Queen's Obsession

Chapter 8

*Suzanna's P.O.V*

I had managed to avoid Pandora for the rest of the day. She still seemed quite miffed about something and I wasn't keen to upset her. Even Captain Orion  seemed to be giving her space. By the time I managed to go back to my room at the end of the day, I felt like I was going to pass out from the heat.

I had to take another shower to get rid of the sweat that clung to my body. I ended up falling asleep almost as soon as I laid down on my bed. I had to sleep on top of my covers and with only a chemise on to keep cool.

I was up before the sun, styling my hair in a similar updo yet simpler to how Pandora's had been styled yesterday. I made a few key differences, instead of leaving the pinned up pieces alone I braided them. It was really quite pretty and I could see why Pandora had done her hair like this.

I dressed in one of my lightest dresses, the sleeves made of lace. It was a cute dress, a cream dress with underlying pink tints. I knew I would have to be careful so that I didn't get ink stains on this dress. Not only would it be impossible to get out but it would also be embarrassing to do that on my first day.

I was one of the first ones, besides the guards, to be in the dining hall. I mostly picked at my food, forcing myself to eat a few bites. My stomach churned slightly as I grew more and more nervous. Captain Orion sat down across from me after he was finished with his own breakfast.

"I can escort you to the throne room, I've been tasked with guarding that area today," he stated after a moment. I  nodded my head as I took another bite before deciding to be done. The last thing I wanted to do was end up getting sick from eating too much with a nervous stomach.

I took my plate to where it needed to go, throwing away the leftovers and putting my dirty plate away. Captain Orion accompanied me to the throne room, taking me to a side door. He grabbed my arm gently before I could enter.

"You're going to be fine, there's no need to be nervous," Captain Orion promised me as he let go of my arm. I nodded my head, giving him a wry smile as he opened the door for me. He let me enter first, following quickly behind me.

The room had quite a number of people in it, excluding the guards, Queen Seraphina, and Pandora. Captain Orion led me to a small desk area, out of the way of most people. I sat down at it, quickly getting out a quill and piece of parchment.

Captain Orion took his place a few feet away, standing lose to Queen Seraphina and Pandora. His rigidness was surprising with how nice he had just been. My eyes turned to Pandora and Queen Seraphina, my face flushing when I realized that Pandora was looking at me. She arched an eyebrow, looking at me inquisitively. I nodded my head slightly which seemed to make her smile as she whispered to the Queen.

"Let us begin," Queen Seraphina said. She sounded tired and worn out, much different from yesterday. I noticed that Pandora had her hand resting on the Queen's back.

My hand twitched slightly as I dipped my quill into the ink well. I let the excess drip before I started writing, my hand moving across the paper smoothly. It was really quite easy to get into the motion of it and I found it quite easy to follow the conversations while writing them down.

Queen Seraphina seemed extremely worn out when answering people's requests. She seemed to have no real interest in answering their requests which confused me. It was quite clear to me that she was not in the mood to be hosting Court. I kept my mouth shut though as I focused on doing my job.

My hand started to cramp from the constant writing but I just pushed on. I was quite used to getting cramps so it didn't phase me whatsoever.  My eyes kept straying to the Queen whenever there was a lapse of time that I didn't have to write. Pandora kept her hand on Queen Seraphina's back the whole time.

I managed to get through most of the day with ease, the only time we stopped for a long break was for lunch. Lunch was quick for both Captain Orion and the other guards who quickly went back to their posts. I took a bit more time than they did before I returned to my desk.

Pandora and Queen Seraphina were the last of us to return. Pandora seemed to be keeping a hold on Queen Seraphina's shoulder, rubbing small circles. Queen Seraphina seemed even more tired than before so I wasn't surprised when court ended earlier than I was told it would.

Pandora remained behind after Queen Seraphina left, Captain Orion  escorting her. Pandora crossed the distance between me and the throne quite easily.

"I'll show you the archives where these parchments need to be kept," Pandora said softly. I nodded my head, following her out of the throne room.

"Is Queen Seraphina alright?" I asked after a moment. Pandora froze, tensing at my question before she continued walking.

"My sister is not feeling well, she did not sleep well last night," Pandora said softly. "She'll be fine tomorrow but now she needs to rest," Pandora stated, seeming to assure herself more than me. I nodded my head silently, keeping my mouth shut as we made it to the archive room. I quickly learned the archive's contents and where all my work was supposed to go.

Once I was done archiving everything, Pandora helping me the whole time, I turned to leave. Pandora grabbed my arm before I could leave, making me pause.

"Thank you for asking about 'phina, no one has asked about her," Pandora said softly.

"Of course, I saw no reason not to ask. She's been nothing but nice to me," I replied. Pandora smiled slightly as she let go of my arm, allowing me to leave the archive room. My first day had gone quite well I had to say.