By the next day, it was all over the newspaper that I had slapped lady Alisa.
"The return of the villainess" Bella slammed the papers on the table before bursting out laughing.
"You really know how you set the stage my dear clarisa." She grinned at me.
"They must be having the time of their lives recreating what happened." I pushed the paper aside.
"Stella." She stood there tea pot in hand staring into space.
"Stella?" Bella had stopped laughing as she turned to stare at Stella who stood still no words. Sarah turned to her touching her gently as she startles up dropping the pot as the liquid spills all over her. Bella and I rush to her side as she apologizes frantically, tearing up.
"Its fine go get a change of clothes." Sarah gestured for her to leave as she began cleaning up the mess.
"I know the water wasn't hot but have regef check you out before you come back."
"I'm sorry sorry my lady, your grace" she bowed once again before running out.
"I'm sorry your grace, i'll go make sure she is okay." Sarah walked out after cleaning up the broken pot and the tea.
Stella came back after 30 minutes, I sent Sarah away because I wanted to have a talk with her. I had noticed she had been mote quiet since we left runan but I just assumed she was tired from the trip.
"I'll leave you two to it." Bella wanted to leave but I held her hand shaking my head. I don't think I'll be equipped with enough knowledge to deal with whatever is wrong.
"Stella come have a sit." I gestured for her to join the table.
"No... your grace I can't...."
"Come now, for now it isn't your grace, but ma'am to you, miss stella" bella slapped her fan shut, I looked at her shocked and she winked at me. She must have felt Stella would be uncomfortable talking to her boss, so she is putting on an act.
"But your grace...."
"Its ma'am. " i lift my nose up pitching my voice higher as Bella stiffles her laughter. Stella smiles and sits down.
"Little one what seems you be weighing you down?" She looked at us hesitantly.
"Its okay, take as long as you need." She looked down and began to cry, we both gave her handkerchiefs.
"Does this have to do with sir Henry?" I guess things aren't going as well as we thought.
"He proposed to me..." well that came as a shock, Bella and I exchanged looks.
"He wanted me to meet his family... he is a noble, he is set to inherit his father's barony as he is the only child." Now i understand what this is, Bella shook her head at me as we both knew. It's extremely rare for a noble to marry a commoner, its even more rare if that person is set to succeed the position. His family must have looked down on Stella because she is not nobility.
"They were all so nice to me...."
"What?" Bella clasped her mouth shut with her hand, it surprised me too.
"Did you say they were nice to you?"
"I know i sound crazy your grace, but I don't think i can marry him. His family may be nice to me now but....."
"Okay miss Stella let's take things one at a time." Bella cut her off, as she pressed her hand against her temple trying to squeeze an answer out.
"Let me get this right, you love him and he loves you right?" Stella shook her head weakly.
"He is a noble granted, but his family was nice to you. So what exactly is the problem?" Stella bit down on her lips before lifting her head, she looked like her world was falling apart.
"No... its bad... its very bad your grace" she was crying.
"I'm sorry.... I'm so sorry your grace..... I wasn't truthful to you about something... my parents..... my parents didn't pass away 5 years ago." I could see how much it hurt her to tell me the truth.
"Stella its okay, you don't need to say it if you don't want to."
"Thats right miss stella."
"No.... the truth is.... my father is a noble." I could hear Bella gasp as my jaw hit the ground.
"My mother was a very bad alcoholic, she would drink all day while I worked. I was only 5 years old when I started working as a maid for a baron and his wife. The pay wasn't great but it put food on my and mother's table. After living like that for about 7 years, mother came home one day happy, she suddenly could afford expensive food and she no longer drank all day. I thought our lives were going to be better, I was hopeful..." she took a breath, her eyes glazed over as she clenched her fist.
"He came in on a hot summer night, mother was so happy, she said he was my father, he was a count and he had come to take us with him...." i could see she was figting back the tears, all the pain of the past years was visible in her face. Bella held her hand as she clenched harder on her gown.
"When mother and i got to the estate we found out he had a family, a beautiful wife and 2 sons. He told us to live quietly so mother and i begun working as maids. It wasn't great, watching my father and step-brothers enjoy all the luxuries while I had to scrub walls and floors, it was gut wrenching, but it was better than living in the slums."
"It was peaceful, i had never seen mother so happy, so i grit my teeth and smiled through it all, mother was happy, i had a warm bed and warm food, so all was great.... 1 year later..... mother got pregnant, she was so happy when she found out, but he wasnt thrilled. When mother told him, he slapped her, he denied the pregnancy and mother went back to drinking. She stopped working, started drinking and she would get angry at me, hit me and scream at me. Everything became my fault, I had to pick up her slack at work, doing double the work only for her to scream at me all night. I thought I would go insane, so I went to him on my knees I begged him to talk to her, I begged him to have mercy but he threatened to kick us both out. I couldn't even go to the countess as she was generous enough to let us live and work there without a reference....."
