Chapter 10: A Request from the Queen

 

 

 

Chapter 10: A Request from the Queen

 

FIRST, we went straight to Torpan to ask for her help in tracking down the culprit. As it turned out, she was more than happy to drop whatever she was doing in order to help us (and by “us,” I mean Kirion).

Strangely enough, however, we managed to find the missing hair ornaments the very next day. According to Ray, he had discovered them sitting on the ground outside the castle, tucked away in a quiet spot generally devoid of foot traffic. And miraculously enough, the entire collection was completely intact, all three boxes’ worth.

“Thank you so much, Ray!” I exclaimed, beaming at him. Honestly speaking, I had half a mind to hug him—but obviously that wouldn’t go over well, so I refrained.

“’Twas nothing, my lady,” Ray replied playfully, genuflecting before me in true knightly fashion. Together in the room with us were Patricia’s three servants as well as Kirion, who looked incredibly relieved to hear that the stolen items had been recovered.

“I’m amazed you managed to find them out there,” I continued. “How’d you do it? Surely there’s no way it could have been a coincidence.” After all, it wasn’t the sort of place you’d visit unless you had a good reason to do so.

But Ray didn’t respond. Instead, he turned away as if he hadn’t heard a word I said. Uh, hello? I’m talking to you!

“Maybe it was your scent?” Mona suggested. “See, I was wondering why you always smelled like flowers, but once you told us you’re a Flowerfolk, it all made sense!”

“Wait, what? I smell like flowers?”

“Yeah! I mean, to be fair, we Dragonkin have a really sharp sense of smell—probably sharper than either humans or Flowerfolk—so it’s possible we’re just quick to pick up on other people’s body odor...”

At the phrase “body odor,” I shifted uncomfortably. Granted, in terms of odors, I could do a lot worse than flowers, but still... Hoping no one was paying attention, I covertly brought my nose within range of my armpit. Note to self: check frequently to ensure I don’t stink.

“Regardless of our innate olfactory abilities, I couldn’t possibly have caught a tiny trace of her scent, you know, obviously. I’m not a dog,” Ray shot back flatly.

“Right. Obviously,” Mona snorted. Her choice of emphasis seemed to have further implications to which I was not privy.

Regardless, I wasn’t going to press the issue. I concluded that Ray must’ve simply found them by chance, or perhaps one of his subordinates found them while on patrol and tipped him off. Once we took the matter to Torpan, she’d instructed all the servants in the castle to aid in the search, so maybe the culprit got cold feet about the theft and chose instead to dispose of the evidence in a secluded location. For this reason, I was pretty sure embarrassing Patricia was not their motive. After all, if that was their goal, surely there were countless other more effective ways to go about it.

That said, with no way to find the culprit, we would never learn the truth, and so we had no choice but to stay on guard in case an enemy of the Princess was lurking somewhere in the castle.

“I’m just glad we managed to find them,” Rebecca remarked.

“Sorry for all the trouble,” I apologized with a weary smile.

“You must be exhausted. You’ve been searching nonstop since yesterday! Why don’t you get some rest?” she suggested.

“Yeah!” Mona chimed in. “And eat a good, hearty meal while you’re at it. You eat like a bird!”

“I do?”

The three of us often took our lunch breaks together; at some point they must’ve overheard me asking the canteen worker for smaller portions. That said, my requests were by no means drastic—two pieces of meat here, half a bowl of soup there—so I didn’t consider myself a particularly light eater. If anything, Dragonkin had oversized appetites! But nevertheless, Rebecca and Mona seemed quite worried for my health.

“What is it? Do I look pale or something...?”

“No, not at all. It’s just... You mentioned you’re a Flowerfolk, so I can’t help but be a little concerned,” Rebecca explained. “I mean, we Dragonkin tend to view Flowerfolk as small and fragile—like a flower, you know? But maybe that’s just because we’re more on the brawny side.”

“Yes, they say Dragonkin are a hardy tribe,” I replied. “Now that I think about it, perhaps Dragonkin and Flowerfolk are on opposite ends of the spectrum, with humans, Merfolk, Shadowkin, and Treeborn somewhere in the middle. Though I don’t think we Flowerfolk are quite as frail as you imagine us to be. In my opinion, we’re really no different from humans.”

