Chapter 8: perfect plan

" I'm telling you the truth. The princess could not even defend herself last night in the Queen's room when Sarah expose her" the first maid who was also one of the Queen's maid that was present in the room last night said.
" You don't mean it" another maid said looking surprised.
"I don't believe the princess will be so cheap and be throwing herself at men in the woods when there are so many handsome princes wooing her" the second maid said looking very confused.
" The princess is so cheap and yet she acts innocent. Thanks to Sarah for revealing her true colors" the third maid said disgustingly
Queen Hector heard everything they said and immediately clap her hands to draw their attention. They turned around and was surprised to see the queen standing right before them. Does it mean she heard everything they said? They thought to themselves because that was exactly the first thought that came to their mind.
" Greetings your majesty" they quickly bow their heads in greetings.
" What is the three of you talking about?" Queen Hector ask and the three of them look at each other and how their heads again.
" I asked you a question. Answer me and stop acting like morons" queen Hector said loosing her patience and they play with their fingers nervously. Hera being the lousy one among them summon the courage to tell the queen what they were discussing and even add spicy to eat to make it sweeter and interesting to discuss.
" Your majesty we were only discussing what happened in your room last night" Hera said and the queen furrow her brows.
" What happened in my room?" Queen Hector asked and the other maids tug on Hera's dress for her to keep quiet or probably say something else . It's against the palace principles for servants to be discussing the royal family affairs so they are afraid they will be punished if the Queen finds out about their discussion.
" It's about the princess" Hera said and queen Hector heart skip a beat. It obvious she didn't heard their conversation a while ago.
" How about her?" Queen Hector asked and Hera hearts leapt in joy. At Least she will be able talk ill of the princess and take her revenge on the royal family for sentencing her mother to death for a crime she didn't comited .
Nineteen years ago, something happened in Alvanor. Ariel Wilson was accused of a crime by the Ethan family which is the Queen's family. Hera being a kid that time just barely seven years old watch her mother hang to death by the royal soldiers. King Hector just ascend the throne with Helen by his side when the incident happened so he was the one who passed the judgement and order her mother to be sentenced to death barely sixteen days when her father died in the war between Alvanor and Erasc. Her father Wilson is one of the royal soldiers and was killed in the war. The Ethan's accused her mother of stealing from them. They said her mother stole their box of jewelries and sold them to a merchant because her mother is a servant in the Ethan's home. Stealing in Alvanor is punishable by death and Ariel was sentenced to death.
Hera vows to make the royal family pay for not investigating the case and for sending her belove mother to her early grave. She vow to make them pay even if it means losing her last blood. The royal family took her in when they notice there's no one to take care of her and that's how she became a maid in the palace. All this year's she has been planning her revenge and it seems this is the perfect time to bring the royal family down.
" The princess was caught with a man in the woods and was exposed last night in your room" Hera said
" What!!! " Queen Hector exclaimed when she heard what Hera said
" Yes your majesty. She was exposed and could not defend herself because it was all true and that was why she went into the woods by herself without taking any of her soldiers with her because she fear they will expose her. She even gives her maids a day off just for her to be able to go to the woods by herself" Hera said acting all serious like everything she is saying is nothing but the truth and the queen became furious and storm back to the hallway that leads to the spiral staircase.
A huge smile appears on Hera's face when she saw how angry the queen was.
' your sorrows just started' she thought to herself silently with an evil grin on her face.
" Hera why did you tell the queen?" One of the maids ask and Hera glare at her.
" We will be punished for discussing the royal family affairs" the other maid said with panic in her voice and Hera scoff
" Then you should have keep your mouth shut when we were discussing it. "
" But you could have just tell her something else" the panicked maid said.
" Why didn't you tell her something else since you know you will be punished if she finds out about our conversation? " Hera asked angrily
" But you spoke first" the other maid said looking panicked as well.
"Is your tongue tied when she was asking what we were talking about? I only said nothing but the truth, at Least she deserves to know what her lose daughter is doing behind her back" Hera said and walk away
The queen climb the spiral stairs and push the door to princess Diana room open and Diana sprang up to her feet when she saw her mother barge into her room. At first she thought it was someone else and was ready for any attack. She drop her guard when she saw that it was her mother and not someone else. She wonder why her mother have to barge into her room that way which is unlike her. Her mother has always respect her privacy and always knock and ask for her permission before entering her room but today she didn't knock but just barge in.
" Mother" Diana called forcing a smile but deep down she was worried about why her mother barge into her room and the look on her face is not friendly at all. Did she do something wrong? As far as she remember she was not angry with her in the morning and she hasn't gone anywhere after returning from the garden. What could have made her mother have that look on her face?
" Diana what have you done?" Queen Hector asked with venom in her voice and Diana eyes waver. She don't remember doing anything and thus don't know what the queen is talking about.
" I don't know what you are talking about mother" Diana said with her emerald eyes glittering. She has never seen this look on her mother's face since she was born and that make her heart bit so fast.
" How could you, how could you Diana?" Her mother asked softly and Diana became loss of words. She don't know what her mother is talking about.
" Mother I don't know what you are talking about please" Diana pleaded looking so innocent.
" How could you do this to us? Are you that cheap to the extent of meeting men in the woods? Where is your dignity as a princess? Where is your dignity as a lady?" Queen Hector asked with tears streaming down her face and Diana heart stop beating for some seconds. Everything seems to stop working that instant. The tears of her mother sting her chest and burning hot tears dropped from her eyes, she could not believe her mother fell for that lie.
" Where is the girl I gave birth to? Where is the girl I nutured and trained? Why Diana?"
" Mother it's not true, I'm innocent, it's all lies, please mother believe me" she pleaded with tears streaming down her pretty face. She wish her mother can just listen to her for once.
" Shut up!!! Is that why you have been rejecting all the suitors coming for you?" Queen Hector voice thunder through the room and Diana became numb. She really haven't seen her mother angry this way before.
The queen might be kind and lovely with an innocent face but when she gets angry the innocence in her fly away and is replace by wrath.
If the entire of Alvanor hear about this, the princess reputation will be tarnished and she will be unfit for the throne.