The Queen's Maid

four

Inky scents filled my nose as I stepped into the room.

I lowered myself into a bow, fingers forming a soft cushion for my forehead. "Your Majesty, my Queen." The greeting was unfamiliar on my tongue, but it sent a quiver of excitement through me. Normally, the head palace lady handled the formal salutations, but I was meeting with the Queen without her. I was meeting with the Queen alone.

There was a gentle tap on the table before an equally gentle voice said, "You're here. Great."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Do you know why I called for you?"

I gulped. The curiosity had been eating me up for the past hour. "N- No, Your Majesty."

The brief silence that ensued was long enough to gnaw further into me.

"Because you're interesting," was the Queen's unexpected response. I did not have time to dwell on the meaning before she added, "Look up."

My heart exploded into flutters at the request. I lifted my head as slowly as I could manage. But when my eyes laid on her again, my jaw dropped.

The Queen had become more beautiful—a feat I had never thought possible. She had freshened up since getting out of her bedchamber, wearing a blue and silver outer robe fastened with a bright red ribbon. A white skirt billowed out from her waist, the puffy fabric concealing her lower body. Light powder tinted her face while her hair was pulled into a braided bun at the nape of her neck. A large, golden hairpin held the hair in place, adorned with ornaments that matched the Queen's beauty.

She was stunning.

I slammed my distasteful mouth shut when the Queen spoke.

"See?" she said with an amused tone. "You're interesting."

My cheeks burned. "I- I apologize for- for being so disrespectful, Your Majesty..."

The Queen shifted in her seat. I dropped my gaze and finally noticed the tables surrounding her. To her left, a roll of paper laid next to a brush atop a jade phoenix. She had been writing. I did not understand the words, but they looked as exquisite as she was. The table in front of her—in front of me—had two bowls of rice decorated with an assortment of meat and vegetables.

Oh. Why were there two bowls?

"I finished the food Sanggung brought for me," the Queen said as she settled in front of the food. "Sneaky woman, always trying so hard to get me to eat something. But it worked this time." Her lips tilted up into a small, wistful smile. "Peaches used to be my favorite, you know? Sanggung was kind enough to remember it."

I frowned. "Used to, Your Majesty?"

The Queen glanced down, her smile disappearing as quickly as a wisp of smoke. "What do you like to eat?"

"Everything." The graceless answer slipped out before I had a chance to rethink it.

Thankfully, the Queen did not take offense. "Good." She nudged one of the bowls towards me. "So you'll like this, then. I requested two portions of my dinner so you can eat with me."

Her words seemed to slap me across the face. My mouth opened and closed a few times before I managed to utter the most coherent sentence I could form, "Huh? W- With... you?"

A lowly servant like me, eating with the Queen? Heaven must be colliding with the earth today.

"Yes," the Queen confirmed calmly. "My appetite has been better since the morning so I figured I'll bring you back in for my next meal."