Chapter 61

61 Back to Square One

Anastasia’s personal maids did as they were ordered.

They took Anastasia back to the chamber that she had been assigned previously. They also gathered the few belongings that the Queen had brought with her from Orsenia. They left everything new that Caspian had gifted her back in Caspian’s chamber.

“Your Majesty, is there anything else that we can do for you?” Holly asked the Queen who was lying down on the bed of her old chamber while facing the wall.

Anastasia mumbled in a soft voice, “Both of you are dismissed. Close the door behind.”

“When shall we bring the lunch? It’s already past your lunch time,” Martha said in a concerned voice.

After the sudden turn of events just a while ago, Anastasia didn’t feel like putting a morsel in her mouth. So she politely denied, “I don’t feel like eating. Leave me be.”

The maids were concerned for Anastasia’s health. However, they weren’t that close enough to force the Queen into eating.

So they bowed to their Queen and left her alone.

Anastasia’s tears had been rolling down her temple for a while now. They weren’t taking the name of stopping. She was too deeply hurt not to cry.

.....

The pillow was wet because of her tears. But she didn’t even have the energy or will to change it with another.

She closed her eyes. She wanted to fall asleep so that she could forget everything that had happened today. And when she woke up from her sleep, she wanted this mess to get cleared up on its own.

Anastasia was already feeling light-headed a while ago. So, she fell asleep in no time.

—

Anastasia got woken up by a loud knock on the door.

She furrowed her brows and waited for whoever was on the other side of the door to leave on their own.

However, the knocking didn’t stop. She heard a worried voice of Martha from the other side, “Your Majesty, we have brought dinner for you. Shall we come inside?”

Anastasia was feeling hungry. She had skipped her lunch as well. But she was in no mood to chew and swallow food. It was too much work for her at the moment.

So she turned on her bed to look at the door and said, “I don’t want to eat. You two may rest for the night.”

“But, Your Majesty-”

“Please, Martha,” Anastasia abruptly cut off her maid’s sentence and asked, “I want to be left alone.”

“Goodnight, Your Majesty. Call us if you need anything.”

Anastasia heard the maids walking away from her antechamber.

She unfolded the blanket and covered herself. And she closed her eyes again without caring to take off her tight gown.

—

Caspian returned to his chamber after having a long day.

He was in a foul mood for the whole day. He had shown his anger to almost everyone who had the misfortune of crossing his path today.

He didn’t think much when he didn’t find Anastasia in the chamber. He thought that she was in the only other place where she could possibly be – in the library.

The servants helped him take a bath and change into his night robe.

After dismissing everyone, he lay down on his soft bed.

Finally, his anger subsided to some extent.

He waited for his wife to come to the chamber. And while he did so, he reflected back on his actions. He knew he was in the wrong. So he tried to busy himself by thinking of things to say to his wife to apologize to her.

Almost an hour passed. But there was still no sign of Anastasia.

He called Percy and asked, “Where’s the Queen? Why isn’t she here yet?”

Percy gave a polite bow to the King and answered, “I heard that the Queen wished to return to her old chamber. Her maids have shifted the Queen’s belongings back to that chamber.”

“What?” Caspian got instantly triggered again. He clenched his fist and ordered, “Bring her here this instant. If she resists, tell her that it’s an order from the King.”

Percy bowed without saying a word and left for the Queen’s chamber.

After a while, Percy came back with the news, “The Queen refused to come back here.”

Caspian cackled in anger and ran his fingers through his blond hair. He gave an eerie smile and mumbled, “Ah! She’s testing my patience today.”

Caspian got up to go there himself.

However, Percy bowed to the King and dared to give advice to the angered King. “Your Majesty, I think it would be better if you go and talk to Her Majesty when your anger subsides. The issue might only get bitter if you try to force her back now. Besides, I also heard from Her Majesty’s maids that she skipped her lunch as well as dinner. She sounded too weak to me.”

Caspian laughed again and towered in front of Percy. And he said in a mocking tone, “I see that the Queen has already managed to earn the loyalty of my men.”

Percy was unfazed by the King. He had worked in the Kilerth castle for long enough and knew how to appease the King.

Percy gave a polite bow and replied calmly, “My loyalty lies with you, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t want to see your relationship with the Queen falling apart further because of something that you said in your anger. It is the only reason I am stopping you and nothing more.”

Caspian was silent. He went into his deep thought.

It seemed like Percy hit the right chords of the King’s heart with his words.

Caspian took a deep breath in and asked, “She hasn’t had any food?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Percy replied to the King.

Caspian felt bad for what he did in the afternoon. He didn’t like it when he heard that Anastasia wasn’t eating. He knew she must have been deeply hurt by his words.

He wanted to clear the misunderstanding between them as soon as possible. He wanted to go and see his wife. He wanted to ask for her forgiveness and feed her himself.

But his emotions had been deceiving him today. It would flip in an instant. And he didn’t want to repeat what had happened in the afternoon again.

He knew that Percy was right. He needed to take control of his emotions before seeing Anastasia again.

Caspian thought for a while and then ordered Percy, “Ask the Queen’s handmaid to take her dinner to her. She should be able to do that much, right?”

Percy was pleased with the King’s decision. He gave a bow again and said, “Tilla has recovered significantly, Your Majesty. I will order her this instant.”

Caspian kept on standing there at the door for a while. He sighed and then closed the door.

He lay down on the bed and got lost in his thoughts, ‘She took her belongings as well? She shouldn’t have gone that far. She could have kicked me out of this chamber instead. I would have stayed in the guest chamber until she decided to let me back in.’

Caspian caressed the empty side of the bed and whispered, “She must be very mad at me.”

—

Anastasia was unable to fall asleep again. After all, she had spent half of her day sleeping.

She heard a knock on the door again. She was about to dismiss whoever it was. But she heard the voice that she had missed.

“Your Highne- I mean... Your Majesty, may I come in?”