READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 15: Are you alright?
"Dora, go ahead; you can begin to serve the tea," Luciana instructed Dora.
Dora bowed and came forward to pour the tea into everyone's cup and retreated to her position.
"Lady Evelyn hasn't arrived yet; shouldn't we wait for her?" Concubine Yvonne asked, a hint of accusation hidden in her tone, as if to suggest that Luciana was neglecting a crucial guest. Luciana realized the underlying meaning in her words but acted nonchalantly. An unknown tension hung in the air causing the atmosphere to become awkward.
"Lady Evelyn must be running late due to her pregnancy. Since we are all sisters, I'll pardon her for being late today. I won't tolerate it next time it happens. Let's begin without her," Luciana said with a leisurely look on her face, but the underlying threat in her words was clear.
"The weather looks beautiful today; even butterflies are abundant today. Just look at that beautiful scene," Luciana added and looked at the doorway with an awed look on her face. Concubine Sheila and Concubine Yvonne followed suit and also turned to look.
Seeing they were distracted, Luciana flicked her sleeves, and a little pill fell into Concubine Yvonne's cup, immediately dissolving when it made contact with the tea.
"I didn't see any butterflies," Concubine Yvonne said, a hint of annoyance in her voice when she didn't see anything.
Concubine Sheila, on the other hand, just smiled warmly without saying anything.
"Really? It must have flown away just now. You don't mean to say I'm lying, do you?" Luciana asked, exuding an overbearing aura and staring at Concubine Yvonne with a piercing gaze.
Yvonne gulped, frightened by the look in the Princess Consort's eyes. She didn't know that Princess Consort could be so intimidating and confident. Didn't Lady Evelyn say the Princess Consort was weak? She even said Princess Consort was unfavored because Prince Nicholas didn't attend their wedding, and she shouldn't bother with her; that was why she said whatever she felt.
"Your Highness, I didn't mean it like that," Concubine Yvonne said, her tone respectful this time around.
"Good, this is a special tea and pastries from my country. I hope you like it," Luciana said and gestured for them to take a sip. She also smiled and took a sip of tea herself and picked one of the biscuits. After a while, Luciana asked,
"How does it taste?"
"It tastes very good, unlike the ones I'm used to," Sheila said.
"Good, don't stand on ceremony; eat more," Luciana urged the woman.
"I won't hold back then, Your Highness," Concubine Sheila said.
"The taste is okay, nothing extraordinary; it must be nice bootlicking the princess consort," Concubine Yvonne mumbled under her breath. Luciana heard it but acted oblivious. Soon, she would like to see if Yvonne would still be so confident.
"Even though I'm the princess consort, we are all sisters in the prince's manor; we must be each other's keepers and watch out for each other. Since we will continue to have this meeting very often in the future, I hope we become close and rely on each other more in the future," Luciana said with a warm smile on her face as she continued to sip her tea.
"Thank you, your highness."
"I hope Princess Consort means it." Concubine Sheila and Concubine Yvonne said at the same time.
Luciana forced a smile on her face after hearing Yvonne's words. The smile was as fake as her words. She was no saint. She hated the idea of sharing her man with other women, but what could she do? She could only accept her fate.
"Of course," she said to Concubine Yvonne, a sweet smile on her lips.
~~~
Prince Nicholas' courtyard,
"Rhoda greets His Highness the Prince," Rhoda said and bowed respectfully.
"You may rise. My eunuch said you wanted to speak to me directly. Tell me what it is about," Nicholas said.
"Your Highness, my lady is suffering from severe morning sickness. I hope my words do not sound too presumptuous, but even though the baby is in my lady's womb, the presence of the father is needed. It would be good for the baby to occasionally hear his father's voice, and it's not healthy for the baby if the mother is always sad," Rhoda said in a humble tone. She had been in the palace for a long time and knew how to make her words send out the message it was intended for with a humble plea.
Nicholas raised his gaze and was met with Peter's frantic nods; it was a silent plea for him to go and see Lady Evelyn. Peter had always had a soft spot for ladies; on the night of his wedding, if it had not been for Peter meddling and telling him how sad the princess must be feeling all alone in her chambers, he wouldn't have gone to see his new bride at all.