"Mother gave birth to twins... but she didn't make it... imagine me having to care for 2 new babies, I couldn't do it.... I needed help, so I went to the count one more time, I begged him... I tried so hard....."
"Someone heard us and reported it to the countess. 'The maid who just passed away gave birth to twin boys for the count' the countess became someone unrecognizable, she went after the twins whenever i wasn't there, their lives were in danger, after 1 week of having to save them, in the dead of night I ran with them in my arms..... I didn't look back..." who would have thought that stella had such a sad past, now I understand why she wants nothing to do with marrying a noble.
"So, What should I do now your grace? I love him so much..... but....but..... I don't want to be like my mother.... I can't do it.... i have my brothers to care for, even if his family accepts me, what of my brothers? I cant leave them behind, I'm all they have." she wasn't crying, she just had a sad smile on her face. I couldn't form words so I turned to bella who was bawling her eyes out.
"They are all trash i tell you" bella said between sniffles and sobs.
"Do what's best for you miss stella, I can't even begin to imagine how horrible that was." Bella had wrapped stella in a hug as they both sobbed, I could barely get a word in as I didn't want to break their bond.
"I know it's not my place, but I think you should give it a chance. I've seen the way sir henry looks at you, It's not easy to fake such a look." I caressed her cheeks wiping a tear.
"I spent 18 years hiding from my problems, I thought if I didn't look at it, it would go away on it's on..... I realized almost too late that running away or hiding from it, is never always the answer, sometimes you need to face it head on." She looked down and bella nods along.
"Some decisions are never easy, but you see some people are worth the risk." I could see the sparks in her eyes as she smiled grinning brightly.
"Thats right miss stella, if he is worth fighting for then go for it. I know you won't regret " bella grinned like a new maiden in love.
"Thank you your grace and my lady... thank you."
***********
"Greetings your majesty, moon of the empire" why did she suddenly invite me? I always knew her majesty hated me so I always kept my distance. But for her to invite me to her precious garden, what is she aiming at? Callus was on guard not knowing what the empress wanted.
"Callus, I told you not to be so formal with me." She crouched down continuing to prune the leaves. Callus did everything to prove that he was not interested in throne, he stayed quiet, far away from politics and the throne, but when he heard that the empress was a strong supporter of count dumont, he realized how his mother was easily poisoned. He wanted to stay quiet, but he wasnt going to just wait for her to take his life too.
"Yes your majesty." She sighed loudly
"Always so rigid, I really tried to be a mother to you." He clenched his jaw and fist as he didn't want her to be his mother, he just wanted to live in peace with his mother, just blissful away from the problems of the throne.
He understood the empress's anger, after giving her whole life to protecting his majesty and his crown, his majesty paid her back by bringing in a child and concubine to struggle the throne with her son. He understood her anger, her hate, her loathing. After all her struggles to be the perfect empress, just to be blindsided by the emperor and she didn't have a say in what was to happen. She was just told to accept a child and a concubine one day and she had to play the gracious empress.
"I heard his majesty issued an order for you to stay away from duchess leandros, its dont know why his majesty thinks that's a good idea." I could hear her humming as she spoke, it made me sick. It was the same tone she would hum to mother whenever she came to visit her. I want to walk out, i hate that tone.
"Callus, if you ever need to meet the duchess let me know, I'll make it happen." She must think I'm stupid, disobeying a direct order from the emperor.....
"Yes, your majesty." She waved me off, i bowed to her and walked out.
"Your highness, how did it go?" Charlie standing outside walked beside me.
"She wants to set up a meeting for me with duchess leandros."
"Didn't his majesty forbid you from crossing paths with her? Disobeying the emperor?" He looked at me puzzled.
"I guess she is done playing nice, her true intentions must be showing now that the wedding is close."
"Your majesty, why do you keep letting his highness misunderstand you?" I turned to chloe sipping my tea as I enjoy a short break in the sun, what a nice day out.
"I wonder what the twins are doing, by now they would be all over me."
"Your majesty." She sounded exasperated,
"Its a nice day today miss chloe, try to enjoy the view." She stared at me long before exhaling. I blame callus for nothing, I can understand his hate for me. The only person to blame is the bastard who put us all here, the one who betrayed my trust and threw reason out the window, the tea cup suddenly shattered in my hand as chloe and the maids scramble to clean up.
"Oh dear, i must have grabbed it too hard." I watched as she gave orders to the other maids. 'Thats right, its all his majesty's fault.' Everything is his fault.