I wondered what Merana was eating and if her room was as beautiful as mine. I noticed she was wearing finer fabrics and her hairstyle was more elaborate than usual; her face looked cheerful and radiant.
The queen summoned a musician to her room, and we listened to the piano until she decided to lie down for a moment. I tucked her into bed and caressed her hand until she fell asleep, as she had asked. After several minutes of pacing the hall, I couldn't stop thinking about how bored I felt; I had never been without something to do.
— Merana, are you still there? — I realized I'd asked something to a nothing and laughed, thinking I was going crazy from so much leisure.
After exploring a bit more, I found out that the other part of the queen's room consisted of a huge wardrobe, and the bathroom had a marble tub attached to the wall, connected to an internal waterfall.
I discovered I'd fallen asleep in a chair when I was woken by a knocking on the door. I got up quickly and opened it. — Have you finished eating? — Merana said. Her expression changed rapidly — Why are you crying?
— Am I crying? — I asked, bringing my hands to my face, feeling the moisture on my cheeks. — It must have been that beautiful dream I had.
— Are you alright? — she asked, taking my hands.
— How long have you been in the castle?
— Two years — she said — My husband was an accountant for the royal court, but when he died, his family threw me out of the house, and I ended up here.
— But you're here now. You can start over with a new...
— I'm here far from my daughter, Dotea — she said — They said I wasn't fit to raise her. Esh tave-in eken qin karass mij redeer ma dote - You have to help me speak to the queen so they'll give me back my daughter.
— Ei turu eken qin yai - I'll talk to her — I said, and I surrounded her with my arms to give her hope.
— Tamai, ei tone geme mij tas vesses - Pardon me, I came for the plates — Merana said.
— The queen is sleeping right now. There's an entrance through the garden, but I don't know it; I'll ask Mrs. Pilón to tell you.
— Okay — she said. Merana brought her forehead close to mine and left.
After the queen woke up, I accompanied her for a walk around the castle. There wasn't much to do, and she seemed distant; I couldn't bring myself to speak to her. I still didn't know if I would be paid for this job or if it even counted as work.
The next morning, I woke up to the bright glare of the sun. When I could finally see around me, I found Dana opening the curtains in the room. Up until that moment, I hadn't slept so much or so well in years.
After the queen awoke, I accompanied her for a walk around the castle. There wasn't much to do, and she seemed distant; I couldn't bring myself to speak to her. I still didn't know if I would be paid for this task, or if it could even be considered work.
The next morning, I awoke to the bright glare of the sun. When I could finally see around me, I found Dana opening the curtains in the bedroom. I hadn't slept so much or so well in years.
— It's time to wake up, Lady Arteneses — she said from afar — You must be ready for breakfast with the queen.
I groaned inwardly and headed to the bathroom. To my surprise, Dana had already prepared the bath with hot water and fragrances. After my bath, I put on a dress made of velvet on top, with a skirt of a lighter fabric patterned with red roses, and my shoes were cream-colored, matching the skirt. I wasn't used to wearing jewelry yet, but I agreed to wear gold earrings with a red diamond and a couple of rings on my left hand.
The queen was still asleep when I entered the room. She looked so beautiful asleep; I felt a warmth spread across my face at her sight. — Queen Manady, it's time to wake up — I said, but she didn't respond. I stroked her shoulder and leaned closer to speak into her ear when I caught a sweet scent emanating from her. I was lost in the aroma for a moment and insisted on waking her. — Queen Manady, please wake up. — Yes — I heard her say, barely audible. I opened the curtains and opened the door for Merana.
I brought the queen a robe to help her out of bed and asked her what she would like to wear to give the maids time to prepare her bath. — A red dress would be fine — she said, looking at mine. — We could agree to wear warm colors this week.
— Of course, my queen — I replied, searching for jewelry. I decided on a pearl choker with a striking red diamond and matching earrings.
— The bath is ready, Your Majesty — Merana said, peeking into the wardrobe. She curtsied to the queen and glanced at me.