“You sure about that?” Rebecca asked dubiously.

I laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve never once thought of myself as weak or delicate. I’m not even that tired right now. I do appreciate your concern, though.”

Meanwhile, Kirion and Sari were having a cheerful conversation as they admired the recovered hair ornaments. Naturally, Kirion was his usual friendly self, but personally I was surprised to see that Sari was actually smiling for a change. To think someone can actually melt her icy façade... Wait. Am I seeing things, or is she blushing?

Upon further contemplation, it occurred to me that Torpan was quite smitten with Kirion, too. Perhaps he had some sort of natural talent for charming the aloof, uppity type... Maybe he was a con artist in his past life.

A few hours after the accessories were found, I received a special request from the Princess: “My ringlets were a hit at the tea party—and Her Majesty said she wants you to style her hair, too! Could you come with me to her chambers tomorrow morning? Oh, and she wants you to do the same for her three attendants, too.”

“Of course, Your Highness. It would be my honor,” I answered promptly.

And so, the next day, the two of us plus Kirion set off for the Queen’s royal chambers.

❀❀❀

WHEN we arrived, sure enough, four women were waiting in the room. The Queen looked to be in her forties, with her three attendants all perhaps slightly younger; I was told they hailed from aristocratic families, and indeed, they looked every bit as proud and haughty as one would expect.

“So you’re the hairstylist. I’ve been expecting you.”

“Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Mayna Spring, and this is my apprentice, Kirion Soh.”

“Well then, Mayna, I should like you to style my hair at once. I have grown so terribly bored of my current style, you see.”

The Queen was a beautiful woman with pale lavender hair and a frank personality. Like most other Dragonkin, she was tall and slender, but the Queen in particular was endowed with a hefty bustline. And as with her three attendants, her hair was long and perfectly straight, presently cascading over her right shoulder.

“We want to have ringlets like the ones you gave Patricia yesterday.”

“In that case, I’ll need to use my curling irons. Not only can it create curls, but it can produce elegant waves as well. That said, with straight hair like yours, I can’t guarantee that it will last for very long. The hair simply isn’t predisposed to holding curls, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, that’s all right. If it lasts long enough that I can surprise the King for lunch, then that’s good enough for me,” the Queen answered with a mischievous giggle.

And so Kirion and I kindled a small fire in the fireplace and set about heating the irons. Then, once each of the four had determined her desired hairstyle, I immediately got to work.

Even with the balcony door open and a kind servant fanning me, the room was still sweltering—and I would need to do three more heads of hair after this. I hadn’t anticipated that all of them would want a wavy style, so this was a lot more work than I initially expected...but still, I didn’t want to betray their high expectations. If I was going to do this, then I wanted to do it perfectly.

“Are you okay? Should I take over?” Kirion offered quietly. As much as I appreciated the thought, I knew he had no prior experience with curling irons, and I couldn’t very well subject the Queen or her attendants to an amateur. Not only was there a risk of contact burns if the metal touched her skin, but excessive exposure to the intense heat could burn her hair, and then we’d really be in trouble. A woman’s hair was tantamount to her femininity itself, and as such, it was invaluable.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” I replied, sweat beading on my brow.

Meanwhile, Patricia and the Queen were engaged in conversation:

“How are things with Dario? Are you getting along?”

“Oh, we most certainly are, Your Majesty. I understand he was rather busy yesterday, but nevertheless, he still set aside time to come and visit me in my chambers. He clearly cares for me. He wanted to know if I was adjusting to life in Vaxwald.”

“It must be quite the culture shock, living in a different country in which you are the minority.”

“I admit I was nervous at first, but I’ve since come around. There are so many kind people here...especially you, Your Majesty!”

“Oh, I’m just happy to dote on my new daughter, that’s all.”

I smiled to myself as I listened to their sweet little exchange. I was so glad to know that the Queen had accepted Patricia in spite of the nasty rumors about her floating around the kingdom. In my opinion, she and her son Dario were both crucial pillars of support in this trying time.

