A young maid walked through the dark passage, her eyes blazing with malevolence as she approached the door of the person who had haunted her dreams all night. Her heart seethed with resentment, fueled by the memory of being called ’nothing.’ She couldn’t wait to unleash her torment.
Bessie seethed with pent-up fury, eager to show Oriana the true meaning of ’nothing’ after yesterday’s humiliation. The former king’s interruption had only delayed the inevitable. Tonight was her chance to strike, and she wouldn’t let it slip away. Oriana needed to learn that the timid maid she once knew was gone, replaced by a force to be reckoned with. Bessie was ready to shatter the illusion of her servitude and make Oriana face the consequences of her actions and poor choice of words.
Reaching the doors, the guards moved aside, letting Bessie inside the room as they had already received instructions from Adelaide. Bessie entered the room and saw Oriana sitting on her bed with her face down, her hair flowing down her shoulders.
"Princess...or should I just say Oriana...I mean, if you think about it, you’re nothing in front of everyone. I don’t even know why you’re still allowed to stay in such a luxurious room," Bessie scowled, touching the curtains and couch mindlessly as she made her way toward Oriana.
Bessie tilted her head to the side when she noticed Oriana’s body shaking, thinking she was crying. Bessie scoffed.
"Yes...cry...and it won’t end now. This is just the beginning. I will make your life hell, so unbearable that you won’t even be able to breathe."
Oriana raised her face slightly, looking at the wall in front of her while her hair covered the side of her face. She spoke with a trembling voice.
"W-why? Why do you hate me, Bessie?"
Bessie raised her brows when she heard Oriana speak. There was something different about the voice, but she didn’t care at the moment. All she cared about was the princess crying in front of her.
"Why? Well... I hate watching you act like you’re not bothered by things. You have all the power as a princess, but you choose what? To be naive and act the way you like. It infuriated me so much while I was serving you!" Bessie inhaled deeply, kicking a nearby table out of anger before she continued.
"At first, when I started serving you, I thought you had plans to make everyone around you pay dearly for looking down on you. But you’re...you’re just...ah!! I hate people without ambitions! You’re such a fribble, Oriana. You flit from one indulgence to the next, without a care for the consequences, and I hate you for that!"
Now filled with rage, Bessie’s chest heaved up and down, but to her utmost surprise, Oriana started giggling.
"Sorry..." Oriana waved her hand. "I tried, I just couldn’t...you hate someone because she’s not ambitious...hahaha..."
Bessie’s frown deepened as she now heard the voice clearer. "I know that voice...it’s not Oriana... Princess Sophie?"
"Oh dear!" Sophie flipped her hair to the side. "I’m guessing you started hating me because I stopped being ambitious too?"
Bessie took a step back, looking around the room for Oriana. "You’re not supposed to be here. W-where is..."
"Oriana? Oh, she decided to be ambitious. She’s on her way to her husband, and you are not supposed to be here either."
Realizing what had happened that somehow the two sisters, who looked so much alike, had deceived everyone, and had switched places. Oriana was now out of the palace; Bessie turned to run out of the room to report.
"Galen! Get her!" Sophie shouted for her husband who was hiding behind the closet. Galen rushed to hold Bessie.
"Help!!" Bessie screamed, "He—" before she could shout anymore, Sophie covered her mouth, but the guards outside already heard her, and they rushed inside the room, pushing Sophie and Galen away from the maid.
"Sound the bells, someone is missing from the palace!!" Bessie shouted, her whole body trembling.
. . .
. . . A few hours earlier . . .
. . .
Oriana entered her bathroom, walking straight to the man she had tied up. Since the man woke up, he had been making disturbing noises that almost caused Gwen to find out.
"You need to keep quiet if you want to stay alive," Oriana warned in a low voice. It was only luck that the man’s absence had yet to be noticed by anyone, especially those working with him at the infirmary.
The man mumbled some words, shaking his head vigorously as he tried to say something, but it all came out as muffled sounds.
"What?" Oriana furrowed her brows. "I can’t untie you. I have to protect my child. Just bear with me a little longer."
The physician continued to make noise, and this worried Oriana. She bit her lip, worried. If things continued like this, she didn’t know how long it would take before someone heard the man’s voice.
"Fine, I’m going to untie you, but make sure you don’t scream. Else..." Oriana looked around the room and found the bathing stone she had used to hit the man before. When the physician saw this, he widened his eyes, horrified by the memory he had of the stone.
