Chp.49: Necklace

Emralds.

The gems that were often exported into the kingdom of Kuravos. They were mostly brought in the kingdom by the merchants living in the north. The Barons and the Counts who lived in the north, often boasted about their connections to the other kingdoms beyond the seas and oceans.

Well that was indeed their only point of making themselves a place outside the cold and desolated north of Kuravos.

The necklace that Ellie had in her hand was more than just an important peice of jewelry, it was precious to Rachel and Regina was aware about it.

"I will need you the most." The words that Rachel said to her that one afternoon, came to her mind making a way to her consciousness cutting the sound of the rain pouring outside.

"Ellie." Regina placed her tea cup down and looked into the eyes of the maid.

"Yes your majesty?" Ellie said politely.

"How and when did you start working for Rachel?" Regina asked the maid.

The maid who seemed all prepared with answers on the tip of her tongue was ready to give answer to one more of Regina's question. "Lady Rachel saved me from being traded to some bad people." Ellie said.

"Hm?" Regina was unaware about what the person in front of her was saying.

"I was raised in an orphanage and she saved me one evening when I was going to get traded for money that the orphanage needed. She paid extra and also donated some more funds and released me from there." Ellie told a flawless story. Something that actually sounded like it might have happened.

But believing in stories wasn't Regina's job, crossing them was. "So when did this happen?" Regina casually asked.

"Six years ago." Ellie said. "It has been six years that I have been released and have been working for lady Rachel." She was confident.

Regina was still not very sure about the whole situation but she had the necklace that once Rachel talked about. There was no way that Rachel could play a prank this time, Regina thought.

"Should I inform the king and make a visit to the D'Azure mansion?" Regina thought as she got up and walked towards the dressing table.

She picked up the necklace that was kept there and looked at it thoroughly. It did look like it was old, perhaps in a way that was handed down from generations.

She knew the glaze of the necklace and for that once decided to take action and visit the D'Azure mansion.

"Your majesty?" Ellie said in a soft voice as if she was taking Regina's permission to speak.

"Hmm?" Regina looked at Ellie standing behind her through the reflection in the mirror and gave her the permission to speak.

"I had a question." Ellie said as if she was keeping taking some kind of precaution.

Regina nodded and continued to look at the necklace in her hand.

"You married the king under the name of Rachel D'Azure right? So are you married to the king or Lady Rachel?" Ellie finally asked the question.

Regina calmly looked up at the reflection of Ellie in the mirror and then turned back.

"How old are you Ellie?" Regina asked with a warm and friendly smile.

Ellie could see a closed off person in front of her. A person who would deliberately raise walls just to keep away people, a person who wouldn't hesitate to cut connections, a person who is more than what meets the eyes. A person who she thought was just like her.

Ellie, despite knowing that maybe she had asked the wrong question, proceeded to continue the conversation.

"I am fourteen, your majesty." Ellies replied.

Calm and composed yet somewhat anxious about her overall stance of asking that question.

"Hmm? Fouteen you say?" Regina turned back and looked in Ellie's eyes. "Then you are quite smart than an average fourteen year old." Regina made a remark, smiling and looking in Ellie's eyes.

But this smile gave Ellie her most required confidence. "That depends on what is your criteria for an average fouteen year old your majesty." Ellie replied confidently.

The calm atmosphere in the room stayed like that for sometime.

And perhaps Regina didn't answer her question. Morelike she couldn't answer her question. But what she knew for sure was that she was now a part of totally diffrent story.

Diffrent obstacles awaited her, and life was no longer going to stay simple.

She took a deep breath and she knew it was going to be a beginning of a new era.

_______

"So it's more than one necklace you say?" A lady asked in a sharp pitched voice.

A calm afternoon in the Kapilla city of Kuravos was always a favorite of the high noble class. Kapilla gave the perfect setting for many people to boast about their estates, as there were many lakes and hills.

One more things that made Kapilla so desired was, it rained rather less than what it poured in the capital city.

Now, as the afternoon was pleasant and the sun was at it's peak, a gentleman in the jewelry shop was facing the crisis of his life.

"Ms. Belladonna." He urged the woman in front of him, "Please think about the criteria and eligibility rules over here on this plate. ", he said as he pointed over to a set of instructions plated on the side of the display table.

Belladonna, daughter of Count Szinak, was truly the gem of the high society. She was appreciated for her various lady like skills as she was the Prima Donna of the high society, but that wasn't just enough.

She was most likely appreciated and highly credited for her various inventions and experiments in the field of poisons.

That's right she was the poison master and her skill was adding poison to jewels for various purposes.

She could use jewels and effortlessly add poisons to them to cause deaths, injuries and sometimes even lifetime health hazards. She was a poison ivy.

And apparently she loved the fact that she was someone people were scared of. "I need that necklace, and that other one as well." She pointed out at two necklaces and demanded them.

"There is no reason for you to decline. I am willing to pay for these jewels." She boasted her arrogance.

"No, no my lady that is not the issue." The man said as he helplessly shook his head. "Your father, count Szinak has warned us not to give you more than one necklace at a time." He explained perhaps the hundredth time.

"*sigh*So that is how you are going to play." She mumbled.

Utterly tired, both of them decided to take a short break. Belladonna could see that other customers were waiting around and the crowd in the shop had grown, but she wanted what she wanted.

She wasn't ready to settle on just one piece of jewelry.

"What if I buy this lady her jewelry?" Someone said it from behind her back and she swiftly turned around.