A Queen and Her Seven Servants {BTS}

Chapter Five ~

This is like a flashback sort of thing.

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"I want a pay raise, Queen Evangeline," a maid suddenly demanded. Her fellow maids looked up, some with disbelief, some with a smirk as if they knew she was going to do this. They probably did.

"A what?"

"A pay raise," she said, louder. "I need more than what you are giving me now."

"Isn't what I'm giving you enough?" I asked, shocked that she had the nerve to ask.

"No," she snipped. "A few pieces of gold does not cut it. I need more."

"I give you more than that." My face was straight as I tried to remain calm. It was hard, to be honest. "I give you food and a place to stay for free."

"But what about my life? What about my family?"

I almost laughed. "Your kid is almost an adult. How have you supported him his whole life with the same pay? I even raised it a few times."

Her face twitched. She said something inaudible that I didn't catch, but another maid did.

"Clair, why would say something like that?"

"God forbid, someone has disrespected the queen," another sighed, continuing to polish a necklace of mine.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"I said nothing," Clair gasped.

"Your Highness, she did say something. She said-"

"No, I want Clair to repeat it. If she said it once, she should feel the need to say it again."

The maid began to sweat. "Your Highness, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Clair got down on her knees at my feet. "I'm sorry."

"What did you say?"

"I'm sorry."

"What did you say?!"

She took a deep breath. "I said that you're an evil queen."

"Evil?"

"Fine! I said you're a dishonorable queen," she muttered.

The blood in my veins boiled. I slapped at the maid's hand that was fixing my hair. She jumped back and Clair looked up at me, fear in her eyes. I looked at the guards at the door. "Send her to the dungeon."

"Wait!"

"I'll figure out her punishment later," I said.

I felt something grip my dress and I looked down to see tears running down her face. "No, wait! I was just mad!"

I scowled. "How dare you touch the queen!" I pushed her to the ground. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

She screamed and I watched as the guards dragged her out of the room. She begged for them to let her go and the other maids watched in horror as their peer was being taken away to die.

In the matter of a few weeks, everyone in the castle was gone except for me.

***

"Have you ever been lonely?" I asked the small daisy poking out of the dry soil. The gardeners were gone so there was no one to care for it. "I am."

I walked around castle in silence, hungry for someone to talk to. I didn't have anyone anymore. It was kind of sad, actually. Poets make it seem beautiful. But I am no poet.

There were a few people who heard of the queen being alone in the castle and they would stand at the gates to offer me help with anything. I would always refuse until one day.

A boy came, probably a few years older than me. His name was Mark. He offered to bring his family to cook me a good meal every night, but I wasn't in the mood for food.

"I want people," I murmured.

Mark looked horrified. "P-P-People?"

I smiled. "Not to eat. To stay with me." I looked at the clear blue sky and then at Mark's brown eyes. His brown hair looked soft and his jawline looked like something only a skilled sculptor could carve. "Do you know anyone?"

He thought for a moment. "My family would love to. They've supported you since you took up the crown. They supported your parents, too."

"Who is in your family?"

"It's just me, my mom, and my little sister, actually," he said. A look of sadness passed through his eyes.

He was skinny. His bones were visible in some areas and he looked extremely tired. "Are you poor?"

Mark looked off to the side. "Yes, Your Highness."

Sympathy. Was that the word? I felt that. "I can't work you or your family. But I can give you riches."

"Oh, yes!" He smiled before stopping himself. "I mean, sorry. It surely isn't that easy is it? I-I-I'm not greedy, I promise-"

"I will give you a house, food, money, whatever if you find me people," I said.

Mark's face seemed like it was glowing. "R-R-Really? Oh, Your Highness, I couldn't thank you enough! I'll search forever just to find you someone. I will not stop until you are satisfied."

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