Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 102-

Day: 127

Days Left: 5353

Lives Saved: 0

"And Johnathan recorded the whole play," said Rhea, rummaging through her handbag for her phone. She swiped through the videos then stopped seeing Ernest stare vacantly at the wall. "Perhaps later, Dad? Maybe next time I'll bring headphones so we won't disturb anyone. The children were... quite loud when singing," she chuckled, putting her phone away.

Even though she sat right beside her father's bed, even though she was so close, it was like he was so far away. Perhaps it was because of how small he had become, the sheets almost swallowing him. Sometimes he would remain so still, you could replace him with a mannequin, and no one would notice.

"Oh! Amelia drew a picture too." Rhea retrieved a piece of paper from her handbag, showing Ernest the drawing of a ship of pirates finding treasure- a scene from the school play.

"Corinna..." Ernest croaked, his trembling finger pointing at one of the pirates with long golden blonde hair and freckled covered skin.

Rhea bit down on her lip. "No, Dad. That's Rosalyn, her younger sister. Corinna's not in school anymore, remember-"

"Where is Corinna?" Ernest turned his head, looking around at the hospital ward.

Swallowing, Rhea forced a smile. "She's a bit busy at the moment, Dad. She'll come back someday." It was becoming even more difficult each time Rhea had to explain why Corinna wasn't there. No matter how many times she told Ernest that Corinna was in the Eternal Abyss, he would always forget the next day. 

He wasn't the only one. It seemed that a lot of the family had forgotten where Corinna was, or simply forgot her existence entirely, perhaps on purpose to some. It hadn't been even a half a year yet, but everything around the house had gone back to normal. Well, as normal as it could be when two halves of the family were avoiding each other. It was so easy considering how large their housing complex was.

Though Rhea was glad things were calming down about the protests, in return the interest in sending Corinna food donations had decreased. Had they all forgotten what was at stake? They needed to keep Corinna alive not just for her sake for their own too. But food donations were expensive, especially if they were to keep going for the full fifteen years.

How could they all put a price on their own relative's survival?

These days, the majority of the food donations the Warren-Earl-Best family had sent was from Rhea. She used the savings that were meant to be given in her will. Fortunately, serving the royal family had paid well, but it wouldn't last forever. Soon she would run out, and Corinna would have to rely on others' donations instead.

Ernest and his daughter remained silent for a moment. Rhea gazed over at the nearby patient, an elderly woman, who was reading to their grandchild who sat on her lap.

A nurse pointed a remote at the television hanging on the walls, switching the channel and turning up the volume. On the screens was a closeup of the royal castle's front balcony, a microphone set up and surrounded by potted white lilies.

The hospital ward fell quiet as Queen Corinna IX approached the microphone, a group of guards and nobles gathered behind her, their heads bowed in respect.

"Today marks the third anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Henrietta II's unfortunate death," spoke the queen, but Rhea knew that wasn't her voice; it was a fake one. Using her magic, the monarch covered her real one, making it clearer and sharper.

Queen Corinna continued her speech, honouring her late departed mother. It was the same speech her father, the late King Casimir IV, had used last year only the words and sentences shifted and replaced with similar ones.

Rhea watched the queen on the screen, almost holding her breath as she heard the fake and alien voice. It was difficult to see Corinna IX as a young woman, sometimes to see her as even human. She was more like a gargoyle, standing motionless as she addressed the speech, her featureless porcelain mask covering her face, preventing any sort of emotion from being noticed.

After the speech had finished, there was silence as three bells sounded. The ceremony ended and was followed by numerous celebrities, nobles, and servants telling stories of Queen Henrietta, the majority of them being recycled footage from last year. One of the interviewees was Paige Warren, Rhea's niece, who was the late queen's Head Servant at the time of her passing.

The nurse turned the volume off but kept the subtitles on for those who still continued to watch the programme.

Rhea clasped her hands tightly together, gazing down at the floor.

"Princess Alfreda wasn't there again," Rhea heard a voice say from across the ward. It was a middle-aged woman who sat next to a patient, presumably her sister due to the resemblance. "She hasn't been to any of the speeches or ceremonies."

"Well, you heard the rumours," replied the patient. "That the queen had her executed."

"I heard that she was imprisoned in the Eternal Abyss-"

"How dare you spout such things!" Rhea snapped. She couldn't take any more of their gossiping and let her anger take control. "Her Majesty would do such a thing to her dear sister!"

"Of course she would," said the woman, giving Rhea a dirty look. "It's how she got the throne in the first place-"

"Princess Alfreda declined the throne."

"That's what they want us to think."

"How come King Casimir dies and Princess Alfreda stops showing up?" chimed in the woman's sister.

"Because she is in mourning!" Rhea stood up, startling her father who mumbled in fear. "And she still is!"

Rhea fought back against the impulse of throttling the two of them if they so much as spoke another ill word. Fortunately, a nurse hushed everyone to calm down, threatening that their visitation privileges be banned if anyone caused a scene. Returning her attention back to her father, Rhea remained amicable for the rest of her visit, occasionally glaring back at the two women.