The queen marched towards the flames.
In front of her was her favorite chair embedded with ruby gems on the sides and its cover made from the finest leather. The wood used for the framing and legs came from one of the rarest trees and had her initials specially carved into it.
"What the fxck is this?!" she bellowed. Blood boiled in her veins and the only thing she could think of was killing the person behind it.
She wailed as the ruby gems fell out of the chair and the leather curled from being burned. The fire crackled and dark smoke rose into the sky. The seat that she treasured so much and had a hard time obtaining is turning into ashes.
From the side, the princess directly looked at the flame, as if she was being hypnotized by it. There was a satisfied look on her face as she watched it burn down.
The queen strides toward her and tries to pull her hair from behind, but the princess swiftly turns around and faces her with a smirk on her face.
"You bxtch, what did you do?!" the queen lashed out.
"Did you like my gift? "Tatiana crossed her arms and smiled in victory.
"You will pay for this! I will tell the king about it and you will be punished!"
Tatiana's expression shifted from smiling to a sneer. She walked towards the queen, whose hands were clenched and shaking out of anger.
"Tell him then," she taunted, "and I shall tell him about your failed attempts at getting rid of me."
The queen realized this, and the bottom of her lips trembled. How did the princess know? Did that useless country bumpkin tell her? Or did the servant girl spill it out?
Many people came to mind, but she was hesitant since she had them wrapped around her finger. With one snap, their families will suffer the consequences. She calmed herself down and composed herself.
"I don't understand what you are trying to say," she denied.
"Did you still think that you could keep their mouths shut forever?" Tatiana raised her voice, "Do not take me for a fool, your majesty."
The queen's expression remained unfazed. The princess has no evidence against her and she can just get rid of the people who were involved. This is only a mere hiccup towards her future plans, and a single child like her will not get in the way.
The queen cleared her throat and said, "Threat me all you want, but your attempts will be in vain because I did not do anything wrong."
Tatiana knew that the queen would keep on denying her crimes and she does not expect her to confess. Based on how the queen is acting and the bullets of sweat on her forehead as well as the shifting of her gaze, the queen is definitely guilty of the crimes she committed.
"Do you think that I don't have any evidence? Shall we go to my father right this moment?"
"Stop taunting me!" the queen shouted, and the workers nearby looked at them. She tried to calm herself down, but the princess was really getting on her nerves. She wanted to pull her hair out right then and there. "I don't know what you are talking about!"
"If you are innocent, then let's go!" Tatiana encouraged her and nodded her head. She started to walk towards the palace when the queen shouted after her.
"Princess!"
A smile slowly crept across her face, but she hid this and slowly turned around. The queen was at her limits and was cornered. Tatiana could see the queen's body mildly shaking, and her face was as red as a tomato.
"What? I thought you wanted to prove your innocence?"
The queen clicked her tongue. She isn't sure if the princess is just bluffing or if she really has any evidence. But if it turns out that the princess had evidence, then her dream of becoming the most powerful woman in the kingdom will fade away and she will be beheaded.
A thought flashed in her mind. She couldn't win this if the princess kept on pushing her into a corner, so she thought of something that only she could do. The princess can't report her if the princess herself gets in trouble, and knowing her temper, the queen is confident that she can turn the tables.
"You are just like your mother," the queen sneered, "both of you are so confident about yourselves that it ends up causing you your death. If I were the princess, I wouldn't be so sure about myself either.
The corners of her mouth lifted when the princess's expression turned dark. Even without the tea that makes her sensitive, there is one topic that will surely aggravate the princess.
"Don't be sure of yourself too, your majesty." Tatiana hissed through gritted teeth. "You don't know that someday, someone might want your head."
The queen gasped, "are-are you threatening me, princess? This king will not be happy if he hears of this."
"Did you really think that the king will take your side every time? "Tianna looked straight into her eyes. "I am the future of this kingdom, and you are merely a stand-in. You are just there because the seat was empty and if my mother wasn't sick, you would have remained a lowly concubine for life."
"Watch your words, your highness, or I will be the one to cut your tongue off," the queen scowled.
Tatiana smiled victoriously as she realized that she had hit a nerve and whispered, "I'd like to see you try Âyour majesty."
She said the last two words with such mockery that even the queen lifted her arms and attempted to slap Tatiana when somebody intervened. The queen jerked her head towards the person and saw Norma, whose hand was clasping onto her wrist.
"You lowlife! How dare you touch me!" the queen shouted.
"If you touch even a strand of hair on one of my people, I swear I will be the one to take that crown off of your head and exile you where you will live the way you lived before you even stepped into this palace," Tatiana announced. "Heed my warning, your majesty. You do not know what I am capable of doing."
The queen jerked her hand off of Norma. Her anger was at its limit and she had never felt humiliated in her whole life. If she could just snap the princess's neck then and there, she would have done it. But what's more frustrating is that she can't do anything because the princess has her neck.
Tatiana gave her one final look of warning and walked away with her lady-in-waiting behind her. The chair continued to burn out in the open while the queen trembled in anger and frustration and kicked the dirt and grass around her.
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END