Wednesday comes, Ratna goes to the garden and found a letter between the bushes in the royal garden. She sneakily put the letter inside her dress and read it when she found her time alone.
Dear Ratna,
How life's treating you? The one who wrote this letter is Zurina. I've been missing you a lot, I want to braid your hair and learn how to cook with you. Ahmad and Malik has been sick for days now after i cook them some fried chicken. I guess its my fate now to stay as a woman who doesn't know how to cook. I heard from Malik that you are pregnant, its quite shocking but at the same time I'm so happy for you. There's so many things i want to share with you, its about our neighbour, man that we found on supermarket four months ago and about the girl that stole your hairpin during our open house. Grapevine through letters are not so exciting, thus i will wait until our next meeting. Please make sure your blanket is always warm, eat and sleep well. For now, only me who will write letters for you as Malik and Ahmad has gone into war and maybe will not come back until next two weeks. Instead of every Wednesday, can i write letter to you everyday? Love you.
Ratna couldn't help but burst into laughter as she read Zurina's letter, reminiscing about the days they spent together. The memories brought her joy, but as her laughter faded, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She felt lonely and remorseful, realizing that she was now trapped as a mistress within the palace, unable to venture beyond its walls.
From that day onward, Zurina, Ahmad, and Malik started exchanging letters with Ratna regularly. The letters brought so much joy to Ratna that she no longer felt lonely, even though she was trapped within the walls of Saputra Palace.
November 5,1705
I apologize for not replying to your letters for the past few days. I gave birth to a baby boy this morning, and I couldn't be happier. I really wish I could share this precious moment with all of you. Please suggest some names for my baby boy. However, I feel the need to keep his gender a secret, as the queen has been displaying suspicion. I've heard that after the queen visits some of the king's mistresses, their sons are found lifeless while their daughters remain unharmed. It seems to be connected to her concerns about potential power struggles in the future
Upon receiving Ratna's letter, Malik hurriedly made his way back home to share the joyful news with Zurina and Ahmad. They all jumped with excitement and embraced each other, overwhelmed with happiness for Ratna. Ahmad took it upon himself to create a large handwritten banner that read, "Congratulations on your baby's birth." Carrying the banner, Ahmad and Malik ran through the town, spreading the good news to the residents.
"Congratulations! Who gave birth? Is it your wife?" some people in the town asked.
"It's someone in our family," Ahmad replied, beaming with joy, before returning to his house and found his wife sobbing uncontrollably.
"Honey, please don't cry. It's a day of celebration, isn't it? Let's prepare for an open house to celebrate Ratna's baby's birth," Ahmad gently comforted Zurina, who couldn't contain her tears after reading Ratna's letter.
"I'm so happy I couldn't stop crying," she said, weeping tears of joy while embracing her husband.
Malik smiled as he observed the couple's loving actions. He too felt immense happiness in his heart.
He felt a gentle tug on his shirt, and he turned to see a toddler reaching up with her arms outstretched. "Up!" she demanded, her eyes filled with innocence and excitement.
YOU ARE READING
Cliche'
Historical Fiction"Do you trust me?" "I trust you" _____________________________________________________________________________ In the tragic kingdom of Saputra, a young exiled boy harbors a burning desire to reclaim his birthright. As he unravels the mysteries behi...