The first thing I did was feel the warm water; it was adorned with fragrant flowers. The queen was facing away from me and removed her towel. The skin on her back looked smooth, and her buttocks were perfectly round with prominent hips. I noticed two indentations on her lower back, something I had never seen before. I quickly gathered up the robe and hung it up when I saw the queen was about to turn around. I felt embarrassed; I had never felt this way about seeing a naked body. It was common for the women to bathe together in the river when I was with the tribe. — Could you scrub my back? I can't reach the center completely — I heard her say. I kept my gaze lowered so I wouldn't look at her. I took a sponge from the drawers and some fragrant oil. She turned her back to me, and I could confirm my thoughts as I rubbed the oil into her back with my hands. Her skin was so soft and smooth that I didn't realize I had given her a massage until later when she thanked me.
We went to the dressing room. When she put on her robe, her breasts were visible through the fabric, and I could clearly see the outline of her dark nipples. I adjusted her corset, helped her with her dress, and put on her jewelry. We sat down to breakfast, and I tried to clear my head. Perhaps she was different. Whenever I thought about royalty, I never imagined they could also be vulnerable, ordinary, defenseless beings in their nakedness. — Why aren't you eating? — the queen asked — You're very quiet. What are you thinking about?
— In my tribe, you would undoubtedly be a beauty — I said, but the queen said nothing. — Forgive me, it's just that I'm not used to so much adornment. Sometimes I think about what would have become of me if I were still in the forest with my whole family.
— In the forest? — she asked. She seemed genuinely curious, not surprised. I explained about the Ettary tribe, our customs, and the death of my family while we ate. — I wish you didn't have to live through such a tragedy.
— Thank you. Remembering my past is like a recurring dream, but I feel I can move forward.
— Of course you can — she said with a smile — Everything you've been through has made you strong.
After Merana came for the plates, the queen decided she wanted to walk around the castle and go to the flower fields. We were taken by carriage and walked to admire the beautiful colors in the daylight. — Is what you told me true? — the queen asked. I moved closer to her to find out what she was saying, but she remained silent as if waiting for an answer from me. I looked at her several times to see if she had actually said something or if I had imagined it, until she said — Is what you said about me true, that I would be a beauty in his tribe? — She looked at me, waiting for an answer, but I only nodded.
— Have you ever had a romance? — the queen asked — In the castle or even when you were so young in the tribe?
— I was married once — I said. She turned to look at me with a smile and stopped walking.
— Are you a widow? — To which I nodded — How did he die?
— He was murdered on the wedding night.
The queen let out a laugh, which seemed genuine to me. Her eyes remained on me for several seconds as her smile faded, but not completely, when she asked — Have you ever found anyone attractive, anyone other than your late husband?
— Yes — I answered, thinking of Dais, but apparently that answer wasn't enough for her — When I was cleaning the temple of the master of the royal guard, I saw many attractive young men on the days I arrived before it was empty.
— Are you in love? — she said, continuing the walk.
— I don't think so, no. I was much more interested in learning to use a sword.
— I didn't know they accepted women in the guard.
— I wasn't accepted. Daís taught me.
— I wish I had a hobby as interesting as yours. I've always been reading — She paused briefly. I couldn't see her face, but I imagined her smiling — I think I only learned to ride a horse after reading every book in the library. I've been clumsy with my physical habits.
— You must know a lot about the world from books.
— Not really, I only know two places in the whole world — she said. She stopped in front of a bush and began to caress a bloom — My father always said that reading should be a pleasure. Romance, adventure, sensuality. All those kinds of things are found in books; you can broaden your horizons, Dotea.
Her words stayed with me for the rest of the day. I had never had time to read in the castle, and the books of my tribe were mostly images and symbols from our language. Only important things, things that needed to be remembered, were written down. Perhaps I bored the queen by being so quiet, and I couldn't share anything with her if I knew nothing about the world, or at least not a small part of what she knew.
— I would like to read something you recommend — I said to the queen. She smiled, and upon returning to the castle, she gave me one of the books she kept in a chest under her bed.