"Lead the way," Nicholas said to Rhoda.
She happily turned around and led the way.
~~~
One hour later,
"Let's be patient and wait for Lady Evelyn longer since concubine Yvonne suggested it in the beginning. I think that's also for the best; I can tell you what I want to say to all of you together," Luciana said and leaned into the couch in a relaxing pose with an understanding smile on her face.
Concubine Yvonne's face was scrunched up in discomfort. There were pools of sweat forming on her forehead. She had freed herself before coming here, but her stomachache was unbearable. She was even afraid she might ease on herself if she stood up to walk.
She couldn't possibly request to use the princess consort's chamber pot; the more she thought of it, the more uncomfortable she felt. If she disgraced herself in front of the princess consort after all her haughtiness, how would she face everyone? She would become the laughingstock.
Luciana saw the uncomfortable look on Yvonne's face and acted oblivious.
"Concubine Yvonne, why are you not eating? Could it be that you don't like the snack from my country? Or are you not comfortable around me?" She asked, her face looking like someone who had been misunderstood.
"I don't think I can stomach any more; after taking the tea and snacks, I'm not feeling well," Concubine Yvonne said.
"Why does it feel like you're accusing me of something I have no idea about? I also drank some of the tea, but am I not fine?" Luciana asked, her tone like someone who had suffered a great injustice. Turning to Concubine Sheila, she asked,
"Did you feel any discomfort after drinking the tea?"
"No, Your Highness, the taste is very refreshing, and the snacks have a very interesting taste. I'd even be happy to know the recipe," Concubine Sheila humbly said.
Yvonne realized she had spoken too soon, and her tone became softer.
"Your Highness, I merely meant to say I felt uncomfortable after coming here; it might be something I ate in the morning."
"I only wanted us to wait for Lady Evelyn so we could connect with the baby in her stomach. All of us will be the child's mother, especially I, who would be the child's legal mother; it should hear my voice. But if waiting for Lady Evelyn isn't important to you, you can retire to your quarters," Luciana said and realized how Yvonne's gaze shifted slightly.
She knew it wouldn't be long before the spies Evelyn had placed around the manor reported to her how Concubine Yvonne didn't hold her in high regard and didn't want to wait for her.
"With Your Highness' permission, I shall take my leave," Lady Yvonne said through gritted teeth, barely trying to hold herself together.
She had just finished speaking when a foul stench began to fill the place. She was unable to control herself, and some of the waste slipped out of her. Luciana and Sheila turned to look at the woman.
"Concubine Yvonne, are you alright? Do you have any special conditions?" Luciana asked with a look of concern on her face.
This time, Yvonne knew if she delayed, things might be worse, so without further ado, she turned to leave with her face scrunched up and her thighs clamped together, and she walked away funnily with her maids behind her. She fled the princess consort's drawing room in a sorry state.
~~~
After Concubine Sheila also left, Luciana went to the flower garden to take a look. The garden in the prince's manor was a very beautiful one. Various flowers, ranging from carnations, orchids, tulips, peonies, and roses, to name a few.
Luciana's attention was drawn toward some beautiful white roses, and she walked closer to admire them. She touched a little one in the middle and imagined a picture of it becoming fully bloomed, and indeed, in the next second, the white rose bloomed with other new ones growing by its side. It was a beautiful sight. Even the butterflies were attracted and came to stand on it.
A beautiful smile fell on her face at the sight as she watched her creation; a subtle scream from someone nearby broke her thoughts and made her lift her gaze from the flowers to take a look, and she felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on her.
Lady Evelyn and Prince Nicholas were in an intimate embrace. Luciana's smile faltered, and an unknown emotion began to boil up within her. Rage, anger, jealousy—name it. As Luciana's gaze grew colder, she didn't realize the white roses she was holding began to turn into a fiery red and pitch black with thorns growing on the stem until a thorn pricked her fingers.
Luciana hissed from the pain and looked down only to drop the flowers from her bloodied fingers in shock. The rose flower looked like a burning red fire emitting pitch-black smoke.
'What just happened? Did she do this?'