𝚂𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 ✔

Chapter Seven

Mrs. Dansbury led us back to the entrance hall, and as we walked, we hardly saw another soul. Once there, we followed her up the massive stairs and broke off to the left once we reached the split. Then continued our ascent up the smaller, yet still large, set of steps until we were on the third floor.

Altogether, the palace was four levels high, excluding the main floor. Each level stood about eleven feet high individually, and the halls were about eight feet wide. Just like the entrance hall and ball room, the entirety of the structure was decorated to the brim with not a barren wall in sight.

There were so many windows, balconies, terraces, statues, paintings, flowers, curtains, furniture, and rugs that, at times, there would just be too much going on in one room all at once. But, despite that, I kind of loved the busyness of it all.

Everywhere you went you could find something new to look at, something differently carved, painted, or stained, that, if need be, could have kept you entertained for quite a while. Though it was very clear that it all was for show. And with all the decor, I was sure that the palace had to have had its own art gallery. Seeing as how the Queen enjoyed drowning the walls in paintings.

Once we had walked down the front hall, that spanned the whole length of the front left section of the palace, we made a right at the very end of the elongated corridor, then turned onto another hall. We followed this one about a third of the way down, before we reached the windows that overlooked the inner courtyard, then made another right onto a shorter hall that came to a complete stop. Along the way we passed several rooms and open areas, until we finally stopped at one of the doors to our left. It was about three rooms away from the end where the space came to an abrupt stop.

"All twenty of you will be staying on this hall until your time here is up or we migrate to one of the other three palaces." She handed me and Cordelia two separate keys, "These keys are to your room, no one else is permitted to enter unless they be servants or female members of the royal family. If anyone is caught entering someone else's room, they will be sent home promptly."

I nodded.

She lowered her voice, "Keep it secret and know where it is at all times. Women grasping at power will do anything and stop at nothing to get what they want."

She had a point. But I had already decided to be wary of the others and to keep my distance before her kind warning. I knew that there would have been some who'd take things too far, and at some point, someone would have most likely ended up hurt.

"I will be off then. You may remove your mask once you are inside. However, do not go out on the balcony, or open the door for anyone without it on. Your identity should remain hidden until the Congratulatory Ball tomorrow." She opened the door for us. "Goodnight, young Miss and congratulations on securing your spot."

I nodded once again, annoyed that I could not respond because of the dreadful button I was forced to have clenched between my teeth. It felt so rude on my part, not responding when spoken to. But, knowing she understood why I could not respond helped lull the urge to rip the mask from my face.

I was curious, however, about the Congratulatory Ball she had mentioned and hoped to have been given more information about it later. As well as wondered why the Queen neglected to mention it to me herself when I had already been in her presence.

The Queen was a very hard person to read. And that could have been because I had only just met her, but I could not tell if she were to be a friend or foe. Though it was safer to assume the latter. It was peculiar to me, how all of this seemed to have been set up in a way to provide some sort of twisted entertainment for, not only her, but the rest of the nobles. That much was obvious due to her subtle instigation of infighting immediately upon introductions.