Chapter 14 Jane
As I walked to meet the queen the next day, I couldn’t shake the nagging thought of what had happened to my previous guards. I hadn’t seen them since the night of the Tenebranian attack, and an unsettling feeling stirred within me.
The gardens were a lush paradise, alive with the cheerful songs of birds as my new guards guided me along the cobblestone path framed by arches of vibrant greenery.
The morning sun had risen but was still cool on my skin, creating the perfect temperature for a leisurely stroll through the grass.
It was a tranquil setting, my favourite spot in the entire castle.
The grounds surrounding the marble castle reminded me of Earth, evoking images of the elaborate estates at Versailles or Buckingham Palace—places reserved for royalty and the wealthy who could indulge in such opulence.
At that moment, I realized that Ornath was not as different from my home as I had once believed.
As I rounded the next corner, I spotted the queen seated at a circular, white iron table, waiting patiently for me. She sat upright, her posture regal and rigid, reminiscent of a doll or a statue.
Her Majesty’s wavy platinum-blonde hair cascaded to her waist, perfectly framing her pristine, milky-white complexion and pale cerulean robes.
The queen’s attire had an Ancient Greek toga-like quality, yet with a modern twist. The sleeveless A-line gown featured a plunging V-neckline that accentuated her figure, cinching perfectly at her waist.
Upon my arrival, she rose gracefully to her feet and extended her arms in welcome.
“Jane! Good morning. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” As she stepped closer, the queen took both of my hands in hers, holding them gingerly while a smile remained carved on her face. “How was your sleep, dear?”
I mustered a grin and politely responded, “Fine, thank you.”
“Please.” She gestured to the chair opposite her. “Sit.”
The florally embellished wrought-iron chair proved to be as uncomfortable as it looked. I shifted my bottom several times to alleviate the growing ache in my backside, though I maintained my courteous demeanour throughout, refusing to show any signs of discomfort.
Once I settled in, the queen rested her elbows on the table, leaning forward with her cheeks cradled in her hands. She studied me intently, her smile broadening as each moment passed by.
To break the awkward silence, I cleared my throat and recited, “Thank you for inviting me to tea, Your Majesty,” lowering my chin in a slight bow.
“Oh.” She chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. “Please, call me Peyni.”
Still curious about what she could want to discuss, I said, “Okay, Peyni.”
The queen leaned back in her chair, returning to the impossibly perfect posture she had been demonstrating just moments before.
“I was hoping you and I could take some time to get to know one another,” she admitted.
Her confession felt genuine, and I believed her intentions were well-meaning, but something within my soul still felt a great deal of dread.
“You are to marry my firstborn son, my Jion. Surely, I must have at least one conversation with you first! Tell me, what was it like growing up on Earth?”
Where would I even begin? How could I possibly convey what it had been like growing up as a pariah, abandoned as an infant?
How could I illustrate the dozens of terrible people I had encountered during my years in the foster care system?
How would I explain the deep hurt and heartbreak that had shaped my life?
And most importantly, why would I share any of this with a stranger I didn’t know or trust?
Paraphrasing my thoughts into three simple words seemed like the most feasible option: “It was lonely.”
Her expression shifted, eyebrows furrowing and mouth straightening in response. “Oh, I am so sorry, Jane. Though, I guess that makes the most sense having no surviving family members. Tell me, did you ever have any sense that you were not of Earth?”
I was taken aback by the question… It was one I was struggling to answer for myself. Had I known? Had there always been a sense that I was different? I reflected on all those years of feeling like an outsider, surviving in a world that had never felt like home, never welcomed me.
“I…” I stuttered, glancing nervously down at my hands folded in my lap, picking at the loose skin around my cuticles.
“I didn’t know that I wasn’t born on Earth, but I never felt like I truly belonged.
No matter where I went, I always felt different from others…
People didn’t seem to like me very much. ”
“Fascinating,” she murmured, her gaze scrutinizing every inch of me. “Somewhere in your subconscious, you must have remembered that you were born on Domus. Perhaps others could sense it before you did.”
I uncomfortably feigned a ladylike smile to please the queen and agreed, “Perhaps.”
