The Tyrant King's Queen

Chapter 21

      " Since she wasn't royalty, her portraits wasn't hanged here." Claire explained. " But the King dedicated and entire wall to her at the very end of the hall." Claire said.

      " I would like to see it." Maya said and they immediately obliged. They lead her down to the end of the hallway were a section of the wall was closed off with a curtain.

       " The current King has kept it hidden after her death, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind us showing you." Claire said. With that, they pushed open the the curtains, revealing the portrait of Dexter's mother.

        Maya gasped, taken aback. She was the spitting image of Dexter, except darker skinned and with feminine features. Even though it was just a painting, it felt like she was staring directly at her.

      " She didn't hold a lot of power in the court due to her status but it was obvious that the former king loved her, even more than the queen." Claire supplied. She watched the portrait reverently. " She had the most alluring gray eyes you would ever see." She whispered.

      Maya glanced at her. " Did you meet her?" She asked.

      Claire nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. " Once, while I was still a young girl  working in the palace. I was awestruck by her beauty."

     Maya glanced back at the portrait. " How did she die?"

       Claire hesitated a bit, her eyes loosing it's shine. " According to what we heard, the crown prince killed her. Accused her of posioning the former king. " Very quietly, she added. " He killed her in front of the king " Maya blanched at the words, horror filling her system.

        Her lips trembled, but she continued, her voice firm. " Back then when he was still a prince, he was beyond devastated. He changed afterwards, Became the cold, cruel and heartless King we know now." She said, her voice sad.

        Cold? Cruel? He's never like that to me, Maya thought to herself. But then, she hasn't seen all of him yet. She turned her gaze back to the portrait instinctively her hands reached out to touch it. A wave of sadness washed over her and tears sprung to her eyes. She quickly blinked them back.

         Her death must've broken him, she thought to herself. She couldn't even imagine it, loosing a loved one like that. Her mother died a long time ago but she still feels sad when she thinks about it. From the time they spent together in the past, she knew how much he loved his mother. It definitely would be devastating for him. She sighed, taking a step back. It's not surprising if he changed afterwards. She just hoped he was alright now.
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        The maids watched the reaction on the queen's face and stiffened. They must've spoken too much. They immediately begun apologising, feeling guilty. Maya immediately dismissed it, saying she wasn't angry. It took a while for her to ease them as they looked visibly worried.

        Realizing they've been on the tour for way too long and it was nearing afternoon, they asked if she would like to stop at the garden on the way back to her chambers, in hopes of lightening her mood.

         Maya nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

      " The garden is His Majesty favorite place!" Olivia revealed excitedly as they walked." That's because the mistress, his mother designed it and also spent a lot of time there."

        " Really?" Maya asked, her interest piqued. Olivia nodded vigorously, a grin splitting her lips. " Especially in the evenings. You could see her on walks the King. She also spent a lot of time with her son there."

        That got Maya thinking. If time allowed, would Dexter take her on walks in the garden? Already she couldn't wait to see it, her heart racing. They reached the outskirts of the palace on the way,

      She spotted someone appearing from the corner, walking towards them. Maya slowed down when she realised the person was familiar. As she got nearer, Maya was able to place who the person was. It was the beautiful stranger that had barged into Dexter's chambers the day before. Maya paused when she saw the lady was coming in her direction, her steps hurried.

      Like her, she also had handmaidens following her around but she dressed more extravagantly. She had expensive jewels adorning her and she oozed of regality and sophistication. Not like Maya was intimidated by it.

      "Hey you! What are you doing here?" Fleurie asked once she was close enough, a mean look on her face.

         " I'm going on a walk." Maya replied, rather crisply. Her handmaids immediately bowed in greeting, taking a step back. Maya just stared at her, rolling her eyes.

       Fleurie scoffed, blowing off the tendrils that had fallen over her face.  " Already thinking you own this place?" She asked haughtily, glaring down at Maya. " I hope you know you're walking on eggshells, your position as queen isn't certified yet." She spat out, her eyes blazing.

      Maya just shrugged, giving her unbothered look.

     Fleurie flushed in frustration when she saw Maya wasn't giving her the reaction she wanted. She fisted her hands at her side, enraged.

      " Hey!" She snapped at her. " I'm talking to you!"

     " And I'm not listening, excuse me." Maya replied coldy, walking past her. Claire and Olivia immediately followed after her, a surprised look on their faces.

       Fleurie whipped her head angrily to glare at her, stunned. Did she just walk past her?!

          How. Dare. Her!?

Author's note
How dare you too?!!!
Hey guys!! Thanks for reading 😊😊
Before you go though, I'd like to ask...
What do you think about the characters?
Who's your favorite and why?
Who's your least favorite and why?
Your feedback would go a long way!!

        See you in the next chapter 🙈🙈😉