Chapter 94 To Serve a Queen
The main hallway.
The queen walked between Raúl and Mateo. As she approached the royal chambers, she saw Antonio standing in front of her door. He bowed.
Antonio: My queen. The sergeant asked me to serve as your page tonight.
Olivia smiled shyly: That was very kind of the sergeant.
Antonio: The queen has a surprise guest in her chambers. Count Esteban brought the duke here.
Olivia hesitated: Oh, fine. Can you go and find some people and bring them back with you?
Antonio: Of course, my queen.
Olivia: Marco, Lupe and Kerstin, please.
She took a silver coin from the elegant little bag that Mateo had given her. She offered it to the young man with a slight tremor in her fingers.
He took the coin with a smile and opened the door for the queen. The queen entered her common room and saw the duke sitting with Monika, talking in their own language. They both stood up and bowed.
Wulfhelm: My queen, I am sorry. My uncle insisted that I be here with you.
Olivia: Du brauchst dich nicht zu entschuldigen.
The young duke smiled: The queen honors me. My sword is at her disposal.
Monika: Perhaps I could make you some tea?
The queen heard the words, but it took her a few seconds to understand them.
Olivia: Oh, yes. Please. Or perhaps the duke would like a coffee. It is a common drink in his city, is it not?
Wulfhelm smiled: Yes, but it is usually drunk in the morning with breakfast.
Monika prepared tea for them and smiled to herself as she observed the shyness of the most powerful people in the kingdom.
Antonio looked for the people on the floor below where they were staying. He was lucky enough to see Marco showing something to the young Lupe.
The page: Marco, my comrade-in-arms, Lupe, my friend, if you will allow me to call you that.
Lupita made an almost perfect bow: Of course, Page Antonio.
Marco: Tono! I was showing her how I was taught to use a spear. Do you want a demonstration?
Antonio: Yes, but the queen wants her friends now. Do you know where Kerstin, the blonde maid, is? She wants me to bring all three of you to her.
Lupita: She is with Frieder. I think she feels very guilty about his injury.
Antonio: I will try to talk to her about it. If he is anything like me, he had a strong sense of being a man. He does not regret anything. Wait for me a moment.
The young man went to the door of the room where his friend was recovering. She entered the room and saw the young woman holding the hand of Frieder and crying softly. Frieder was sleeping soundly.
Antonio whispered: Are you able? The queen wants to see you for a meeting. But if you need a few minutes, I can tell her that it was difficult to find you. It is a little lie.
The girl wiped the tears from her eyes: No, I am fine. It is guilt.
Antonio looked at her sadly: Kerstin, none of this is your fault.
Kerstin: The other maids...they were also raped by the older pages too. We must have done something to make the men attack us.
Antonio knelt and took her hands: No, you and they are innocent. It was only the evil in the hearts of those pigs. The king was murdered. Yegor killed the man who chose you. I killed Jaime. They deserved to die for their crimes. Frieder would defend them again without hesitation. We will defend you with our lives.
Kerstin: Why?
Antonio: I do not know. Sometimes a man needs to decide what kind of man he wants to be. If there is anything good that came out of what happened to you and the others, it is that some men decided they wanted to be good men.
The young woman stood up and hugged Antonio with all her might. He held her until she released the embrace. The hug was more important to her than the oath.
When they left the room to look for their friends, Lupita was talking to Marcos in a low voice.
Lupita: ...and she is the sister of the woman who is going to marry my kind royal guard. I have already told you about him...
Antonio: Friends, let us go.
In the royal chambers.
The three young friends entered after Antonio announced them. They bowed to the queen and the duke because his attire indicated that he was an important nobleman.
Olivia: Duke Vulfhelm, their names are Kerstin, Lupe, and Marco. They are my... my friends.
Wulfhelm: Pleased to meet you. It is difficult for high-ranking nobles to have friends. I have won too many games against the other young men for it to be just a matter of luck. They always treat me with caution and a little fear.
Olivia, with a nervous smile: Fine, please, everyone, sit down. Marco, Lupita, would you like to help us finish the tea?
They both smiled at her. They understood the secret message they had taught her. They looked into the eyes of the other and communicated solely through their gaze: The queen wants to escape from here.
Marco: Kerstin was with Frieder. Does the boy need new bandages for his wound, Kerstin?
Kerstin thought for a second: Yes, I think so. But I do not know much about it. My brother told me that Frieder feels very comfortable with the care Monika has provided.
Olivia: Monika, can you take care of him for a while?
Monika: Of course, my queen. With your pardon, Duke.
The young duke nodded. He realized that she was still following the customs of Weisse Halle, as she also asked him for permission to withdraw. The older maid left, and the four friends looked at each other, searching for a reason why the duke had to leave.
Wulfhelm realized something was going on from their expressions: My queen, I will obey any order you give me.
Olivia to her friends: Do you think I can trust him?
Kerstin: When I was at Veisse Halle castle, there were rumors circulating about many of the nobles. The young maidens always said that the count, apologies, the duke, was an honorable man.
Lupita: He looked at me in the face before looking at my tits. That is a good sign in men.
The girls laughed and the duke blushed.
Marco: Whether you are a duke or not, if you harm Olivia, I will take your sword and shove it up your ass.
The three women: Marco!
Wulfhelm: I will serve my queen in whatever she needs.
Olivia: Fine. I want to climb down from the windows, visit the royal stables, and speak with the captain of the Blue Knights. I need them to obey me, and written orders have not worked. I do not think the guards will escort me there. The court wants me to stay safely in my room.