THE USURPERS| 2021

CHAPTER 4: THE LION OF THE EAST

IV.
CHAPTER 4
The Lion of the East
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Like in all the great tales, my demise began in the dullest of moments.

When I entered the sunroom, I found a dozen women seated around a large table. They all wore extravagant hats and day dresses. And they all stood suddenly as I entered the room, curtseying to me. When they didn't sit back down I stood there for a moment in silence. There was an awkward pause before I realized that they were waiting for me to tell them to sit.

Silently, I motioned for them to take their seats. The women sat back down, one of them gesturing to the seat beside her. "Your highness."

I awkwardly navigated their stares as I made my way around the table, taking my seat to the left of the head seat. My mother's chair, I supposed. She would be arriving soon, but until then I had to manage the politesse of court life by myself.

We were seated in perhaps the most beautiful room in the palace, with exotic greenery and flowers decorating glass walls. It felt like we were having tea outside. Before me, were dozens of trays of different cakes and pastries. I certainly did miss the opulence that came with being a royal.

"Your highness, if I may introduce myself?" I looked over beside me to find the woman who had gestured me over was speaking.

I blanked out again for a moment, before finally replying. "You may."

I could feel all the women look at me with odd gazes as if trying to gauge my strange composure. Sit straight and smile. I reminded myself. Recalling my etiquette lessons from when I was a child proved more difficult than I had thought.

"I am the Duchess of Olonde, I'm sure you remember my visit to your 15th birthday celebration some years ago?" At her words, I tried to hide my shock. Aerves and my mother told me that Annette had been confined to her sickbed since she was a child.

"I do." I lied.

"Do you remember me, your highness?" Another woman asked from across the table. Her bright orange hat was blinding to my eyes.

I smiled awkwardly, not sure of what to say. All these women were looking at me intently as if expecting me to know them. Was Annette a socialite in her early years? I wondered if she had been briefly let out of her sick room and was allowed to mingle amongst society for a time.

"How could she remember you?" A voice came from the front of the room, from a woman who had seemingly just arrived. The room seemed to shift at her arrival. When she walked across the room, the sunlight illuminated her figure. It gave her divine cast–like an angel. And when she finally moved close enough so that the light did not blind her features, I finally realized who she was.

Aurora, who had been a pudgy and inconspicous child, had been replaced with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her sharp features were contrasted by doe-like eyes, making her look like a maiden goddess. Our resemblance was barely there. Only her dark hair and dark eyes gave hint to her royal parentage. I noticed how she paused for a moment as she regarded me, her eyes flickering over me like something was amiss

She knows I'm not Annette, I thought, sure my rouse was finished. But then Aurora curtsied, her rose-coloured gown sparkling softly in the natural light. "My darling Annette," She said in a soft tone. "How glad I am to see you recovered."

I was proud of myself for recognizing my half-sister, realizing how detrimental it would have been if I didn't. I smiled graciously at her, unsure of the formality I needed to address her. Annette and her were not close at all as children, since Annette's sickness prevented her from being around us. If I had been myself, I probably would have embraced her without care.