The convoy had already arrived in the courtyard. Meia's colleagues were waiting in front of the carriage horses. Cora stood leaning against a post in the shade and stared into the air. Innes stood next to her and stared into a folding pocket mirror. Cora was wearing a loose shirt and pants. Innes was wearing a summer dress that only reached halfway down her thigh. They both had their handbags. Cora had pulled her long necklace out from under her shirt so that the pendant was visible. Innes was busy putting on her make-up to impress the numerous men. Not far from them stood a squad of four palace guards. To the right of the carriage was the wagon. At its side was another troop of four and the masked woman. At the back, staff were already starting to load the suitcases and chests onto a luggage cart. The city guard's transport wagon was nowhere to be seen. It seemed they had already left.
"That will be all, men. Please escort Miss Arvis to her room. I can manage on my own."
The palace guards looked at each other as if they were unsure how to respond to the order, but finally they saluted.
Minister Schopppe made his way to the carriage. Meia wanted to get her backpack. After she explained to the men, the troop let her go to the covered wagon.
The minister opened the carriage door. The queen came outside. Unlike Minister Schoppe or normal people, she took the steps with her head held high. She did not look where her feet were going. She took the footboard as if she knew where it was. However, she would barely be able to see it anyway, as her dress was extremely pompous from the waist down. The queen wore several heavy gold necklaces that she hadn't had yesterday. One of the necklaces in particular stood out with a red crystal heart pendant. It was a real showpiece.
When the queen came out of the carriage, everyone stopped talking. Everyone dropped everything. All the men of the palace guard saluted. The only exceptions were the staff at the coverd wagon, as they couldn't see her, Minister Schoppe, who held her hand to help her, and the masked woman, who didn't move anyway.
"We're finally here. One more minute in this carriage and I would have gone mad." The queen glanced across the courtyard. "You can move."
Only after this order was given did the palace guards stop saluting and resume their activities.
"It is as you say, my queen. The journey has been an ordeal."
"I don't want to hear that from you. You are partly to blame for my suffering."
The queen followed the minister to the foursome with Meia's colleagues.
"I don't understand?"
"Did you know that the palace in Aoka blah blah blah..." The queen turned to the palace guards. "Just get me away from him."
"As you wish."
"I deeply apologise if I should have done anything wrong."
"Arrgghhh..."
The queen took flight and left him standing. Cora and Innes followed. The troop split up around the new group. Two led the way. Two secured.
Minister Schopppe remained behind alone. Next he wanted to get to the back of the carriage. The carriage had doors to a luggage compartment at the back. That was probably his destination.
Meanwhile, Meia was at the back of the wagon and had put her bottle in a drinks crate that was standing there. She explained to the servant in the cargo area what she wanted. After a quick tidy up, the man came back and handed her her backpack outside. Just as Meia was about to grab the carrier, suddenly someone screamed.
"Don't fucking touch me!"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Meia flinched away. The backpack fell down. At the same moment, a man fell to the ground next to the wagon. It was as if someone had pushed him away and he had been unable to catch himself and had fallen over. It was with so much force that he almost somersaulted backwards. Meia instinctively took an extra step away.
The next moment, many voices were raised. The palace guards were furious. "Ey!", "What the hell!" and "What are you doing!" they all shouted in disarray.
Meia hadn't been able to see what had happened, but it sounded like it was about to escalate. She took another step away.
Meia's troop ran off, then the gatekeepers too. "What happened!" one of them shouted. "Stop it!" shouted another, as if it were an order.
Meanwhile, the man on the ground was getting up again. Once he was propped up on his arm, he literally jumped to his feet.
At that moment, Meia heard a sword. Meia also recognised what kind of sword it was by the sound it made when it was drawn.
"I'll kill you!"
It wasn't an empty threat. It was a scream at the top of her lungs. Meia didn't recognise the voice, but she did know whose voice it was.
A moment ago, the man had jumped up as if to fight, but now he was backing up.
"I just wanted to ask something!"
"..."
Meia saw a silver blade, but only briefly. It looked as if she was threatening several of them, but also as if they weren't trying to get to her with full vigour.
Meanwhile, another man had come into the courtyard. Meia was almost the only one to notice him at first, until he reached the commotion. It was Markus Aster.
Meia's troop immediately took a step back. The rest of the commotion also ended abruptly.
"What's going on here?" the commander asked.
Meia didn't see him, but his voice was deep and raspy, so she recognised him anyway.
"I wanted to ask her a question and she snapped."
"Do your hands speak?"
In the freezing tone, Meia recognised this voice again. It was the masked woman, as expected.
Since the commander had calmed the situation, Meia walked a little backwards from the wagon to get a better look at what was happening.
"It's not like I grabbed her ass. I touched her shoulder. That's all I did."
"I saw it too. She attacked him unprovoked."
"She's insane."
"..."
The commander took a deep breath and exhaled for a long time, as if he was annoyed by the situation.
"Listen, you fuck off until they've finished unloading. - And you will stop whining."
Meia heard a metallic ringing. The masked woman put the tachi away. Meia could still not see her.
The squad saulted. Everyone went back to their posts. The commander disappeared in the direction of the carriage. Meia's squad remained behind her.
As Meia went to get her backpack, the masked woman came by. When Meia recognised the outline of her, she quickly looked away.
It was certainly wiser to pretend she hadn't heard anything.
"Hey, girl, are you awake?"
When Meia turned around, someone from the staff was trying to get past her, and perhaps had been for some time already.
"Oh, yes. I'll be gone in an instant."
Meia was already bending down to pick up her backpack as she spoke. She didn't know why it had fallen down in the first place. She was sure that she had grabbed for the carrier.
Meia heard the other troop complaining. "That bitch is crazy." and "Stupid Shikai cunt... She should go home." and things like that.
As Meia listened with the carrier in her hand, she noticed that the man in the hold had a suitcase in his hand and was staring blankly at her.
"I-I'll go."
Meia stepped aside. The staff got straight back to work.
The leader of the troop approached Meia. "Would you like me to carry the backpack for you?"
"No, thank you." At the same time, Meia took the backpack closer to her, even if it was a bit rude.
"We'll take you to your room. Please follow."
Half the squad went ahead, then Meia, then the rest of the squad.
On the way to the door, Minister Schoppe stopped them with a hand signal. Apparently he was still here. "Miss Arvis, just a moment." He came to them with the words. He did not hurry. On the way, he pulled up his sleeve and looked at a black wristwatch with red hands. "You are accompanying me into the city later. Do you remember?"
"Yes."
"Someone will come to pick you up at half past three. Wear everyday clothes, like now."
"Yes, I will."
"That was all from my side. You may leave now."
Meia curtseyed.
When she looked up again, it almost seemed as if the minister was smiling. Meia wasn't sure, because that would be the first time.
The minister then walked back in the direction of the carriage. Meia and her squad set off too. Before they turned the corner in the corridor, Meia looked back one last time.
Minister Schoppe left the courtyard out the back with a large briefcase. The last squad and the commander let him go alone. The masked woman stood next to a bench and in front of a wall. She stood absolutely rigid, as if cast from lead. Her hand was hidden in her coat. Her gaze went straight ahead to the covered wagon where the palace guards were standing. The first thing Meia thought of was resentment. But it could be something else. Meia couldn't tell what she was thinking. That woman was unreadable.
.../ End BP005