Once I finally finished curling all four heads of hair, the next step was to style it. Then, at long last, my work was finished.

“It’s so very elegant and beautiful,” the Queen remarked. I had tied her hair loosely at the base of her neck so as to keep those soft, flowing waves in line. Then I took her long, newly wavy bangs and pinned them back to cover her ears. With the ears covered, it produced an elegant and seductive look; conversely, exposing the ears would create an energetic, youthful effect.

The three attendants were all quite satisfied with their styles, too:

“Look at me! I’m like a whole different person! Why, I can’t wait to go home and show my husband!”

“I bet he’ll flip!”

These women were all twice my age and long since married, and yet they were squealing with delight as if they were young maidens all over again. The sight warmed my heart. Moments like these made my job worth doing.

“Thank you, Mayna,” said the Queen, her lips curled in a contented smile as she handed me my pay. It was a lot more than the work itself warranted, but I figured it’d be rude to decline payment from the royal family, so I graciously accepted.

After that, Kirion and I packed up our styling tools and left Patricia to enjoy a pleasant conversation with the Queen and her attendants.

“We can split this between us later,” I said, holding up the small sack of reward money as we walked through the corridor.

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I barely did anything at all. You should keep it.”

“No, that wouldn’t be right. You helped, and you deserve your fair share,” I insisted.

“You’re a real goody-goody, aren’t you?” he replied, smiling faintly. “You work hard, you have ambition, and yet you still manage to put other people first. I’ll bet you’ve put in a ridiculous amount of effort to hone your skills, too. You have a purpose in life, and so you have no reason to covet the achievements of others.”

“...Where did that come from?”

Ostensibly he was paying me a compliment, and yet his flat, detached tone made me feel more like a research specimen.

But then he grinned.

“I was just thinking you’re probably not that popular with the gents,” he teased. “You’ve got a pretty face, but I wager you don’t get approached too often—because you don’t let yourself appear approachable.”

“Mind your own business, okay?” I was starting to have second thoughts about splitting the reward with him.

“Personally, I find so-called ‘untouchable’ women like you far more interesting. Makes me curious to see what you’d be like if you actually fell in love.”

At this, I looked away. His gaze was starting to make me feel restless again, to the point I was concerned he could hear my heart pounding.

Just then—

“Kirion!”

At the end of the hall stood Sari, her hand raised in a shy wave, to which Kirion waved in return.

“I’m almost done here,” he called back. “I’ll just be a minute.”

My personal quarters were just a few steps away, so the two of us promptly carried the hairstyling equipment inside.

“I see you’ve made friends with Sari, too. That’s something I haven’t managed yet, so if there’s some kind of trick to it, I’m all ears.”

“There is a trick...but it’s a secret. Likewise, if there’s a trick to getting to know you better, by all means, let me know.” With a wink, he turned and walked out, leaving me rooted to the spot.

Why would he care about getting closer to me when he clearly already had Sari wrapped around his little finger? Or did he simply want to be good friends with both of us? Either way, Sari was obviously interested in more than friendship.

Good grief, what a little con artist he is. I plopped myself down on the loveseat and heaved a sigh.

“I’m beat...”

I’d had this funny feeling in my chest for a while now. Wiping my sweaty brow with a handkerchief, I leaned my full weight against the backrest. The castle was already humid from the summer weather, but on top of that I’d done four heads’ worth of curling work, too. Maybe the heat was getting to me. I had a headache, and my fingers felt tingly for some reason.

Now that I was finally off my feet, it was hard to motivate myself to get up again, but I needed a drink of water. I pushed myself to my feet, left my room, and headed for the servants’ canteen on the first floor.

Ugh, I’m getting dizzy... Clutching the handrail, I guided myself down the stairs. But just as I arrived at the covered walkway that lined the inner courtyard, I exhaled and came to a stop. My head was spinning, and I was starting to think I might not make it to the canteen in time to stop myself from passing out altogether. Instead, I decided to sit down on a nearby bench and catch my breath.

