THE QUEEN OF MANIPULATIONT
he next day, Danika and Baski didn’t see the king because the day had been filled with activities.
Just as the king said, the next morning, he told Zariel about the plan for irrigation and water distribution to the people. He also told Zariel that Danika was in charge.
So, she left the palace and went into town with them, where she supervised and directed the sharing of water. Being in town reminded her of Sally, her former maid, who had been at her side for years. She missed Sally so much. Danika wrote to Sally from time to time. It paid off that she taught Sally how to read and write.
Sally might not be perfect and might get most of the words wrong, but what mattered to Danika was that she could return her messages, and she could also comprehend Sally’s messages after a few careful reads. She hoped that one of these days, she would have the time and permission to leave the palace and visit her best friend.
In town, she dedicated herself to her duty, making sure that the water was properly shared.
The people were ecstatic about the water; it showed on their faces and in their attitudes, on the smiles they gave her each time they passed with their large buckets. They thanked her and the king as they fetched their allotments. She made sure every family got their share.
Danika was still making her rounds when a little boy fell into her. She grabbed the child to steady him so the boy would not fall. He did not look older than six years to her. “Are you all right?” she asked, concerned, staring at the boy’s clothes and not-so-clean hair.
The boy was terrified. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please, don’t hurt me!”
“I have no plans to hurt you, dear. Please, don’t cry. What is your name?” she asked softly.
He took two steps away from her, still crying. The boy hesitated.
Danika patted his hair in reassurance, giving him a beautiful smile. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“I’m Corna,” he mumbled at last.
“Stop crying, Corna, okay? I won’t hurt you.”
A heavily pregnant woman came running with her own bucket in her hand, and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She dropped her bucket immediately, as if it bit her. She rushed to Danika and knelt in front of her. “Oh, please! Please, have mercy on him, please! Corna is very clumsy and reckless and always running without watching where he is going. Please, have mercy, please!” the young woman cried bitterly.
Danika was already shaking her head. She helped the pregnant woman stand up. “Stop panicking. He isn’t hurting anybody. Don’t let it bother you so much.”
“Corna has no control at all. Yesterday, he ran into the mistress, and he almost got whipped for it. Please have mercy, please! I’ll try to hold him as often as I can.”
“You can only try your best, but it’s okay. He’s just a boy, and he’s already scared out of his mind.” She spared the little boy a glance and saw how he shivered in fear. The sight broke her heart. Not minding the boy’s dirty state, she lifted the boy into her arms. He was quite heavy, but she held him. Danika consoled him with soothing words while the poor mother stood beside them, gawking at her. The woman never expected such treatment from a woman who was once of privileged status—a woman who was fathered by a monster.
Time passed, and the boy stopped crying, but he refused to get down from Danika’s arms. Instead, he burrowed his head into her shoulder and stuck his hand into his mouth and sucked on it.
No matter how his mother tried to get him to come away from Danika and allow her to work, the boy turned deaf ears. In the end, Danika just smiled and walked away, carrying the boy.
She held the boy as she continued doing her job. She made sure the older people in the village got enough water, too, while Zariel and the guards kept their distance from her, getting the pumps working well.
It was evening by the time King Lucien finished in court. He was feeling so tired, as always, after a long day in court. That day, he had to deal with a married couple who wished to separate and the children in the orphanage of Salem. Those children lost their parents at the hands of King Cone during slavery. The reminder made his head hurt.
The king was almost at his chambers when a maid ran to him, panting, and seemed to have come in a hurry. He turned towards her and waited for her to talk.
The maid fell to the ground and bowed her head. “My name is Kaya. I’m the personal maid of the mistress. She is so sick, Your Highness! So, so, sick, and she requests you.”
That had the king’s brows creased in worry. “How is she? What is the matter? Is she doing alright? “
“No, my king. She is not doing so fine. She scares me.”
“Take me to her.”
The maid nodded vigorously and got up from the floor. She led the king to the mistress’ quarters.
When the king entered, he saw Vetta lying on the bed. It had been so long since he had seen his mistress; he felt guilty. He and Vetta had been through so much together; it was unfair that he had been so unconcerned about her for the past few weeks.
The king turned to Kaya. “Leave us.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” The maid responded with a bow of her head before she turned and hurried out of the room.
Vetta’s eyes opened a little. “My king,” she whispered in a hoarse voice.
He walked towards the edge of her bed and sat down. “How do you feel?”
Vetta tried to read him, but it was as impossible as trying to force rain to fall. His face was as hard as if it were carved out of granite, but his eyes weren’t so cold.