[Music Recommendation: Für Elise (Reimagined) ~ Alexander Joseph]

Oriana finally pushed herself up from the floor. Her steps were slow, but she made her way to her room, not even noticing the maids who stopped to greet her at each point. All she could see at that moment was the horror-filled face of the person before they died, and her legs still trembled. Being a princess, she wasn’t used to gore and blood. That part of the world was one Oriana was never involved with. In fact, sometimes she got sick to her stomach when she saw too much blood. Punishment was normal, but to take a life...

The memory rushed again through Oriana’s mind, and her stomach turned. She ran inside her room straight to the bathroom and threw up. She washed her face and walked back inside her room, going to sit on her bed. Oriana didn’t say anything or try to change her dress; she just sat there with her hands on her lap.

Inside the palace’s large living room, Gwen sat on the couch with a maid massaging her feet and a wine glass filled with drink. Sitting also in the living room were Curtis, Saline, and Fidelis.

"Your Majesty, is it not disturbing the way the Crown Prince had someone killed?" Saline asked, looking at Adric’s father.

Gwen chuckled, "Disturbing, you say?" she interjected.

Saline rolled her eyes, "I believe I asked the King of Avon."

"And his Queen can always answer," Gwen remarked, waving the maid who was massaging her feet to leave. The maid bowed deeply to everyone inside the room before leaving.

Fidelis cleared his throat, "I can answer for myself, Gwen," the king said with a calm voice that still didn’t sit well with his wife.

Saline snickered, composing her expression before Gwen would notice.

Gwen turned her eyes to look at Curtis, raising her brows as if to warn him to control his wife.

"Saline, behave," Curtis cleared his throat, adjusting his shirt properly.

Fidelis waved his hands, noticing the hostility between the two women in the room. "Let us adults not behave like children, please," he remarked, and everyone calmed down. "Adric’s action today might somewhat look disturbing and questionable, but I believe he has a reason for it."

"A good enough reason to take someone’s life?" Saline shook her head with a sigh. The thought of it didn’t sit well with her.

Fidelis nodded, "Clearly, seducing a woman that belongs to any member of the royal family is punishable by death. That is our law. The servant was caught lurking around Oriana’s room at an ungodly hour."

Gwen nodded in agreement, "I don’t always support Adric, but I totally agree with him on this one. When people forget their places and try to walk over the Crown, they should be reminded of their place."

Curtis nodded, and his wife glared at him. Saline twitched her lips, "Putting it that way means that the servant wasn’t given the chance to explain his situation. Maybe it was all a coincidence, and he wasn’t there to even see Oriana."

"That means Oriana should be punished too," Gwen chimed in. When everyone turned to look at her, she raised her shoulder, "Yes, because she must have done something to give that servant such an impression, of even visiting her room." The woman paused, taking a deep breath, she continued, "I always knew that a girl like her would entertain men even if she was married. It’s in her blood to be so uncouth!" she exclaimed.

Saline chuckled, "I wonder if Oriana is called uncouth, what women who dress to seduce even when they’re already married would be called," she threw her face to the other side.

"It’s okay for women who don’t know how to carry themselves to be jealous and die slowly from the green envy sickness," Gwen fired back.

Fidelis and Curtis looked from Gwen to Saline the moment anyone had something to say. It was more like they were indirectly trying to shade each other.

Saline raised her shoulder, "There’s a thing called Charisma. I don’t need to strip myself to get the respect I command."

Gwen covered her mouth to laugh, "Who? You command respect? Oh really... and your daughters fight over one man. You even go ahead to lie just to keep your lost dignity. We all know Oriana is not the Crown Princess!"

"Ehm...Ladies, please calm down—" Curtis tried to stop the fight before it would escalate. He didn’t want either of the women saying what wasn’t necessary.

Gwen and Saline turned to glare at him, "Stay out of this!"

Curtis backed down. When he turned to look at Adric’s father, the man mouthed, "Let them be."

Saline got on her feet, "You’re talking about my daughters? What about your home? You think I haven’t noticed the tension and also how you look at my husband?" she drawled.

Fidelis cleared his throat, while Curtis blinked, moving restlessly in his seat.

Gwen threw her head back in laughter, "Look at your what? Oh please... it should be your husband who is—"

Curtis, afraid that the woman would expose them without knowing, racked his brain for what to say, but Fidelis spoke up.

"Enough of the madness, woman!" he barked at his wife. Turning to Saline, he said, "Please sit down. You both are Queens with your own family and a kingdom to support. This embarrassment should end," Fidelis said with a loud voice.

Curtis gulped, really grateful that the man had stepped in. Now finding his voice, he turned to his wife, "Saline, sit down."

Saline sucked her teeth, "I don’t trust my daughter to get married to Prince Adric, and that’s final! From all I know, he could even kill her if she was accused."

"Look who is trying to be a mother now. Where were you when she was being banished? Hypocrite!" Gwen snarled.

Saline pointed at her chest, "Did she just call me a hypocrite?" she looked at her husband, then at King Fidelis, who had a tired look on his face.

"I did," Gwen nodded with a smug look on her face.

Saline clapped her hands, "I was really not going to say this, but then you don’t even deserve my respect to start with. You think I don’t know that you are not the first Queen? A lowly, dirty courtesan turned to a Queen now it’s getting in your head. I come from a noble family, which makes my blood greater than yours. You wretched whore!"

Curtis gasped, "Saline!"

"W-what? Whore?" It rang in Gwen’s ears twice, and she stood up immediately, lunging towards Saline. "I am going to show you how a harlot acts!" The two women reached for each other’s hair, shouting and throwing curses at themselves.

Curtis turned to Adric’s father, who was now standing up to leave the room.

"You won’t try to stop them?" he asked worriedly.

Fidelis coughed, with his hand on his chest, "I have chest issues. I’m planning on living at least to see my grandchildren. I can trust you’ll handle this, yes?" He nodded before leaving the room.

Curtis raked his fingers through his hair, unsure of what to do. He tried to stop them, but Gwen caught his hair and dragged him.

"You idiot!" she shouted.

Saline dug her nails into his shirt and dragged him to the side, "Wretched whore!"

"Let me go... I’m the one you’re holding," Curtis tried to pull away, but they didn’t let him, as the two women continued to shout and curse at each other.