A servant approached the table, setting down two intricately painted ceramic teacups adorned with delicate floral designs. He poured steaming water into our cups before nodding politely and stepping away.
To keep the conversation flowing, I ventured, “What was it like growing up on Ornath?” I took a sip of my tea but cringed at the scalding temperature, spilling a bit on myself in the process.
The corners of the queen’s mouth lifted as she shook her head with pride. “Oh no, I was not born on Ornath. No, I am from Ellion, a planet not too far from here… A short journey, really. It was a lovely place to grow up. I miss it every day.”
My brows knitted together. “But how did you meet the king, then?”
Had Peyni left her home planet for love?
I felt a tinge of hope at the thought, but something deep inside me whispered that the king was impossible to care for.
Maybe he hadn’t always been a monster; perhaps, once upon a time, he had been a kind and gentle soul who charmed her into marrying him, leading her to willingly leave her beloved home behind.
Peyni’s classic smile faltered for just a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
“I was a princess on Ellion. My father was King Dalerion, and I had many older brothers. In fact, I was the only daughter, much to my mother’s delight.
We were inseparable…” She trailed off, lost in thought.
“When I reached my child-bearing years, my father chose to send me to Ornath as a gesture of fellowship and peace. He had no use for me any longer, so I was put on a travelling vessel and shipped here. My mother was distraught, but neither of us had a choice…”
The queen’s eyes shimmered as she gazed into the distance beyond my shoulder, transfixed by her own thoughts. Yet her smile remained frozen beneath a veil of sorrow. “When I arrived on Ornath, the previous king, Remaculus’ father, betrothed me to the prince. We were married within a fortnight.”
“That’s horrible!” My hands flew over my mouth in shock at my own brashness.
The queen’s expression shifted, her eyes darting back and forth uncomfortably as she took a deep breath in. “It was my duty,” she stated firmly, exhaling quietly afterward.
As a wave of regret washed over me, I lowered my hands from my face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just… Doesn’t it bother you? That your father forced you to marry someone you had never even met?”
She pursed her lips, contemplating my question in silence for a moment. When she finally spoke, she was no longer the merry and cheerful queen she had always presented herself as. Instead, she had visibly transformed before my eyes into a hardened and clever survivor.
“A woman is not afforded the same opportunities and luxuries in this universe as a man. For some Goddess-awful reason, Amantius created men to be stronger, more formidable, than us women. This physical power imbalance between the two sexes has led men to believe that they are indeed superior beings. That they have a right to this power.” She paused, inhaling a breath as her pupils searched the surrounding area for any nearby listeners.
“But make no mistake, Jane Smith, we women are far more cunning. I could have remained on Ellion, content to be a seventh-born princess, wed to some elderly lord and given a scrap of land to manage. But here,” she divulged, gesturing grandly to the gardens around us, “I am a queen.”
Everything I thought I knew about the queen changed in an instant. She was not the docile, subdued woman I had pictured. Perhaps that demeanour had been a deliberate ruse, a way to disguise the formidable ruler that hid behind her innocent smile.
But was Peyni wrong? If a woman was born into a society that oppressed and limited her ability to gain power, shouldn’t she seize any opportunity presented to her to elevate her status? Wouldn’t that be the most rational choice, a means of survival in a world where her options were few?
The queen’s story mirrored my own in some ways. She had grown up on a foreign planet and been wed to a stranger, but rather than dwelling on her misfortunes, she viewed her situation as an opportunity rather than a prison sentence.
“Was it worth it?” I asked, my disdain seeping into every word. “Is it worth being married to him?”
She paused, carefully selecting her words, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought.
“Jion is a hundred times the man his father has ever been. He will be a far greater king than Remaculus ever was.” The unmistakable pride she felt in her son radiated from her like the warmth of the sun.
“My children were worth it. Make no mistake, I love my children more than anything, even though their father can be… Difficult.”
That was putting it lightly.
I pondered her words. She believed in Jion, that he would be a renowned ruler one day.
“Do you think Jion will make a good husband?” I feebly wondered aloud, hoping her answer would quell the anxiety and dread churning in my stomach.