Chapter 196: Queen's Chamber
Three chapters today.
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Travelling for several more minutes, their carriage finally stopped in front of a luxurious grand palace meant to be the residence for the King and Queen of Megaris. A knight opened the door of the royal carriage and another arranged the stepping stool on the ground.
Drayce stepped out first and then helped Seren to come out. The moment she stepped out, she observed knights and servants standing in multiple rows to welcome them. A graceful and elegant old woman with grey hair stood in the frontmost row.
That woman didn't wear the uniform of the servants. Rather, she was dressed in a simple yet noble dark red gown with minimal jewelry that made her seem like a kind elderly matriarch.
Everyone bowed to the King and the Queen of Megaris.
"Greetings, Your Majesty King Drayce! Greetings, Your Majesty Queen Seren!"
Drayce accepted their greeting with a light nod while Seren didn't know how to react and chose to simply stand quietly.
The old woman came towards them. She was of average height, with her grey hair tied in a tight bun at the back of her head. Her grey eyes were full of warmth at the sight of the young couple, and the light smile on her face made the wrinkles on her face more visible.
"King Drayce, welcome back to the palace," she said as she curtsied.
"Tyra." Drayce showed a rare gentle expression for a brief moment.
"I hope the long journey was pleasant for you both." Although her tone was like that of a noble, she spoke casually to them like that of a grandmother meeting a family member. She was even chuckling as she said in a low voice, "Lord Jasper had been complaining how you took your sweet time. He should have been here to welcome you, but he got pulled elsewhere due to work."
The old woman then straightened herself as she spoke kindly, " Please head inside and warm yourselves."
Seren just nodded. Marie and Eva were already present beside her to accompany their queen inside the royal residence.
Drayce looked at Seren, "My Queen, you can go with Lady Tyra and rest. Anything you need, you can instruct them."
The old woman looked at Seren and introduced herself as they stepped inside the warm walls of the royal residence. "Your Majesty, I am Tyra Ivanov, a distant relative to the royal family. I have been serving in the royal palace for three generations, and for the past few years, I am incharge of all the royal servants that serve the king and the queen. Both the head steward and head maid answer to me. Please let me know if there's anything you need, and I will make the best arrangements for you."
Seren nodded. "Thank you, Lady Ivanov."
"I do not dare, Your Majesty. Please, just call me Tyra."
The older woman looked at Marie and Eva. "After helping Her Majesty, you two can leave everything to the other servants and rest."
Lady Tyra was aware that their queen was most familiar with Eva and Marie so it would be better if those two served the queen till she got comfortable with the other servants. In a day or two, the palace would provide her with a list of noble ladies who would officially become the queen's ladies-in-waiting. For the meantime, Eva and Marie would take on the role.
The two servants nodded and followed behind their queen whose way was led by Lady Tyra herself.
While Seren was taken to the Queen's chamber inside the royal residence, Drayce stayed back to talk with his knights who had travelled with them.
As Seren walked along the huge corridor escorted by Tyra and a few royal servants, she took the chance to observe her surroundings. Though it was night, with the light from the delicate round lamps, she could clearly see the inside of the palace, which looked different from Abetha architecture-wise.
The buildings of the palaces in Abetha mostly had white walls and high ceilings with a special preference to the color blue, which symbolized the Royal Family of Ilven. Portraits and banners with crests of the royal family, as well as delicate porcelain items and gauzy curtains were the main decorations, whether it be inside the chambers or the hallways. A lot of imported goods from all corners of the continent could be found as ornaments, from fur carpets to wooden furniture, giving off a quiet air of wealth and luxury.
In contrast, the royal residence of Megaris gave a more imposing atmosphere, with cream-colored stone walls and wider hallways with minimal decors, mostly a mix of sculptures made of wood and marble as well as ceremonial weapons hanging on the walls. There were images of auspicious clouds and mythical creatures carved on the ceiling, with colors mostly of crimson, black and gold.
Soon, they stopped in front of a huge wooden double door that had handles crafted of gold. The archway was made of white limestone sculpted in what seemed to be flocks of beautiful birds with long tails. The door itself emitted the air of royalty; one could imagine how grand the inside must be.
The servants walking ahead opened the double door of the chamber and stepped aside. Lady Tyra lowered her head as she gestured with her hand. "Your Majesty, please step in."
As soon as she entered, Seren's eyes wandered around that huge room that was about four to five times as large as her bedchamber on the top floor of the tower. She?heard Lady Tyra say behind her, "Queen Seren, this entire chamber now belongs to you."
The chamber was huge, with a small sitting room, a main bedchamber, side chambers and a fireplace. It was mainly decorated with redwood furniture and thick fur carpets, and the browns and reds gave off a warm earthy atmosphere.?The sitting room had a cushioned wooden couch and chairs arranged around a wooden table, with one wall covered in paintings of scenic sights and the top of the fireplace filled with various ornaments. On the bedchamber, there lay a wide circular-shaped canopy bed in the center, which had curtains of netted semi-transparent fabrics hanging down from the ceiling.
As she appreciated her bedchamber, Seren noticed another door on the opposite side of the room which was made of glass, made in the similar style of the windows. Behind that glass door?was a huge round-shaped balcony from which Seren couldn't pull her gaze away. She felt an urge to go there, wanting to see how the palace grounds look from her chamber but refrained herself from doing so. As a queen, she needed to behave—at least, on her first day in the palace.
Lady Tyra simply followed behind her with a smile. She then pointed towards the doors of the side chambers. "There, Your Majesty, we have another room which has a bath, there is the wardrobe, and everything necessary that you might require."
Seren just nodded. Realizing that their queen was a quiet woman, Tyra said again, "I will leave you alone to the other servants then. If there is anything that Your Majesty needs, please let me know."
Seren nodded again and the old lady left.
Eva and Marie helped Seren to have a bath and get ready for the night, while the other servants brought food for her. When she was ready to sleep, Seren looked at the door.
"What happened, Your Majesty?" Marie asked, though she had a guess what Seren was thinking.
"His Majesty…"
"Your Majesty, here in the royal palace, we have separate chambers for the king and the queen. His Majesty must have departed to his chamber," Marie infomed.
"Ohh," was all she said as she thought, 'At least here, I can sleep alone and nicely without worrying that someone will bite me. Enough with those wife's annoying duties.'
Seren happily tucked herself under the thick warm blanket that seemed especially soft and relaxing to her.
"Good night, Your Majesty," Eva and Marie said before they left.
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