"Else, I won’t hesitate to make sure you’re silent forever. I don’t know myself or what I can do, but trust me, I’ll do anything to keep my child alive," Oriana threatened, her voice low and firm. Seeing the physician nod understandingly, she put the stone down and untied the man’s mouth. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
"W...water...please...I might die of thirst before you even get to kill me," the physician’s voice was now dry and croaky as he begged for water.
Oriana palmed her face. She had almost forgotten that the man needed water to stay alive. She ran into her room and filled a cup with water before helping the man drink it.
When the physician shook his head, indicating that he was okay, Oriana moved the cup away.
"I’m sorry, but I hope you understand why I have to do this," Oriana said, raising the cloth again to tie the man’s mouth.
The physician nodded with a sad sigh, but before the cloth could reach his mouth, he whispered.
"Wait! I heard your conversation last night...you’re planning on leaving the palace."
Oriana gulped. "H-how did you-"
"You need me if you’re going to try to escape...your child needs constant care so he can be born healthy, and if I leave with you, I’ll make sure you don’t do anything that will endanger the baby’s life," the physician suggested in a low voice.
Oriana stepped back, looking at the man suspiciously. She never believed people did anything for free. "And why would you do that for me? You work for Nicholas and Adelaide; why should I trust you?"
"In return, I want to leave Avon. Once you get to safety, I no longer want to serve the royal family," the physician made his offer, looking at Oriana with pleading eyes.
Oriana pressed her hands together. It was true she knew nothing about carrying a child, so she would need help. The problem was how she was going to leave the room with the physician and whether she should actually trust the man.
"Leaving me here...what if they search the room and find me...and ask me why I’m being tied up here? You don’t want them to know about the baby." The physician continued, looking at Oriana.
Oriana stood up from the ground, rubbing her forehead. "I’ll have to think about it..." she muttered, touching her stomach.
Minutes later, Sophie entered the room. This time she was dressed in a big gown with a hood covering her hair, which was all part of the plan.
Oriana changed into Sophie’s dress, pushing her hair down exactly the way she did.
"Freya will be waiting outside the gates for you," Sophie said, helping Oriana tie her dress properly.
Oriana’s eyes moved toward the bathroom. "There’s one more person; I think we might need your husband’s clothes."
"Galen?" Sophie asked, following Oriana’s gaze.
Oriana nodded. "It’s a long story, and I will tell you later. There’s someone else I have to leave the room with."
Without asking further, Sophie agreed. The physician and Galen switched clothes, and when they were finally ready to leave, Sophie held Oriana’s hand.
"Please, Oriana. Don’t take too long, and stay safe out there. I’ll be waiting."
Oriana inhaled deeply. "Stay alive, Sister," she said, touching her sister’s hand gently before she reached for the door, taking another deep breath before she opened it.
"Is the princess still inside?" one of the guards asked the moment Oriana stepped out with the physician, who was now dressed as Galen, both of them looking down to hide their faces.
Oriana cleared her throat and nodded. "Y-yes, she is..." Without wasting any more time, she hastily left the passage, making sure to avoid other maids or anyone that might recognize them, with the physician behind her.
Before they reached the gate, Oriana slipped a letter inside a hole near the palace wall before she made her way to the gate. Upon reaching it, the guards stopped them.
"Who?"
Clearing her throat so she could sound like Sophie, Oriana started.
"I am Princess Sophie...and this is Galen...he works as a charmer in the village. We are heading to the market," Oriana replied, trying her best to answer quickly.
The guards looked at them one more time before moving out of the way for them to pass. Oriana inhaled deeply the moment she was out of the palace. She walked hastily, trying not to look suspicious as she could feel the guards watching them.
Finally, when they were far from the gate, Oriana pushed her hood down, scanning the area for Freya.
"Princess?" Freya’s small voice was heard from behind as she walked out of her hiding place with a small bag she latched to her shoulder.
Oriana smiled happily. "Freya...it’s so good to see you again."
Freya nodded, with tears lingering in her eyes. After pulling away from Oriana, she noticed the man standing beside Oriana.
"Who is he?"
Oriana sighed, her breath barely audible. "It’s a long story. We should leave now...it’s already dark." Just then, the heavy toll of the palace bell echoed through the air, making her heart skip a beat.
"They’ve found out..." Oriana muttered, her eyes looking back at the palace with a mix of fear and desperation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
