But not too far," she said as I shrugged.
"Who knows," I said as she smiled.
"Why don't we take a stroll around the Garden?" I said, smiling, and Mary nodded.
"Of course, just need to clean up real quick," said Mary as I helped her clean up.
At first, Mary would protest and not want me to help, but she quickly learned that I wouldn't take no for an answer.
Once we finished cleaning up the table, we headed towards the kitchen, where I saw all the staff cleaning.
We were handing the plate to the maid in charge of washing when I stopped for a moment. Something wasn't right. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and couldn't help but wince.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Asked Mary, a bit concerned, as I tried to stand up.
"I… I don't know, I was fine a moment ago and now," I said but stopped when I felt a really sharp pain.
The pain was so terrible it made me drop to the floor as the staff began to circle around me.
"Your Majesty," said a voice.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Said another as I tried to focus, but it was hard.
I tried to stand up on my own but had no luck until Mary and Tina helped me.
"Let's get you to your room, Your Majesty," said Mary worried.
"Call the doctor," said Tina as they helped me to my room.
We were almost there when I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The pain was too much, so I closed my eyes as I heard a familiar distant voice.
"Erika," said a familiar voice.
"Erika," repeated the voice as I began to wake up.
"Erika," repeated the voice, but I couldn't see; I tried to open my eyes but couldn't. I was feeling very weak at this point.
"She will be alright, Your Majesty; she just needs to get lots of rest," said a voice as I could finally see a bit of light.
It was blurry all around, but I was slowly starting to see again; I turned my head to see two familiar figures.
"Erika," repeated the same voice. I felt the person take hold of my hand, and then I knew who it was.
"D-D-Dominick?" I said as my eyes started to clear, and I saw I was seeing my husband, and I were in our bed.
"How are you feeling, Your Majesty? " asked the doctor as I tried to move but felt a bit of pain.
"Sore, why am I in pain?" I asked, confused as he sighed.
"Unfortunately, you were given some herbs that shouldn't be mixed right now with your condition," he said as I looked confused.
"W-What? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused, as the doctor sighed.
"This isn't the best way to say it, but congratulations, my Queen. You and the King are expecting," said the doctor as my eyes widened.
"W-W-What?" I asked, confused, looking at Dominick, who seemed to be in shock like I was.
Parents, we are going to be parents? I thought as I looked over at Dominick, who had awoken from the shock.
"Wait, repeat that again, doctor. Are you saying someone tried to poison the Queen?" Asked Dominick as my eyes widened.
"It is possible, but my guess is that they were trying to ensure she lost the baby," he said as my eyes widened.
"Who would do such a thing?" I asked, worried as Dominick took hold of my hand.
"It's alright, dear," he said as the doctor nodded.
"The good thing is that it was a small amount of herbs she ingested and not a lot. Otherwise, she would have had a miscarriage," he said as I sighed.
"What are those herbs used for?" I asked the doctor as he sighed.
"To prevent unwanted pregnancies," he said as my eyes widened.
"You need to rest, your majesty. I recommend three days in bed, after which you may move, but don't do anything that involves heavy lifting or moving," he said as I nodded.
"The pain you are feeling should go away soon with the antidote I gave you," he said as I nodded.
"Thank you, Doctor," I was smiling as he nodded.
"Of course, Your Majesty," he said as Dominick walked him out of our room before joining me in bed.
"Parents, we're going to be parents," I said happily as he hugged me with joy.
"We are," he said, smiling as I embraced his hug.
"Think of it this way: once you and the king have your children, you two will be able to sing to them,"
"But not too far,"
She knew, all along, Mary knew and didn't tell me anything, so she said that and that I needed to take better care of myself.
"Are you happy?" I asked as he pulled away and smiled.
"Very, but I'm not with the fact that someone tried to poison you," he said as I nodded.
"Someone knew I was already pregnant and tried to end it," I said as he nodded.
"Or prevent from it happening," he said as I sighed.
"We need to ensure this stays within us for the moment; we could say it was stomach poisoning," I said as he nodded.
"Great idea. This way, we'll be able to ensure no one knows but us and see if we can catch this person behind this," he said as I nodded.
"I hope this won't stay a secret for long," I said as he nodded.
"Me too, but with how things are going, it might have to be our secret for a while," he said as I sighed.
"For how long? Eventually, it's not going to be easy to hide," I said as he sighed.
"Unfortunately, unless I keep you locked away," he said, smirking as I rolled my eyes.
"Don't you dare," I said as he chuckled.
"Hopefully, we can find out who's behind this before they find out the truth," he said as I nodded.
"A baby," can you believe it?" I asked as he nodded.
"A baby," he repeated as we began talking about the new adventure waiting for us.
Beatrice
I stood from afar and noticed the herb take its course. I wasn't sure if the Queen was pregnant or not, and I didn't care.
I was here simply to do my job, but the fact that it worked so fast means one thing.
She must have been in the early stages of being pregnant, and the fetus may not have survived due to the herb.
This herb was very popular to ensure you wouldn't get pregnant and to end any unwanted pregnancy.
The Queen seemed nice, but I was here to do my job, and that was to prevent her from getting pregnant.
At least, that's what Lord Caius told me. For these last few days, I have been under the King's orders.
Which isn't a bad thing; this way, no one would suspect I slipped that into her peppermint tea.
However, I will have to report this to him, and knowing him, he'll want to know if she still is or isn't.
This means I need to start investigating, and it will be difficult since I know no one trusts me here.
I didn't come here to make friends, but since I may be here for a while, I will need to start talking to people.
The easy target would be the Queen, but I know that because of this, the King will order tight surveillance on her.
I thought for a moment, and then it hit me: since I am under the King's orders for a couple more days, I could easily ask him.
However, that may lead to suspicion since I have rarely talked to anyone, and then suddenly, I'm asking about the Queen.
As I thought, I couldn't help but wonder why Lord Caius chose me; there are plenty of other girls he could use.
So, why would he choose me specifically? Then again, I couldn't help but notice that the Queen and I aren't that far apart in age.
I couldn't help but wonder if he wanted me to start some drama within them.
'I mean, I am young and pretty, and the King isn't bad himself.' I thought as I remembered.
I do know he hates the Queen and wants her out of the picture. Maybe if I stir up some drama, he'll pay me more.
Besides, it wouldn't hurt to try. The King is a really nice catch, if I do say so myself.