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SHOCK was an understatement, Rina was more than shocked to see the Queen, at her abode. Like why? Has she heard? And if yes, who the hell told her? Who did? How did she even find her way to her house? All these questions ran through her mind in a few seconds, like in a flash.
She was still standing in a daze by the window watching when her unexpected visitor began walking towards the entrance of the house, looking around, royal maids and guards scattered around her.
She looked at the maids, only two were familiar, they were once working together when she was a maid, but for the other two, she didn’t know them, maybe they were newly employed.
She looked at the guards also, and cringed. She just remembered Raghav once told her that the guards of the Queen were different from his own guards, and hers were more than mean and strict.
Whenever they were given orders, they carry it out just as told, and for them, there was no brother in jungle. Be it their very close relatives or any other member of the royal family, that happened to be the victim, they wouldn’t care, orders were orders.
As if her senses returned, she left the window side and walked out of the room, heading for the living room, visibly shaken. The guards were already hitting at the door.
“Is there no one in this house? Open up”, a deep, ugly, uninviting voice thundered.
Fear gripped Rina all the more.
“I… coming”, she stuttered as she went to open it.
“Oh God of the poor help me, I am alone in this matter”, she muttered a fast prayer to God and yanked the door open.
A guard entered immediately, then held the door open for the Queen to enter, she did, walking majestically, and taking her time to walk into the house. The maids and a guard remained outside.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.
Rina took some steps backward, away from them and stood. She watched the Queen, and instantly, memories of her days at the palace, returned in full force.
She remembered everything in a flash, most especially, her first encounter with her, the day Raghav had worked with her on the flowers, then the day she fired her from work. She remembered everything.
Queen Arya walked up to the middle of the living room and finally stopped, then she began looking around the room and nodding her head knowingly, making some simpers as she did.
Rina just kept her eyes on her, watching, then took a deep breath and exhaled. She was prepared for this.
After much looking to her satisfaction, Queen Arya finally turned to Rina, who stood afar off from her. She smiled a wicked smile.
“Finally girl, finally”, she said, waving her staff around her shoulders.
Rina kept mute, watching her. Then as if she remembered something, she genuflected.
“Your Grace”, she said.
Arya immediately bursted into laughter.
“Seriously? So you do still remember, the trainings you had gotten from the palace the period you worked there? Brava!” She said, applauding her.
Rina swallowed hard, saying nothing. Whatever it was that had made the Queen to come to her house, she should just spill it and leave. As far as she was concerned, it wasn’t because of the pregnancy, no one knew yet.
“Hmph, my son has really tried for you guys you know”, she said and looked around again, trying to butress her point, “beautiful apartment”.
Rina’s eyes twitched. What does she mean?
“Just take a look at the wonderful interior design in this living room”, she said and pointed her staff to the interiors, “the 3D wallpapers on the walls, the television set, the home theaters, take a look at the expensive electronic gadgets here and there”, as she mentioned all these, she pointed at each of them with her staff.
“I wonder how the ones in the kitchen gonna look like”, she continued, “or is it your wardrobe? Or the killer car outside there?” She said and pointed towards the garage outside the house.
Rina cringed, jeez! How the hell did she know about the car? The garage was well locked, or… has someone been feeding her?
“Isn’t it so good? Huh Dean”, she said, laughing and turned to the guard who had held the door open for her, he was the one she was referring to as Dean, for that was his name.
“Of course your Majesty, it is”, he replied in his deep emotionless voice and nodded.
All the while, Rina was dumbstruck. She couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t her fault her son loves her, or was it?
“Well, I also know about the supermarket your mother now runs, wow. All these achievements within few months for some pauper family”, she said and bursted into laughter.
What! Now Rina couldn’t take this anymore, she was so green with anger inside of her.
“Why can’t you let my family and I be for once Rani?” She found herself asking, looking straight into the eyes of the Queen.
Huh? What the hell? Did she just talk to her. Queen Arya was shocked and, she slowly turned to look at her, at least to watch her rant out any other nonsense from her stupid mouth.
“It isn’t my fault that your son chose to fall in love with a pauper, or is it?” Rina continued.
And the next thing happened in a flash, a very defeaning slap landed on her left cheek.
“How dare you talk to me like that this little thing?” Arya thundered the question, “you gone nuts?”
Rina was shocked, like when did Arya closed the distance between them, not to talk of being so close to land her a slap? Then she realized all the while she was talking, she didn’t notice she was walking towards her.
“Nonsense! I see that my son has been giving you ladders to climb on, enough one at that”, she continued ranting at Rina, who just held her cheek, staring at her.
“… and that is why you could open your dirty gullet and talk to me anyhow. You forgotten who I am? You dare not talk to me in that manner”, she said, she was really angry.
The tears came rushing down her eyes almost immediately, she couldn’t help it, and so she let it flow.
“Ahhh!” Arya lamented, “I just need to calm down”, she muttered loudly to herself, placing her left hand on her chest and breathing out.
At this juncture, Selena entered and immediately rushed up to her whimpering daughter, without even minding the guards or the Queen.
Well, on returning, she had sighted the car parked outside, and the maids and guards, and instantly knew it was the Queen, the plastic bags she was holding fell off her hands instantly.
After some minutes of regaining consciousness, she picked up the bags from the floor, and ignoring the people outside, she rushed in, and just when she did, was immediately after her daughter had just received a slap.
“Rina, oh my God!” She said, dropped the bags in her hands, and then began cleaning her eyes.
Arya saw her and scoffed.
“So, you still even exist Mrs Doween?” She asked sarcastically.
Selena slowly turned to her and greeted.
“Your Grace”, she muttered.
“Sorry for that but you asked for it, actually that wasn’t why I came here”, Arya said.
“I totally forgotten in the moment of my anger that you are sick, and your condition right now, doesn’t deserve that”, she added, putting emphasis on the ‘sick’.
What! Both mother and daughter turned to each other, with their eyes widened in astonishment, how had she found out?