Before leaving the room, Ellen glanced into the mirror. She never liked mirrors because it always showed what she didn’t want to see, but it presented her greatest value.
She pulled back her dark hair and turned her face slightly. There were hideous burns that lasted from her right ear to underneath her garments; marks that will not disappear until death.
Besides the scar on her neck and her half-crown right ear, there is another large, hideous scar stretching from her right arm to her back.
Only one thing comes to her mind whenever she touches that scar: no one else will ever touch it. Only she will. At the thought, she would pat the poor scar a little more. A scar that would never be wanted nor touched by anyone but her.
Ellen lifted the comb and carefully brushed down her long hair. It was fortunate that her dark, thick hair is long enough to cover the scar. She wanted to comb and style her hair like any other woman and put on a hairdress, but that would reveal the scar on her neck.
“I’ll be late,” Ellen murmured softly, styling her hair to the right with deft skill, braiding it to cover her ears. This was the best decoration for her, and it was enough. She turned away from the mirror and quickly left the room.
The royal palace was always crowded. In the last three years, the country had slowly stabilized, and the power struggle over the two thrones from back then was also largely forgotten.
Things might be still uncertain, but the two kings are unshakable around their queen, and the nobles have also begun to give up their yearns for power and separating the trio.
The main reason was it is now difficult to take power even by separating the two kings since the crown princes were already born. The two kings predicted that the twin princes, like themselves, would act as two vertices over the queen, and the nobles are still wondering which side to stand on. Because of that, the royal palace is always full of aristocrats.
The aristocrats feared the two kings, but their attitudes toward the queen were the opposite.
The queen, who rarely appeared in public, is a cousin of two princes and had been adopted by the royal family.
However, she was ignored by all of the nobles. Even now, after the crown princes’ birth, the nobles still gossip behind her back.
Ellen didn’t understand why the queen was treated like that when her character was so kind, nor why the kings didn’t correct the atrocious attitude towards her.
The nobles, other servants and maids passed through the corridor glanced at Ellen as she headed to the kitchen with her head lowered. While the royal family’s kitchen was separate from the main kitchen, it wasn’t attached to the private rooms used by the royal family either. As a result, Ellen had to pass through the aristocrats, who murmured when they saw her.
Ellen kept her back straight and ignored their gaze. As the queen’s exclusive maid, there was a protocol she had to follow.
“Is Her Majesty’s meal ready?”
The kitchen maids quickly brought the meal to her; it was on a heavy tray, with soup, bread, salad, meat, and even drinks. The luxurious meal was prepared because the kitchen servants knew that sometimes the kings would eat together with the queen.
Ellen moved slowly, holding the heavy tray. As the queen’s maid, she didn’t have many tasks, and bringing meals was the hardest one to complete. The queen rarely went outside, so she didn’t need to prepare her hair nor clothes, and the princes also had separate nannies. In the end, her most important job was to spend time with the queen and act as her play mate while the two kings were away.
The happiest day of Ellen’s life was when the Queen chose her as her maid of honor. Among the wallows of beautiful aristocratic girls, the queen had approached her.
“The palace is not a comfortable place to live in; can you do well?”
“I will do my best if you choose me, Your Majesty.”
“I need loyalty, and I need a friend. Will you be my friend?”