Chapter 51: Is she beautiful?

Mariana went to look what Miss Harlow and the other maid was doing and she sat chatting with them while they sewed a pillow cover.

Miss Harlow introduced the other maid, a petite girl whose name was Annie. She told Mariana that she would have liked to buy a dress from her but couldn't affored it.

"You can visit the shop whenever you like, Annie. There are dress which are in the range you want."

The girls eyes shone bright and she nodded happily.

The voice of the carriage wheels was heard from the window and Miss Harlow and Annie rushed towards it to see.

"What is so exciting?" Mariana asked frowning, rubbing a silk pillowcover between her fingers.

"The handsome princes and guests keeps arriving for the ball. They are the feast to our eyes," Annie said and both she and Miss Harlow giggled.

"Have you seen Prince Nathan, Miss Mariana?" Miss Harlow asked looking out the window.

Mariana smiled. "I have."

Annie turned towards her. "Isn't he the handsomest?"

"But King Aaron is better," Miss Harlow said.

They all laughed and Mariana joined them at the window.

"Is that another Prince?" She asked looking at a grand brown carriage with four majestic horses.

"No one got down of it yet," Annie informed.

Then, a woman descended the carriage. She wore a purple gown and a purple hat but her face wasn't visible because of the hat. The woman looked tall and fair.

"She must be princess with a gown that beautiful," Miss Harlow said.

Then, the woman eyed the palace and they caught a glimpse of her face. Mariana couldn't see her features clearly but the woman looked beautiful.

"Oh my God! It's Princess Honoria." Annie exclaimed.

"I didn't think she was invited," Miss Harlow frowned.

"She is Her Highness's friend."

"If she is Her Highness's friend, then of course she would be invited," Mariana spoke.

Miss Harlow looked at her and whispered. "She was His Majesty's mistress."

Mariana's heart felt cold.

The mistress of the king?

"For an entire year!" Annie added.

Mariana licked her lips and frowned. She realised she didn't feel very good about the woman. Her eyes looked at the princess. The princess who walked gracefully towards the palace door with her maids trailing behind.

Mariana's brows wrinkled. "How can a princess be a mistress. It's degrading."

It was. A princess could easily marry anyone she wanted. Why would she need to be a mistress? Did the king force her? Mariana's eyes widened as she remembered how aunt Penny and Veronica'a mother had said that the former king abused woman. Was King Aaron also a bit like him?

Mariana hoped he wasn't.

But then again, it shouldn't matter much to her.

"She wanted to be the mistress," Miss Harlow said.

Mariana blinked absently. "What?"

"Princess Honoria wanted to be His Majesty's mistress. She was crazy for him."

They all turned away from the window as the princess disappeared and sat back on their seats.

"Was His Majesty crazy for her too?" Mariana asked feigning as disinterest as possible.

Annie picked up the pillow cover again. "He must be. He had her for an entire year. They always spent the nights in the same room."

Mariana felt a bad taste in her mouth imagining the king with another woman.

Why?

She didn't want to listen any further but still couldn't resist. "Is she beautiful?"

"Very beautiful," Annie nodded her head.

Miss Harlow shook her head. "I don't think His Majesty liked her very much."

Mariana's ears perked up at that. "Why not?"

"She wanted to be his mistress. I think the king merely accepted her offer."

"No, Lydia. The king liked her too," Annie said. "Didn't he ask her to marry him?"

"What?" Mariana yelled.

They both looked at her and she lowered her voice. "I mean if they both liked each other then why didn't they marry?"

"Perhaps the king was bored of her," Annie guessed.

Miss Harlow rolled her eyes. "It was just a rumour that they were to marry."

"Well, they both looked pretty good together," Annie sighed.

Mariana chewed he lip. The king must have had many woman. And he would have other many in the future, too. There was no need for Mariana to feel bad over one woman. She took the torn pillow cover lying on the table and began sewing it to distract herself.

Aaron knocked at the door. He asked the guards he had stationed at the door about the woman inside.

"She did not go out, You Majesty," one of them answered.

Aaron looked at Charles who said, "She must be resting".

Aaron was about to go back, leaving the injured woman -or perhaps the injured witch- to rest, but then the door creaked open and the pair of torquoise eyes looked at him.

Just as he had planned yesterday, he came here to see if she was a witch, and if she could help find answers related to the chain. The damn chain has turned back to silver and it claws his mind not to know it's purpose.

"Y-your M-majesty", she bowed her head.

The girl stuttered. Was this her usual habit?

Aaron nodded. "How are your injuries?"

"They are b-better. The p-physician you sent for me, h-helped me a lot."

He nodded again and looked at Charles.

Charles as always had said that asking her about the chain might be futile and dangerous. But Aaron had said that, no matter what, he was going to find the answers about it. And Charles being full of loyalty and protectiveness, accompanied him.

Aaron looked at the woman. "May we come inside? There is something I would like to talk to you about."

She eyed him for a moment. "O-of course, Your Majesty. Please, d-do come in." She stepped back and let them enter. Charles closed the door behind them.

Aaron scanned the room and was stunned. The room was small but decorated beautifully with wallpapers and tidy furnitures. There was a clean hearth, in which fire was lit, two sofas, countertable and flowers which were placed in beautiful vases.

But the main thing that astonished him was a wall full of books. The whole wall on his right was covered entirely in shelves, upto the roof and was filled with books.

Perhaps she was not a witch. No witch could be this progressive.

Besides, his mother too, had told her that they dress differently and lived in solitude than the normal people.

Aaron looked at the woman who obviously stood a bit cautious in the presence of two men. She wore a simple, but clean gown. A shawl of latest style, wrapped around her shoulders.

He ought not to have come here. Asking her if she was a witch could probably hurt her sentiments.