Chapter 45 - (6)

The carriage had gone straight to the edge of the capital. The mother and daughter pair were confused at first, till all their confusions were cleared. There was only one destination at this point; the palace. They started feeling flustered.

"The palace? You should have just said you were going there." Old Lady Steinhouse said cautiously.

"Old Lady Steinhouse, you may have once been duchess of Steinhouse and travelled the entire ins of society and can still do so, because of your relation to me; yet you forget we are not the same." Lady Steinhouse answered after the carriage stopped at the gate. "Don't move this carriage!" she instructed the driver.

"Step down." she instructed the mother and daughter pair.

"What? Are you going to leave us at the gate? I'm your mother-in-law!" Old Lady Steinhouse protested.

"Guards!" Lady Steinhouse called and royal guards arrived. Old Lady Steinhouse could already feel the shame awaiting her when she steps down.

"Old Lady Steinhouse, step down!" she instructed.

"You still don't call me mother, yet I do nothing. Have you lost all your etiquette? I'm still your mother-in-law! What would society say about you?!" Old Lady Steinhouse fumed.

"I have worn the title Lady Steinhouse for so long, people seem to forget that this is a title beneath my visage. You addressed me with scorn, you dare to scold my person, you have the courage to call me shameless, and curse at me and my upbringing! Mother of my late husband or not, I am still Princess Helen, daughter of Princess Lithe and niece to the king, conferred the official title Princess Ja Ahn by His Majesty, King Larken of Juhntt! You should bow every time you are graced with my presence, yet you dare to curse at me?! A curse at me is a curse at the royal family, and indirectly, the king! You sneer at my Upbringing? Are you saying that you are unaware that as my parents died young, and I was raised by the king for a while and then by the grand protector of the Ligrel clan?! Which do you sneer at? Your disrespect is worth being torn to pieces by thirty grown horses." Lady Steinhouse bellowed, her anger had reach breaking point.

The two shivered; this was not her usual look of scorn and relaxed sneer. They regretted their words. She was right and it didn't help that they were right before the palace gates. They may be related to her by marriage, but they were obligated to bow to her. Having her marry into their family is seen as heavenly grace. Even her husband, though did not need to bow, needed to accord her respect. She had introduced herself to the society as Lady Steinhouse so long ago, people that had later heard of her background, slowly forgot. Not to talk of the Ligrel clan; everybody knew who her father was. Ligrel Clan? They Gulped at the thought. A woman with this much backing may be a blessing to her children, but a curse on the family that welcomes her into their lives; as her husband, as well as his parents, needed to bow to her on occasions. No one wanted to bow to their daughter-in-law.

"As a lady who holds great respect for her husband's family, I dare not disrespect my in-laws by letting them face the death penalty. You will be imprisoned for two days." Lady Steinhouse said. As the two ladies heard the words; 'holds great respect for her husband's family', they almost fell out of the carriage. How could she utter such words with a straight face?

"Take them to the outer prisons. They will be there till I say other wise. You heard their crime. As a good daughter-in-law, I must punish them myself, in hopes that they will be spared the capital punishment. Any one but the king releasing them, is not doing them good. This little punishment is so I might appease the public; so one may not say that I pamper my in-laws so much so, they forget their place." Lady Steinhouse said and the head guard stumbled in his steps at her words. He, as well as the entire capital, never thought a day would come when they would hear the words; Lady Steinhouse and Pampering her in-laws, in the same sentence.

He was assigned today to cover for a sick friend, yet he was greeted with a complicated scene. He regretted being to good to his friend. How was he supposed to deal with this?Everybody knew the queen was in the habit of releasing those Lady Steinhouse punished, in an excuse of teaching her niece restraint. After the king punished them again for his niece, the queen would say, the king does not think she has the qualifications to teach her niece. With this, the king had to hands off; so that the cabinet does not accuse him of over petting his niece, to the point that she forgets that the queen is the mother of the kingdom. If the queen acts on her habit and releases the Steinhouse ladies, it would be saying that she agreed with their insult to the royal family. Even if that could be overlooked, what about the Ligrel clan?

He could feel his life become more uncomfortable. As the one who arrests them, he would need to act as warden till he was asked to release them.

He ordered his men to take the two ladies away. The ladies did not protest and were cooperative.

"If anyone asks for their release, you must inform me immediately. This is an order from the king." Lady Steinhouse said, as she dropped the curtain and the carriage wheeled away. The guard swore he would never cover for any one again.