There were a handful of benches here in the courtyard, but the one I chose was nice and shady. Sitting down wasn’t much of an improvement, so I lay down on my side instead. The wood was cool to the touch. Perhaps it was well-shaded at all hours of the day.

I’ll just rest up here for a bit and then I’ll go get some water, I thought as I closed my eyes.

What I didn’t realize until that moment, however, was that over in this particular corner of the courtyard, my bench was positioned in such a way that no one could see me lying here—

“I knew I’d find you here!”

In the distance, I heard Mona’s voice. I opened my eyes. Had she been looking for me?

This soon proved not to be the case. In the far distance, I could make out two figures—Mona and her Bondmate, Padell.

“Yeah, I could tell you were nearby,” he replied cheerfully.

As with the previous tryst I had inadvertently witnessed, the two of them shared a brief embrace, then went back to their respective tasks. Normally I enjoyed watching other people be happy together, but right now I felt like crying. What if I die alone here and no one ever finds me?

Admittedly, I was being needlessly dramatic over a little heat exhaustion, but still.

Just then, someone dashed down the walkway and into the courtyard, gasping for air. It was Ray. He glanced around the area, then inexplicably turned and made a beeline directly to my bench.

“Mayna!” He rushed over to me, his eyes wide in shock.

“Ray? What’s wrong...?” I asked weakly, struggling to keep my eyes open.

He put his hand to my forehead, gauging my temperature. “When I went to the Queen’s chambers to take over guard duty for the Princess, I noticed the room was like a furnace. Then they told me you’d been curling hair for hours in there. I had a feeling it might’ve given you heatstroke, so I thought I’d check, and sure enough.”

So you noticed the room was hot...and your mind went straight to heatstroke? I thought vaguely to myself. He was clearly alarmed—proof enough that he was genuinely concerned for my well-being. But why? Not like I died or something.

“How did you know I was over here?”

But instead of responding to my question, Ray straightened up and walked off. Are you just going to leave me here? I wondered. This, too, proved not to be the case, as he soon returned, a drinking glass in one hand and a pail of water in the other. He sat the pail down next to my bench, then pulled me up into a sitting position and handed me the glass of water.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just drink it, will you?”

As he propped me upright, I took small sips from the glass.

“Need more?”

“No, this is enough,” I answered faintly, closing my eyes.

He laid me back down onto the bench, then pulled a hand towel out of the pail of water, wrung it out, and laid it onto my forehead. Ahh, nice and refreshing.

Then he pulled out a second towel, wrung it out, and wrapped it around my neck. Perhaps my neck was more sensitive to the cold compared to my forehead, because the excess heat seemed to vanish instantly. Maybe the towels were absorbing it; they soon grew warm, and Ray had to re-dampen them with some frequency.

For a while I simply lay there in silence and let Ray take care of me, but as my condition improved, I found the strength to open my eyes once more.

“How are you feeling?” Ray asked, clutching my sweaty hand in his. His skin was damp and chilly to the touch.

“I think I’m feeling better now. Thank you.”

“We should have a doctor examine you, just in case... Let’s get you to the castle infirmary. I’ll carry you there.”

“You don’t have to—” My weak protests fell on deaf ears.

He scooped me up into his arms, bridal style, and carried me all the way to the infirmary. Between his natural good looks and his prestigious position as Prince Dario’s personal bodyguard, Ray attracted attention like a magnet everywhere he went, and I could feel everyone staring at us as we passed. Ugh, how humiliating.

“Doc, you in?” Ray called as he opened the infirmary door and carried me inside. Sure enough, there stood a gentleman in a white coat—forty-something, unshaven, his clothes messy and wrinkled—presumably the doctor.

“Well, if it isn’t our very own Sir Ray Alide! What happened to your lady friend there?”

“She has heatstroke. Please examine her.”

“Heatstroke? Strange... She must be quite sickly for a Dragonkin.”

“She’s a Flowerfolk, actually. Now please examine her—I’ll put her down on this cot.”

“Wh—You can’t just—Well, all right. Have you given her any water?”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Ray had laid me down onto the medical bed, the doctor came over, removed the towels, and felt my skin directly.

“Please don’t touch her too much.”

