CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Tatiana glided through the hallway on her way to the royal kitchen.
"What food do you think Elliot will like for the picnic?" she asked Emma who was half-running and walking to catch up to her.
"Princess, first of all, you need to slow down and be graceful when you walk." Emma told her but Tatiana disregarded what she said.
"I really liked the ice cream though." Tatiana said and wrote it down on a piece of paper that she brought with her. "How about you?
What do you want to eat?"
"I will eat whatever is provided." Emma said but paused, "but I heard that the peaches are sweet this season."
Tatiana chuckled and shook her head saying, "peaches for Emma."
She's really looking forward to this picnic with William, Emma and Elliot. She didn't sleep a wink just thinking about it. She imaged that they would go outside with a picnic basket and lay a blanket on the grass under the tree. They would laugh and talk and maybe sing. Then they would like under the tree and look at the sky and make up shapes of the clouds and take a nap.
This will be the first time she hangs out with people she likes and this will be Elliot's first time going on a picnic and hang out with other people so she wants to make it a memorable experience for him.
"What should we wear?" she asked. If only they had pants or pajamas in this world. She's getting used to wearing dresses everyday but nothing compares wearing shorts or jogging pants when it comes to comfortability. Dresses also makes running difficult for everyone.
As they were chatting, Tatiana noticed Emma freezing in her tracks. Her eyes widened and she immediately walked towards the side of the hallway and bowed her head.
"Emma?"
"The palace is gigantic but why do I have to run into you here?"
Tatiana immediately recognized the voice. She whirled around and smiled.
"Oh, you're here," she said, "what is a queen doing here?"
"I basically own this place. I will go wherever I want." The queen scanned Tatiana from head to toe and looked over to Emma who was respectfully standing behind her.
"I see that you decided to have your own personal servant." The queened smirked and glanced over behind her back. There were at least ten maids behind her that formed two lines. Tatiana wanted to roll her eyes because the queen was showing off once again.
"And you have ten," the princess gave an unsure smile. "good for you, then."
"Well then, I'll be on my way," the queen said. Tatiana nodded her head and gestured her hands to show them the way and let them pass.
"Let's go, Emma." Tatiana was sweating. The tension and fakeness were too much to handle.
"Oh, and by the way." Tatiana turned around and saw the queen was facing her. "Elliot won't be seeing you anymore. He doesn't want to see the person who humiliated his mother. Also, you are being a bad influence to him."
"What?" Tatiana felt like she turned deaf but the queen turned around and continued her way. She squinted her eyes at the queens back and looked over at Emma.
"I have a bad feeling about this," she said. "let's go back first."
--
"I really think that this is not a good idea, your highnessâ"
"Don't call me that in public or else they will know!" she muttered as she pushed the trolley forward with Emma walking beside her. "now where was it?"
The stopped in front of the door with two guards standing on each side.
"We brought the prince's afternoon snack." Tatiana said. The guards looked at each other in confusion.
"The queen forbids anyone to enter the room," one of the guards answered.
"But what should I do with the prince's afternoon snack?" Tatiana looked at both of them, "will I let the prince starve when he needs to eat his food for him to get better?"
"uh."
"What? Are you going to take responsibility if the prince gets hungry and gets sicker?"
The princess was really pushing the guards to a corner. Emma was covered in her own sweat because of nervousness. She didn't want to get her head cut off because she was an accomplice of the princess' attempt to meet with the prince.
"I think we should go," Emma whispered to Tatiana.
"What?!" Tatiana's voice boomed. She had no time for playing games. "will you take responsibility or not?! I don't want to be beheaded because I neglected my responsibility. If you won't let me do my job then let's all get beheaded together!"
Both of the guards immediately nodded at each other and decided to open the door.
"Only one may enter." The guard said. Emma looked at her and nodded.
"The prince's afternoon snack has arrived!" Emma announced as the door opened. Tatiana inhaled a deep breath as the door cracked open.
"What? The queen did not permitâ" Tatiana pushed her way inside, which made a servant jump to the side and yelped.
"What are you doing?!" the personal maid gasped, "you're not allowed to enter this room! The queen forbidsâ"
Tatiana took of her wig, exposing her fiery red hair. The personal servant gasped and pointed a finger at her.
"You!" she gasped and when she realized what she had done, she retreated her finger back and covered her mouth.
The princess walked towards her slowly and glowered at her.
"You?" Tatiana repeated, "you sure are brave."
"You-Your highness! Please don't do this! The queen will punish us all if she discoversâ"
"She won't" Tatiana shushed her, "right?"
"Butâ"
"She won't know, right?" she repeated, shooting daggers at the servant. "because if she knows then I know who to come for, right?"
The servant's eyes were filled with fear and her face turned pale. She nodded repeatedly and zipped her own mouth. Tatiana felt guilty for doing that but she was angry. She was angry and she doesn't have much time.
"Now, where isâ"
"Tiana?"
A small voice called and when Tatiana turned her head, she saw a boy coming out from a gap between the bedside table and the bed. No wonder she didn't see him immediately when she arrived.
"Elli." She called him softly, "come here."
Elliot immediately ran for her sister and started crying immediately. Tatiana closed her eyes as the boy's body shook under her touch. It pained her to hear him sobbing and crying like this.
"I'm sorry, Tiana," he sobbed, "I never should have called for you. Now mother is angry and I feel like she won't allow me to see you ever again."
Tatiana sighed and knelt down in front of the boy. She cupped his face and noticed a slight bruise on his left cheek.
"What happened to your cheek, Elliot?" she asked. The prince shrugged and turned the other way trying to hide his cheek but the princess knew better than anyone.
She lived at the orphanage before and she has been in this situation too many times before. The kids won't tell but she knows. She knows exactly what happened.
"Elli," she called out to him, "I need to leave because I don't have time. But I promise I will come back and we will go on that picnic with William and Emma, okay?"
"I'm really sorry, Tiana."
Tatiana hushed him and pulled him into a tight hug. A hug that made Elli feel like all the broken pieces were squeezed back together. It was better than the tiny gap between the bed and the table. His sister's hug was warm.
"You have to be strong until I come back, okay?"
Elli nodded and Tatiana gave the servant one last glare and said, "If something goes wrong, I will be coming for you, do you understand that?"
"I-I don't work for you. I work for the queen." Tatiana wanted to laugh at how arrogant the servant sounded.
"The queen's reign will end eventually," Tatiana told her, "and even if I won't be crowned, trust that I will still come for you. And your family, and your future children and everyone that follows."
--
END