“Do you want me to examine her or not, boy?” the doctor snapped back. “At any rate, she’s going to be fine, thanks to your excellent first aid. This was your doing, right?” he asked, holding up the hand towels. “Come to think of it, you came and asked me about heatstroke just the other day, didn’t you?”

He did? I turned and looked at Ray.

“Even on the hottest summer days, Dragonkin scarcely ever get heatstroke, so I admit I was confused why you’d want to know. Now it all makes sense. You were concerned for this Flowerfolk,” the doctor concluded.

“You don’t mind if she rests here for a while, right?” Ray asked in a hard voice that suggested he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Evidently he was in no mood to respond to the doctor’s comments.

“Be my guest,” the doctor permitted.

Just then, another knight entered the room, and the doctor left to attend to his injury. Ray pulled the bed curtains shut, then sat down beside me and took my hand. I glanced over at him to find that his fretful expression had now hardened into anger.

“Not as frail as we imagine you to be, huh? What a joke.” He was quoting the statement I’d made to Rebecca and Mona yesterday. “I understand you felt obligated to honor a request from our Queen, but you need to be aware of your physical limits when you work.”

“How was I supposed to know? I’ve never gotten heatstroke from curling hair before!”

“Because you were living in Myulan. But you’re in Vaxwald now, and Vaxwald gets hot. You have to be more careful,” he snapped. “When we first met in Myulan, you told me you didn’t really think of yourself as a Flowerfolk. You grew up surrounded by humans, so you felt like you were one of them. I get that. But know this, Mayna: you may look human, but you’re not.”

At this point, he noticed that I was on the verge of tears, and he stopped short.

“Don’t yell at me,” I whimpered.

“...Sorry.” He squeezed my hand apologetically.

He’d been holding my hand an awful lot today. What are you, my mom?

❀❀❀

THE next day, I felt much better. I was on a walk with the Princess out in the castle’s massive front garden. Together with Rebecca, Mona, and Sari, the five of us walked along the edge of the moat and stared down at the fish swimming within. The servants were carrying all the necessary implements to have a tea party in the gazebo afterward.

“It’s nice to step outside and get some fresh air,” I commented.

“Quite,” Patricia replied.

The two of us were holding parasols, shielding ourselves from the sunrays. Normally I wouldn’t have brought one, but after yesterday’s heatstroke incident, I figured it couldn’t hurt to err on the side of caution.

Still, I could feel Ray’s gaze boring into me as he and the other bodyguards trailed behind us. I knew he was just keeping an eye out lest I pass out again, but I felt like a criminal under surveillance.

He’d been overly concerned ever since yesterday, and it clearly wasn’t an act. So what was going on? Was he trying to be my new overprotective father or what?

As we approached the front gates, I noticed there was a bit of a commotion going on. In the distance, I saw a crowd of people gathered outside. The gatekeeper was gesturing for them to leave, but they ignored him and raised their fists in perfect sync—

“ANNUL THE MARRIAGE!”

“Cancel the wedding between Dario and Patricia!”

The second I registered what they were saying, I felt the impulse to clap my hands over Patricia’s ears. Unfortunately, she had already taken notice, and her expression stiffened.

“Our Prince deserves better than that sorry excuse for a princess!”

Thank heavens the crowd didn’t seem to notice that Patricia was out here. Perhaps the parasol had kept her face hidden, or maybe they couldn’t see through the garden trees.

“Let’s get you back inside,” Ray told the Princess.

Staring down at the ground, she nodded, practically hiding under her parasol.

“Don’t let it get to you, all right? They don’t know the first thing about you. They’ve been hoodwinked by those false rumors, that’s all.”

“Yeah, what Ray said,” Rebecca chimed in. “These protesters are a bunch of idiots who can’t think for themselves. They’re just a particularly loud minority, that’s all. Trust me, the vast majority of Dragonkin know better than to take rumors as truth. Besides, unlike them, we actually know what you’re like...and we all think you’re a wonderful princess.”

Patricia merely slumped her shoulders. “I know it’s unrealistic to want every single person to like me, but...this really breaks my heart.”